Thanks for that. I'm quite certain polissoir was never a mid-century
tool, at least not in a factory setting.
Yesterday I bit the bullet and connected the shop vac up to the orbital
Bosch tailed device and had at it, reminding myself once again why I
hate sanding. Red dust everywhere! I damp-wiped the standards and left
them overnight with the air cleaner doing double duty. This a.m. I
checked and it appears only a little hand sanding will be required. Not
sure I'll try the polissoir for the reason Frank mentions, though the
makers of T&T recommend burnishing with steel wool before each coat.
Their recommendation made me think to try the polissoir, or even a brown
wrapping paper burnish. Steel wool - another of my least favourite
finishing materials, right up there with abrasive paper. We shall see...
Happily, there is no need to refinish the shelving itself.
Don
On 2024-01-27 10:43 a.m., Frank Filippone wrote:
>
> AFAIK, the technique of burnishing with a polissoirwas not one used on
> Mid Century furniture.
>
> Having said that, I have done some work using the polissoir on wood,
> and find that the effect ( early wood texturally sepaarted from the
> late wood) is more effective on soft wood species... cedar, pine or
> even oak versus ebony or purpleheart. for example.� Padauk is a hard
> wood, and I suspect the results of burnishing it will be not enough to
> get a significant textural finish difference.
>
> Now if all you want is a really SMOOTH finish, use more sandpaper ( go
> to 320, wet the wood, start again at 220 and go to 600) or plane it
> super well. Try the burnishing using a stiff rag.� That should give
> that kind of finish...
>
> BTW, Padauk is one of those woods that changes color when it
> oxidizes.� If you sand it, it WILL change color.� On an old piece, one
> that is oxidized over time, you may make a LOT of work for yourself in
> needing to re-sand the entire bookshelf.
>
> Frank Filippone
> BMWRed735i@G...
> On 1/25/2024 2:42 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:
>>
>> Has anyone used a polissoir ( corn-straw burnisher, Jeff) on a Tried
>> & True Original finish? I made a couple of wall-mount shelf supports,
>> to replace the ones UPS broke, so my daughter & GIT can finally
>> install a teak-look shelving system that belonged to my
>> recently-departed Aunt. It's not critical, but I'm wanting to emulate
>> a mid-century barely-finished look on padauk. I'm tempted to burnish
>> before applying the T&T as the grain's quite irregular, but I don't
>> want to interfere with absorption. All suggestions welcome.
>>
>> Don, in nearly-balmy Calgary
>>
--
"You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you
don\u2019t do too many things wrong." - Warren Buffet
\u201cTo argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason,
and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like
administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist
by scripture.\u201d \u2015 Thomas Paine, The American Crisis
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