Refurbishing A Board

Hi, I know this is a long-shot but has anyone ever restored a chess board on here? I have a solid wooden board (a non folding board) that was my dad's and it isn't super old or anything so I'm willing to try to refurbish it. I was just curious if there was anyone here that's done something similar? I've tried youtube and google and its a pretty unusual thing I guess because there isn't much on the topic. Essentially its just very rough and scratched up and I want to make sure I do it right and not make it worse and ruin it. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!

Also I believe the finish of the board is just a light layer of lacquer and the wood appears to be oak and chestnut 

Technique should not be much different from refinishing any piece of previously finished wood, antique furniture for example. You will likely be able to find guidance in that on the web. It will make a significant difference if it is solid or veneer though.

I agree with this but with one proviso.  When you refurbish it remember that chessboards, unlike furniture, are rarely given high gloss finishes.

I would take the board to a woodworking shop that had a drum sander. This would remove the finish and level the board. I wouldn't allow the shop to use to heavy of a grit. The finish grit should be around 220-240. Then finish with a durable satin polyurethane finish. 

Not bad advice at all. A drum sander is a machine that has a moving table with a rotating drum above . As the board is fed through it levels and smooths it. You adjust the table to the drum taking off material in very small increments.I had a shop with a Drum sander that was excellent for making end grain cutting boards and chess boards. Your choice of finish is debatable. Many different options. 

Thanks for the input guys, I do have an orbital sander and I found some poly I never used that I think should be just fine for finishing it up. I'll do some more research but when I get the time to work on it (as I'm in the process of a move) I'll let you guys see how it turned out!

Yes! I will certainly make sure. Probably peel the bottom felt off a little and see if the wood below is like particle or not. I really don't think it is veneer however as its pretty heavy and it doesn't have that cheap feel but if it is veneer I'll be very sure to take extra care when I sand it so it doesn't turn into a piece of plywood haha.

if its a modern veneer, it will probably be quite thin, sanding would be risky, particularly with an electric sander of some kind.  Cleaning the board first would be an idea.  What with would depend on the board and its finish.  Rubbing gently with turpentine and very fine steel wool would be an option which would not risk going through the veneer and would remove dirt and wax.  Waxing after that with a good cabinetmaker's wax would reduce the visibility of scuffs and light scratches.  Whether thats the right approach depends on how badly damaged the board is.  

if whats under the felt is not particle board, you should still consider whether the grain on the bottom matches the top surface.  The core of a veneered board could be a heavy plywood.     

Is the veneer, if thats what it is, lifting anywhere, dented or chipped?  If its lifting/separating you need to deal with that early in the process.  Dents in sold wood can be dealt with, but how depends on the approach to the finish.  

@greghunt - Hey Greg! Why would you use turpentine rather than, say, meths? Also, could you recommend some specific cabinet maker's wax products please?

I've just bought a chess board and it's nice quality but a bit dull.

I know this is a question to Greg and he is far more qualified than I to respond. However a quick note - I have been using a liquid bees wax (Gilly’s) for my some of my boards and pieces. Excellent stuff. Also, I have used Liberon Finishing Oil on some of my boards where I want a harder wearing finish and choose the level of gloss. Both great and use dependant on need/want. All that said, recently I’ve been using Renaissance Wax and this is incredible stuff - I can see why it is used by conservators. Applicable to many surfaces, easy to use and apply and remarkably, has minimal effect on things like colour … yet, still brings out the detail in wood or metal … amazing stuff. At least in the eyes of this amateur.

Thanks Powderdigit

Funny, I'm just back from Bunnings with a 4 liter bottle of turpentine.

Ipswitch, the reason to use turpentine is that it is a good solvent for wax and oil and a bad solvent for shellac and has little effect on things like varnish and lacquer. Metho is not so good for wax and oil but can soften or dissolve shallac.

I can't really speak for what the "best" wax is, I'm not as qualified as Powder thinks and he's clearly been doing more exploring the market than I have lately. I haven't been experimenting much lately (or even doing much finishing lately, there is a Myford lathe on the bench makimg me crazy), and the last thing I finished I used a car wax on (Mothers pure carnauba from Super Cheap, a natural, very hard wax, so not a completely random thing to do) to see how well it works (not bad but difficult to work), thus proving that I am a complete barbarian. The nice thing about wax, unlike modern finishes, is that if you don't like the effect you can try a different one. I tend to default to Gilly's, but in my case a paste beeswax.

I have always been a bit suspicious of Renaissance wax, partly just because people get so excited about it and partly because its a synthetic, a polythene wax, and I am irredeemably old-fashioned. That said, one day I'll get around to playing with it and risking conversion to rhe renwax religion.

Hope this helps.

This stuff is not cheap ???

Definitely not cheap but a tiny bit goes a long way. You can probably wax everything in your house and have some left over!

yup.

What about a dash of cooked linseed oil , it's worked for me for years , Down side take while for it soak in , Sill way cheaper

No - but that seems a lot. I paid circa AUD55 for a 200ml tin … including delivery from the UK to Australia.🤷‍♂️

Ok , So this is the rip of price via , Amazon .NL ,

Just ordered a tin of 65 ml for 20 euros online , Should be here mid week !

25 Euros plus 5,99 Shipping for 65 ml or 35 Euros plus 5,99 for 200 ml Shipping on Amazon.de. Had to scroll down a bit for the 200 ml.

Thanks Greg for the explanation. I'll buy some turpentine.