Ok....Here is the finished product. It was a lot of fun. As you can see, this tall gentleman has significant integrity. (We decided to reconsider its gender after a tense discussion with the piece late one evening...please pardon our initial ignorance in this matter. ) The hat racks that are above and mid-section of this hall tree, two were intact and two, the lower ones as you see them here, were broken.
The four racks are made of cast iron. The iron has a finish of brass. We put these in the holes where they belonged after we had removed the tarnish and the old varnish finish. Then we coated each with a clear lacquer seal coat to prevent future tarnish. Their placement, despite their not having all of their parts and pieces intact, provided cover to the old holes and balanced the tree. At their discretion our customer can make the decision to replace them with new reproduction racks or leave them just as you see them.
The beveled mirror hiding behind those newspapers waits to be unveiled. The mirror is original and really compliments the tree. It's in great shape 120 years after its original placement. Most off us can't say that for our faculties after just fourty years of wear-n-tear. Hmmm
This stately old gentleman was happily carried out of the shop....the first leg of his trip home this week. He's almost made it back to where he belongs...after nearly fifty years as a basement dweller. A near resurrection for sure!
