This piece had
great sentimental value to the client; had been
in his family for generations and now he was the
last living family member.
Originally had a dark finish, glue
in the joints had long since failed; was
unusable because it was literary falling apart.
The drawers had been opened and closed thousands
of times over a lifetime and along with the
runners, were worn out, despite several attempts
to repair.
The key here was to restore
this piece to look its age without removing the
fine patina. It had been built using red oak.
Disassembly, stripping off the old finish and
inspection of each component was the first step.
The drawer runners, sides and bottoms all had to
be replaced. Using an activator/catalyst
solution, the new wood used was instantly aged
to match the natural colorization process that
occurs as wood ages over time. The dovetail
features on the drawer fronts and sides were all
re-cut by hand to match the sometimes imperfect
originals made by those craftsman of long ago.
The unit was reassemble using a “hide”
glue, in keeping with the authenticity as much
as possible and finish with a hand-rubbed Danish
oil.
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Restoration