Featured Restoring an old writing slope - or trying to!

Hello folks

I have bought an old writing slope in poor condition, in the hope of being able to restore it. Here are couple of pics - one after I took the brassware off, and one showing the condition of the top - it loks a bit better now after some work with the wire wool. I've cleaned the brassware, and I've rubbed down the veneer with fine wire wool. It was sold as figured walnut - I hope that's true as I know walnut is very fine. I'll need to repair quite a bit of damage to the surface and the corners, and it needs a new skiver.

And when the repairs are done, it needs a finish to bring out the figure of the veneer. One person has urged me to give it a coat of polyurethane - I'm not at all
sure about that. Has anyone got a better suggestion for a finish for the veneered surfaces?

 

Hate polyurethane Tung oil varnish. Buy prepared or make your own (equal parts tung oil, oil based varnish, and mineral spirits). Apply multiple thin coats with a rag.

Hard to tell wood from your picture. May be walnut but mahogany is also a possibility.

 

@Shangas
@808 raver
@2manybooks

 

In my opinion the only finish should be the original one, shellac (french polish) Because you are just doing a small amount ie not a table you don't need to know how to french polish, just apply 5 or 6 coats with a fine brush, by the time you finish a coat where you started will be dry enough to start a new coat. Then allow 2 days for shellac to fully cure, then use 0000 wire wool the lightly flatten off the finish, then use a wax polish to finish. The added bonus is you wont have to strip off the finish before you start because you are replacing like for like.

 

Not sure what I can add to this, but if there's any questions that people have, I'll answer them if I can.

 

When restoring veneered surfaces, especially figured walnut, it’s best to avoid heavy finishes like polyurethane since they can sometimes give the surface a plasticky look and hide the natural figure. For antiques, traditional methods like oil or hardwax finishes tend to bring out the warmth and depth of the veneer much more beautifully. I’d recommend looking into eco-friendly options, as they not only highlight the grain but also provide lasting protection without being harsh on the wood. Products such as Saicos Ecofriendly Wood Finishes in Canada are often used by restorers for this purpose. They’re designed to enhance the natural figure of veneers while remaining safe to work with. Once you’ve completed the repairs and sanding, applying a natural oil-based finish like this can really make the walnut come alive.

 

Well, I've managed to make some progress with the slope. I've watched several youtube videos, and have bought some sheets of veneer. No, not great big sheets - just half a dozen A4 sheets, probably the most expensive way to buy it.

Anyway, I've begun by tackling the repairs needed to the veneer. I've cut out the old damaged veneer, and cut a new piece to glue on. As the old veneer is the thick sort, I've had to glue together two bits of the new, thin veneer. Cutting it to the exact shape to fit the gap was quite difficult. I'm hoping my skills will improve as I go along. Here are two pics - one shows my first new patch. The second shows the next job - two damaged areas. One is on the right - you can see where the veneer is missing. And if you look just above the red label on the mitrebox the whole shebang is perched on (to get the best of the light), you'll spot a vertical crack. I'm minded to cut off all the old light brown veneer and go for a single patch right across the side. My A4 sheet is plenty big enough for that.

My new veneer is a much lighter shade than the old stuff. I'm inclined to stain it darker, so it's not so glaringly different. A retired woodwork teacher here has advised me not to try to make it all look the same, but I think darker would look a lot better. When it's all done, I'm planning on using Tung oil to finish it.

And I'll get a new skiver from a bloke in the Midlands, and some green felt for the base.

That should take me a few months at the present rate!

 

Thanks for the update, I look forward to seeing your progress. I love old writing slopes!

 

I'm glad you are taking on the restoration, when cutting veneer don't try and cut the exact size of the missing piece, cut it slightly larger and then use tape to stick it onto the missing piece and then use the new bit to cut the new line, it will give you a join that's invisible, also when cutting veneer take several light cuts instead of one deep cut. Please consider french polish, don't use tung oil, it will go a matt finish within days. Staining can be tricky but it's not that difficult just make sure it's a weak mix so the first staining is lighter than you want to go and keep giving it coats until they are both the same, remember once you put on the french polish it will darken so put a coat on and then try a bit of french polish on top in a small area, if it's not dark enough with the french polish you can stain over the top. Hide glue mixed with sawdust is the best for filling joints, it wont shrink unlike wood glue and sawdust.

 

When it comes to doing the skiver, keep in mind that the glue is the only thing holding the wooden writing leaves onto the box.

So you gotta put the leaves down, apply the glue, and then put the skiver over the top, so everything depends on the strength of the glue and the skiver.

For the fancy skivers which are a bit thin, one technique was to put in a thinner under-material beneath the skiver (like a bit of cotton or whatever) for extra strength.

Any decent crafting/general purpose glue will do. I have seen some restoration videos which used something akin to wallpaper-paste to glue them down, although that seems a bit excessive.

 

Thanks for these helpful comments and thoughts.

808 Raver said "when cutting veneer don't try and cut the exact size of the missing piece, cut it slightly larger and then use tape to stick it onto the missing piece and then use the new bit to cut the new line". I don't understand - how do I use the new bit to cut the new line? Could you explain, please?

 

I believe he means cut a piece of veneer just slightly bigger than the area you’re trying to patch then cut through both the new piece and the remaining piece underneath at the same time and then you’ll have a patch that fits exactly in once you remove the old veneer piece underneath. Try to cut perfectly perpendicular so that you don’t cut on an angle. That’s the general pattern for fitting in patches in general not just for veneer.

 

Aha - I think I get it. I'll try that on the next patch - just one more to do now. Thanks, Joe and of course 808.