I was recently given an antique cane bottom chair and am attempting to refinish it.
Having stripped the ugly green paint from it (man that methyl chloride does burn) I find the wood (oak, I think) has a lot of "character" and am not interested in painting it. While I could stain it I am wondering what you experienced folks have to say about boiled linseed oil (with about 5% japan drier as suggested in FWW's Methods of Work) as a finish for this chair.
In addition the cane has disintegrated and I have ordered some as replacement along with the spline (after careful measurement of the groove.) Do I replace the seat and then apply the linseed oil or apply the finish first and then replace the seat?
Too, the directions for replacing the seat look fairly straightforward, on paper at least, but I've never done it before and my past experience has demonstrated that things are rarely as simple as they look. I believe I can do it but an old pro here in Atlanta told me very brusquely not to bother trying as it wasn't worth the effort. Of course he would do it... for a price.
Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Regards, Snidely