Peter Francis Antique Chair Restoration

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Restoring this 1740s provincial style Georgian walnut writing chair really felt like I was stepping back in time.The cha...
24/07/2023

Restoring this 1740s provincial style Georgian walnut writing chair really felt like I was stepping back in time.

The chair displayed a legacy of repair work from a top rail which had seen better days to a more recently replaced stretcher. In a previous post I highlighted the importance of never judging repairs on an antique chair. We cannot know the circumstances of any person who put their hand to repairing the item during its nearly 300 year life.

While some repairs were crude, others showed craftsmanship skills typical of someone who understood the value of the chair to its owner. It was treated with caution and care.

Cleaning an antique chair is a balance between removing surface grease and bringing it back too far, ultimately removing all the patina. The surface of this chair was sticky to the touch so I used fine wire wool and pure turpentine to clean off layers of grease and dirty residue.

The use of pegs to secure the stretchers and narrow seat rails helped identify the chair as Georgian. The hand carved oak pegs were fitted from the outside of the legs, through the stretcher tenons, holding them securely in place. The use of mahogany in English furniture really took off after 1740 which also helps date this chair.

Unfortunately, the chair frame had been damaged and the front section needed to be taken off. This required removing the original pegs and making new oak ones to replace them once the restoration work was complete.

The original seat supports were fitted with square (malleable wrought iron horse) nails. The rails had fully disintegrated from woodworm and were replaced with new corner braces.

The legs on this chair were worn down about two inches (5 cms) from extended use, likely on slate floors. While there is no one correct treatment for a chair, it’s vital to consider the intended use of the chair and rrevocable intervention. Extending the legs I felt would have ticked this box. The existing legs would need to be cut shorter allowing for extensions to be fitted. This chair was a rare find and I decided to leave the legs be.

The finish chosen for this chair was beeswax. The wax was prepared with turpentine and linseed oil. Waxing a chair is a proper workout with the goal being to get the wax into the grain of the wood. Once the wax had rested for half an hour it was burnished to a high shine using a cotton fad similar to those used in French polishing.

Georgian writing tables tended to be lower than modern ones and sitting on the finished chair (taking the worn down legs into account), I could feel my shoulders rising as if poised to pen a letter…

Specifications of this chair:

- Walnut Georgian writing chair
- Twin vase walnut heartwood splats
- Splats sit into ‘shoe’ or ‘slipper’
- Hoop back
- Drop in seat (horsehair pad from historic restoration work reused)

In order to prepare a cast iron bench for painting its vital to ensure that the surface is dust and grease free to allow...
24/08/2019

In order to prepare a cast iron bench for painting its vital to ensure that the surface is dust and grease free to allow paint to adhere to it evenly. That’s why it’s important to remove all the old paint and you’ll see the amount which was removed by hand after the sandblasting process.

Wiping down the bench after removing previous layers of paint is important and can be done using a clean cotton cloth and a small amount white spirits. It takes off any oily residues and also evaporated quickly leaving the metal finish ready for the next stage.

While it’s not always needed, I regularly use a blow torch to gently evaporate off any surface moisture from the metal. Even if the metal isn’t wet to the touch, it can be in the pores of the cast iron near the surface. Leaving it there could encourage rust.

The painting of the bench can take a few days to allow each coat to fully cure.

This particular client requested a grey finish and I’m very pleased with how the colour I’ve chosen highlights the detail in the metal work so well. It’s so important to choose a colour that not only works well in showing off the metal of the bench you have, but also a colour which compliments the wood you are using. For example, mahogany is naturally darker than Iroko so perhaps a dark paint on the bench itself will mean the bench becomes ‘lost’ without any focus point.

It was key for me that whatever colour was chosen showed off both the beautiful patterns in the metal work and also the solid Iroko slatted seat I had in mind.

I’ve created a collage of three photos showing the different stages of the metal treatment from immediately after sandblasting to primed and glossed.

Check out the photos in this post and I think you’ll agree that the beauty of this bench has truly been captured by this stunning finish. The timber in the seat will last for years to come if looked after. The beautifully finished wood makes the Coalbrookdale name on the front of the metal framed seat ‘pop’! It has pride of place once again on this magnificent bench.

Sandblasting involves spraying sand (different grades used for different jobs) under high pressure. It’s highly effectiv...
22/08/2019

Sandblasting involves spraying sand (different grades used for different jobs) under high pressure. It’s highly effective and in this case used over half a tonne of fine sand.

Sandblasting of this bench took several rounds. The intricate detail in the pattern meant that not all paint could be removed by this process and several hours of paint removal by hand was also required.

While time consuming, removing some of the paint by hand allowed us to get up close and see the amazing detail that makes this bench design one of a kind. It was also possible to see the various historic layers of of paint on it: red, green, white and silver.

There was a feeling of stepping back in time. The last time someone touched the original cast iron on this bench was nearly 150 years ago. I thought about the people who lifted it from the casting mould, gave it its first coat of paint and everyone else since then who had a hand in preserving this bench.

These photos document the transformation of the bench from being coated in thick layers of paint to being brought back to how it looked in the factory all those years ago.

The detail in the Fern & Blackberry pattern is phenomenal. That a cast could be made to show such small detail as the seeds on a blackberry highlights the craftsmanship used by Coalbrookdale.

The detail is not lost on the fern leaves either as they spread out to form the entire back of the bench and fold over the top rail as they might in nature.

The next stage of the restoration process will be to prepare the bench for painting and look to having the seat replaced.

Really excited to have an original Coalbrookdale cast iron bench in the workshop. I can tell it’s a Coalbrookdale from t...
20/08/2019

Really excited to have an original Coalbrookdale cast iron bench in the workshop. I can tell it’s a Coalbrookdale from the manufacturer’s diamond registration stamp on the back.

The original Coalbrookdale foundry was established in UK in 1709 and while they originally cast pots and pans and items in high demand, they turned their expertise to fancier items such as gates, railings, fountains and benches in the 19th Century. This information helps date the bench as being made around 1860.

Knowing that this bench has been in the client’s family for many years also helps date it as being about 145 years old. Provenance is very important when considering both the origin and age of an item of antique furniture.

The bench is 6ft long and the seat is made up of four slats of different lengths, tapering from the front to the back, giving a beautifully curved seat framed in cast iron.

These benches were made in sections which were all numbered (sometimes in different fonts highlighting that parts were made in different casts within the foundry).

The first steps involve an assessment of the bench, an evaluation of works to be carried out. Without doubt the seat needs to be replaced and the client has requested a really nice gloss grey for the finish. It’s fair to say that previous attempts to maintain this bench were taken seriously.

One small drawback, however, is that there are at least four coats of paint on this bench that need to be removed before anything can be done. So it’s off to the sandblasters!

More about this stunning bench as the work progresses.

Every antique furniture restorer and indeed anyone with an interest in history has a favorite time period, one which sta...
10/08/2019

Every antique furniture restorer and indeed anyone with an interest in history has a favorite time period, one which stands out or peaks their interest more than any other. For me it’s the Georgian era (1714 - 1837).

One of the longest periods of Royal rule, it was also one of the most exciting. Not only did five Kings rule the British Empire during this period but there were also two clearly defined sub-periods tucked away in there, namely the Regency and Greater Regency periods.

With new rulers came new ways of seeing the world and styles began to change. Given the length of the Georgian period, these influences and changes had time to become established and so became very very obvious in furniture of this period.

Georgian chairs were traditionally made from mahogany, imported from Jamaica. Earlier ones tended to be heavy, solid and sturdy. Under the influence of craftsmen such as Chippendale and Hepplewhite, furniture became lighter, more symmetrical.

The chair detailed in this post is from 1740, made under the rule of King George II (1727 - 1760).

It’s made from mahogany, has a wide curved top rail and is complete with turned uprights and vase shaped splats. It’s finished with a drop-in seat resting on an inner frame and supported by corner braces.

I am really looking forward to restoring this chair and have already identified numerous restoration works done to it over the years. Where possible these will be left intact to preserve the authenticity of the piece.

I’ve included some photos of chairs from both Chippendale and Hepplewhite to show how furniture styles changed throughout the Georgian period.

Restoration of an antique French chair poses a number of challenges, the most significant of which is the design of the ...
16/07/2019

Restoration of an antique French chair poses a number of challenges, the most significant of which is the design of the joint between the legs and the seat rail.

The difficulty arises when these joints are combined into one joint and where there is damage / rot to an area. The result is that then entire chair needs to be dismantled and in this case, an entirely new leg carved and all new joints hand made.

The photos show that there was wood worm throughout the leg, especially in and around the area of the mortise and tenon joint holding the seat rail in place. This meant that a new leg needed to be carved, ideally from a new piece of oak.

This chair is one of a set of 5. Ideally there would be an even number of chairs in any set but time and use play a part in how well furniture survives. It’s made from North American Oak which doesn’t grey like European Oak and can be finished / polished to bring out the natural beauty of the grain.

Flying tenons were made to accommodate the new joints between the leg and the seat rail and also the leg and the ladder back rails of the seat.

For anyone who hasn’t carved a mortise in a piece of oak, it’s difficult and can take a few hours to do manually, especially where the joints are on a curve and not simply at right angles.

Steel shoe nails (before the time of the modern wire nails) were used to hold the original corner braces in place. Have a look at how sharp and solid these nails were. They certainly stood the test of time.

Whenever I’m working on an antique chair I can’t help but think of the person who made it originally. Their skill and expertise was such that their handy work lasted 100 years or more.

It took two days to get the chair to a place where it looked like a chair again. It was dismantled with care, new sections hand made, clamped back together, new corner braces made from beech (glued and screwed into place) and the new leg cut to length with a new tenon cut to take the top rail (yolk rail from the shape of the wooden frame used to carry milk buckets).

Check out the photos below for a full appreciation of the steps involved before any upholding considered.

Next steps will be to clean all the old finish off the chair, take down the sharp edges on the new leg, re-dowel the legs (another favourite design element of French chairs) and finally bring it up beautifully with French polish.

I’ll post again about the seat of this chair and it’s many layers, in addition to documenting the actual upholstery stage once we’re there.

Thanks for reading and please get in touch with any questions or comments.

Thank you to a follower who sent me these photos of a very interesting chair purchased at a market in Germany. European ...
02/01/2019

Thank you to a follower who sent me these photos of a very interesting chair purchased at a market in Germany.

European markets are ideally placed to find beautiful one-off pieces of furniture or even full sets of chairs given that vendors can come from several countries to sell their wares.

Europe has a long history of people moving from one country to another, which was was formalised under the EU 'Freedom of Movement' legislation in the 90s. Many of these families would have brought their furniture with them from home.

The result is a richness of beautiful furniture, sometimes dating back centuries, from many different cultures making the second hand / antique market an ideal location to find a gem for your restoration project.

First things first, a little history of the chair.

The aesthetic movement was across Europe so the chair could be French but it could also be German or English - 1889 - 1890, after the Arts and Crafts movement but before Art Nouveau.

The characteristics are delicate and airy, assymetry, black and gold with floral or neo-classical motifs.

As a parlour or salon chair, it would have been sprung.

I'd add here that in keeping with the furniture of the Napoleon III ruling era (1848 - 1852), this chair is of that style with its delicate legs, round (not square) stretchers between the legs.

Looking at the main makers for chairs designs produced during the Aesthetic period, it's fair to say that this chair is a very ‘English’ drawing room type of chair, and style was very widely used across the continent and particularly in America.

You'll see how just much debate any one chair can lead to. Styles came and went, much like fashions. Styles were copied and adjusted to suit tastes making accurate dating of an individual piece of furniture almost impossible.

It might have a maker's name or stamp underneath. This may only become apparent once all the fabric and upholstery is removed. Often you'll see Roman numerals depicting the number of an individual chair in a set (e.g. V, VI, XII, etc).

Please keep us posted on the progress of your restoration project and if there are any other readers out there would would like to contribute to this topic please feel free to comment or share photos of similar chairs or projects you might be working on.

Toile:A quick follow up on my recent post where I asked which of the two fabrics was toile. The correct answer was of co...
31/08/2018

Toile:

A quick follow up on my recent post where I asked which of the two fabrics was toile. The correct answer was of course 'A'.

Pastoral or country scenes are regularly found on what is referred to as 'toile'. It often refers to the repeating pattern on the fabric but in fact 'toile' is the French for fabric.

Toile dates back to the Fabric of Jouy in 1760. The factory was built in Jouy-en-Josas, near Versailles and produced fabrics which had repeating patterns across the material. Toile traditionally comes in blue, black, dark red and green.

Check out some traditional toile colours and patterns in the attached photo (especially for Nicola & Laura!):

Which of these fabrics is the French toile? See one of my earlier posts for some clues!
30/08/2018

Which of these fabrics is the French toile? See one of my earlier posts for some clues!

Have you ever repaired a broken chair?Any tips to share?What would you do differently next time?Why not share a few phot...
28/08/2018

Have you ever repaired a broken chair?
Any tips to share?
What would you do differently next time?
Why not share a few photos of your project!

Hardwood or softwood - both have their uses but when it comes to making a seat for a bench, the best wood to use is hard...
24/08/2018

Hardwood or softwood - both have their uses but when it comes to making a seat for a bench, the best wood to use is hardwood.

There are many different types of hardwood including Oak, Maple, Cherry, Mahogany and Iroko.

By their very nature, hardwood trees grow slower than softwood trees like Cedar, Pine or Spruce and as such are more dense and so more durable for bench seats.

Of course, some softwoods make nice seats too, however, when it comes to beautiful finishes, unbeatable grain and longevity in the open, then, hardwood is the product of choice.

Compare the softwood Pine and the hardwood Iroko. Pine is perfect for internal doors where it can be varnished. The knots in Pine, however, can make it less suitable and durable for a bench seat which is going to take weight for extended periods. Iroko can last anywhere from 15 to 25 years out in the elements!

For this reason, I use Iroko, an African hardwood when restoring a bench. I want it to last, be strong and look good. It's about quality for me. Iroko is an extremely dense wood and takes either an oil or stain finish very well.

Check out the raw and stained (clear) Iroko I used in the most recent bench I've restored below. I just love how the stain enhances the grain!

Chairs... they're used in every home in Ireland. Some are older than others, however, we don't really pay attention to t...
23/08/2018

Chairs... they're used in every home in Ireland. Some are older than others, however, we don't really pay attention to them, we take them for granted.

We've all been in a relative's house and noticed old chairs in the dining room or tucked away in a corner, often not used.

The reason is that these chairs were probably passed down from a previous generation and while they are something to be cared for because of their age, nothing might ever be done to restore them to a former state.

In a previous post I spoke about different periods of time and the chair styles that went with those periods:

Queen Anne: 1702 - 1714
Georgian: 1714 - 1837
George I: 1714 - 1727
George II: 1727 - 1760
George III: 1760 - 1820 (inc Regency: 1811 - 1820)
George V: 1910 - 1936
Victorian: 1837 - 1901
Edwardian: 1901 - 1910 (includes early George V)

So the next time you come across an antique chair, take a minute to consider how old it might actually be. Even if it's a reproduction, you'll come to appreciate that it's design was well established and worth replicating.

The attached image will give you some indication as to the age and period.

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Ballinteer
Dublin
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