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I'd have thought earlier, but I have seen the wooden rosettes as late as 1930s. Also Scotland makes life more complex. I used to live in the West End of Glasgow - truly a Victorian Empire City - and a huge range of exotic hardwoods turned up there.
So, here's a couple of thoughts...
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You could try cleaning them up with an old-fashioned wood reviver. One part each Boiled Linseed, clear alcohol and turpentine. Do a confidence test first.
You can sand a hidden area down to clean grain BUT it will most likely be end grain which doesn't help much unless you're ++expert.
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Finally, have you got a copy of Collins 'Complete Woodworker's Manual'? It has 13 pages of colour pix showing face and side grain of hardwoods and softwoods. If not you can get a copy for about £2.50 on eBay. The older ones have better paper/print quality. Mine is a hardback published 1996.
Stephen, this is fantastic - thank you! I’ll track down a copy of the woodworkers manual. As far as I can tell the dark colour is throughout the wood but will have a go at seeinjng if I can get deeper.
Thank you!
The exact recipe is folklore and varies from person to person. Some use raw linseed (probably safer first time out) and some add white vinegar (which I never have).
Comments
I'd have thought earlier, but I have seen the wooden rosettes as late as 1930s. Also Scotland makes life more complex. I used to live in the West End of Glasgow - truly a Victorian Empire City - and a huge range of exotic hardwoods turned up there.
So, here's a couple of thoughts...
/next
You could try cleaning them up with an old-fashioned wood reviver. One part each Boiled Linseed, clear alcohol and turpentine. Do a confidence test first.
You can sand a hidden area down to clean grain BUT it will most likely be end grain which doesn't help much unless you're ++expert.
/next
Finally, have you got a copy of Collins 'Complete Woodworker's Manual'? It has 13 pages of colour pix showing face and side grain of hardwoods and softwoods. If not you can get a copy for about £2.50 on eBay. The older ones have better paper/print quality. Mine is a hardback published 1996.
Have a good weekend!
The exact recipe is folklore and varies from person to person. Some use raw linseed (probably safer first time out) and some add white vinegar (which I never have).
Lots of stuff like this on the net. Search 'furniture reviver' - experiment
https://blog.thirdbitfromtheright.com/2014/04/25/home-made-cleaner-for-wooden-furniture/
I have both!