Was that find a part of the WOOHOO “it’s opening day at the flea market”? It is indeed a nice find and it has some years on it. The back isn’t stapled or have tack gun marks so that takes it back to before the 70’s maybe. If you’re not going to give it a fresh coat of stain, perhaps some “Old English” might add to the cleaning up process?
Awesome @Von Jones That looks like a shellac finish and should you want to save that finish but give it a light clean look, just get some denatured alcohol or a bottle of EverClear and fill an old cotton well-washed sock with other old cotton socks making you a refinisher pad and soak it in alcohol and just start rubbing and it squeezing out occasionally and with a bit of handwork, you will have a CLEAN new look with minimal work and expense. Get an old wide-mouth jar to put your alcohol in for continual soaking and cleaning your rag. Should you want to stop just put the rubber pad in the jar and lid it. No way you can mess up as it can always be smoothed with more alcohol and the rubber pad. You can also squeeze the pad back in the jar for a darker finish, but I do this only after a pass over to clean all the dirt off and squeeze that out to be discarded. This is a nontoxic way and can be done indoors. I finish all my projects using shellac. If you want to really clean it and remove a lot of finish, then 0000 steel wool is used instead of the pad. This leaves a beautiful look but is also more work and mess.
No it was at curbside. 100% wood. Couldn't find a maker on the back or anywhere else. I do have some Old English too.
Yes, her legs are gorgeous, aren't they. It is a desk and aside from the bo weevil's leftover cotton balls, for her age she's in excellent condition.
You know, my son asked me if I was going to paint it. I said no, just going to clean her up and add wheels. That's what got my attention. If I change anything it would take away the thrill of the find, you know what mean?
The entire desk is gorgeous and well made. You are lucky to find it in this good repair with the original finish. I would place it about 1930s maybe earlier. The mistake many make is thinking it is solid wood. It may be but also can be a heavy veneer from that era. I would never sand a fine piece like this or use a varnish stripper. I would do as you say and leave it natural using just a dry cloth to clean it or the "french polishing method" which dissolves the old shellac but also leaves it to become a fresh old-looking finish. I would never varnish, oil, or wax it. I love doing french polishing on old fine furniture, radios, and musical instruments. Shellac is just exotic moth vomit that hardens to a nice natural look. Using alcohol denatured or my choice EverClear, it can be touched up forever.
One thing about EverClear is that if a project ever becomes too daunting, then one can down a couple of shots of it and a person will see brand new horizons. May not be able to walk straight but suddenly grow super abilities? Heck yeah, I can do anything!
I was undecided between Home Improvement or Not Sure Where It goes So my garden tool, the Weed Puller, came today. I went out back to try it out and was there for about an hour. I'd say it was a very productive hour too. There were patches of clover that I wanted to clear away. You know, the kind that escapes the blades of the lawn mower and you don't want to set the mower at its lowest because it will pull up all the grass and leave just dirt. Well, I cleared every patch of clover that I could find with that weed puller. I'm sure my arms, legs, thighs and shoulders will make me aware of how hard I worked today but the yard looks so much better without those patches of clover. I also removed the weeds around the stones of the flower beds. Oh, the grass was a little wet so it may perform even better when it's dry. This tool is not for the faint of heart you have to be committed and not waiver even on a small task. If I was to rate it I'd give it an eight two reasons shy of a 10. It's small and needs more teeth. It's definitely worth spending the $10 for it; it's well made; easy to handle; not heavy or too light; easy to store; multiple uses, rake, dig and cut or if you're living dangerously a weapon . All in all I can manage the clover when it appears again. I am a happy camper .
I don't know why people want to get rid of clover. It's good ground cover and only grows low to the ground in one's yard, and if your whole yard was covered with it with no grass, you would not need to mow. Backyard rabbits like it too.
No rabbits around for them to enjoy the clover, Ed. I wouldn't mind it if the patches didn't say 'hello, we're here' when I walk in my yard. I like to see a nice unified lawn.
We had a lot of white clover in the yard at the house where I grew up. When you mow it, it just leaves little sticks, sticking up. There are all kinds of variations. I have something in my yard here in Georgia that looks like clover, but I think it isn't. It spreads like vines out in a circle, grows a foot tall in places. Good thing is it dies down in the summer here and is covered by the runner type southern grass. I don't know what it would look like with grass like Fescue. Probably awful.
Update on my physical condition after yesterday, I'm fine. Yesterday though after I layed down for 40 winks I woke up stiff and sore .
I agree completely. We have planted clover in our yard because we like it so much. Even before I met Bobby, I planted lots of clover in my yard in Idaho. Clover adds so many nutrients to the soil when it is mowed , and in Idaho, it helped the sandy soil. Here, we have that awful red clay, and everything struggles to grow. We now have lawn in places that were just bare dirt because once the clover grew there and amended the clay into better soil, grass now grows there also. Another good thing about clover is how it helps the bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. People complain that we are losing the pollinating insects, but then they have yards with nothing except grass in many places. And, if the worst comes to happen, clover is not only edible, but very nutritious. I sometimes add some to salads, stirfies, and green smoothies. My son in Washington has been getting rid of clover in his yard because his wife only wants grass, but then he grumbles because every year, he has to add new topsoil to his yard for the grass to even grow. And clover is SO much softer to walk on than grass is, and stays green year around.
I love the smell of clover and clover flowers. I remember the big patches of clover in our yard when I was a kid. I'd lay in the middle of it, watching the little busy bees. Occasionally I'd tangle with one (the bees not the clover) and go crying to my mama.