Strip and bleach

This door was being done as a sample piece for a job. Here I'm midway through stripping, the top has been wire wooled, and the bottom is about to receive the same treatment. The client wanted the door to be very light, although if you look in the gallery and at a later blog, you'll see they changed their mind! 

To get the door as light as possible, I used soda crystals and oxalic acid. First I applied soda mixed in boiling water to draw up the residual colour and dirt in the timber. Whilst the soda was still wet, I then applied the oxalic (also mixed in boiling water) which reacts with the soda and bleaches the wood

And this is the door ready to have some finish applied!

This is the next phase of the French polishing/lacquering process.
The door has now had a coat of shellac sealer applied with a mop, been flicked over with sandpaper, and then been bodied up with more shellac, this time using a fad (balled up mutton cloth) to apply it

And this is the finished sample door. Left side is finished in 50% lacquer, the right side in 90%. All hand finished, final coats being applied with a rubber