Ken Hough worked for Deardorff and indicated on his website that lacquer was their finish of choice, so l'll run with that.
I've restored several battered 'dorff boards I won on ebay with lacquer. In fact Per Volquarz talked me through several piss coats with 0000 steel wool in between when I lacquered the first one ---that was what...20 years ago?---and it still looks great!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Actually, you can buy “Everclear” (the brand name) in California ... but it is limited to 151 proof (75% alcohol ... also true in Nevada, I believe) ... but the 190 proof Everclear is also legal in Oregon ..... not that I have any personal experience with it, of course ... at least for refinishing purposes. I do know it is a preferred backpacking libation because of the “kick-to-weight ratio.”Originally Posted by MrFujicaman
If your Deardorff has a serial number, it post-dated mine.
I can't speak authoritatively, but one wonders if maybe they decided to use remaining supplies. Or, perhaps it may have taken a while to again find a supplier for their preferred finish.
As I indicated, the finish on my camera was glossy and beautiful. But looking at the surface in a strong light, one could see these very fine, hairline cracks.
It is used for Wet Plate work. Why can't you get it? Amazon was not around a few years back when I was working with some Wet Plate images.
Then again we did get some questions when sourcing Potassium Cyanide for the process.
Oddest was getting a visit from Feds when looking for Mercury for negative intensification. Somehow they seemed to think we were trying to build a bomb.
Good luck with the Deardorff finish. I think a softer finish looks better than the factory gloss. When re-doing mine I went that way.
” Never attribute to inspiration that which can be adequately explained by delusion”.
Barry actually got back to me with a lengthy answer, here are his salient comments: "They traditionally used a standard nitro cellulose lacquer, nearly everyone did back then. They experimented with polyurethane and other things but always came back to the nitro lacquer. Today folks use a catalyze lacquer, various brands. We use Mohawk".
Note: I excluded his comments about stains, but can post them if anyone is interested in them.
OK. So now I'll try to simplify this, John. Don't make too big a fuss over the alcohol. It just has to be strong enough for a spot test to see if something softens or hazes. You'd also have to use alcohol to remove every bit of wax IF you decided to refinish the camera or apply any serious product. But alcohol dries fast, and if it can penetrate any thin spots into the wood without rubbing, so can potentially weather and lead to warpage. But there's nothing wrong with a piece of gear that proudly wears its battle scars. After this, I'll tell no have to get the right spot application of something suitable that Fresno Ag might carry if you want to take the next step beyond basic cleaning.
Folks, at this point it's not about authentic restoration anyway, since wax or whatever could already be there. And I won't recommend lacquers. Sorry. I don't know why products illegal to sell to cabinet shops due to working hazards can be sold to amateurs or nail polish salons ... Anyway, seen way too many people permanently messed up by the stuff, seen way too many bldgs burn down or get blown up
What do you think of Linseed Oil, Drew? I've done a few mahogany lens boards with the stuff and they turned out well.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Linseed oil very bad. When we hand-me-down gunstocks with linseed for hours on end as kids we were actually polymerizing it with friction heat into something more stable. Regular linseed products like Watco start breaking down and become mildew food as soon as they're truly cured in about six months. I once did a huge cedar home owned by a British Lord above Santa Cruz with a mixture of linseed, thinner, and nasty wood preservative. It had to be redone every year, but he had lots of money, and that was slightly before various similar snake-oil products were officially marketed. If you want a high-quality classic Euro wax/oil blend I can tell you how to order it (illegal to put on a retail shelf in CA). But with all these oils, you absolutely need to put any application cloths, brushes etc into water immediately after use. Some of these rag fires start right behind you in minutes. An entire block of Berkeley went down last year due to a linseed rag fire, and I know of at least 120 rag fires reported in that same city that very same season. Tung-urethane or Tung phenolic oils are safer. I can also recommend excellent waterborne finishes IF no trace of wax remains. Oil/wax would look more vintage, but would take about a month to fully outgas. You find any of these in the Central Valley, but there is a superb waterborne floor finish called Ultra Zar Max distributed out of Visalia, when your friend at Fresno Ag might be willing to put a dab sample on your Dorff if it's wax-free. Otherwise, you're forced into an imported oil/ wax finish. Don't use straight wax, either carnuba or pure paraffin like Renaissance. They build up and catch dirt over time.
Hand -rubbed gunstocks. Dumbphone again.
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