Restoring very unique hand-carved furniture from Balkans

I have some furniture from the Balkans, hand made by the wood carvers of Konjic (Bosnia), who are currently candidates for UNESCO recognition for their unique trade. You can see some pictures here (mostly contemporary stuff, but scroll down for more traditional pieces):
http://semifashion.blogspot.com/2013/01/rukotvorine-handcrafts.html

Here is a link to pictures of the sofa (the main piece, you can also see a hutch in the background of the same style), made in 1937:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=UXFFOUhJQmUwblVsbExkTUd0eW9TRjhQYWl2elJR

Ignore the upholstery (currently being redone) and other issues, like the new incomplete back of the sofa (originally had no back, but we're making one that is removeable and does not affect the original sofa, all the while allowing us to sit more comfortably on it).

The big question that remains is what to do with the finish. I do not know what the original finish of these pieces was, and the color currently changes significantly in parts, which could be a degradation of the original finish?

I was planning on doing a gentle clean and application of high quality wax paste. However, before I do that, should I do anything else about the finish, especially where it has worn down/away? Should I leave it? Or is it ok to restore it in some way, and if so, what products do people suggest? (aesthetics beings primary concern here as opposed to keeping every inch of the original finish).

I'm all ears. Thanks so much in advance!

 

I'm seeing a very strong Middle-Eastern influence in the designs. I'm not sure what to do about the finish. My personal reaction, if a piece is old, is to just polish it and leave it alone otherwise. If it's water damage that's another matter, but fading from sun is part of what is supposed to happen to a piece of furniture. Brad may chime in; he's the furniture expert.

 

Thanks. Yes, the Middle Eastern influence is regional to this part of Bosnia. The furniture was made by the team of a Muslim woodcarver, Ismail (Ishmael) Mulic. However, the style developed from a fusion of Austro-Hungarian wood furniture making of the early 20th century (Austro-Hungary controlled this part of the Balkans in the early-20th century), whose techniques blended with local woodcarving designs that were highly Middle Eastern. The style also became quite popular among Christian upper and middle classes in the interwar period in the region (Serbia, Austria, etc.), who liked the "oriental" style. For example, the palace of the Serbian royal family had a room decorated in this style of furniture.

That's just a little more background.

My feeling has been to leave the the finish as original as possible. Would wax alter this though, or just be a form of polish that does not affect the underlying finish (where that's intact)?

I fear, however, that some areas are very dry, and I worry if they need some sort of protection.

We want the pieces to look as nice as possible. Leaving the aged look is part of the appeal. At the time we'd like to bring out that quality a bit more, and allow the wood to be as healthy as possible.

 

I would not use wax on it. Too much carving and the wax will get stuck down in.

Are you here in the US?
If so, there is a product called Howard's Restor-A-Finish. Meant for restoring the color of wood before using a beeswax polish.

There are other oils you can use to wipe down the wood.

Wait for Brad to chime in. He really is the furniture person

 

i'm thinking he's in Bosnia...

 

I'm in the States, so I can easily get any product.

The point about wax getting stuck concerned me too.

The reason I was thinking of wax was from reading a forum in which people were debating the use of lemon oil, Old English scratch cover, and other items. I'm hoping to hear from the grandson of the original maker of the furniture in Bosnia who has a small museum dedicated to furniture making and will hopefully be able to shed light on the original finish.

I look forward to hearing Brad's comments.

(Cited from: https://www.antiquers.com/threads/restoring-very-unique-hand-carved-furniture-from-balkans.13699/)

 

That furniture is beautiful! Wow!

 

I am going to cut and paste some advice I gave in a different thread and add some additional comments.....

I would start with a penetrating finish that will allow you to even out the color if necessary along the way. I like a tung oil varnish for this. There are several commercial products or make your own by mixing equal parts oil-based varnish, mineral spirits, and tung oil. Once the first coat is on (apply thinly with a rag) you will be able to see if you need to even out the color in any areas with stain. Because the finish penetrates, you can still do this at this stage. If you had used a poly or other finish that doesn't penetrate well, you could not do this. Once the color is to your liking, you can add more coats of finish. You can usually recoat with out it thoroughly drying but it should feel pretty dry to the touch. If the wood continues to soak in the finish and look dull, keep coating. This usually takes at least three coats of the oil-varnish mixture to get a good look but may take more. The final coat could eliminate the mineral spirits in the mixture but it is fine to continue with it as-is. Once thoroughly dry, top it off with a furniture paste wax.

I might add that you could use straight tung oil or tung oil mixed with mineral spirits instead (Just a little mineral spirits will help the tung oil to penetrate more easily.) Neither of this should affect your original finish but you might want to test a small spot first.

The addition of varnish gives it more of a top-coat finish that the table in the other thread needed. Your pieces may not need this as they seem to have a finish on them. The finish primarily needs to be rejuvenated. Tung oil will do this. Keep in mind that, the more coats you put on, the shinier the piece will become.

I would not be opposed to using paste wax on this but would want to be careful about getting too much into the detail work. Paste wax can also be thinned with mineral spirits but needs to be heated to be able to do it. It is flammable so it is a tricky process and utmost care needs to be taken. It would probably just be best to work it into the wood with bare hands and a small soft rag where your fingers can not get in to.

You mentioned some color variance. If it is honest wear from use where hands have rested for years, I would leave it as is. If it from damage, I would touch it up with stain. Once you get a coat of tung oil on this, you will be able to tell if it needs some color added in places. You may find that what you are seeing is more due to the wood drying out in places than any real damage.

 

Thanks, Brad. Do you have a particular good quality tung oil product you would personally recommend?

So if I understand you correctly, the tung oil would in no way harm the original finish, but would actually help bring it out and restore its health?

I agree that I want to keep the color variance where there has been natural aging. There is a gash across one of the doors of the hutch, though, which has removed the original finish color and has left a line across it. Does it matter if I use a scratch cover on such places before or after the application of the tung oil?

 

No particular brand. The oil should not harm the original finish, nor should mineral spirits but in never hurts to test a spot first since we really don't know what finish is on these.

Whether or not you use the scratch cover before or after the oil would depend on what type of scratch cover you use. If wax based, it would be done after restoring the finish. I usually use just a little stain and it can be used in conjunction with the oil. After the first coat of oil, you may find that it really doesn't need any color added. Sometimes scratches just disappear when the oil is applied.

 

Thanks, Brad. Yesterday I was in touch with someone who has seen this style of furniture before, and he told me that he believes the furniture would have been finished with a colored linseed oil, with no additional protection (shellac, etc.).

Given this new information, would you still go ahead with the tung oil, or would you used an uncolored linseed oil?

I've read that tung can be better for protecting against moisture?

This brings me to a final question: the backsides and undersides of the furniture were not covered with this colored linseed oil. However, one of the pieces (sort of a long wall frame) has warped a bit, I assume because it is long and the backside never had any sort of protection and thus had a different reaction to the environmental elements (dryness and moisture in the air). If I apply tung or linseed oil on the pieces, should I extend that to the backsides and undersides for protection?

Thanks again!

 

I would use the tung oil. It has better protective properties and dries better than does the linseed oil. Linseed oil used to be the standard but tung oil has become preferred. After all these years, I am not sure if there is much benefit to coating the areas that were never coated but it sure couldn't hurt.

 

Hi,
I always use tung oil. In the 60s it was frightfully expensive and hard to get. It is a lot better than linseed oil and does not turn as dark as linseed oil does.
greg

 

Or alligator. A lot of old pieces were damaged with linseed oil plus heat. I refinished a desk with tung oil and hand rubbing when I was in high school; it was the last time I was young and crazy enough to do it. My mom stripped the (sob!) old surface off when I was a baby, so there was no old surface to worry about.

 

Lovely, and really interesting. That arch carving is also very Moorish, for obvious reasons.

 

Thanks everyone!