Lost Art Press

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Soap Finish: What’s it Like?

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The more I use soap finish, the happier I am with it. But many woodworkers are skeptical. And I applaud that. For too long companies have tried to sell us this, that or the other as the “miracle” finish that is easy to apply and will leave furniture looking like glass.

Well I don’t want my furniture looking like glass. I want it to be subtle and understated.

That’s where soap comes in. It leaves a flat-sheen surface that is soft to the touch. And it’s easily maintained. Today I noticed the top of this 48” x 48” worktable was getting a little scruffy. I whipped out the jar of soap and rubbed some on. Five minutes later I wiped off the excess and the top looked like new again.

Plus my hands were cleaner than when I started.

All the details on a soap finish are in “The Anarchist’s Design Book,” or you can find plenty of recipes online.

— Christopher Schwarz

0 Stick Chairs for Sale

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The stick chairs are piling up in the shop, and more are in the works. So if you would like to have one for your home or office, read on. These ship anywhere in the continental United States via common carrier. Here are the details.

SOLD Red oak stick chair, $800 plus shipping

This chair is ideal for a sitter who is 5’9” or shorter. It sits fine for taller people, but the crest rail contacts the shoulder blades instead of hovering above them. The seat is 17-1/2” from the floor at the pommel. It slopes back to create a chair that is ideal for conversation – not for typing. The finish is organic linseed oil with beeswax, which has a nice matte appearance.

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Maple stick chair, $800 plus shipping SOLD

This chair is ideal for a sitter who is 5’9” or taller. It sits fine for shorter people, but the crest rail is designed for a taller individual. The seat is 17-3/4” from the floor at the pommel. It slopes back to create a chair that is ideal for conversation – not for typing. The finish is natural soap flakes, which creates a pleasant, smooth and lustrous finish.

Shipping Details
I box all my furniture in plywood crates to ensure they are protected. The crate is no extra charge. Shipping is via common carrier, which can be anywhere from $100 to $300, depending on your location and delivery details. I am also happy to deliver these chairs anywhere within a 100-mile radius of Cincinnati for no extra charge. Or you can pick it up at the storefront in Covington, Ky.

I am happy to answer questions about the chairs, but the first one to say “I’ll take it” gets it. Please contact me through my website via this link to ensure I see your message.

— Christopher Schwarz

Linseed Oil & Wax – Another Fine Finish

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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Today I applied the finish to my latest Welsh stick chair and opted for a blend of linseed oil and beeswax made by Swede Paint Enterprises. During the last year it has become one of my favorite finishes for traditional pieces.

I had considered using a soap finish for the chair but opted for the linseed oil and wax blend because it will darken with exposure to light and oxygen. A soap finish would have preserved the light color – almost ghostliness – of the sycamore.

Note: Before you read another word, know that Swede Paint distributes our books in Canada. We got involved with them because of their fantastic finishing products and business philosophy. We do not benefit in any way from sales of their finishing products. But we do love their products.

The linseed oil and beeswax mix is a joy to use. It has the consistency of something between mayonnaise and peanut butter, but is surprisingly not sticky. It absorbs readily into bare wood and forms a matte and smooth surface that is superior to linseed oil alone.

Like all finishes that involve linseed oil and wax, it is not a permanent or highly protective finish. You will need to apply more finish in a few years. But it is easily maintained and repaired. I prefer this quality (repair-ability) over film finishes such as varnish or urethane that can be difficult to repair.

Two thin coats of finish produced a beautiful and touchable luster. It is an excellent finish for beginners who are inexperienced with finishing. Even though I’ve used everything from high-performance film finishes, shellac, pine tar, asphaltum, pre-cat lacquer, to you name it, this finish suits me. It’s simple, natural and easily renewed. Check it out.

— Christopher Schwarz

Fall Classes at the Storefront

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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We have a full roster of weekend courses planned for the fall. Megan Fitzpatrick, Brendan Gaffney, Daniel Clay and Christopher Schwarz will lead these two day-classes in our storefront in downtown Covington, Ky.

The registration for these classes will open at 10 a.m. (Eastern time) on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. See the descriptions below for details.

storefront_december2016_img_6757Classes are small – six people maximum. Each student is supplied with a heavy workbench with a full suite of workholding options. And the climate-controlled storefront is filled with natural daylight and features hardwood floors (which are kind to your back). The storefront itself is situated in the heart of Covington’s Main Strasse historic district. Students are steps away from great food, bars and lodging (most students park their cars on Friday and don’t touch them until they leave for home).

And if you bring your family, there are lots of activities for them to enjoy in Cincinnati, which is only eight blocks away.

Classes tend to fill quickly. If you are interested in a class and it is full, we definitely recommend getting on the waitlist. We do have spots open up.

ChipCarvingPromoChip Carving with Daniel Clay
Sept. 29-30, 2018
Cost: $300, which includes all materials (Click here to register. Will go live at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Aug. 3, 2018)

Learn the fundamentals of chip carving – a decorative technique in which faceted “chips” are removed from a wooden surface to produce geometric patterns, stylized images, lettering and ornamentation. Through demonstrations, guided practice, skill-building exercises, and the completion of a decorative wall hanging, you’ll leave class with all the knowledge, experience and confidence you need to pursue chip carving on your own. One of the most attractive aspects of chip carving (especially for beginning woodcarvers) is that it can be accomplished at a high level with minimal tools and materials; all you need to become a great chip carver is a sharp knife, some suitable wood and a little practice.

IMG_2724Høj Footstool with Brendan Gaffney
Oct. 27-28, 2018
Cost: $330, which includes all materials (Click here to register. Will go live at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Aug. 3, 2018)

This simple footstool is an easy way to learn two basic chairmaking skills – making a simple post-and-rung construction and weaving a Danish cord seat. The class is broken into two parts; on the first day, students will build the footstool using simple techniques (suited to non-chairmakers or chairmakers), and on the second day students will learn the “no-nail” method of weaving a Danish paper cord seat.

Alongside the techniques involved in this construction, students will also learn basic finishing techniques for chairs, using oil, soap or modern finishes.

There are no prerequisites for this class, apart from having a block plane and coming ready to learn!

black_stool2_IMG_4561Staked High Stool with Christopher Schwarz
Nov. 3-4, 2018
Cost: $330, which includes all materials (Click here to register. Will go live at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Aug. 3, 2018)

Building this staked high stool is an excellent introduction to chairmaking. In this two-day class you will learn to calculate and drill compound-angle joints without trigonometry (or even numbers). You will learn to create a tapered mortise-and-tenon joint – the foundation of Windsor chairmaking. And you will learn to create the stout undercarriage that allows this delicate stool to support an impressive weight.

Students will finish their assembled stools with “shou sugi ban,” shellac or a number of organic hand-applied finishes.

The only prerequisite for this class is you are confident in your sharpening skills.

IMG_2724Høj Footstool with Brendan Gaffney
Nov. 17-18, 2018
Cost: $330, which includes all materials (Click here to register. Will go live at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Aug. 3, 2018)

This simple footstool is an easy way to learn two basic chairmaking skills – making a simple post-and-rung construction and weaving a Danish cord seat. The class is broken into two parts; on the first day, students will build the footstool using simple techniques (suited to non-chairmakers or chairmakers), and on the second day students will learn the “no-nail” method of weaving a Danish paper cord seat.

Alongside the techniques involved in this construction, students will also learn basic finishing techniques for chairs, using oil, soap or modern finishes.

There are no prerequisites for this class, apart from having a block plane and coming ready to learn!

Build the Cabinetmaker’s Sector with Brendan Gaffney
Dec. 1-2, 2018
Cost: $300, which includes all materials. (Click here to register. Will go live at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Aug. 3, 2018)

In this two-day class, students will build their own Cabinetmaker’s Sector, my modernized design for the ancient geometer’s tool, used for drawing, drafting and (in my shop) the layout of dimensions and joinery on woodwork. The class will revolve around the skills of modern hand-tool makers, including careful marking and measuring, mixing metal and wood, hand shaping, finishing and (of course) how to use the tool.

Each student will be provided the wood and the necessary brass hinges and pins, everything needed to produce the sector. The first day will revolve around affixing the brass and wooden tabs into the tools, riveting the leaves together, flattening and lapping the tools and reviewing the principles behind the geometry of the sector. The second day will revolve around shaping the sectors, stamping and inking the sector marks, finishing the sectors and learning to use them in the shop. Every student will leave with a completed sector, plus the knowledge of how it works and how to use it.

DTC_OpenDutch Tool Chest with Megan Fitzpatrick
Dec. 15-16, 2018
Cost: $350, which includes all materials excepting hardware. (Click here to register. Will go live at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Aug. 3, 2018)

Build a Dutch Tool Chest in a weekend (working long, challenging but rewarding hours). Not only will you get a great introduction to hand-tool casework, you’ll leave with a small chest in which to store a core set of furniture-making tools – and the chest fits in almost any car. You’ll learn dovetails, dados, rabbets, cut-nail joinery and rules for carcase construction.

Beginning woodworkers are welcome!

Soap Finish: The Mushy, Flat Stuff

Posted on by Lost Art Press
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The soap finish after three coats.

After cooking the soap concoction and letting it cool for 24 hours, it became opaque and thickened to a mayonnaise-like consistency. Today I used it to finish the top of a worktable that is based off examples shown in the Tacuinum Sanitatis, a health book from the Middle Ages.

My goal with this worktable was to give the top what some people call a “scrubbed finish” with a painted base below. An authentic scrubbed finish is really no finish at all. It is the result of years of washing – just bare, almost-bleached wood.

A top with a scrubbed finish at the Cheltenham museum.
A top with a scrubbed finish at the Cheltenham museum.

The finish is so prized by some collectors that it is routinely faked by some dealers. (Or so I am told.)

Applying the mayo-like finish is quick and easy. It spreads easily with a rag. The water soaks into the wood or evaporates quickly, leaving a bit of a hazy sheen on the wood. A clean rag wipes off the excess on the surface. It takes about 5 minutes total to apply a coat of finish to the top shown.

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After the soap dries, it is indeed a dead-flat finish. Unlike other users, however, I didn’t experience any raised grain on the tabletop; my guess is that is because I didn’t use any sandpaper. The top is right off the jack plane. Even so, I sanded the finish lightly between coats with a #320-grit sanding sponge.

After four coats the top is very smooth and soft. Just what I wanted.

I’m going to experiment more with a soap finish in the coming months. I like how it can be used to produce a variety of sheens depending on the amount of water you add to the flakes. I also really like how simple it is and how difficult it is to mess up – perfect for the beginner. The added bonus is that it is much less toxic than many solvent-based finishes. I have enough volatile organics in my shop.

— Christopher Schwarz

The soap finish after 24 hours of cooling and setting up.
The soap finish after 24 hours of cooling and setting up.