How to varnish a wooden set?

[neil1194]

Although the initial posting does not mention the varnishing issue, it was dealt with in some detail below (and I hope that it will continue to be dealt with for some more entries). KS, mod Hi, have been playing for a while but know little about collecting or styles of sets. Any ideas as to age of this set. King is 3 1/2" tall. Bases slightly concave - no weights/felt. Knights heads carved differently each side. Believe black pieces are ebony. Should I clean the pieces and if so, how. Sorry for so many questions - Thanks..Neil -- Edited by kristjansander at 01/26/2008 1:14 PM

[chessspy]

Hi, Neil, Yes, what you show is as you say a St George set, these sets were popular for club play in England from about 1800 to 1900. But still on sale up to 1940, see Guy Lyons article, here. http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/chessspy/GuySChessArticles The set you show, is a late example(1920-1940) and would have cost about 2 shillings, due to the Staunton Pattern sets becoming into general use. the set in question has a retail value of between £20 and £80 if in good condition. There is a place in a chess set collection for such sets as they have a historical note. yes the black side is probably ebony. No don't clean it, as it looks to have been roughly cleaned already and has precious little genuine patina. The difference in the carving of the knights may be due to the poor pay of the carvers at that time, or they may be replacements.

[cpe1991]

As Alan D says, these were el cheapos made until WWII. This one is particularly cheap as it is not varnished. I think Alan is being generous with its value, £10-20 iks more like it. Alan

[chessspy]

Hi, Alan, I think my price range is accurate. The price would depend not on the actual perceived value of the set, but on the place of sale as much as anything, and the manner in which it was presented. On a good period board in a top west end shop with a little antique wax, who is to say it would not make double my top estimate? In the cold harsh light of a rainy Saturday morning in Portobello it might do very well to make the minimum.

[rascasso]

....is Portobello or West End the place where the price of a fairly commmon chess set is determined - or is it ebay? - and here St. George does reach the 40 - 80 gbp Alan D mentions. I also disagree about manipulating such a set. If it is dry, by all means give it an oiling - or waxing. If the varnish is all gone, it would also not be too blasphemous to consider a revamp with clear natural resin varnish. May improve the looks, especially of the clear side - and overall value - by a good margin... rascasso

[cpe1991]

Alan I would not disagree with you - though unvarnished boxwood needs more than wax to make it shine. I would not pay more than £20 for it. Alan

[cpe1991]

Nicholas It's the lack of varnish that is a real downer. There is nothing to beat the look of an antique shellac finish on an old set, and it would cost a fortune to get an expert to fake that. If it is revarnished badly, it will look even worse than unvarnished. Alan

[chessspy]

Hi, Nick, I didn't mean to say that antique wax was a good idea, just that it would probably be waxed if it turned up in a posh shop. The price of a chess set it determined by agreement between buyer and seller, probably without reference to e-bay or Portobello Rd.

[rascasso]

... the price of anything is of course what one poor chap is willing to shell at a dteremindes time in a determined spot for a certain tiem, all is relative, a the man said - but on these St. George sets on ebay my impression is that they always do fairly well, dep. mainly on size.... Alan , I have just varnished a fairly ordinary Indian Lardy copy set, it sparkles like 24 carat now, and I am debating whether to offer it as a handmade one-off handcarved by the Vicomte of Annecy in Chateau Clac - maybe to You, so You can shudder agreeably in front of it, saving immensely on heatings costs ... cheers rascasso PS I have been busily photographing old Vienna sets....

[rascasso]

Alan D, I use linseed oil on wood sets, colourless, does them well, they soak it up. BTW, how would You advise to clean a really filthy wood set - if this is "patina" then a a cows splattered rear is romantic. I am using a decapante now, not getting very far with it. cheers Nick

[chessspy]

Well, Nick, thank you for your kind offer, however now I am retired, I get a winter heating allowance and of course I can always stoke the fire with Lardy-arsed stautony sets, (someone's got to do it.). I'm afraid my way with dirty sets is pretty brutal, I just chuck em in a bowl of warm soapy water and scrub 'em with a wash up brush. Please don't do this at home children!

[cpe1991]

Ncholas Linseed oil may start off as colourless, but it oxidises to a brown colour. It is also sticky and attracts dirt. Alan

[rascasso]

Dear cpe, unfortunately You are right on sticky and colour change - what do You use on wood unvarnished? Nicholas

[disphania]

Nicholas, In the US linseed oil was used on gun stocks in the Northern part of the Country, but was a bad choice in the South. (according to the reproduction gun makers at Williamsburg Virginia). How about tung oil as a varnish, preservative, for chess pieces. It is in fact a varnish and was, I understand used on the Great Wall of China, and is used on furniture. If you find the wood drying after a time, you simply wipe it down with another coat of the oil. Just a thought, Charlie

[cpe1991]

Nicholas If it was initially unvarnished, leave it that way. I use various waxes on furniture. Beeswax is by far my favourite. If a piece of wood has become bleached and lost its colour, like on an old oak table we use in our house for meals, I soaked it with linseed oil to restore a dark colour, and after allowing it to dry, beeswax it regularly. Danish oil is very good on light woods. It has some varnish in it, which hardens off in a few days. You could use that if you really want to varnish unvarnished boxwood. It will dry to a dull sheen and not be sticky, and give a darker antiquey colour. Alan