Re-making an old frame

[AllFramed]

I have a project for which I have had to take apart an old frame and re-assemble it. The frame is a 3" hardwood, I think oak, which has come open at each corner. Having taken it apart, I am left with a number of holes, some with surrounding black marks. As I do not have the correct vice or punches to re-pin the frame, I am intending to glue and under-pin it instead.

Grateful for any suggestions as to what I should use to fill the holes and if there is anything I can do about the black marks?

Once re-assembled I am intending to rub off the existing lime / "varnish" finish and re-liming the grain and waxing it.

Thanks
Tim

[silvercleave]

Tim

The black looks as if it is from the frame being pinned with steel pins which in oak rust away and stain the wood.

If you are going to paint over no problem, if you varnish don't think you can get rid of the stain.

unless someone knows different if so I will be

Ian

[prospero]

Those stains are formed by a chemical reaction with the nails. No way can you sand them out as they will have penetrated deep into the wood.

You could:

Lime the wood and leave the liming a bit heavier over the stains. It wouldn't completely hide them, but it would make them less noticeable.

Leave the stains and add some more in random patches using India ink. And while you are at it, attack the frame with various blunt instruments. Finish off with wire wool and wax and dust rottenstone all over. Give a it a final hard buffing with a duster.It will look fantastic.


I like old oak frames. IMHO they look better when they have gathered a few scars and dings. I never chuck old oak frames.

[Not your average framer]

Sadly the Lion nail hole fillers, which they used to do are no longer available. They were of a very thick consistency and just perfect for this job. I still use them and dread the day that I use up what's left.

After slightly over filling the holes, I sand them down and the sawdust mixes with and gets stuck into the surface of the filler to enhance a natural look.

What you need is a good stiff wax based filler. Hopefully another forum member can suggest an alternative to the original Lion fillers.

Maybe if you are lucky, someone from Lion may be able to lay their hands on one still left in stock of the appropriate colour. Perhaps it's a bit unlikely, but who knows!

Mark

[Graysalchemy]

.... And while you are at it, attack the frame with various blunt instruments....
I like old oak frames. IMHO they look better when they have gathered a few scars and dings. I never chuck old oak frames.

My dad used to do a bit of antique restoration (and still does). I always remember as a kid going to a car park with my dad to find some big lumps of hardcore, then putting them in a sock and battering the sh*t out of a chest of draws he had just restored to "age" it.

[AllFramed]

Thanks for the quick replies gents. Looking back through previous posts i see you are a big fan of Rottenstone so I will give that a try.

Re the nail filler, the current Lion catalogue has Amaco wax fillers for filling holes. Has anyone used this to good effect?

[prospero]

Wood filler.

Quite a few years ago I got a big tub of wood putty. So long ago in fact that I can't remember where from. It's branded 'ArtMac'. I originally got it to try making frame ornaments. It's sawdust bound in resin with a solvent. I think it's similar stuff to what they make 'Pasta' mouldings with.
It has long since gone rock-hard, but I found that if I saw a chunk off and put it in a glass jar and add a splash of acetone, it will re-vitalise and makes an excellent filler for big holes. When set, it has a consistency close to wood and can be sanded well.
You can buy similar fillers in the DIY sheds, but usually in small tubes and they work out very expensive. You never get all the stuff out and once opened they soon go hard and unusable.
Wax fillers are OK for small hairline gaps and minor chips, but for big holes you really need something that sets hard.

[Dodger]

Don't know if this will be of any help but years ago I had a boat and the Oak boom had black stain rust marks in it and a chemist friend suggested I use Oxalic acid crystals dissolved in warm water to get the stain out. Just have to rinse the crystals out after the stain has gone then let the wood dry again before finishing; it worked a treat for me!

[Jonny2morsos]

Oxalic acid is the base for "Bar Keepers Friend".

http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/about-us

Available from John Lewis.

[AllFramed]

Thanks Dodger. Just done some Googling, seems like that could be a solution. Indeed Liberon make a wood bleaching product which is based on the same so may give that a go. Will try it out on something else first though!

It would take a bit more than "Barkeepers Friend" to make my golf clubs look like new. Sadly they now have that rottenstone look!