A different approach to crackle finish

[Perry Holbrook]

I've got a fairly high quality chest of drawers (Thomasville Furniture) that is over 30 years old. It has a dark brown stain and of course a factory applied lacquer top coat. I want to update the look by applying a crackle paint finish just on the drawer fronts and not the moulding around the fronts. I had planned to apply thinned hide glue, let dry, then add a water base accent color. I want the dark stain to show thru the cracks.

I'm concerned if the hide glue will stick to the lacquer. If not, do you think I can apply a de-glosser (liquid sandpaper) to the areas to get the crackle finish. I don't want to sand because I will not be able to get into the corners, etc and I'm concerned I may sand thru the stain .

Perry

[Steve Schoene]

You need to find a way to test the materials. In general hide glue is very tacky--for example, some hide glue can attach itself to glass so strongly that it pulls shards of glass away as it shrinks while drying.

I don't quite understand not being as able to sand into corners as to apply deglosser? Surely you would not be sanding with a machine, only using sandpaper, by hand, on with a sanding block. By the way, nail files on foam boards, are also good for getting into detail areas.

[John TenEyck]

I would clean everything with MS to remove any wax, then apply a coat of dewaxed shellac. It will stick to the lacquer and the hide glue will stick to it.

John

[Perry Holbrook]

I would clean everything with MS to remove any wax, then apply a coat of dewaxed shellac. It will stick to the lacquer and the hide glue will stick to it.

John

Thanks, I'll try that on a small area of the chest that will not be easily seen.

Perry

Steve, I guess I'm just too lazy to do all that sanding. The drawers have overlays and edge moulding, making for a good many inside corners.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I guess I'm just too lazy to do all that sanding. The drawers have overlays and edge moulding, making for a good many inside corners.

That being the case - then please consider the alternative if it all goes bad on you.

Scuff sanding those areas only takes very little time and effort - - however - - should complete removal of the failed finish (due to not scuff sanding in the first place)be required, the amount of effort and time involved will make you question whether or not it's even worth it to try to salvage the piece.

[Perry Holbrook]

Thanks Rich, for reminding me what happens when I am lazy. Actually, my concern for all the work involved if I do this wrong, is why I took the time to ask the question. It seems to me it is more risky to sand than apply shellac. If I don't get it sanded good enough in all those detail areas, it will show in the final outcome. If the shellac will work, I feel I've got a better chance of getting the detail areas to look like the rest of the areas.

Perry

[John TenEyck]

Whatever approach you take, try it out on some scrap first to make sure the whole process works.

John

[Rick Mosher]

They do chipped glass effects by coating hide glue on glass and as it dries it actually pulls chips of glass off creating a beautiful effect. As long as the surface is clean you will not have any adhesion problems. You will have to experiment with thinning the glue and applying the latex paint (the cheaper the better) to vary the size of the crackle.

[Rich Engelhardt]

It seems to me it is more risky to sand than apply shellac

Just bear in mind that shellac, even dewaxed shellac, forms a hard glossy surface that provides little to no "tooth" for the top coat to adhere to.
When they say "Shellac sticks to everything and everything sticks to shellac", they mean dewaxed shellac won't react poorly with most materials.

If the project were mine, I'd scuff sand it, then use a liquid deglosser to wipe down the surface and pick up any sanding dust.
Followed by a thin coat of dewaxed shellac - just in case there was some old furniture polish residue left over on the surface.

The scuff sanding involved is a very quick and easy process. Think of using a cloth to wipe dust off, then substitute a sanding block and 220 or 320 grit paper for the cloth.

That link that Rick shared up above is pretty informative. You'll note if you read it that in order for the hide glue to pull shards of glass out, the glass first needs to be sand blasted - IOW - it needs to be roughed up and "tooth" provided for the hide glue to adhere to.

Anyhow - nearly every time I've tried to avoid something, it's always come back ten fold to bite me later on. Just sayin...

[Perry Holbrook]

OK Rich, I'll do it your way . Not being able to do this on scrap, is what makes this more critical. I can experiment a little on one of the end panels that may not be easily seen, but I need to get it right the first time. The piece is one that was built while I was the asst plant manager where it was made. It's 1 of the 2 pieces I still have that I got there, I've replaced all the rest with my own work.

Perry