I have been restoring a ca.1820 Sheraton style tavern table that I acquired almost 50 years ago. The feet were replaced as well as the drawer. It had a newer knob and I replaced that with a brass William and Mary teardrop that caught my fancy. That turned out to be a bad mixing of styles and over the years it just seemed to be getting more and more irritating to see. Sheraton style called for a brass knob with a rosette. I found one in walnut that seemed in keeping with the country flavor of the piece. When it arrived I shot it with poly and that only raised the grain and made it hairy. It disappointed me and I put it away for a rainy day. That day came this morning so I went into the workshop and found a 6mm bolt that fit the hole.
Then I used the angle grinder with a cut off wheel to cut the top off the bolt.
And this is why woodworkers need a lathe and accessories for that lathe. I just inserted a chuck into the lathe headstock and chucked the bolt into it.
With the knob on the lathe, I was able to use sandpaper to remove the rough “hair” and prepare the knob for finish. I used shellac from my pen making supplies and applied it with an old cotton sock.
After about ten minutes of applying shellac, the knob began to shine.
The last step was to rub in a coat of brown wax.
And now it is ready for the table drawer.
I am pleased with the way it came out–time to put it to work.
Yes. That’s it.