Here We Go Again

As some of my customers know and remember, I had both of my thumbs surgically repaired in September 2019 and then December 2019, respectively (see a previous blog update). Nope, it wasn't an injury that required that decision. The influence of time, wear, and tear on my hands gradually blew up the bones at the back of my thumbs. Ugh.  The surgical repair effort was pretty quick and successful, at least from all outward appearances.  It was then followed-up by multiple weeks of physical therapy and strengthening and I was able to resume my work in the shop early in February 2020. Yaaay.

BUT... within the very first few days(!) following the surgery on my left thumb, I realized something wasn't right. It felt like a small rope or tape band had been stretched invisibly across the back of my hand.  And through the next 24 months the pressure sensation transitioned daily, AM to PM, from modest pressure and tightness in the morning to tension and mild pain in the evening. Nobody could tell me why. Aargh...I certainly didn't want to go through that surgical process again! Bummer. 

Tic tock, tic tock, tic tock, tic tock... the days and months passed with a slow but gradually increasing level of daily discomfort. And it began to cast a long dark shadow of uncertainty on my shop future. Ugh ugh ugh.  Finally, twenty-five months following the surgery on my left hand, I was forced to conclude, with much reluctance and very awkwardly, I must schedule a repair of the initial repair. I set it up: AM,Thursday, December 30, 2021.

So I write this WoodTalkin update to you with my left hand again wrapped in big bandages. These will be replaced by an anticipated 6-week cast on Jan 11th (Signatures anyone?). At that time I hope to slowly resume my scheduled shop work---with some emphasis on "slowly."

I do have some customers' items in-process in the shop.  And yup, these items are already "Talkin" to me about going home. They'll get the attention they deserve first after 1/11. I really did try to get these pieces completed before the holidays and the surgery. I Couldn't. So barring surprises they'll be THE focus and hopefully soon completed after 1/11.

My sincere apologies to you all for this very undesired slow-down. If you have questions, or if you need some timely discussion, please just give me a call.

Happy New Year everyone!

So that's Woodtalkin for today. Keep listening!

Dick Brandow

720.350.2992 cell and text

African Mahogany Antique Rocker

Here's a really fun and amazing story.  I really love this! 

My customer brought her marvelous old rocker to the shop for repair. (Sorry, no pic)

But I wiIl use what I'll call a "pic narrative" to help me tell this story. 

The initial goal was to reglue the right broken leg and then generally stabilize the chair's joints. Then we'd recover the chair seat. However, when I got a really good look at the break and it's relationship to other vital joints in the immediate area,  I knew we had an even bigger problem.  Three joints were located in very close proximity within that same structural area.  The break was compromised by past multiple repairs in the same area. The leg's present break, and this repair, promised to fracture the integrity of all three joints! Ugh. That won't work.  We needed a Plan B. 

Plan B required my taking the front of the chair apart. It meant replacing the broken leg-arm and fabricating a new one from contemporary African Mahogany wood...a "do over." We'd use the existing leg-arm as a pattern and start from scratch. One looming question persisted: Because this chair was hand-made @1860 could we get the new wood to look like the original? Hmmm. We'll need to wait and see, but I was reasonably confident. 😊 👍 

My customer trusted me.

So the process began. I removed the fabric from around the perimeter of the seat.  Wow, you can (enlarge the

so you can) see the battered tack strip securing the velvet fabric. It's been re-upholstered at least five times through the past 140 years! 

Then I worked to separate the leg-arm assembly from the frame.

And I pulled the leg free from the chair arm and began to use it as our pattern for its now-to-be-fabricated replacement. 

The new leg is taking shape. Multiple "dry fits" of the new leg gradually affirmed its fit, and clarified the appropriate hole positions and alignment with other critical joint connections. Yaaay!

Finally I glued the new leg into place and also glued the arm back onto place. Then I clamped it all securely for 12-hours. Yaaay yaaay!

Will the new wood look like the old wood? I sanded and prepped and then re-stained the entire chair front area.

 Then I carefully hand stripped the entire chair and re-stained it all so all the patina promised to match. It looked so good! The next step...re-upholstery. Wow 👌.  So pretty. 

My customer graciously forwarded this pic of her great grandmother (1865) seen here as a child standing next to her mother (left side). Mom is seated in this marvelous OLD rocker.  It's wow wow wow stuff!

And that's why I call this special... the amazing stories these precious pieces can tell.

So, that's WoodTalkin.  Are you listening?

Happy New Year 2022 everybody!

Dick Brandow

720.350.2992 cell & text