Alright, let’s talk about this Ralph Ricci thing I tried out recently. Wasn’t sure what to expect, honestly. Heard the name floating around in some forums, mostly about a particular way to get a certain look on wood projects. Sounded interesting enough, so I thought I’d give it a whirl myself.
So, I had this old pine box kicking around. Nothing special, just something I used for storing bits and bobs. The finish was looking pretty tired. Perfect test subject, right? Didn’t want to risk it on a piece I actually cared about just yet.
Getting Started
First step was stripping off the old varnish. That part’s never fun. Used a standard chemical stripper, scraped it all off, then gave it a good wipe down with mineral spirits. Let it dry completely. You gotta have a clean slate, otherwise, what’s the point?
Then came the sanding. Started with a medium grit, maybe 120, just to smooth out any major roughness left from the stripping. Worked my way up to a finer grit, finished with 220. Got it nice and smooth to the touch. This part is key, apparently, for the ‘Ricci method’ – the surface prep needs to be spot on.
Applying the Finish
Now for the actual Ralph Ricci part, as I understood it. It wasn’t some magic potion, more like a specific sequence. The guys online mentioned a sort of oil and wax combination, applied in thin layers. So, I mixed up some boiled linseed oil and beeswax. Didn’t have an exact ratio, just kinda eyeballed it until it felt right – like a soft paste.
- I took a clean rag and dipped just a tiny bit into my mix.
- Rubbed it into the wood, going with the grain. Really worked it in. The idea was super thin coats.
- Let the first coat sit for about 20 minutes.
- Then, I took a clean part of the rag and buffed it gently. Just taking off any excess.
- Waited. This was the hard part. The instructions I pieced together said wait a full day between coats. A whole day!
- Repeated the process. Thin coat, wait 20 mins, buff, wait 24 hours.
I did this three times in total. Yeah, took nearly four days just for the finishing part. Patience is not my strong suit, let me tell you. Each day I was tempted to just slap on a thicker coat or skip the buffing, but I stuck with it.
The Result
So, after the third coat and the final buffing, I let it cure for another couple of days just to be safe. And you know what? It actually looked pretty good. Different from varnish or poly. It gave the pine a really deep, warm glow. Not super glossy, more like a satin feel, very smooth. You could still feel the wood grain, which I liked.
Was it revolutionary? Nah, probably not. Lots of oil and wax finishes out there. But following this specific, slow process… it did produce a nice result. Felt more ‘in’ the wood than ‘on’ it, if that makes sense. It’s definitely more work than just brushing on a coat of varnish, that’s for sure. Took time and a bit of elbow grease with the buffing.
Would I use the ‘Ralph Ricci method’ again? Yeah, probably. For a piece where I want that specific hand-rubbed, natural look and feel, and if I have the time to spare. It’s not for every project, but it was a good little experiment to add to my finishing techniques. Gave that old pine box a new lease on life, anyway.
