Stair handrail finishing ( a bit long, sorry!)

Once, our house was split into two, with a partition at the top of the first flight of stairs. I took this down over the bank holiday weekend, hoping to find the original bannister etc sandwiched between the hardboard skins (classy stuff huh?) but unfortunately all I found was a

2 x 2 frame. Cue a partial rebuild of the stairs.

As an aside, best advice is not to start a job like this on a bank holiday unless you already know for sure you have everything you need (but you knew that anyway didn't you?). The selection of stair parts in the likes of Wickes/B&Q etc is very limited and about twice the price of the BM or a stair specialist.

I can't get hold of a match for all the parts (at least not without spending stupid money on tooling charges etc), but I hope things will blend together with the components I have (/shall have, when the order comes in).

The original handrail is mahogany or similar (circa 1877) and is still there for the main run up from the hallway, so that will stay. Installing the partition involved cutting this vertically along its length for the top 2 feet or so, so there will be fun and games patching that up. The new handrails will be sapele (ie pretend mahogany), so the challenge will be to finish them all the same way so that even if the shape is different, the colour/texture won't clash too much. It seems pretty clear that I'll have to rub down the original parts to get some kind of uniform finish, so that should be fun.

I don't think the existing surface is shiny enough to be french polish, but could easily be wrong on that. It looks more like it's been waxed but that could be from years of rubbing the rail as hands run along it (and maybe a bit of polishing).

So: How did the Victorians treat and finish this kind of thing and what would be the best approach to take (ideally using things I can source easily)? (I've been all over Google on this and no real joy so far.)

Reply to
GMM
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Mahogany eh. I used to work with that at School in woodworking. Bloody hard, has a very attractive grain, but chips all too easily. I seem to remember we rubbed some kind of oil into the grain for several times, but try as I mightI'm damned if I can remember what it was called.

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

I'd start by finding out what the finish is soluble in. Dab some meths on a kitchen towel and see if the colour comes off. Plenty of shellac based varnishes weren't shiny

Reply to
stuart noble

Well a light rub with meths brings off some colour, though I'm sure some of that is bog standard dirt(!) I'd be happy to bet that it looks diferent now to how it looked when it went on but how definitive is that test? I know a lot of shellac was used around the house, so it's fairly likely, but aren't there other things that dissolve in alcohols? (Maybe that doesn't really matter, as it may indicate a french polish finish will take on the surface after a rub down.)

Reply to
GMM

Fine Steel wool & nitromors my mother used to use on antique restorations to take back to wood.

Maybe steel wool & meths will take enough off to blend old & New? Next prob is what finish to apply on new & old surfaces (that still have a mystery finish on)....

Jim K

Reply to
JimK

Of course, Nitromors ain't what it used to be, so I think it will be meths (maybe some other solvents for good measure), sanding pads and steel wool plus crossed fingers. I should have a bit of offcut of the new stuff spare to experiment on but I'm currently thinking french polish and sanding to level the grain then (possibly - before it gets too much shine and starts looking like something you'd see in 'merica) a top coat of wax. I'm rapidly developing the theory that these jobs go as far as patience lasts.....

Reply to
GMM

French polish then sanding??

Er really?

How about woodstain then sanding sealer, knock back the gloss w fine abrasive then wax?

Jim K

Reply to
JimK

Well, more a wipe with 000 wirewool between coats.

I've been having a go on a new bit of sapele rail to get my eye in and it's amazing how it changes from a dull uniform brown to showing a rich grain with a few coats (well, 4 of sanding sealer and 6 or 7 of FP).

The thing I'd forgotten about french polish is how quickly it dries, compared with waiting forever wondering if varnish will ever stop being sticky.

I think the hardest part with the main rail will be stripping it for re-treating. Plenty of elbow grease required.

Reply to
GMM

Not been following so apologies for any duplication. When we were first married and setting up home with antique *passed on* furniture, some friends gave us the formulae for something they called *Plendeliths compound*. I have long since lost the recipe but believe it may be available commercially as

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Lots of repeated applications for ancient finishes:-)

Reply to
Tim Lamb

Unfortunately not getting anything from that link (just a generic page) but thanks for the thought: Now I'm intrigued!

The 'advantage' of some of these finishes of course is that they tend to dry pretty quickly, so you don't have to wait too long between the repeated applications. And, of course, there's a certain fascination in watching the grain and surface qualities change with each step.

If I didn't have a whole house to (partly) rebuild, I could imagine getting drawn in to playing with this stuff a lot more.

Reply to
GMM

...'And, of course, there's a certain fascination in watching the grain and surface qualities change with each step.'.....

Isn't that mainly one getting pissed on the solvents though?

Jim K

Reply to
JimK

Just one of the many benefits.....

Reply to
GMM

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