Scarf Rack, experimental stained oak project

 

Hidden in the back of our downstairs closet is a rack/holder just I made for my winter scarves. The project is incidental I wanted to try a new finish.

I laid out a small rack I planed to attach in the closet with screws,

  To make cutting the openings easier I drilled holes before cutting the material away with my band saw.  The top photo shows the colour of the re-claimed wood.

  This is the oak once it was sanded and assembled. The wood was oak trim from an old house, the best guess was the trim was put in the house in the 1930's. The latest home owner was renewing the place totally and was giving away the trim.

  This is actually why the project was done. I wanted to see how easy to apply and what results wood come from using water based stain.

  I am very please with the resulting colour.  I mixed the staining powder in water, slopped it on vigorously.  It spread evenly and dried quickly.  After two costs of shellac with  a light sanding in between coats the result is good. A further bonus is Homestead House is a local company, I've used their Hemp Oil finish for a long time on my cutting boards.

  I look forward to using this stain again and trying other colours in the future. 

cheers, ianw

 

Magazine Storage box

Magazine box in  St. Laurent blue milk paint from the Toolstore.ca

 

 

   A couple of weeks ago I made nine magazine storage boxes and then decided that I would finish them each with a different finish. These boxes would become a resource for me when I was trying to remember what each finished looked like.   I have written the name, colour and other important information on the bottom of the box.

   Above is a box finished with two coats of Homestead House milk paint from  thetoolstore.ca.  Thetoolstore.ca has recently added a new line of paints and finishes.
  
   Let me tell you about my milk paint experience. 
   
  It was great!
  
  Beginning with the obvious I really like the colour.  It was super easy to put on and ultra easy to clean up.  Both very important to a non-finish specialist like me.  The milk paint also does not smell at all when it is drying and since it comes in powder form I only mixed up 1/4 cup of paint, there is no mostly empty container of paint left sitting on a shelf in my shop.


   I have a small sample of red paint which I will paint another box with and then coat with a thin layer of Hemp Oil, as per Homestead House instructions to see what the semi-gloss effect is like.  Without the oil treatment the paint is brightly toned but a flat finish.

Wood Working Magazines get a Good Home

   Last spring my Uncle away and I inherited years of "Wood" magazine. A pile over a foot thick. As well in the last ten years I have also had a couple of magazine subscriptions and I can never bring myself to throw a wood working magazine out.  You can never tell when you will need to read up on a technique or look up a plan.  The Internet now provides plans and lots of ideas but I still buy a few magazines when I am out and about.  It is nice to sit on the back deck and read a magazine, a lap top on my knee is just not the same.
 
   Since we have been working on our basement family room the heaps and piles of magazines now desirve  to be organized and featured.  We had some card board file boxes to store papers and magazines but I decided that it was time for wood working stuff to be stored properly, in wood.

    I am using left over 2 1/2 in poplar and pieces of wood panelling.  I plan to make about 2 dozen little magazine boxes.  This one is finished with a quick coat of Homestead House walnut wood stain. (water based, fast drying and easy clean up).  The front and back butt joints are held on with Pocket Holes.  They will stand on the shelf and keep the magazines from getting all twisted and wrinkled.

  I am planning to finish the boxes all differently and then note the result on the bottom of the box.  When I am looking to stain or dye a piece of wood I will be able to look at the boxes and remind myself of the results and then have to do fewer test pieces. ( I hope)