Padding Lacquer for French Polishing

This is a post in a series of 31 Days of Wood Finishing. See the intro post with all the topics here. Padding lacquer can be used to french polish also.  It can give you the same results as shellac.  It has better resistance to water, and dries very quickly.  It mixes well with dyes, …

Step away from the Gorilla Glue!

You can find Gorilla glue in most hardware stores.  Just the name of it sounds strong, so a lot of people buy it.  Gorilla glue is a good product, and works well if you know how to use it.  What people don’t realize is that when the glue cures it foams, and expands. In the …

Carving a Rosette, and Repairing an Antique Mirror

Last week I was entrusted with repairing a badly damaged antique mirror frame.  The movers were concerned that the mirror was too far gone. Most of the damage was easily repairable.  The concerning thing was that a complete rosette was missing!  I had the other rosettes  to go by,  so I decided to carve one …