Subject: Re: Why is most old furniture so dark?

From: "Edward Nail" <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 Mar 1997 04:31:56 GMT

There is a lot of truth to the fact that UV light and dirt causes old wood 
to look dark. Hovewer there is another not too well known reason. Prior to
the use of modern "Boiled Linseed Oil" that isn't boiled with heat
anymore,(they usually just pump compressed air into it to oxygenate it) and
the use of metalic driers to speed up the reactive cure process. Old time
craftsman and companies would rub the wood down with "pond scumb". Yes, I
did say pond scumb, as a matter of fact pond scumb used to be a commidity
that was in demand by the best craftsman. Their fovorite pond scumb came
>from  northern ponds where years on leaf fall and decay had turned the water
as brown as coffee and the fine powder silt that was a result of all the
tannic acid and decomposed leaves was used to pack and plug the cells of
wood prior to application of old real boiled linssed oil finishes. Non
metalic drier boiled linseed oil is almost impossible to find. Anyone
wanting to duplicate a true historic hand rubbed finish must start with
plain linseed oil boil thier own batch, thin with mineral siprits approx.
50% mimimum,  and apply.  Modern process uses fine silicate in oil as a
cell pack to smooth the surface grain and plug the pores of the wood to
prevent bubbeling of the finish as it dries. Red oak and Walnut are two
woods that should be cell packed prior to any final finish. 
We wonder if the saying ,"You'r not worth pond scumb" may have a connection
to old world craftsman. As they most likely hired the villiage idiot to go
out into the pond and scoop it up.  I'm sure that there is enough workers
that there is probably a potential of high profit for anyone who wants to
market pond scumb today.

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From: [email-masked] (Hodcarry)
Date: 29 Mar 1997 13:57:29 GMT

>that there is probably a potential of high profit for anyone who wants to
market pond scumb today.<   
Sorry-Rush Limbauh has  that market sewed up