Finishing and Restoration!!!!! Guru

this is my opinion on a member here, DAVE HAWKSFORD..http://www.colonialrestorationstudio.com/
i have been fortunate to see many people and many shops and got to know alot of folks from my travels.. on this forum..and in my opinion we have a gold mine in dave hawksford ,, he can do things with color and restoration techniques that has boggled my mind..he is very willing to help anyone with a problem and all you need to do is ask him.. i am not a professional in wood working but i do know what is good and what is mediocre.. i saw dave take plain maple display cabinet and turn it into a piece of art..and at the same time match a a existing colored table leaf that wasnt part of this set..he got late on his time frame of spraying and got a mishap on the lower section in frnt, not the best place to have trouble..he took and washed the finish of that frnt section and made it blend right back in again like it was never done wrong..he has got so many pictures of his past works that i didnt have time to see them all..he can paint (artist) , scrimshaw, gilding gold leaf, restore old paintings to state museum standards, take and repair antiques from the 1700's to todays manufacture and have them maintain the same look and caliber of work..he is one amazing guy..i know this sounds like just a sales pitch but it isnt he is here for us to use his knowledge and he is offering it to us so we need to take advantage of his great gift!!!!

You only figured this out now? The rest of us have known this for some time. Guess it takes a while with all that gray.

Dave i think book is the answer to making sure what you have is not lost for the future.

Check this site out Dave...

I'll jump on the "Dave is a god!" bandwagon too.

I always enjoy seeing his stuff and reading his tales of adventure in "can you fix this?" land. A great resource for hands-on, practical use knowledge.

Now if I could just absorb some of his skill by placing my hand on the monitor . . . .

Larry you are too kind my friend. Thanks !

Now what Larry see's as a [for lack of a BETTER work] god, I am no god. I am as they say "A humble servant" who has been blessed with many gifts for understanding color, light and working them together.

BTW if anyone would like to come and learn, spend a week or two in the shop, your more then welcome, I can give you hands on and you will learn more then your mind can hold so a note pad would be good. Larry jumped in and helped with great enthusiasm. He got to see me and Jarrod go at it. Jarrod is a kindred spirit and I haven't figured out how to get him to lessen to me but I know from past experiences that what I say he dose absorb and I will see him use my observation later but he tells me OH I've been doing this for a long time I just say RIGHT and keep on moving.

Larry, I'm just about done with the mahogany dresser's color just went on and now to get to sealing them.
Behlin stains, lacquer sealer is the binder
I used 1 part Red Mahogany
1 part Hickory
1/4 dark green
to 2 1/4 pat sealer the rest lacquer thinner in a quart cup.

Dries fast !

be sure to show us the pics dave

Larry I think this is the piece you are talking about that got screwed up. The entire lower section had to be cleaned because the type pulled color , both light and dark.
I colored the dark 1st till I was just about to the matching color tone on the table leaf and then colored the lighter mahogany tone while also darkening the dark. The dark was taking on to much color and I typed it, wrong thing to do with blue type I should have used the type with less sticky.

Finish work is one thing I really want to learn at some point. Have had a lot of good projects end up "ok". If that opportunity does come up for me to get away, I'd love to be a fly on the wall in your shop Dave.

Darren you would be welcome anytime. I'd put you to work.

dave thats the piece but you had a shading problem first that caused yu trouble and then yu got the tape problem.. and all threw this he never got upset i would have been throwing things after the second round with the tape problem..that bottom cove area is where he took and wiped it all off and started over and got the sides matched with the frnt again!!!

By having formulas to follow it make it easy to get problems fixed.

Dave Hawksford said:

BTW if anyone would like to come and learn, spend a week or two in the shop, your more then welcome, I can give you hands on and you will learn more then your mind can hold so a note pad would be good.

Click to expand...

Well Dave I take a rain check on that, so be prepared to have a spaniard coming to your shop one of these days. And I'm no kidding

Thanks a lot for the offer.

It is a pity that you are so far from here or me so far from you, if not I would send you my pieces to finish, (after agreeing on a price of course )

Of course Toni