How to restore a Jarrah rocking horse?

Libbie

Hi all

I’m looking for advice on a woodworking and restoration project.

I recently bought a beautiful, solid, handmade jarrah horse. My plan is to sand it back to its natural state, possibly soften the features on the face, and apply a light black or paint wash to tone down the red tones.

It seems like the neck and head still have some old lacquer.

What’s the best way to strip it back to raw wood? Should I sand it by hand or use a mouse sander? Also, what grade of sandpaper would you recommend?

If you’re curious about what I plan to do with the base, I’m waiting to see how the horse turns out first. I might either remove it from the base entirely or transform it into a rocking horse.

Many thanks 

JacobZ

Hi @Libbie,

What a fantastic piece, solid hardwood in this volume is such a rare find nowadays. I imagine being Jarrah, it weighs quite a bit. I'm excited to help you out with this project.

We should aim to do as little sanding as possible as any sanding done is removing timber that can't be replaced. 

Start by painting a thick coat of Intergrain 1L Liquid 8 Timber Stripper over the entire surface with a cheap paintbrush. You'll want to do this in a well-ventilated area as stripping chemicals have some strong fumes. Make sure you wear gloves, long protective clothing and a mask.

After 15-20 minutes wait, use a Scourer Pad to remove the bubbling varnish. If the results are not as good as you'd hoped, you can reapply the stripper and repeat until you're happy.

Once the lacquer has been removed, an oxalic acid-based cleaner such as Diggers Rust And Stain Cleaner can be used to bring out stains in timber without removing material.  It is a mild bleaching agent, so it should be used with caution as it can remove some of the natural colour of the timber. If you're planning to restain or paint, then this is not an issue, but if you choose to use it, test it in an inconspicuous area to see what you think before committing to its broader use.

As the surface is already smooth and we're trying to remove as little material as possible to retain as much detail as possible, I'd suggest doing the bulk of the work with medium to fine-grit sandpaper. 120 or 180 grit are good options.

For the finer details, hand sanding is your best option. You can use a detail sander for the more open areas, being careful not to flatten the curves or remove too much detail. 

A combination of these steps will get you very close to raw timber. You can be more aggressive with your sanding if required, but you risk removing details, so try to avoid it if possible.

Let me know what you think and ask any further questions. Also please update us as your project commences, I'm very excited to see how it turns out.

Jacob