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X console variation

Submitted by khanson17 on Wed, 03/27/2013 - 10:45

My wife asked me to build her a sewing table so I modified the x console a bit. Pretty happy with the result. Still need to add the hardware to complete the piece. Finished with the vinegar / steel wool solution after pre treating it with black tea. First time using that technique and will definitely use it again.

Built from Plan(s)
Rustic X Console Table
Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
That stinky oxidizing vinegar solution with a black tea pre-treatment. Need to be careful that no glue, grease or dirt is on the wood, preventing the solution to work its magic.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

katiemakes

Sat, 03/30/2013 - 01:36

I'm very jealous of this desk, looks amazing, is there a tutorial on here for the finish you mentioned? Tea and vinegar sound like fun!

khanson17

Fri, 04/05/2013 - 22:20

I can't remember where I stumbled across the technique but basically you take some steel wool (0000), tear it up, put it in a big glass jar, fill it with stinky white vinegar and let it sit for a few days to dissolve the wool. Shake the jar every day or two and don't cap it tight. In about three days the wool will have dissolved and you will have a murky liquid.

I then brewed some black tea I bought at Walmart and painted the entire piece with the tea. After it dried I painted over it with the vinegar, and wallah! it totally changed colors...not sure why it does...something to do with oxidization and tannin and chemical reactions.

Then I went over the entire piece with furniture wax.

There are plenty of online tutorials which go into more detail. My suggestions is make sure your surface is completely clean and as smooth as possible. Let your tea layer completely dry before applying the vinegar and then let your vinegar layer dry outside. We rushed the table into our house mere moments after it was dry to the touch, so our home smelled like stinky, rusty vinegar for a few days. I can't stand the smell of vinegar....I loathe salt and vinegar chips....blah.

Anyway, glad you liked it.

spiceylg

Tue, 04/07/2015 - 06:05

Love this mod. Might copy but will cut into the desk portion so the sewing machine surface is flush. I have a desk in which it sits on top now and have thought of cutting into it, but it's Amish made and the thought of ruining work gives me the willies, ha! Anyway, great job!