# Cedar chest refinish



## jaydawg74 (Nov 24, 2011)

Here's my second cedar chest refinish. My mom gave me this one after I refinished hers. I did not build this, my mom picked it up at an auction a few years ago. The finish that was on it was in pretty rough shape. The old shellac or varnish was really crackled and it was ready to be redone. I'll post just a few pics.....


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Beautiful job. How many hours into it?


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## dbales (Jun 21, 2011)

Great job. I've got a few family heirlooms around my house that need the same treatment. All in due time though.


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## jaydawg74 (Nov 24, 2011)

Probably about 15-20 hours of total work. A good deal of it was stripping off the old finish. Sanding took a little bit of time, as always lol. Started with 100 grit on my ROS, then 150, then 220. Then hand sanded the whole thing with 220. Applied a coat of tung oil, let it sit 24 hours, lightly wet sanded with tung oil and 400 grit paper, wiped dry, let it sit til the next day (around 12 hours), lightly sanded with 500 grit paper and applied a third coat of tung oil, let sit over night and sort of buffed it with a soft cotton cloth.

I let the copper pieces sit in some CLR for about an hour and hit them with a light wire brush. They cleaned up nicely! I left the tacks be though, I thought it was a nice contrast to the clean copper.


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## jlmarta (Jul 29, 2012)

A good job, nicely done. Way to go, my friend.....


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## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

whoa dude. that wood has got some serious grain patterns. awesome work.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

That looks great. I'll have to try tung oil on my next cedar project.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

jaydawg74 said:


> Probably about 15-20 hours of total work. A good deal of it was stripping off the old finish. Sanding took a little bit of time, as always lol. Started with 100 grit on my ROS, then 150, then 220. Then hand sanded the whole thing with 220. Applied a coat of tung oil, let it sit 24 hours, lightly wet sanded with tung oil and 400 grit paper, wiped dry, let it sit til the next day (around 12 hours), lightly sanded with 500 grit paper and applied a third coat of tung oil, let sit over night and sort of buffed it with a soft cotton cloth.
> 
> I let the copper pieces sit in some CLR for about an hour and hit them with a light wire brush. They cleaned up nicely! I left the tacks be though, I thought it was a nice contrast to the clean copper.


It looks great...you brought it back to life. Which Tung Oil did you use?









 







.


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## jaydawg74 (Nov 24, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> It looks great...you brought it back to life. Which Tung Oil did you use?


Formbys. It's all I could find near me besides Minwax, and I wasn't gonna use that!


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

jaydawg74 said:


> Formbys. It's all I could find near me besides Minwax, and I wasn't gonna use that!


What you used is basically a wiping varnish... an oil/varnish/solvent mix, that may not have any Tung oil in it. The oil could be BLO, or Soy Oil. The varnish resins likely has an oil content too. Nothing wrong with using it, as it does provide a nice film type finish, needing no topcoat.

The label stating "Tung Oil Finish", using the word "Finish" does not indicate pure Tung Oil. If it was it would state...100% Pure Tung oil or China Wood oil.









 







.


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## jaydawg74 (Nov 24, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> What you used is basically a wiping varnish... an oil/varnish/solvent mix, that may not have any Tung oil in it. The oil could be BLO, or Soy Oil. The varnish resins likely has an oil content too. Nothing wrong with using it, as it does provide a nice film type finish, needing no topcoat.
> 
> The label stating "Tung Oil Finish", using the word "Finish" does not indicate pure Tung Oil. If it was it would state...100% Pure Tung oil or China Wood oil.


Thanks for the info my friend! What would you suggest as a good TRUE Tung Oil? Hartville Hardware is about a 25 minute drive from me and they probably have all of the good stuff.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

jaydawg74 said:


> Thanks for the info my friend! What would you suggest as a good TRUE Tung Oil? Hartville Hardware is about a 25 minute drive from me and they probably have all of the good stuff.


The Hartville Hardware site shows they carry Behlen products. You should look for Pure Tung Oil, or China Wood Oil. The product could look like either one of these...

http://www.guitaraust.com.au/finishing/finishing-oils/behlen-tung-oil.html
.
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/behlenpuretungoil.aspx

Keep in mind it needs to be thinned. Follow directions. It would not be suitable to use on top of what you have already done. 









 







.


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## jaydawg74 (Nov 24, 2011)

Thanks again Cabinetman!


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## Fishinbo (Jul 23, 2012)

Did I just travel back in time?
That chest is a knockout !!!
You certainly did justice to that beautiful thing!
Great work on it!


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