Josie,
Even it if looks well-worn, you might want to have it appraised before you
do anything to it. Sometimes, in our enthusiasm to make it look fresh
again, we seriously reduce the value of a valuable or semi-valuable
antique.
Also, there is a "cleaner" that is actually a restorer that makes it look
almost new that only takes off the "grime" of the years and not the
finish. It's been so many years since I came across it that I have no
clue as to the name. Hopefully, someone here will know of it. Your local
museum might know of it.
I very foolishly stripped an oak chest of drawers decades ago without
realizing what it was. It was just an old chest of drawers someone gave my
mother when I was eight years old. It had turned almost black through the
years. It was just junk so my mother gave it to me when I was married,
felt sorry for us when we bought a house right away with no furniture. We
used it for years until we got something much nicer, then relegated it to
the basement. Later, I decided to refinish it. Because it was nothing of
any value (or so I thought!), I just lay it in the yard with the stripper
and the garden hose and went to work with the steel wool. In my ignorance,
I could have ruined it but was very lucky I didn't. I've still not had it
appraised but I've only seen one similar to it anywhere, and it was
missing most of two drawers. For that reason, I suspect it is more than
an old piece of junk. It is very well made. The curved drawer fronts and
door in the top portion are incredible. The dovetails in the drawers are
especially pretty. Three pieces of the original hardware (drawer pulls)
are gone but the rest is in great shape as well. I learned then to not
just jump into a project with old furniture without some serious review.
You might consider moving a little slowly on this one until you
investigate a bit. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Glenna
==========
[email protected] writes:
>I have a little (one drawer, 2 doors) serpentine front dresser or wash
>stand in oak to refinish. I guess it was varnished and stained at the same
>time, the finish is very dark. Looking at the drawer from the top it is
>easy to see that the drawer face was cut (band saw?) from one piece of
>wood
>and easy to see that the front face is a veneer as is the back face. I
>hadn't thought of how this style must have been made but now wonder if
>this
>veneering was necessary for just about every kind of wood or the stain
>would make stripes depending of how the band saw hit the wood to make the
>curves?
>
>Checked the internet but couldn't find plans or construction for the
>serpentine face. The drawer front is dovetailed and the back has slots
>running perpendicular to the draw so the back of the drawer slides in -
>1880-1900 construction?
>
>Looks like it has had real utility use!
>
>tia,
>Josie
>
>
>
>--
>----------------------------------
> "Once you know, you know"
>The Unified Field of Know Theory
>
>
>
Glenna Rose wrote:
>> Josie,
>>
>> Even it if looks well-worn, you might want to have it appraised
>> before you do anything to it. Sometimes, in our enthusiasm to make
>> it look fresh again, we seriously reduce the value of a valuable or
>> semi-valuable antique.
>>
>> Also, there is a "cleaner" that is actually a restorer that makes it
>> look almost new that only takes off the "grime" of the years and not
>> the finish. It's been so many years since I came across it that I
>> have no clue as to the name. Hopefully, someone here will know of
>> it. Your local museum might know of it.
>>
>> I very foolishly stripped an oak chest of drawers decades ago without
>> realizing what it was. It was just an old chest of drawers someone
>> gave my mother when I was eight years old. It had turned almost
>> black through the years. It was just junk so my mother gave it to
>> me when I was married, felt sorry for us when we bought a house
>> right away with no furniture. We used it for years until we got
>> something much nicer, then relegated it to the basement. Later, I
>> decided to refinish it. Because it was nothing of any value (or so
>> I thought!), I just lay it in the yard with the stripper and the
>> garden hose and went to work with the steel wool. In my ignorance, I
>> could have ruined it but was very lucky I didn't. I've still not had
>> it appraised but I've only seen one similar to it anywhere, and it
>> was missing most of two drawers. For that reason, I suspect it is
>> more than an old piece of junk. It is very well made. The curved
>> drawer fronts and door in the top portion are incredible. The
>> dovetails in the drawers are especially pretty. Three pieces of the
>> original hardware (drawer pulls) are gone but the rest is in great
>> shape as well. I learned then to not just jump into a project with
>> old furniture without some serious review.
>>
>> You might consider moving a little slowly on this one until you
>> investigate a bit. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
>>
>> Glenna
>>
>> ==========
Thank you, have only checked with neighbors who are collectors of old oak
furniture, they said it was both common and late and not to worry about it.
Did you find a fireplace insert without electricity?
Josie