<< back to portfolio
Curly Maple Side Chair
Object Description: Saber leg side chair, lyre splat back, rolled crest rail, cane seat. 19th century. Primary wood: Curly Maple (Acer spp.) Finish: Shellac
Condition Before Treatment
Structural: All joints were unstable and loose. Cane seat was broken through.
Surface: Finish has suffered severe alligatoring.
Treatment Performed
Remainder of cane seat was removed and the chair was disassembled. Because the alligatoring was not all the way through the thickness of the finish, it was possible to abrade with p220, p320, and p400 grit sandpaper through alligatored layers, leaving natural patination of first layers. After sanding, tenons and back splat were repaired and chair was re-glued using cold set animal hide glue. Piece was then top coated with dewaxed shellac to regain thickness and saturation of coating. Finish was hand rubbed to sheen with Liberon #0000 steel wool and Wool Lube. Finally, cane seat was hand woven.
|
Click on any photo in the slideshow for enlarged view.
Click here for the full album.
|
