I have an acquaintance who has done about 20 pieces of Bartley Antique Reproduction Kits. He uses Bartley Gel stains as a finish. The kits appear to make nice furniture. Someone with not much equipment or a large shop shop can build a good piece of classic furniture. The kits come in varied woods such as curly maple, cherry, and mahogany.
BARTLEY Very rich in tone, one application alone im-parts a deep color. This stain leans toward the reds that are good for traditional work such as reproductions. The label states that the prod-uct stains and seals in one step. However, a surface left at this stage is vulnerable and lacks sheen. It’s best to topcoat with gel var-nish or ...
My husband made several Bartley kits as furniture for our home here near Baltimore, MD. Bartley kits are reproductions of old style furniture and were made in Denton, MD. The […]
My late father, an avid and accomplished furniture restorer/hobbyist, has left behind some untouched Bartley Collection kits: 1) Irish Jewelry Chest IJC 0256 (2 kits)2) Chatham Mirror MIR 0333 (2 […]
It is in four boxes, 3 are unopened and banded, the fourth is the clock mechanical box that was opened by the salesperson at the Bartley collection location in Maryland. The box is open but the clock works are sealed in some sort of plastic. It was kept inside of our house since I purchased it in 2004.
Peter, I have read different things about how to use Bartley’s Gel Varnish (or any wiping varnish for that matter). Some say there is no need to sand in […]
Bartley’s fruitwood gel stain is a greenish brown that resembles raw umber. I combined the cherry and fruitwood stains in a 50:50 mixture, which produced a pleasing, warm brown color. For a neutral, medium-brown color, I blended Bartley’s country maple stain, which resembles burnt sienna (orange-brown), with the cherry stain in a 50:50 mixture.