OK, I'll look into the stain when I shop for shellac... will report back in a few days!

About shellac flakes -- am looking at some online suppliers and came across this: "Dewaxed GARNET Shellac
Dewaxed - GARNET Shellac
Deep Rich Brown-Red cast flake shellac.
Excellent tone for use on antiques & reproductions"

Would this color of shellac help tone down the orange/yellow cast of my cabinet? A 4 oz can runs about $10... how far do you think 4 oz would go?

Yes this would tone down the color. It should tell you how much nenatured alcohol to mix with the flakes. But I think you are looking at a little less than a qt. This is more than enough. Mix it until it is thick like syrup.

Thanks Glenn! Do you mean that the 4 oz should mix up to a little less than a quart when I add denatured alcohol? Do you think this will be enough to do a cabinet and refresh the shellac finish?

Now that I think about it, if I'm using something with color, I wouldn't just be working on the areas with flaked shellac; I'd have to work on the entire cabinet. Would you see the entire job as a french polish?

Hello Glenn, I've finally resolved my Singer 12 difficulties and am back to the White cabinet. I've been shopping for aniline dye and have found it in once ounce packets. It is the alcohol soluble stuff I want, correct?

And if I decided to brush over the entire cabinet (it's quarter sawn oak but the light parts of the grain are very yellow -- I want a browner tone), how much dye do you think I would need?

I'm looking at the dye here: https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/...tem/LW-AWAL.XX
and it is the Dark Brown Walnut, Redder(#693) - 1 oz. I LOVE the dark brown, reddish tone. Do you think I can get this on an oak cabinet?

Thank you!

Pamela, I have been keeping up with your Singer 12 stories. Glad all is well now. I love my two. I Would have told you what I did to get them to sew but other QB members were ginving you the correct advice so I did not feel it was needed to repeat all.

Yes you can use any color dye on the oak. You can use either alcohol soluble or even the water soluble aniline dye. 1 ounce will make about 2 qt of stain. I would use a quart first so it will be darker. Rag a little on and see if to dark if it is add more alcohol. This stuff dries fast so it is best to rag the stain on the wood to control streaking. Do a section at a time. Wear gloves this stuff will dye you hands and will have to wear off. If you find you are haveing keeping everything even you can wipe down with clear alcohol to even the color. Now the water soluble is easier to apply with a rag and will not be as dark. Just remember this stuff can be very dark so test and mix until you get the color you want.

Thank you, Glenn! I checked with some furniture restorers here in town to see if perhaps they either had shellac flakes, or knew where I could get some. The last person I called actually laughed! Everyone says to order online, so that's what I'll do. That's a job for tomorrow.

I can't wait to get more sewing done on these, both the 12 and the White FR. Today, typically, I spent time in a thrift store finding pillowcases, men's pajamas, and men's XXL shirts for the fabric. Oh, and a vintage iron. Now why this happened when I have plenty at home to sew, I don't know. I was out, the store was there, the shirts were there, now they're under my cutting table waiting to go.

Tomorrow more fun, and now that these two are mostly done, am working on a Universal 15-30, putting on a hand crank, etc.

When I get my dye I'll read through this thread again and make sure I remember all of the advice you've given (and then will post pictures when I'm done).

With appreciation,

What do you suggest for a cabinet that has been painted with lead based paint? The treadle part has been painted, too. It's not in great condition, but I think I can glue back down the laminate. This is one of the 1920's cabinets - 5 drawer without the scrolls. The paint is on the drawer fronts and the top when it's folded. Maybe on back, too. The paint is chipping, too, and I'm worried about the kids and grandkids being around it. Thanks for all the tutorials and help you give!

Many thanks to Glenn and everyone for all the useful info here. These techniques will be useful for the two treadle cabinets my husband has. However, the two cabinets I have are in good condition but need "touch ups". The original color of both are a lighter red, like a Cherry finish, with Shellac (tested with denat alcohol) and they have Shellac flaking. Cabinet #1 must have sat near a window because there is discoloration on the front drawers and appears brownish and faded. Cabinet #2 has the darker red, like patina, on the lower areas and has dark ripples in the shellac where your arms go when sewing (Murphy's soap did not take the ripples off). The matching stool looks great with the exception of the legs which are very rough in texture and the color of dark mahogany/dark chocolate.

So, my question is... What would be the best method to restore the color and finish of my two cabinets? I was thinking a wood soap to clean, then Howard's Cherry Restore-a-finish; but can I French polish with Shellac over Howard's? I've never done any restoration before except Glenn's method of machine restoration with Shellac.

I have several sewing machine cabinets that need minor veneer patching. I bought some veneer from Rocklers and patched a small spot on a Singer cabinet. The problem I'm having is that the veneer is a lot thinner than the veneer on the cabinets, so it's not matching at all.

This is my first shot at repairing veneer, so obviously, it's not perfect. We couldn't figure out what wood it was. A friend said it was oak, but that guy at Rockler said Beech. I tried a golden oak stain and it's not a great match. (I'll work something out there to hide it.)

I bought some mahogany veneer from Rockler to repair a Pfaff 130 cabinet and some Singer cabinets I have. If the are not the right depth, it will really show on the other repairs as they are more up front and visible. I tried a google search, but am not sure what I'm looking for as far as the proper terms, etc.

Anyone have any experience with this and can help me find what I need for these repairs?

bkay