Woodworker/restorer's help?

[FakeName]

I scored some wooden foundry original molds today that had (supposedly) come from the Bliss Foundry in Toledo(?) that closed in 1958.

Love this things- obviously some wheel/pulleys and what appears to be a connecting rod. I've thoughtfully placed a trash can in the photos to give you a feel for the scale of these objects.

It's my intention to use the two wheels as inside wall art, but would like to clean them up a bit and move them towards "art/sculpture" and away from "dusty discards from junkpile". I'll clean them up to get the dirt/dust off, but want to keep the patina and the gouges, repairs, etc.

Here's where I need the help- once cleaned of loose dirt/dust, I'd like to add a little "polish" to the items to bring out the rich wood grain and the color of the original paint. Should I use a clear coat spray? A varnish? A poly? Linseed oil? Wax?

Second, I'm considering using the connecting rod as garden art. I realize it's going to eventually degrade- it's wood- but would like to protect it as much as I can. Same question- varnish? Polyurethane? Polyaspartic? (the last one is a joke).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bears Fan]

Really cool items! Great stuff from the industrial age, they don't make things like this any more. "AWESOME'

 

[rsanter]

For wall art I would use a little simple green or wood soap/oil stuff and just clean the grime off and that's it. Most clear coats you use will make it shiny unless you specifically use satin or flat material

Bob

 

[FakeName]

Most clear coats you use will make it shiny unless you specifically use satin or flat material

Bob

Thanks, Bob!

Yes, it would be my intention to use a satin or flat product. I want to deepen the color, bring out the grain, but not make it "shiny".

Anything you'd suggest?

 

[MoonRise]

Neat finds.

Good call on putting something in the pics to give a sense of scale, otherwise I'm sure we wouldn't have realized just how big those are!

Next, regarding finishes and 'refinishing'.

As mentioned by Bob, start with 'simple'. Use a blow-gun and a vacuum cleaner (shop-vac) to gently remove a lot of the surface dust. Go easy, as you can damage a piece of wood or the 'fillers' if you are too aggressive. Then, maybe go with some 'mild' solvents. I would be a little leery of using soap-n-water because of the issue of raising the wood grain and warping or splitting when you put water onto wood. So don't 'flood' the surface, just a barely damp cloth with some mild soap and water and gently wipe over the painted areas to remove some of the surface grime.

But remember that the surface grime is part of what is giving that 'old' patina to the pieces!

Since you are not trying to 'restore' the pieces for use as patterns for casting, I think just gently blowing and vacuuming would be about as far as I would go.

As to putting a 'finish' on there, although the things you listed certainly are possible wood finishes again I think they will all change the look and 'character' of the pieces too much IMNSHO. All of the film-forming-finishes will end up, well, forming a a film on the surface of the piece. Thin film or thick, that -will- change the look of the pieces. Again, IMNSHO.

Just how much time and work do you want to put into 'refinishing' the pieces? Cause for something like that, I think you would probably want to go with a sprayed-on finish if you do decide to put something on there.

And if putting a finish on there, you also may have to deal with chemical compatability between whatever finish you want to try and whatever is on there already (the old 'paint', the filler/caulk/'bondo', any possible mold release, grease or oil, etc).

Linseed oil is more of a 'soak in' kind of finish, so I would not pick that.

Polyurethane IMHO would be too 'thick' of a film and would change the surface appearance too much.

I'd probably opt for either just a bit of wax or if you really-really-really want to spray some finish on there for several thin coats of shellac until you get the desired 'depth' and thickness of the film and then rub/buff to the desired sheen level and then top-coat with a bit of wax (again rub/buff to desired sheen level and pick the 'right' wax for your desired look).

For the outside piece, it's yours and you can do whatever you want, and although you acknowledge that wood outside -will- eventually degrade, I think that the connecting rod pattern still would make an interesting inside piece.

If really set on putting it outside, keeping in mind finish compatability and outside use, I'd go for a marine varnish and keep the piece off of direct ground contact. Several coats, and all the 'under' coats should be gloss finish even if you eventually want a satin or matte final finish. Then you put on the last topcoat of satin or matte varnish, or just rub/buff to the desired sheen level.

Keep in mind there that if you miss the recoat window and aggressively rub/buff you can end up cutting through the top coat layer and into the undercoats and end up with ugly 'witness' lines between the coating layers.

And the reason for all the undercoats being full gloss and not satin/matte is so that you don't end up with a muddy/cloudy looking finish from all the matting agents dulling things in those undercoats. Only really applies to film-forming finishes that 'cure' each layer and don't 'melt' into one another like lacquer or shellac do.

 

[FakeName]

But remember that the surface grime is part of what is giving that 'old' patina to the pieces!


I'd probably opt for either just a bit of wax

Agreed, and thanks for your observations.

My initial impulse was to use a "wax" but I'm unsure what to use. I have little experience in the woodshop.

So- what- Pledge? Endust? Johnson's paste wax?

That's the kind of "look" I'm after, but I'm just not sure how to get there.

I may use some red-ish paint/stain on the white plaster repairs- just a little to kill the contrast (photography- this I know).

The connecting rod would make a fantastic indoor piece, and I'll try to get it approved by the missus. But I have a "mechanical" themed area in the garden that would be fantastic with it.

The seller has a bunch of these, and I had to choose carefully. I loved all of them. He's in Anaheim and will ship items, so if anyone wants something like this, here's the CL ad:

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/atq/3093469909.html

The silver one pictured is over 6" in diameter, and I want it badly. But I prefer to be married.

 

[MoonRise]

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2001635/9763/Briwax-Clear.aspx

or pick a different 'color' if desired, see the cross-product links in the page.

Or

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2003235/462/Renaissance-Wax.aspx

Probably not a 'Pledge' type product though. Maybe that for softly 'buffing' the paste wax that is actually on the item, but not spraying or glopping it directly onto the wood.

Pretty much a 'paste' type wax, of the desired color and 'hardness' and general 'sheen'. Carnuba is a 'hard' wax and can be buffed to a pretty high sheen if desired, but since it is 'hard' it is a bit harder to apply and then buff out. Hence a lot of 'paste waxes' have a mix of some softer wax(es) (like beeswax) and some mineral solvents to allow you to apply as a paste and then buff out.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2000750/2000750.aspx

 

[FakeName]

Ah!

That looks like the just the ticket. Since these have a lot of detail (nooks, crannies, cracks, etc) I think the softer paste wax are the right call.

And elbow grease.

Thank you.

 

[geologist]

Once you have it cleaned, Johnson's Paste Wax will form a durable layer of protection. The key is to rub it in really good, and let it haze on the surface. Afterwards, use a power buffer to polish it up a bit. It gets relatively hard once it dries, but the protection is pretty legendary after it sets up. I've used Howard's Feed-n-Wax, but I don't really like it on painted surfaces. Linseed oil darkens over time, so I would stay away from it. I've seen a lot of people end up ruining early American furniture by using linseed oil on it - watched a once beautiful corner table blacken over a summer and a half. Don't know if it reacted with something, but it destroyed the look of the table.

 

[FakeName]

OK, finished and thanks for all the help. I gently but firmly cleaned off the surface dust with a rag dampened with water and Simple Green, then used a spray bottle to rinse and dry.

On the areas that had been patched with white plaster, I ragged on some red paint thinned with water just to knock down the contrast.

I put multiple coats of Briwax clear on them- very happy with the results. Kept the patina, but "richened" the look. I was surprised at how much I had to use to get the desired effect- everybody cautions to use sparingly, and I did at first. But then I got more aggressive and the results were better, up to a point. In the end, they looked as good or better as I'd hoped.

Used 18" steel French Cleats to mount them on the wall.

Thanks again for your help, all!

 

[FakeName]

Thinking about putting some sort of belt around both of these to link them.

What might I use? Something inexpensive, thick enough to be visible on the edge- could be black or dark brown.

Hmm.

 

[ujmchris]

Thinking about putting some sort of belt around both of these to link them.

What might I use? Something inexpensive, thick enough to be visible on the edge- could be black or dark brown.

Hmm.

Maybe something like this?

http://www.tractorsupply.com/baler-...belting-4-in-wide-2-ply-210-nylon-ft--1420009

 

[FakeName]

Something exactly like that, thank you!

 

[A_Pmech]

Interesting patterns.

Here's what they helped make:

 

[FakeName]

COOL!

What does that do (stamping, drop forging?) and how can I find more images?