I am refinishing an antique buffet that is primarily mahogany and crotch wood mahogany veneer as you can see from the picture. The problem is with the main drawer which is walnut veneer. This is too strong a contrast to the mahogany.
What I want to do is to bleach the walnut and keep the walnut grain but then stain it a mahogany color to blend in with the rest of the buffet.
The picture that I included was of the walnut drawer front that had already been stripped. But it did have mineral sprits on it to simulate what it would look like top coated. It is simply too dark as is.
I have some experience with oxalic acid and I don't think that will work here based on what I have read.
I suspect the real solution is 2 part wood bleach also based on research that I have done. The real problem is likely to be buying 2 part wood bleach in a reasonable sized quantity.
Even if you bleach the walnut, it will still have a purplish tint to it. The key will be for you to find a "yellow-orange" stain that will get you closer to the finished mahogany. This may be one of those cases where you will have to mix and match different colors to get what you need, depending on how close you want the walnut to be with the mahogany. Bleaching the walnut will at least get the walnut lighter so you will be able to apply a light stain without going to dark.
Thanks for the feedback, Randy. I am sure that finding the right color will require some trial and error. It is not necessary to be bang on with the color as long as the overall blend and effect are more subdued than how it looks now.
Still having trouble finding a retailer to buy the wood bleach from.
Let me first say that it looks fine to me. Whoever built it was going for that look.
Ok, with that out of the way, two part wood bleach will get things pretty light, but I don't know that it will change the color to look like mahogany. I think even if you get it white, you won't be able to stain it to match. You'll just be trading one problem for another. I'd also be a little careful bleaching veneer; it might cause it to lift.
Let me first say that it looks fine to me. Whoever built it was going for that look.
Ok, with that out of the way, two part wood bleach will get things pretty light, but I don't know that it will change the color to look like mahogany. I think even if you get it white, you won't be able to stain it to match. You'll just be trading one problem for another. I'd also be a little careful bleaching veneer; it might cause it to lift.
Thanks for the feedback. I am nervous about the bleaching effect on the veneer. The veneer was in fact in very bad shape and I had to do many small glue repairs to fix issues or simply to re-attach the veneer properly.
I sure hope that I am not trading one problem for another. But fair warning.
The Klean Strip bleach would work for me but buying a gallon is overkill and finding out where to buy it is still a mystery.
Lots of cautions:
Part A is sodium hydroxide in solution with...?
Part B is hydrogen peroxide, or mild bleach/antiseptic.
Two or more applications will raise the grain significantly. :thumbdown: It may also lift the veneer...?
Some strippers will lighten walnut in my experience, but maybe not enough for your taste. Randy's advice on stain seems to be the best answer to your predicament.
Lots of cautions:
Part A is sodium hydroxide in solution with...?
Part B is hydrogen peroxide, or mild bleach/antiseptic.
Two or more applications will raise the grain significantly. :thumbdown: It may also lift the veneer...?
Some strippers will lighten walnut in my experience, but maybe not enough for your taste. Randy's advice on stain seems to be the best answer to your predicament.
Yes there are many parts of this process that are challenging. Fortunately I am dealing with a small part of the overall buffet. I had not considered the grain raising issue so thanks for pointing that out.
The Wood-Kote brand bleach Ive used comes in two bottles.
To use it, mix equal parts of the two liquids in a glass or plastic container. Never put either chemical into a metal vessel. (Some bleaches call for applying the two parts separately. Follow the instructions for the one you're using.) Once mixed, a chemical reaction begins, wherein the hydrogen peroxide, an oxidizer, acts to neutralize the caustic sodium hydroxide. Neutralized, the solution loses its bleaching power, so mix only what you can use immediately. Quickly apply the solution to the wood. A sponge makes a good applicator. Keep the surface uniformly wet to minimize streaking. Rinse the solution off the wood with water. To ensure that no caustic soda remains behind, rinse the wood with a mild acid-white vinegar works well-then rinse it once more with water.
Or you could simply use regular Chlorine Bleach and Hydrogen Peroxide.
In one bottle, you apply the chlorine bleach and let it soak in for 15 minutes then you would apply hydrogen peroxide out of another bottle to neutralize the bleach. After a few minutes, 5 tops, you simply rinse the wood with plenty of running water to get rid of the chemicals.
Gary, you just can't expect a lot bleaching walnut. Usually all you can do is cut some artificial color that is added. Bleaching the natural color of the wood isn't that practical. Two part wood bleach would be better however if you cut very much of the natural color it gets to looking weird and very undesirable.
Steve, thanks for the input. This whole investigation has been very up and down. I thought it was all going to come together but your feedback would suggest otherwise.
I have a real dilemma because the customer is not pleased with the mixed mahogany / walnut look of the buffet.
The product searching would lead me to believe that this is a solvable problem.
Why don't you just get some mahogany veneer and re-veneer the drawer front? It would be much easier to "antique" the new veneer than to try and match walnut to mahogany. And I agree with you, I think walnut was a poor choice for the front. Almost looks like the drawer came from an entirely different piece of furniture.
That would be an interesting alternative but I think it's outside my skill set especially with all the intricate ornamental design carved into the wood. Thanks for the feedback.
I just recently refinish a small box that had some serious coats of "something" on it, but I was afraid at the time I would ruin it. I tredi lacquer thinner, but that didn't work all that wel, just made it run and gummy. So I had this old can of Formby's and a green scrubby from 3 M and it worked like a charm. The scrubby gathered up the old finish, and at the same time leveled it out and evened out the stain.
After it dried long enough.... I sprayed a top coat of Min Wax Fast Dry Poly. I waited for 2 few days and it finally was dry to the touch. I waited another day and gave it 2 more coats and now it's just great. It still has the dents and dings under the finish, but it looks original in my opinion.
Formby's may be your answer here, I donno? It may draw out the darker stain in the Walnut. You don't want to lift the veneer for sure. :no: They may have a Tech Service who can answer that question? Maybe someone hare has used it on veneer and will have experience?
I just recently refinish a small box that had some serious coats of "something" on it, but I was afraid at the time I would ruin it. I tredi lacquer thinner, but that didn't work all that wel, just made it run and gummy. So I had this old can of Formby's and a green scrubby from 3 M and it worked like a charm. The scrubby gathered up the old finish, and at the same time leveled it out and evened out the stain.
After it dried long enough.... I sprayed a top coat of Min Wax Fast Dry Poly. I waited for 2 few days and it finally was dry to the touch. I waited another day and gave it 2 more coats and now it's just great. It still has the dents and dings under the finish, but it looks original in my opinion.
Formby's may be your answer here, I donno? It may draw out the darker stain in the Walnut. You don't want to lift the veneer for sure. :no: They may have a Tech Service who can answer that question? Maybe someone hare has used it on veneer and will have experience?
Thanks for the interesting approach but I am going to give a shot at harvesting some antique mahogany and then applying that to the drawer face and hope that it will blend in properly with the rest of the buffet.
Gary
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