A Honey of a Hutch

Actually it's probably a commode...at least that's what my customer is telling me. She says her mom bought it second hand, but never used it as a commode. However, the shelf inside this little hutch (you can't see it in this shot, but you can see it in the previous blog picture since it) seems to prohibit the use of a tall pitcher and it's companion two-gallon lidded crock. Both of these items would be too tall for the self inside the cabinet.

Nevertheless, this little jewel is amazingly attractive. It was a really fun piece to have around--a real adventure to rescue and lovingly refinish--and something of a rare find. Knowing it sat on a back porch for several years covered with six layers of paint and varnish, suggests to me that those layers of variously colored (lead based) paint probably proved to protect this little gem from the seasonal temperature fluctuation, the snow, and the rain.

So, it's gone home. Boy was it excited! I was happy to see it go and my customer...well, she's now trying to find the perfect place to put it INSIDE HER HOUSE. Ha

That's Wood Talkin for today.

Honey In a Pie Safe

Here's a real sweet surprise. My customer showed me a sad little chest that she wanted me to refinish. It was in bad shape. It had been repeatedly painted, it's top was badly split, it had rot and insect holes, and it was badly stained. She told me its story including the fact it had been sitting on her back porch for the past several years. Why? Because she didn't know what she wanted to do with it.

So, this picture represents a lot of work! It was pink when I brought it into the shop and began the refinishing process (top, right). As that effort soon discovered, it had been painted six times over many years, pink, turquoise, green, yellow, and white. The original finish was an old varnish.

Of course you see here what I began to see as the layers of paint and years were stripped away (bottom, right). Obviously, too, the piece is a genuine antique. I was increasingly excited through the refinishing process as I began to realize this was an 1870-1880 solid walnut piece manufactured, probably in the United States, during the Victorian Era. It's grace and quality are unmistakable---when all the gunk is finally stripped away to rediscover its simple beauty and character. Fascinating!

What you see here (bottom, right) is a picture taken right after the second sanding seal coat was applied. I'll update you on the finished product, too.

Dick

A QUESTION OF IDENTITY

Quite occasionally we get a piece that has no identification. (It's sorta like you or I getting stopped for a traffic violation and not having a drivers license or proof of insurance.) No, I'm not arresting or citing anyone for bringing a piece in the door that has no manufacturer's identifying marks, but I'm always wondering...wondering. "Who put this piece together?"

Recently these pieces (covered, right) arrived in the shop. They are very obviously well made and very upscale in the quality of their finish. So it's always nice to put a "name on the face" so to speak. The tops of these two bedside tables needed to be refinished; several other areas on each piece had suffered similar damage. The lacquer finish is still very much alive, suggesting they were manufactured within the past 10 years or so.

These two came with a similarly finished Sleigh Bed designed headboard and matching foot-board. Their top horizontal rails (not yet pictured) are being stripped and refinished to remove several scars and dents and then the vertical posts will be be touched-up. These will be followed into the shop by two standing dressers. They complete the set. Their arrival in the shop is anticipated just as soon as these items are completed and deliverable--ready to trade them places.

Sometimes the wood doesn't say as much as we'd like it to. Hmmm, some people are that way too, huh.

That's Wood Talkin for today.

Dick

No surprises here

These two pieces are a delight. Like humble poodles at the barber enjoying a cut and shampoo, these two shop additions have been polite and silent. The red mahogany top is from an antique gate-leg styled drop leaf table. My customer suggested it was going to be easier to bring the top to the shop than to wrestle the entire table. I liked that idea, and the surface needing some work "flipped" out of sight when the table is expanded for use. (So, there would not be a color-related matching risk.)

What you see here (left above) is the pre-seal, stained look of that top. As you can already tell, this surface has a deep warm color, but it will deepen even more as the seal and two coats of clear finish coat are applied. Don't ya just love nice wood!


The little side table (right pic) features a tan leather inlay...and it's accented with a floral-type gold leaf trim that runs all along and around the perimeter of its top. You can't see that in the picture, right, since the top has been covered to protect the leather in-lay from shop procedures. You can see the attractive floral gold leaf, below left, along with some scars 'n bruises (...yup, time hands em to us all!).

This little table has a twin that did not make it to the shop (...and yes, it's lonely but we've discussed the prospect of its soon return). In this (right, lower above) picture you see the 2 newly stained surfaces. Again, (same pic) you can glimpse the top refinished surface stained and ready for sealing and finishing (As you can see, it amounts basically to an attractive accenting edge). The lower surface provides an ample shelf space and is, of course, the finished top side of the table's drawer housing. Both of these pieces are first-of-the-week delivery items.

That's Wood Talkin for today. Keep listening!

"Incoming!"

Here are that latest new additions on the shop floor...waiting their respective opportunities for some time and loving attention. Yup, I know, nobody wants to stand in line, but hey, these guys (and gals) know it's worth the wait!

I'll be telling you more about this pretty little leather-inlaid side table soon (it's got a twin who wasn't included this time, so we've gotta talk softly...shhhh.)

Till next time, that's Wood Talkin. Are you listening?

Dick

"Twins" Update

I think it's fun to see some of the ways manufacturers design and build their furniture. These two Broyhill solid maple side tables are no exception. For example, look at the way the legs of this table are secured to its top. In this picture (left) I've set the table on its side, so you are looking at the underside of the table to see a clamp assembly where the leg joins the top. This simple assembly utilizes a wing nut to secure the leg to the top. The homeowner can loosen the wing nut and remove the legs as needed for storage, packing or moving, etc. That's nice!

Here's a pic of the top (one of these twins) right after it's been stained and cured. Yup, it's a dull finish at this point (and appears a little lighter than it actually is) . Next in the refinishing process is the application of the sealer and then two--maybe three--coats of clear gloss lacquer. Then comes the buffing process. Lots of fun!

Ok. That's Wood Talkin for this morning. Be listening...you furniture really will "speak" to you!

Dick

"Incoming"

From now on I will be introducing new items to the shop as "Incoming." I'll do this initially for the sake of brevity, but it will also assure customers that their pieces have indeed arrived--an "I spy." So, introductory commentary--if there is any at all--may be brief until the item(s) are well "in process."

That said, here's twins; two identical Broyhill Maple Side Tables. These gals are solid maple about twenty years old, but they look like they're not far at all from the showroom's floor. They just need a little timely TLC to their finish surfaces.

That's Wood Talkin for today. Keep listening!

Dick

A Muted Glory!

That ole Zenith Long-distance radio radiates! Just look at it (Below is the before pic; top right is now). So, what do you think?

It's got a wonderful bright persona--the new signature of past glories restored...well almost. Something's still missing. As you can see it's got pride---pizazz; some of that 19th century enthusiasm impatiently waiting to just EXPLODE from inside that newly refurbished cabinet.

It's what we don't hear right now that's telling a tale, too. Its deep baritone voice awaits...still muted. Those amazing old vacuum tubes--all still in tact--and its supporting network of wires to capacitors, resistors, amp, to speaker and to tuner, are all--albeit understandably--deteriorated. (After all, it's been 80 years!). Like a "new" old man on Viagra, here's promise with impotence? But Yippee Skippie, this too can be fixed.

It's been whispering to me. I enthusiastically respond, "Yes--you're going home!" But what it doesn't know (and I haven't told it)--yet--is that I've got a secret: there's a good likelihood for an electronic update in its future, too. Wow! I want to be around to hear the results of that.

That's Wood Talkin for today. Keep listening (...and please post a comment)!

Do I Hear an Echo?

This is a fun one. Yup, its an old Zenith long-distance radio. Manufactured in the mid-1930's and featured routinely in family homes all over the country, these radios were particularly significant to provide the news--and a lot of really fun "family gathered around the radio experiences"--through several decades, but especially during WW I and WW II.

Consequently, there are multi-layered stories that can be told here. It's almost like hearing and echo. The first layer is about the stories this old Zenith can tell about itself. For example, it can tell some stories about its fabrication on the assembly line, and it can tell stories about the people relationships and family environs that were called "home" through the past 80+ years. The second layer is about the stories it knows to rehearse about important news and life-changing events occurring in this country and around the world through those same eight decades.

The refinishing process will require some special steps necessitated by the variety of woods and stains included in the cabinet. But we'll start with a methodical cleaning of the cabinet itself...there are a lot of dust bunnies hiding in there! Along the way features will be taped off and wrapped to prevent damage--both of the electronics that still occupy the upper portion of the cabinet and of the stain, elevation, and color transitions found across the cabinet's face and top.

The centered speaker on this model is positioned between two curved, burled walnut "columns." These handsome sentries received their share of ware and tear through the years, so they are variously scarred and bruised. During the repair process of the second shop day we realized that the burled surface we were working on was actually a very good photo grain applicae! It is wrapped and stretched over a curved (i.e., the "columnar") wood foundation. That discovery has required some appropriate changes in the refinishing strategy. In the second picture, left, you can see we've covered those burled surfaces having repaired the



scars (as best we can without actually replacing the photo finish). Then these were covered away for the next phase in the cabinet's refinishing process.

On the right you can see a detail of the top of the cabinet where the "column" on the left side of the cabinet joins details at it's top. See a portion of the attractive walnut burl on that side and across the top of the cabinet front--it's all part of that photo-plastic wrap, but very attractive for sure.


That's Wood Talkin for today, but check back to see what's happened since your last visit.

Dick

That Marvelous Old Cedar Chest

OK. Here's the progress report on that "is it a Lane" Cedar Chest. That question remains unanswered at this point, but whether or not it's looking good? Well...see for yourself. It's a real beauty. Look at those cute little flowers in its skirt!

But whether it's a genuine Lane Cedar Chest or not probably doesn't really matter when it comes to the quality of this beautiful piece, the story behind it, or its real value to our customer. Yup, and right now it's talkin' about going home.

Perhaps by this time tomorrow we'll have an answer to the "is it a Lane?" question, whether it really matters at this point or not. So, stay tuned for that fun update. In the meantime, check it out and enjoy what you see with us.

That's Wood Talkin for today. Are you listening?

Dick

"I hate it when that happens!"

Here's a situation I've rarely had to deal with. Why? Because it rarely, if ever, happens! One of the cardinal rules when it comes to making professional house calls is about "covering up." That's to say that as an in-home professional you never leave the floor where you are working or the surfaces you are working on unprotected from your repair effort, or from the influence that your effort may inadvertently have on the customers furnishings.

Well, without realizing it "in the moment" I broke that rule. I set a small bottle of solvent on the surface of a side table I was repairing. Yup, you guessed it. The bottle had leaked. Its contents softened the finish of the table to leave a permanent ring when I moved the bottle....just like the one you see (right) in the surface. And yes, that is a rubber band on exactly the spot where the ring once was. But it well represents the presence of the frustrating ring I found and that I then had to remove from the surface of this "Limed" (or "Pickled Oak") style side table.

When something like this happens the repair is on us. It very often requires scheduling the pick-up of the table and a resurface of its top. That's what was necessary in this situation. Oh well, but frustrating situations like this one really can be an opportunity. God-willing my customer will be very happy with the final product. Then, of course, we will too. It means that we've got a happy customer who knows we're dependable; we're committed to our customer's satisfaction in everything we do. So, a situation like this one can actually support our reputation and underscore our integrity.

This pretty little side-table will be scheduled for delivery in the next couple days--right after the final finish coat is applied and buffed. (What you see, above, is in "the next-to-the-last step" of the finishing process.) Soon it will be going home.

That's today's Wood Talkin. Are you listening?

Dick
(Remember, you can email the shop, woodtalkin@gmail.com, or leave a comment, below.)

Puffin Up the Chest?

Here's a little bit of history carried through Wood Talkin's shop door. This mid-1940's era cedar chest (upper) belongs to a neighbor of the Fairmount area near Golden, CO. Oh boy does it ever have some stories to tell.

Aside from the fun details our customer is able to provide us, we'll be doing some researching on our own. We'll fill-in some of the details in one of our future posts. But one of the questions we want to answer: "Is this one of the chests made by (click there-->) John Lane and his son Ed? (At that time this father-son team may have still been calling their manufacturing venture The Standard Red Cedar Chest Company of Altavista, Virginia).

My initial careful inspection of this chest leads me suspect it's Lane. Its hinges, joints, and overall quality look Lane, but the serial numbers don't. Of the two chests pictured, the chest pictured (bottom, bright sunlight) is a genuine Lane from that same period; the other chest (top, in shop light) is our chest in question. I know Lane changed its serial number configuration various times over the years...so we'll see. I will contact Lane and keep you updated.

In the meantime we're going to address some of its minor structural issues--some water damage contributing to minor warping of the skirt, some mold and discoloration, and the general fading and deterioration of its finish over time.

OK. That's today's Wood Talkin...till next time.

Dick

It's About Friendships

When a piece comes into the shop there's always something of a sense of anticipation. A friendship is about to be established. These three pieces are gladly heading home. But with the pictures we take "before" and "after," and the adventure of discovery we often share in the refinishing process getting to know every piece, we forge a "friendship" that lasts for years to come.

This solid red oak beauty (above, left) and the two straight backed chairs that accompanied her to the shop (lower right) will probably journey back to their cabin hideaway above Bailey, CO. For sure, they're going to "glow" in the living room. (Here's some fun. Compare the lower picture to the one you can see in the December 31st blog. You'll find it in the Archive, below on the right...wow!)

That's Wood Talkin for today.

Dick
(Leave a comment or email the shop at woodtalkin@gmail.com)

It's An Anticipatory Hummmm

Do you remember what it felt like at the end of the school day when you were in elementary school? I do. All of us were watching the clock and counting down the minutes. There was a perceptible humm in the room anticipating the bell. "Reeeeeng," and we were on our way home!

That's what it feels like here at the shop right now. The various pieces are in readiness. I can "hear" the hummm, a low decibel (whisper) repetition of the words, "We're goin' home...?!"

The really cold weather was responsible for slowing some shop processes down a little bit and bunching up the delivery effort. It's nearly caught up now. The pieces seem to sense it, a walnut coffee table, two mahogany hutches, a little music box, an antique rocker, and two antique dining chairs. I'm sure they're commiserating!

The pictures you see: (top) two "exploded" hutches in the spray booth and the walnut coffee table (below, right) awaiting a buff before its finish coat . Breathless anticipation.

That's it for now, more Wood Talkin.

Remember "the brothers Adam?"

When I spoke of "the brothers Adam" style in yesterday's blog it was in reference to a hybrid. We've got the real McCoy here! This little gem is a great example of the style, ornate and elegant and infused with the strength of an empire--the 18th Century British Empire.

As you can see from the picture this piece is not big; it's a little mahogany music box. The heavily lacquered three-sided lid lifts on a small piano hinge permitting the top to open and access any contents hidden inside. There's a little "trip" wire that extends up from the mechanism to protrude through the edge of the case. It gets compressed when the lid is lowered and that action turns the music off. The winder for the musical mechanism is located on the underside of the box--easily accessible to the fingers of adults or children.

This little item stole the shop's attention. It demanded repair before a picture could be taken. Suffice it to say that its top arrived disconnected from the box, several laminate pieces needed to be glued and reattached inside the box, and it's legs were loose and wobbly. (Ugh. We all get that way sooner or later.)

My initial suspicion upon seeing this little jewel in the customer's home had me suspecting it was Pakistani or East Indian in origin. I believe I was correct since the British Empire was in India throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. Whether it was actually made in India or in Great Britain,...Hmmm. That is probably the real question. (I'm guessing India.) Whatever the situation, it will soon be happily home again...yup, I can hear the Wood Talkin.

Dick

A Federali Oopsie!?

Here's a substantial piece.
It's a round, solid walnut coffee table which appears to be something of a hybrid in style. It's legs hint "of the Brothers Adam" style, i.e., of historically British origination (1760's). They speak of strength, grace, and durability not to mention sophistication. "(Across the pond" this style's impact became known as the "Federal Style" or motif for its influence on architectural designs here in the United States. The style was particularly known for the way it integrated interior decorating and exterior architectural designs.) But this muscular beauty appears to add some contemporary Western "salt" as well. (Someone correct me here if I have this wrong.)

In such heavy and rugged type of pieces the bumps and bruises generally add to "character," i.e., beauty marks. But this one's oopsie, a 1/4" X 1" nasty gouge in the top (see the picture), is probably over the top--no pun intended--and does require some helpful intervention. My customer had me evaluate this situation in the customer's home. There was clearly the option to clear-fill and cosmetically finish the surface at that time. However, given some other observations related to its surface our discussion led us both to conclude that a top surface refinish was probably the wisest option.

So, the goal: remove the top surface's finish, re-stain and refinish it to match the surrounds. It will be the same lovely piece with its strong and graceful lines. We'll preserve its character--including the distressing and surface irregularities that time and circumstances have brought to it--but the depth and abruptness of that nasty surface "insult" will be gone.

You'll want to take special note of the pentagonal (five-sided) leg and brace configuration below the table's surface (see the picture). It's just plain fun, albeit quite distinguishing and highly memorable!

OK. That's today's Wood Talkin...are you listenin?

Dick

A Music Teacher's Helper

For one of the Fairmount Community's music teachers two red mahogany hutches play a key role in her studio (just one is shown). They are her "go to place" when it comes to easily providing young pupils the readily available sheet music they will need for practice and skill development. The hutches have an abundance of attractive and convenient pull-out drawers to offer a variety of selections depending on the instrument and the skill level of the pupil. But as you can also see, these two pieces of furniture are a handsome compliment to her studio.

Of course there's an emotional connection represented here too. These "twins" are family heirlooms handed down from another family member who apparently used them similarly. They present no serious refinishing challenge in the sense that some much more intricately designed pieces might introduce.

They were designed to be functional and handsome. So, the assignment: refinish them; red mahogany inside and out. The door handles--for which only three are shown since one got lost through the years--will require some special attention. They appear to be custom designed and will require some time and attention to either duplicate or an exchange. We'll try to address that issue parallel to the refinishing process in the shop.

So, what will we discover on this little adventure? We'll see...and we'll be listening... if it's Wood Talkin.

Wonderful Inconsistency

Well into the machine age, and what people labeled as as mass production, one could find unmistakable signatures of the human hand. Here's another one of those fun little surprises that speak to the influence of the human factor in the manufacturing process. These kinds of observations are a lot more difficult to find now with the influence of computer directed machines.

Remember those two oak chairs? The pictures above show one of the chair's supporting rungs as it intersects with the chair leg. You'll note how the one in the top picture is clean and straight compared to the one in the lower picture. Yup, the craftsman, in this case, was distracted, maybe having a "bad" day? Clearly the rung was not discarded; it was nevertheless put in its place to do what it was made to do. However, it was not cut appropriately for the joint as you can clearly see in the lower picture.

Despite it's modest cosmetic departure from what would be an otherwise unremarkable joint it has served its purpose well. The joint remains secure 70 years later!

Hmmm. Is there a fun life lesson in this observation--something about the interesting differences that distinguish us, respectively, as people? Or, maybe it says something about the influence of our lives on our work? God knows what was going on for this craftsman, and it's sure fun to guess what the distraction may have been (...family stuff, a tummy ache, disappointment, or maybe he was cold? [Brrrr, it's just 9 degrees Fahrenheit outside my shop window this morning!]

That's Wood Talkin...till next time.