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Thread: Distressing

  1. #1
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    Distressing

    Probably sacrilege to some, but how about distessing some projects? I really like antiques, I also like to build furniture, but I don't like antique reproductions that look like new. So untill now I have mostly made contemporary looking furniture and I have bought some antique stuff. But for an upcoming project I'd like to make some stuff in 16th/17th century style and I would really like them to look like they have been well preserved antiques. Buying real antiques isn't going to work, because the pieces I need weren't available back then. And if they were available they would be way too expensive for me. My project is going to be "in the style of", not close copies of existing pieces.

    So, does anyone have some tips? How to get new wood looking pretty darn old? I will probably use cherry, so it will have to get a suntan for a while at least. The examples I've seen on the internet when I search for distressing aren't always very convincing.

  2. #2
    I think it's usually done on cheaper furniture here, with the exception being the kind of stuff zach or george might do at the request of someone.

    It usually has to do with wearing edges around here (based on what I see floating around boutique shops that have simple furniture that's been distressed). If I were going to do it, I'd want something more authentic, like taking a picture of a piece of used furniture and actually imitating what's on it. The dents and things of that sort on most furniture are a lot more subtle than the volume aging around here (where people do something like lay a screw on a piece of furniture and hit it with a hammer).

    It's probably worth making a tool kit of aging items so you can make subtle dents and things that would appear if someone accidentally sat on their keys or whatever and slid off of a chair getting up..anyway, I can't think of anything better than copying the actual wear on a real piece vs. just following simplified methods of rubbing rope across corners and sanding off paint or banging screws into something.

  3. #3
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    I'm horrified that people make brand new furniture made to look old.

    It's sacrilege.
    It's also the only line of furniture my mentor can sell.

    * sigh *

  4. #4
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    Distressing PROPERLY is one of the most difficult parts of making accurate antique reproductions to master.

    Staining things and beating them with chains just doesn't cut it. You have to put a lot of thought into exactly how and where surfaces should be handled. I can't tell you how to do it. Each case can be quite different. For me,boxwood has been the most difficult thing to properly age.

    I have taken years to learn how to do it correctly,so that my most demanding customer,she with the micrometer eyes has to ask "Which is the original"? Ageing metal,wood,ivory and boxwood takes time,thought,and practice.

    You might ruin a number of projects before you get it right. Good luck in your endeavor.

    I have posted these before. They are one example of the kind of parts I have had to learn to make and then properly age. Boxwood,iron,brass and ivory are in this bobbin and flyer set. The little layer of soot,very faint until compared to new ivory,had to be applied. Old antiques all have it from being in wood or coal heated houses for many decades. Getting a realistic color on various metals has to be figured out.
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    Last edited by george wilson; 10-23-2014 at 7:52 AM.

  5. #5
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    Yes I know Jim, but I am differently inclined in this. And it's my furniture, for my own home, not wanting to make counterfeits.

    I think you have a good point David, immitating existing wear. But how about the color and texture of the wood? I've seen some simple tips, like using tea, but also seen quite drastic chemicals that I would have trouble to aquire. This is something I would really like to see some tips on, especially regarding cherry.

  6. #6
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    Thanks George. I've got the perfect practice object now in the form of a small carved box that I am not quite happy with anyway. How about some ideas to give me a start?

  7. #7
    Can you get lye over there? I have never used lye to age wood, but I made soap once and used a cherry stir stick and the wood was instantly aged. I don't know what happens to the lye on the stick when everything is done, though. It is converted in the soap, and is thus not something I worry about using.

    What about tinting for aging in a glaze rather than on the wood - are you looking for the look where someone has spilled something on furniture?

    (we've got - well not we, my parents have a lot of furniture that is in the range of 200+ years old and is hand painted, and it doesn't have much ruinous discoloration(from things like spills), but rather a uniform look where the top finish has browned. Something that could be achieved in a glaze).
    Last edited by David Weaver; 10-23-2014 at 7:54 AM.

  8. #8
    You must spend much more time at Rijksmuseum Kees.

  9. #9
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    Lye, that's caustic soda isn't it? I can get that.

  10. #10
    Yes - caustic soda. I have no clue about the implications of using it on wood other than what I've seen making soap. It reacted so heavily with a small cherry stick that I used that the color that came off of the stick - an instant dark red - actually tinted the soap as well. It looked like the unstained old cherry furniture my parents have, with a very deep dark red.

  11. #11
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    I agree it CAN be a sacrilege,Jim. I only have done it to age missing parts as part of the conservation process. Conservators in museums will go either way: They will either make their parts stand out like a sore thumb on purpose,or they will skillfully age them to look correct,with discrete signatures on them to warn future curators and collectors. I have a name stamp 1/40" high.

    My main customer,who collects sewing,weaving,and spinning things,used to get me to make the parts new. Then,she got more sophisticated,and had me re do everything aged. The parts shown went into an 18th. C. mahogany spinning wheel with inlay,brass wheel,and level winding mechanism. Much different from the ordinary type of spinning wheels. They run into 5 figures,and are very scarce,being playthings for the super rich.

    Part of every woman's education back then consisted of learning to spin. Even Queen Elizabeth I spin. Curiously,the weaving was done by men. Probably due to the heavy,bulky looms. Women would take their spun materials to a weaver,and have cloth made. It took huge accumulations of spun materials to do this.

    My customer had to out bid a major London museum to get this spinning wheel,even though it was missing a few vital parts. She had another similar wheel whose parts I copied.
    Last edited by george wilson; 10-23-2014 at 8:10 AM.

  12. #12
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    Ernest, the problem with the Rijksmuseum is, everything looks brand new!

    The lye is a good start. I'll give it a try with some cherry.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Kees Heiden View Post
    Ernest, the problem with the Rijksmuseum is, everything looks brand new!

    The lye is a good start. I'll give it a try with some cherry.
    Outside and with gloves on, it goes without saying. I've only ever gotten one good whif of lye mixing with water, but it's something that you will do only once. The strong initial smell dissipates pretty quickly, though. I can't remember what the ratio of water to lye was, but any soap recipe will describe a good mix for the water before it's put into oils and fats, and I'm sure that it could be less concentrated than that.

  14. #14
    Personally, I wouldn't focus on making it look 'old' but on making it look 'well-used'.

    To simulate age, you can do a lot with the right glazing. It can appropriately muddy a too-perfect finish and simulate patina in crevices. I also think a thinner, oil finish gets to looking worn in quicker than something with a more protective, modern finish.

  15. #15
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    Yes, a quick read learned me tp be carefull with that stuff. Old clothes is also a good idea.

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