Antique Furniture Restoration

German two piece antique cupboard - Bureau Bookcase - from around 1840 - above with glass doors and below a pull out writing drawer with 4 small drawers (cherry) inside and underneath two doors. It's pine which has been stripped and left to dry for some weeks and now is in my workshop.

As is often the case with these pieces of painted antique furniture - one never knows whats underneath until they have been stripped down. This one has a few surprises - so will prove interesting to anyone following this site.

I send my antique pine stuff away to be stripped and treated for worm. The stripping process happens in a large container where they spray the stripper onto the furniture and then wash the residue off afterwards. Ending with a neutralising treatment. This means the furniture doesn't get so wet and it is less stressing for the joints etc.

This painted (bierlack) piece was sent off about 2 months ago and when I went to pick it up - one of the workers came running up saying they didn't do it..... what??? So off we went to look and lo..... burn marks all over the piece mmmmmm well that should be an interesting challenge I thought to myself. So we loaded everything into my van and off I went back home - put it into storage to dry and decided it was a problem for another day.

You can see the burn marks in the first pic above. 2nd pic is what Bierlack looks like.

WHY?????

This lovely cupboard would probably have been made to look like cherry at the beginning of its life ca. 1840. Then the fashion changed and the local 'Schreiner' (Carpenter) would have been given the job of a facelift. So what was "in" at that point - Bierlack - just what it says. This is painted work to make a piece take on another character - mostly walnut - . Many people couldn't afford the real thing so it was painted to look the part. So a proud German housewife now had a nice looking piece of antique furniture for her parlour.

The Schreiner tried getting the old finish off with heat which is what all the burn marks are. And probably said a prayer when he was able to cover it all up again!!

When I was shown the antique cupboard last year, it was in a room off the attic of an old Fachwerk house (Timberframe) in a little village here in Germany. The woodworm were having a feast. The feet were missing and a few mouldings - but the leather escutcheons and original glass was all there. In the middle the glass is painted with a date - later than that of the cupboard - which suggests the time it was "refurbished" - probably as a wedding gift.

The paintwork was actually in quite good condition and I suggested leaving it and just treating the worm and replacing the missing bits. But the owner decided he preferred to have it back to natural wood. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the original paintwork - but have added another of the type of paintwork it had (above).

Lovely antique cupboard is now in my workshop and doors are off - very easy here as they just lift off. Drawer is out - that I shall look at later.

I think on this one I shall start at the bottom and work up. The feet are missing for starters and I have found two which will be similar to what it would have had originally. First though there are cracks in the wood - Luckily on the sides, along the glue line but on the top the cracks have wondered somewhat.

So first we start with the cracks. Thank goodness for electric saws! The one side is a pretty even 4mm and where it is less I just have to plane it off a little till the wood fits. I have taken the mouldings off as the cracks go right through.

Why don't I just clamp the sides together? Well, my experience is that although this looks much better and perhaps at first glance is easier - at the first opportunity, usually central heating - they will just open up again as the piece settles.

Take your time and think things through - never rush.

I have set them in with animal glue - yum - smells good! The other cracks are a little more difficult. For these I have cut small pieces of wood and have set them in vertically. This is because the wood shrinks across the grain and these are less likely to loosen later. Normally I do all cracks this way but because the others were so straight along the glue line, I put slices in the same direction as the grain. Remember these cracks have been there for some years and there will always be some movement as the wood changes in response to its surroundings. Important that the wood goes right through the crack as then the air can't get in - cracks often start inside and work outwards. Any protruding pieces can then be planed off afterwards.

Notice I have already filled most of the worm holes and other indentations with filler. Then I can start sanding and any residue will be removed.

Base is all glued up and sanded. I have taken the fillings out of the doors and they are also all sanded and ready for the final finishing.

Cut new round bits, taken out of an old turned table leg, for the bottom - the wood is beech which of course doesn't match the oak pieces, so made a solution of caustic soda (CAUTION) and put them in for a minute or so and they took on just the right colour. (neutralize with vinigar). These are now glued on just above the feet, which are also now glued on.

All the mouldings back on as well. There is one stain on the top which looks like it won't come out - so instead of wasting hours with all sorts of chemicals I have left as evidence of time. PATINA! It will be under the bookcase part so won't be very obvious when everything is finished.

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The bottom half is all sanded and ready for finishing. Have started the top. Some of the mouldings - would be the small pieces - are missing and others are too wormy to but back on again.

Found some wood the right size and routed lengths of new moulding. Just have to get the angles right so they fit nice and snug and then colour them to match the rest. I can build my Router into a stationery table and this makes things much easier. The burn marks have mostly come out, one can see patches on the mouldings in places, but once the finish is on they will just add to the character of the piece.

Spring has sprung -at last - So instead of heading into the workshop at 6.30am this morning I drove off to a friends place and we went for an hours walk - wonderful! So didn't have as much time as planned in the workshop. Got in there around 8.30am and finished cutting the last small piece of moulding - then used the same method as with the feet (caustic soda) and altered the colour of the new pieces of moulding. Used the solution on another project as well. Left them outside to dry while I did the last bit of sanding. I have four different sanding machines, the one I use most is a light rotating one which gives lovely results. I started with 80 where needed on the burn marks, then 120, 180, 220 and last 320. That is pretty fine (baby's bottom). The mouldings etc I must do by hand and can then use up all the old paper from the sanding machine.

I decided it was time to start with the finish. For pine I mostly prime with oil. This helps harden the wood and add to the patina. Newly sanded wood always bruises easily. Once that is dry, overnight, I can start with the wax - 2 coats at least.

Just before I closed up the workshop for the day, I cleaned and tidied up all the bits of wood and swept up etc -tomorrow morning comes an enormous two piece kitchen cupboard. So early tomorrow it will be musical chairs as I make space.

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The pullout drawer has 4 small cherry drawers inside. The writing surface was black and I shall do the same. First I must fill all the holes and cracks so I have a smooth surface for the schellack (french polish). I shall paint this on to begin with as it will go faster and as I don't want a mirror finish, I can take out any dust particles with light sanding inbetween coats. (see photo below).

The small drawers just need a little cherry stain and a french polish. I mostly use waterstain - Reversible.

Think - Reversible - very important for restoration.

Desk part is polished but I don't want it shiny so have gone over with a very light sanding pad to make it matt - just as it would have been.

Clean up the hinges a little and attach the drawer front and fill some gaps with black wax around the hinges, cutting off the excess with a knife.

Cherry drawers are polished. Knobs are clean and back on.

Leather escutcheons all on.

I am happy - looks really good.

FINISHED!!!

Only thing I don't like are the two porcelain knobs on the drawer, but they were there and serve a purpose. Originaly the drawer would have been opened only with the key.