Nicos Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 We have been given a mahogany,oval topped cast iron Victorian pub table in a very poor condition...The top had had formica screwed into the wood and when removed the owner had filled the hole with white filler and then roughly varnished over the top.It also has a filled split which is about a foot long and 1/8 " wide.The heavy central cast iron base is very rusty.I don't want to spend a fortune doing it up ..and any advice would be appreciated!I can imagine in it's original state it must have looked superb.My thoughts are to remove the badly applied varnish and the drill out the holes and fill with mahogany plugs. Then re-varnish...but what with???? What would the original finish have been ( French polish or what????)What on earth do I do with the base???? It looks like a good sand blasting would take off the rust...but how- or should I pay to have it done??( it's very ornate)...and would it be cheaper to sand blast it in France compared to England????And what finish should that have???At the moment it's painted with metal paint.My gut feeling would be to take it to a professional and have them do it....but would it really be worth the cost bearing in mind that the wood is damaged in such a way???( the oval top is about 5ft x 2ft)Your ideas please.......[:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 You have to decide if you are going for a pristine 'as new' restoration or something which maintains the character and history of the table.You can strip off the varnish (use Nitromors or Mangers varnish remover) or sand it back. Sanding it allows you to decide at what point you stop if you want to retain the character. If you go for pristine then you can just strip back and sand the surface. Drill out and plug the filler, as you say. The crack could be filled in one of several ways, proprietary wood filler (not great), by mixing sanding dust from the top with PVA glue to make a paste (I've never really made that work) or by putting coloured resin into the crack and sanding back. Or by leaving it alone if it is only 1/8".Finish is a matter of taste. Personally I would go for wax.The cast iron you can treat with Nitromors and a wire brush. You could have it sandblasted, which would give a good finish, but you can probably do as well with some elbow grease. Car restorers are available sandblasters if you go that route. Home sandblasting is OK if you have a big compressor. Once you have removed the paint and rust you can paint with something like Smoothrite (smooth Hammerite) which is also available as a spray can. Or something like Japlac.Whatever you choose, good luck, it sounds like fun. Some pictures of the work as it goes along would be nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 I think I'd leave the crack alone too, it adds character!As for the base, I would be cautious about sandblasting, if done too vigorously you could lose some detail. Paint stripper and elbow grease are best. You might consider wax for the metal parts too. Gives a lovely finish but of course will need re-applying from time to time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 As per Rico Daniels - wax over patinated metal, can look excellent.The secret is not to remove detail and patina, as you say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weedon Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 If you decide to go down the "sandblasting" route for the ironwork there are other materials available, instead of sand, that are capable of taking off the paint without damaging the metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 I believe that crushed walnut shells are most efficacious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Dick, have you been reading my thread on slug deterrents? I'm using crushed walnut shells and they seem to be working. Also, I have bought some beer for the slugs. Perhaps, if people hadn't been putting too many beer glasses on the OP's table, it wouldn't now be in the state it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicos Posted May 22, 2008 Author Share Posted May 22, 2008 Exciting isn't it????I don't want it pristine...there's plenty of time for that in the future- just something to make it look like it's not due on a skip!I've sanded the top today as there were very few interesting marks on it just a thick layer of varnish and water marks from rain damage ( stored outside!)It already looks better although I've turned bright orange with wood dust!![:-))]I'd like it to have an Engish finish ( if you know what I mean- not the stain which most French tables seem to have)Would waxed mahogany look good? I love waxed pine.......Car resorers for the base......I wonder what they would charge?? Elbow grease- well I could give it a go, but it's very finely 'carved'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 [quote user="sweet 17"]Dick, have you been reading my thread on slug deterrents? I'm using crushed walnut shells and they seem to be working. Also, I have bought some beer for the slugs. Perhaps, if people hadn't been putting too many beer glasses on the OP's table, it wouldn't now be in the state it is![/quote]Perhaps if you used the in a sandblaster you could give the slugs a really hard time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Nicos - please bear in mind that mahogany dust can be quite toxic. Best to wear a proper mask - not just a nuisance dust one.Best way to sort the finish is try it on the underneath. I'd go for a Briwax type finish, which can be coloured to give the effect you want. Maybe Mr Zjob knows more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicos Posted May 22, 2008 Author Share Posted May 22, 2008 [quote user="Dick Smith"]Nicos - please bear in mind that mahogany dust can be quite toxic. Best to wear a proper mask - not just a nuisance dust one.[/quote]NOW you tell me!!!!!![:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Well! Shouldn't be a problem with just one table, but I think it can be like iroco and set up an allergic reaction if you work with it a lot. I imagine that old mahogany like this is pretty inert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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