How to Finish Rattan - A Moment of Tiki Episode 5

[@billbrydon3725]

Very helpful. Thanks!

[@LagoonofMystery]

You are welcome!

[@pennyschmidt7827]

A “hatchling” soooooo cute. That’s what I’m calling my baby chair from now on. ❤️

[@mikeysteins1784]

Thanks for all you do for this community. Your videos are great! I’ve got a rattan Paul Frankl-style set of stools and a bar and wondering if you think this same process would work for that. It does live outside (under weather proof covers) but I can tell it has gotten some water damage and now is drying out. Thanks for your help and guidance!

[@LagoonofMystery]

I love the Frankl-style rattan furniture! The thing I'd do if I were you is determine if it has an existing coat of varnish--is there a protective film on the surface that may or may not be failing? This process would absolutely work for your set but if it already has an old finish that would need to be sanded away first otherwise these oils can't penetrate and do their job. If the set is staying outside, DO NOT use polyurethane as a topcoat--UV exposure will destroy it and it will start peeling within a year. Even Helmsman's spar urethane, which is ostensibly made for outdoor use, will fail after a couple of years. The boiled linseed oil and shellac will offer good incidental water protection and you can reapply every few years when you notice the rattan starting to look dull and weathered. If you really want to add a spar topcoat, go with Epifanes or a heavy-duty marine spar varnish. Those cost $$ but will stand up to the sun's UV better than anything you can get at the big box stores. If there's no film finish, another, easier option would be to rub the rattan finish down with Howard's Feed n Wax, like I've used on Witco pieces in other videos. The Howard's will penetrate and alleviate the dryness and also make the rattan look great. The downside is that it offers little additional protection so would need to be reapplied regularly.

[@mikeysteins1784]

@@LagoonofMystery you’re the man! I appreciate it and will let you know how it comes out!

[@MeyaBizer]

I'm about to start restoring a chair very similar to this and this video was so helpful!!

[@LagoonofMystery]

Glad to be of service, Meya!

[@wyldebill4178]

Those chairs always make me think of Morticia Addams

[@thosefinches]

This is so detailed and helpful- thank you!

[@LagoonofMystery]

Glad it was helpful!

[@georginaeliason4167]

Hi there, how does the chair absorb repeat linseed treatments once it is polyurethaned? Thanks Georgina

[@LagoonofMystery]

Once you add the poly, it's essentially encased in a shell of impermeable plastic. Additional applications of linseed--or any other oil--will not be absorbed. It is possible to forgo the poly coat and just reapply boiled linseed or other type of drying oil whenever the wear on the chair becomes noticeable.

[@k.stacey7389]

Even falling apart piece of crap peacock chairs are going for $3-400 these days. I finally hunted a decent one down for $150, but it took five years of hunting.

[@LagoonofMystery]

Indeed! One has to watch various websites and know when to pass and when to jump. The short chair I refinish in this one was actually a free curbside giveaway! Several years prior, I got four peacock chairs for $200 from a family cleaning out their barn. They weren't in great shape, but I was able to repair them without too much effort. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good!

[@roymain2854]

Hey Jayme, great video! I haven't repaired rattan yet (well except for one minor fix). I'm wondering if an alternative finish using amber shellac (yes, the waxed kind) and brushing lacquer on top might add or match the color of the original finish on pieces that are really worn. Just a thought, I don't know how well this would work. Best to try on a test piece. As something like this chair would be an indoor item, it should stand up to wear just as well. Good job!

[@LagoonofMystery]

Roy, that would work to seal the rattan, but does nothing to hydrate it if it has become dry and brittle. That's the biggest thing boiled linseed oil (or tung oil, or something similar) does--it penetrated to fill those dessicated pores in the wood. Mineral oil would technically do the same, but that would never, ever dry. Linseed, overtopped with amber shellac would probably outright glow. I haven't done anything with lacquer in literally decades, so don't know how well it'd adhere to regular shellac. But really, lacquer's not that much more durable than shellac, so you might just go with the amber shellac as the topcoat and be done with it.

[@roymain2854]

@@LagoonofMystery Right, I was thinking shellac + lacquer as a top coat to the boiled linseed oil. The objective for the alternate finish would be merely to add some color if needed. That might be achieved with one of the poly-stains that are now available. Interestingly, lacquer will adhere to regular shellac where other topcoats will not. In a bar setting, a lacquer topcoat would be advisable as alcohol is a solvent for shellac. So someone's Mai Tai spillage might totally wreck a nice shellac finish. Good talk, now I want to go restore something!

[@LagoonofMystery]

@@roymain2854 The amber shellac will certainly bring much-needed color to tired rattan. Because shellac is *always* alcohol-soluble, new layers of shellac will merge and blend with previous layers. Which means you can build up the finish with multiple applications (the same goes for lacquer, albeit a different solvent).

[@JudahMFreuler]

Hey! Thanks for the video! Do you know what the black tape that’s woven in the rattan is called? I’m repairing a rattan shelf and can’t seem to find the black plastic strips used decoratively around yhe edges

[@LagoonofMystery]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's plastic binder cane. In anyone can tell you for certain, it'd be the folks at Frank's Cane & Rush Supply: www.franksupply.com

[@CDiorTroz0713]

Do you recommend lightly sanding the old stain off?

[@LagoonofMystery]

A stain or finish? Stain colors the rattan, but offers no protection. A finish may impart some color, but generally provides a protective film on the surface. Stains can soak into the rattan, so it'd be difficult to sand it away without taking off a lot of material as well. For a finish, yes, it's best to remove the old, but fortunately peacock chairs were normally sold unfinished and not many people added a protective finish later on (which is why they're dried out and in need of help). If someone painted it, though, that's just terrible. I don't know how you could strip away all the paint without destroying the chair.

[@glendaskaggs6790]

Where can I get dewaxed shellac? I’ve check all the local Ace hardwares, Lowe’s and Home Depot stores to no avail.

[@LagoonofMystery]

Specialty outlets such as Woodcraft or Rockler may stock it, but I had to order mine online. Some of the more old-school finishes aren't readily stocked. Some local hardware stores may be able to special order it for you, but that may be more hassle than it's worth.

[@ariel3298]

Can I wash and reuse the rag for next time? Or not recommended? Thanks~

[@LagoonofMystery]

I suppose you could, but the oil's going to resist water without a good bit of soap. Easier to just replace cheap shop rags with another.

[@lc7789]

I have tons of the big thick / tall bamboo. the real bamboo. some of it is 5'' in diameter... am i on to something in order to produce some rattan furniture?

[@LagoonofMystery]

You need rattan to produce rattan furniture. Rattan is solid all the way through and pliable/bendable when soaked in water in ways bamboo isn't. Bamboo can be made into furniture--there are some interesting videos on KZbin on that very topic--but the techniques are quite different between using rattan and bamboo. Also, make sure you're not in an area where bamboo mites are a problem (in the U.S. California and Florida are areas of concern). You don't want mites infesting your home from contaminated furniture. The bamboo would have to be chemically treated to ensure it was insect free.

[@lc7789]

@@LagoonofMystery wow thanks for the info.

[@LagoonofMystery]

@@lc7789 If you have timber bamboo that's 5" in diameter you have the potential to build lots of things. Here's a neat video that gives just a hint of the possibilities: kzbin.info/www/bejne/goXIm32kp996hq8

[@lc7789]

@@LagoonofMystery ok thank you. can you tell me more about the bamboo bugs

[@unacceptablefringeminority9438]

@Lagoon of Mystery Would tung oil also take forever to dry? Is it safe on these chairs? Just wondering as i have some tung oil for some bamboo things i have, thought it might work on my wifes rattan chair. (Dont wanna wreck it though either.)

[@LagoonofMystery]

Pure tung oil would take 2-3 days to dry under normal conditions. It should work fine on rattan, although you'd want to apply several coats for best protection. Since tung is foodsafe, I mainly use it on wooden spoons, knife handles, etc.

[@t.c.wilson647]

I just want to say that, as an old SCA'er, using rattan for furniture is sacrilege ;) I never knew those were called peacock chairs. I've wanted one of those for years.

[@LagoonofMystery]

Ha! You'd better not go to Asia, specifically the Philippines or Indonesia, because rattan vines grow everywhere and they use it for everything, not just beating on each other. :-) But yeah, peacock chairs have been a kind of tropical prestige piece for more than 100 years. Supposedly, they originated in Philippine prison wood shops. Pretty humble origins.

[@yardenbinns9466]

I just got two peacock chairs and are in rough condition. It’s color is like white/silvery very brittle because the wood is sooooooo dry. One of them was outside and has green dew. What should I do to clean that off? They have a lot of dust as well, I did brush it off but it’s still dirty. Should I wash it with soap and water? Or should I apply broiled linseed oil first? Please help me out no one has a video on this! Thank you!

[@LagoonofMystery]

Yes, soap and water's a good first step. As long as the rattan doesn't soak, it will retain its rigidity. Let it dry thoroughly then inspect for signs of mold. Something like Mold Armor would be good to spray it down with. Once that's done, you can start in with the boiled linseed oil. You might also try something like Australian Timber Oil, which combines drying oils with polymers to protect the wood. You can take comfort in the fact that with rattan as mistreated as yours, almost any care you give it will be an improvement. Let me know how it turns out!

[@glendaskaggs6790]

Where can I find dewaxed shellac? My local one only has regular and amber. Can I use regular with polyurethane on top of that?

[@klalazarian1]

Is it ok to just brush with linseed oil and not the other steps? It will be an indoor chair. Thank you!

[@LagoonofMystery]

Sure. The finish won't be as durable and may need to be reapplied more often, but boiled linseed oil will certainly offer some degree of protection.

[@klalazarian1]

@@LagoonofMystery Thank you so much! I have a peacock chair. Perhaps I can spray shellac it after linseed application . I am going to ask if I can stop at the shellac as well without poly or is that a no no? Thank you!

[@LagoonofMystery]

@@klalazarian1 Shellac has long been used as a topcoat finish. It's not super-durable, but the nice thing about shellac is that additional coats blend in with the previous applications. It doesn't layer, it fuses into a single mass, so it makes touch-ups and future applications easy. Shellac dissolves when exposed to alcohol, though, so if you spill your rum cocktail on the chair, you'll definitely need to touch up the shellac once it dries!

[@LagoonofMystery]

Again, that's for an indoor furniture piece. Boiled linseed oil and shellac won't last nearly as long with outdoor exposure.

[@klalazarian1]

@@LagoonofMystery Thank you so much! This explanation about shellac helps so much. I so so appreciate your feedback and taking the time to explain my quesitons about these products in detail. Your video is so helpful!