If you’ve got a sheet of Anglo-Indian rosewood furniture, then it’s probably an antique, and also one of those cardinal rules when restoring an antique is to do as little to it as possible. The furniture was probably manufactured for British colonists at 18th- or 19th-century India and features a mixture of Indian and British cultural fashions. It’s often ornately carved and completely lavish in design. As it’s made from rosewood, which is an oily wood, it could have little or no finish, and while it’s best not to change that, dried and faded wood may need to a help.
Make any needed structural repairs into the furniture before working on the finish. These repairs might consist of gluing legs with carpenter’s glue and smoothing any places on carvings that have chipped, using a chisel. Avoid sanding the wood — any places you sand will discard their patina and appear faded and scratched compared to the remainder of the piece.
Mix a hot wash to wash the furniture if it is soiled. Pour a gallon of warm water to a bucket and then add 2 tbsp of turpentine and 4 tbsp of boiled linseed oil. Soak a cloth in the solution and wipe dirt and dirt off the wood. Turpentine loosens grease while olive oil eliminates the natural oils that you remove by washing.
Remove stubborn materials, like soot and wax, by soaking a cloth with mineral spirits and massaging the affected areas.
Wipe the slice dry with a clean cloth and scrutinize the wood. If it appears dry or washed out, you may choose to provide it a thin, protective finish to restore its natural shine. A diluted shellac solution works best for this particular.
Dissolve 3 pounds of white shellac at a 50 percent solution of denatured alcohol. Brush it on the wood with a paintbrush or spray it with air spray equipment. Allow the shellac dry, then apply another coat if needed.
Prepare a solution of 4 components alkyd varnish to 1 part mineral spirits or turpentine to finish the top of a table that requires extra protection. Many Anglo-Indian tables have veneered tops made from padouk, mahogany or any other exotic hardwoodfloors You can use the varnish to guard the veneer while departing the rosewood with nothing but a mild shellac seal.
Scatter liners on the table with a brush, allow it to dry for 24 hours, then then sand it lightly with 220-grit sandpaper and apply another coat. Repeat if needed. Let the last coat cure for three or four days before using the table.
