Help with discolored finish

[buckaroo]

I'm hoping someone can tell me what is going on with this wood and finish, and what I can do to fix it. This rocking chair was originally a sort of blond color like the splat in the backrest. Unfortunately it was left on a screen porch over the winter and now a lot of the finish has come off -seems to be shellac. I think its oak - see the picture of the right armrest. But parts of it have darkened - see the picture of the left armrest. This seems to be in the wood, not the finish. It doesn't come off with denatured alcohol. Anybody got an idea what happened and what I might do to be able to get the chair back to a uniform color, maybe darker?
Buck Horton
919-627-2824

 

[Graywolf]

First, what do you want the new finish to be? Then we can talk about solutions. It’s probably shellac but a quick test is to put a drop denatured alcohol on a spot out of sight and wait a short while. If the finish gets soft and sticky then you have shellac.
when you do that let us know and what you want and we can go from there.

 

[buckaroo]

First, what do you want the new finish to be? Then we can talk about solutions. It’s probably shellac but a quick test is to put a drop denatured alcohol on a spot out of sight and wait a short while. If the finish gets soft and sticky then you have shellac.
when you do that let us know and what you want and we can go from there.

 

[buckaroo]

It's shellac, but I think there's an opaque stain under it.. It's my daughter's chair. She said she does care if it has to be darker, she just wants the finish to look uniform. It is not fine furniture wood. See the attached photo of the underside of the seat.

 

[Graywolf]

OK, now do you want to strip it and start over? You should be able to dissolve most of the shellac with alcohol or if you know how to use a card scraper then you could do one or the other and or a little of both. Maybe a little light sanding. Then the question is do you know what finish you want?

 

[AllanD]

May be considered blasphemy by some but I would clean it up and paint it. Let her pick out a color she likes. Since you think that color is into the wood it will be a real chore to get rid of it or try to match it.

 

[Graywolf]

I’m just speculating by the pictures that it’s a dye and a stain much the way most furniture and cabinet manufacturers color their products, with a shellac finish. I personally wouldn’t leave paint off the table. Now if you are looking for professional results with limited knowledge then you may be disappointed. Some refinishers have a strip it and refinish with modern finishes and that is fine as long as that is what a customer wants. Others have an approach of matching the old finish and restoring the piece. You can’t always do the latter. There is a great deal of this that is harder to explain and easier to show. Even then one can not teach you how to feel. Quite a bit of color theory is subjective only because everyone perceives color differently.
you may want to investigate a few books on the subject, Repairing and Restoring Antique Furniture, by John Rodd may give more insight. Personally I could advise you better if I could put my hands on the piece.

 

[KenOfCary]

I agree with Allan and Richard. My first thought was paint it black to cover all the imperfections. I'd be more challenged by replacing the middle part of the seat than fixing the wood, but that's just me.

 

[buckaroo]

Thanks, everybody
My first time posting and I'm tickled to get so much advice. I'm a newbie woodworker at age 76. Painting seems like the best option to me, too, but I'm going to get the old finish off and see where that leaves me. I might be back for more advice.
The hard part of replacing the caning will be getting the old piece out. I'm hoping the spline is held in with water-soluble glue.
Richard, it's interesting that you mention color theory. My neighbor is a physics professor and teaches the physics and biology of color at NC State. He gave a talk to our community last week and it's more complicated and weird than I could have imagined.
There is actually 1 person - 1 in the universe - who has an extra type of receptor in her eyes and sees 100 times as many colors as the rest of us.