The NEW Shellac restoration thread...!

[Bungalocity]

So the more in tuned I am becoming with the classic Chicago style apartment/house//2-flat/bungalow
wood trim & door look that we all know and love, the more I am fascinated with trying to recreate its
appearance and feel with the many projects I'll have ahead of me.

I'd like to use this inaugural post to dedicate the thread over time and explore/proof techniques that can
bring this look back to life again.

We all grew up with this look: Dark doors, mostly birch, fairly glossy finish, and sometimes when the shellac
chips off, it can expose the wood underneath, which also has a pre-stain, not too dark, not too light.
The parts that peal off are obviously tinted or colored from back in the day.

I want to recreate this on fresh wood and will dedicate a portion of my new workshop to matching this exact
look, and will update this as I progress.  Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[Bear]

If your looking for a match to re-create that look for an exitising interior,
it can be done using poly and staining methods without getting into shellacs
and such volital high VOC components..Interesting...

Messing with chemicals is fun, there are ways to even re-create a matching alligator
pattern on replacement wood.

[Count DMC]

Zinnsser(sp?) makes an Amber shellac that has that orange tint that most of the original oak trim was finished in. Most finishes today must comply with low VOC standards and are no more hazardous than a normal oil based paint.

[Bungalocity]

My dad is a prof. painter in StL and will come up next weekend after the close to check it out and we'll start stripping the wallpaper  along with
some other projects.

I saw the Zinsser at the store in clear (darkens eventually) and the amber/orange.  He's going to bring his caddy of colorants with.
All the old Chicago common trim like that it looks as though it's stained first, and then a dark shellac applied later.

I like Poly, but am really into trying new things (or old things, whatever) and there's something intriguing about this type of product.
Maybe it was the way Grandpa used to say I'll get a shellackin' if I keep screwing around when I was a kid...

This and other products will be attacked in full force and well documented, along with:
-Replacing the gas mantle in the lawn lantern (and glass panes, I'd like to find amber slag--glass or colored waterglass and cut my own panes)
-Removing boxes on the ceiling (above bath, kitchen cabinets) why the hell did everyone do that?!?
- and other stuff...

[Bungalocity]

Here's some shots of what I'm talking about, of course you never see the red in almost any viewing condition, only
the stark flash can bring those hues out, but it's great for informative dissection.

Look closely at the doorknob shot, and you'll see the finish flecked away exposing the stained wood
itself.  I'd like to know if it's stained from the shellac or if it was pre-stained.

[Bonster]

hey, what do you plan on doing with the doorknobs? 

[Bungalocity]

Leaving them there, it's the apt. I'm moving from this week!!! 

[OakParkSpartan]

I was in this antique store up in Detroit a couple years ago, and they had hundreds of those knobs for $5 each.  Probably still there, as Detroit has a huge supply of screwed up buildings.

I've also read that the shellac used in the past was tinted rather than the wood, so I think you are on the right track.

[Bungalocity]

hey, what do you plan on doing with the doorknobs? 

And btw, if these were the knobs in there, since they're extraordinarily low-budget for the roaring 20's.
I'd probably swallow the decision to replace them...most likely with something like this:

http://www.vandykes.com/product/02000815/

[Bonster]

hey, what do you plan on doing with the doorknobs? 

And btw, if these were the knobs in there, since they're extraordinarily low-budget for the roaring 20's.
I'd probably swallow the decision to replace them...most likely with something like this:

http://www.vandykes.com/product/02000815/

Well, they probably were  working with low budgets - that was the spirit of the bungalow: affordability. 
Most of the nice brick and woodwork was a matter of standard craftsmanship in that time. 
Granted, there are some seriously ornate bungalows about, particularly the corner homes, or more affluent blocks.
I'm not implying anything about yours or your block , it may be worth going above and beyond for.  That stretch of East just before the Ace is classic, with the raised plots and such.

[Bungalocity]

Actually, no those are from the apartment I'm about to leave...lol!

This is what's in there right now. Righteous, simple and the standard of the day.
Even these are a bit simple for my tastes tho.

[Bonster]

ahhh, gotcha. 

My interior doorknobs are rather simple like that [B-002 above]. 
They have a bit of curvature to the plate, but one was replaced with something almost identical to that one. 

Click to enlarge
You can still see the outline of the original around it. 

I think it's kinda neat to see an exterior door with the original hardware as in your second photo above [B-012], regardless of its simplicity.