Community Warehouse: Heywood Wakefield Rocker by MRP

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When we went to choose chairs for the event I came across this sweet child’s rocker by Heywood Wakefield. I asked Mary Goldhammer (from Community Warehouse) if all the items had to be painted or otherwise turned into art, or could a nice piece like this one be conserved. Mary told me “Whatever I wanted” as long as it was “beautiful, sturdy, useable and moveable!”

Heywood-Wakefield Child Rocker before Treatment

The rocker got the kind of treatment that museum pieces receive from our firm, however, usually we do not get to name them.

First step, assess.
It was too wobbly and had issues with joinery, though none of the spindles were compromised. I carefully took the chair apart, cleaned the old hide glue from the joinery, and checked all the individual pieces for stability.

Heywood-Wakefield Child Rocker Taken Apart for Repair

I glued it back together using traditional warm hide glue.
Below you can see it clamped to cure after gluing.

Heywood-Wakefield Child Rocker During Repair

The chair was placed under hot lights to fully dry the hide glue.

Heywood-Wakefield Child Rocker During Finish Reparation

Heywood-Wakefield Child Rocker During Finish Reparation: Encaustic

Heywood-Wakefield Child Rocker During Finish Reparation: Encaustic Treatment

I created a traditional encaustic wax from tree resins and waxes and balsams.
This was applied on top of the original finish, shown above.

After, the chair is beautiful and functional and ready for a new life!
Just to remind you of how it looked before:

Heywood-Wakefield Child Rocker before Treatment

Heywood-Wakefield Child Rocker after Treatment

If you want to buy this sweet circa 1900 Heywood-Wakefield Child’s Rocker, named, “Hey, Wood, Wake in a Field of Rockers,”
it will be auctioned the 15th of March at the Chair Affair,
with all profit going to the Community Warehouse. To learn more: http://www.communitywarehouse.org/chairaffair