Antique Chair Restoration Collaboration

The front edges of this chair looked like sheaves of wheat, stringy strands of wood separating from the leg due to innumerable collisions with the drawer pedestals of its desk. The top of the back was worn bald and blonde. The finish was generally finger-marked, faded and scratched. The cushion fabric was thread-bare and worn. In short this old desk chair looked ready for the grave.

The restoration of this chair followed the process outlined in my July 30, 2015 post Finishing Tip #5: Simple Refinishing in 3 Steps, except that after cleaning (Step 1) the damage was so bad that considerable sanding was required to smooth and recontour the legs. Because completely bare wood showed right next to wood still with color a Mohawk wiping stain (Step 2) was used to blend evenly the disparate surfaces.

The collaboration commenced at this point when I handed the chair over to the skillful hands of finisher Anthony Hernandez of J. Swiss & Co. in Tucson. Instead of the usual step 3 in my simple refinishing of using oil based products to restore sheen we elected to spray the piece with satin lacquer using professional equipment. Prior to the clear coat Anthony used some lacquer toner as discussed in step 3 to help blend the color of the sanded areas.

The collaboration continued with new upholstery on the old seat board expertly accomplished by Fabrics That Go, also in Tucson. They also supplied the fabric itself which coordinated well with the chair color as well as the pattern being perfectly centered and suggestive of the form of the back. The holes in the seat board were so worn out that epoxy was used to fill them so that the screws holding the seat board to the frame would have some purchase.

All in all a nice result of some collaboration.

Singular wooden ware + hand carved teaspoons at:   FlyingCircusStudios.etsy.com

Shop Clean-Up: Rule of Two's -- Tool Tip #16

Geraniums are an unexpected window treatment in a garage, and I'm talking about a serious grease monkey's garage where transmissions are pulled as easily as flashdrives. Even more surprising, however, were this mechanic's tool habits. As each tool finished its job, wiped clean it was and then put back in its place, turning the tired saw “a place for every tool and every tool in its place” into a mantra.

Now and again I've thought what a nice ideal this was, and now and again I would try to follow his example though not with much success. My working behavior was more to grab tools helter skelter, dropping them on any blank spot on the workbench and often having to move a bunch as I negotiated a piece of furniture. Anyone who works with their hands knows well that any job always requires every tool you own. Maybe a few might return to their places in the course of things, but inevitably in the light of the setting sun I had a job that my mechanic friend did not: putting away a pile of tools.

So now I have a piece of advice for you that has proven a psychological advantage to make this task easier:   I call it the “rule of two's.” This will work for the gardener out in the yard. It will work for a load of clean dishes in the dishwasher. It will work for the tools of any craftsman in any media. It will work for butcher block, easel or workbench. Take your tools by two's and put them away. Somehow this pairing of items just makes the task of putting away smoother, faster, more satisfying, more “artful.” Try it once and see what I mean...seems silly, but it really works!

An index of the first 15 Tool Tips can be found at:  15 Tool Tips

 Singular wooden ware + hand carved teaspoons at:   FlyingCircusStudios.etsy.com

An Exception to the Rule