Handrail - how to finish?

[JoceAndChris]

I'd thought my father was working on the sill, but as soon as I turned my back he was off, intrigued by the potential to be had in repairing the handrail. (why are you men so hard to control? :x )

The handrail is very old, possibly original and has been crafted, and bent in 3 sections to swoosh down the spiral staircase. Anyone recognise the wood? Pine?

The problem with this staircase has been that when you realise you are burning something in the oven and rush downstairs to save it you are likely to rip your hand open on the spot where the sections of wood have come adrift from eachother and are at marginally different heights.. For this reason the three sections have been held together with black tape for the last ten years.

Anyway, I liked how he went to the woodpile and came back with a little piece of yew and spliced it in. You can see it in the middle of this photo, what a fit. He's also clamped the sections together and stuck with glue.

Here's more of the handrail:

The pics probably don't show it very clearly, but the wood has been varnished at some point and is covered with speckles of paint. Do I strip it back with Nitromors, stain, and wax / sand lightly & linseed oil or just paint it? Or just enjoy its shabbiness?

 

[jocelyn plummer]

I should think its likely to be pitch pine. Whatever you did to clean the bits by the splicing would be ok and then maybe just use a dark Harrells or Liberon wax to finish off with.
PS I've not forgotten you-- shall be in touch soon!

 

[Penners]

I agree with Joss. It looks like pitch pine.

Your choice of finish rather depends on how you want it to look. Do you want to keep the colour as close as possible to what it is now, or do you want it to look dark and mahogany-ish?

 

[jocelyn plummer]

The dark wax will achieve that, better than stain, and then a natural patina will build up with use---I reckon I'd have to hang on to that rail to pull myself up or guide myself down :wink:

 

[JoceAndChris]

Your choice of finish rather depends on how you want it to look. Do you want to keep the colour as close as possible to what it is now, or do you want it to look dark and mahogany-ish?

For once my lack of opinion matches my lack of knowledge! Never thought about handrails until yesterday. But Joss' suggestions seem very good - thankyou! (and Joss, I wouldn't make you drag yourself up and down to the servants' quarters! Oh no, you'd ding the bell and the maid would bring tea and scones up to the dining room on a silver tray!)

Um, what's pitch pine?

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Thanks Joce, the problem is that it's the gin..!!
Pitch pine is from a North American pine tree which produces pitch or turps-- Pinus Rigida. I love it, it's always seems so much more robust than other types of pine and gives a lovely colour in the end. Rich and mellow, as can sometimes be found in some stately home panelling etc.

 

[Penners]

The dark wax will achieve that, better than stain

Not sure I agree 100%. Yes, stain on its own - particularly if it's ragged off - will tend to accentuate the pitch pine grain, which won't look very mahoganyish (mahogany mostly having a very mild grain figure). But an unragged stain, followed by a dark wax, can help to blind out the grain and give a much richer depth of colour, IME. More like the rich red finish that was put on mahogany in days of yore.

And you'll get a more "perfect" looking sheen if you use a grain filler straight after sanding.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, dear, I've been racking my brains over your post Penners, and have come to the conclusion that this summer's gin slings have destroyed the few good brain cells I had left.

If these simple steps aren't what you mean, could I trouble you to correct them?

Step 1 Sand
Step 2 Stain
Step 3 Don't rag it. (what does this mean? :? )
Step 5 Use a grain filler (what's that?)
Step 6 Use a dark wax.

 

[Penners]

Oh, dear, I've been racking my brains over your post Penners, and have come to the conclusion that this summer's gin slings have destroyed the few good brain cells I had left.

If these simple steps aren't what you mean, could I trouble you to correct them?

Step 1 Sand
Step 2 Stain
Step 3 Don't rag it. (what does this mean? :? )
Step 5 Use a grain filler (what's that?)
Step 6 Use a dark wax.

That looks pretty much what I would do (except 5 comes before staining [is 4 an unlucky number? :wink: ]), although I urge you to try the technique several times on some scrap wood (preferably as similar to your handrail as possible) before you proceed 'in anger'.

Sorry if some of my earlier comments were a bit impenetrable.

1. Sand (very well, increasing the fineness of the paper each time until you get a really smooth, scratch-free surface).

2. Use a grain filler (if you want a really fine, smooth finish). You rub the paste into the grain of the wood, then wipe it off again, so that it fills the little "pores" in the wood.

3. Stain - brush this on, trying to gauge how much stain the wood will absorb. Use enough to satisfy this absorption, but no more.

4. Normally, stain is wiped off with a cotton rag afterwards to remove any surplus. However, this process also has the effect of increasing the colour difference between the soft and hard parts of the growth rings in the wood (which are already very pronounced in pitch pine). So if you don't want to highlight this feature of the wood, don't rag off the stain.

5. Finish with a dark wax.

It's very important not to miss out the testing stage. A dark finish on top of a stained surface will produce an unpredictable colour, so you need to be absolutely sure that you're happy with the final effect. And stain will "strike" differently on finely sanded wood, as compared with a rougher surface, so don't skimp the sanding on your test pieces.

This suggested process is based on the assumption that you want to achieve a dark finish that is as close to a mahogany look as possible. If you don't want to go that dark, or you don't mind the strong grain contrasts in the pitch pine, then you can happily go with Joss's original suggestion.

But test, test, test! If you get it wrong on the actual handrail, it'll be a b*gger to get it off again.

PS: In the above steps, ensure that each treatment is propery dry before going on to the next.

 

[JoceAndChris]

That's just so kind Mr P - many thanks. Penners' Cottage is coming on apace.

(except 5 comes before staining [is 4 an unlucky number? :wink: ])

I have trouble with numbers. And we all know step 4 should be have a cup of tea!

I finally understand what's meant by ragging, and why some on here have complained that stains don't go on evenly. I've never had a problem with staining (or maybe I just haven't noticed?), perhaps because this ragging thing had not been shown to me.

I'm glad you've explained this in such detail, you've saved it from getting a slathering of the ubiquitous Farrow and Ball.

 

[Penners]

I've never had a problem with staining

You wait 'til you get to my age...