Since I am assuming that the woodwork will be ready to finish at some point in the distant future, I have been testing different mission finishes in an attempt to find one that is close to the original. So far, I have been using the following basic formula: Transtint dye, followed by two coats of amber shellac, followed by a gel stain glaze, another coat of shellac, and finally a coat of dark brown wax. I am testing 4 different dye colors, and 2 different glaze colors, giving me 8 finished samples. The picture below shows my first 4. The dyes are (from left to right) dark mission brown, golden brown, brown mahogany, and medium brown. I used a dark mahogany gel stain as the glaze on all 4 of these. My other gel stain option is a dark walnut, which I will use on the next 4.
My wife has also been looking for a desk chair, so I convinced her to let me find an antique quartersawn oak one so I could practice my finishing skills. Being incredibly cheap, I bought the swivel chair pictured below on Craigslist. It needs a little rehab as you can see, but I think it will look great when all is said and done.
I really don't know much about the history of this chair, other than the label that says "Sperry Office Furniture, St Paul" on the back of the seat. Has anyone heard of, or know anything about this company? Please comment if you have.
