Strong Patina Reclaiemed White Oak Mantel (Mule-Team-Borax)

Additional information

Weight 83 lbs
Dimensions 68 × 5.5 × 7.5 in
Wood:

Texture:

Color:

Size Category:     

Mantel Type

Price:

$567.00

Out of stock

Product Description

SOLD to Jody and Todd E in San Francisco, California (CA)
July 30, 2018

This a wonderfully rich colored reclaimed white oak mantel beam from an old barn. The face has some nice character including some quarter sawing on the right end. The top has some great texture and a couple of various bolt holes. The bottom has much stronger quartersawn character, a couple of nice cracks, and a bit of color variation. The left end shows the “ghost” of a mortise pocket. Mortise pockets are where one beam joined into another. They cut a mortise hole into one beam and a tenon on the other beam and then drive a peg into the joint. On the left end, we plan to cut to size. It is well finished to about 68 inches. The remaining part of the beam is not quite as nice as the first 68 inches. We could finish it in a pinch, but it just not quite as nice.

The color of this beam is natural. Yes, natural. White oak has tannin in the wood that interacts with ammonia in the barn creating this natural dark color that is up to 1/4inch deep. On the end photos, you can see how deep the coloring has penetrated over the course of a century or more. Gustav Stickley used an ammonia tent on his original white oak furniture to achieve this great warm color. Oddly enough, the sapwood (the layer just below the bark) does not have tannin and does not naturally darken.

This mantel is the real deal; not fake modern wood. The original beam came from an old barn in Southwest Wisconsin. It probably dated back to the early 1900s. We purchased this wood from an Amish gentleman who lives out in the rolling hills of the area. That area is still dotted with small farms where the cows and other livestock are out in the corrals. It’s not like the modern farms that we see by our place in Minnesota with hundreds of cows stuffed in a tin building. It is great to see agriculture the way that I remember it as a kid.

This mantel is 68 inches long. It would normally run $100/LF.  We can cut this one down and reduce it by $8.33 per inch up to a $100 discount. Shipping runs $75 via FedEx Gnd.

About the tag – MuleTeam Borax advertisements from the 1920s magazine. Borax is composed of Sodium Borate and is used for cleaning, crafts, and odor control. The chemical was discovered in Death Valley in 1881.  Teams of 20 Mules transported it out of Death Valley. In 1890, the soap went into production.

More Mantel Inventory

You can shop some available mantel beams and thinner mantel shelves on this website. 

However, our website here only contains a small number of all of the mantels that we have in stock.
We are literally a mom-and-pop shop that does lots of custom work. We often just don’t quite find enough time to update this website regularly.
We have nearly 150 finished mantels and another 500 or so unfinished pieces in stock at any time that can be viewed with other links. 

We also do lots of custom work. If we understand what you are seeking, we can find and create that magic piece.

Please contact us for a full list and personal recommendations. We’re happy to chat and find a great piece for you.

We work with a great local blacksmith to add metal straps and other ornamentation to our mantels. He is the real deal — coal forged and hand hammered. The metalwork has great color and tight fit. Nothing machined. We can start with a finished mantel you find on our site, or we can start with raw stock for more options.

Here are a few examples of the hundreds that we have crafted over the years. We can work together to create something unique. You can also browse our Mantels with Metalwork page.

Mantel with metal rings  Fireplace Mantel with Metal Cross 

In most cases, no special and expensive brackets are required — just some lag screws. The different approaches outlined are very strong, simple, and economical. Take a look at our mantel installation tips.

Contact us via email at antiqueww@gmail.com or call 612-281-9330.