We move now to Veneers and Finish!

Previous posts on the Louis XIV chest can be found:
1, Woodworking; and 2, Pest Infestations.

Veneer for amendments was created by MPFC ahead of time for the project,
as it was thicker than veneer made today.  It was cut from old stock,
and finished using traditional pure shellac created in the studio with no fillers.

As a teaser, before and after treatment, above.

The chest was covered with beautiful marquetry, but the thick veneer
was lifting, cracked, and sometimes missing altogether.
Our clients wanted the veneer resecured, and larger pieces of missing veneer replaced.  Smaller areas might be treated using shellac burnins and/or hard wax fills.

Some smaller areas could be easily reglued using a hypodermic needle
and warmed Old Brown Glue (pure hide glue.)  However, larger areas where
veneers had slightly warped needed a more secure gluing system, below.

A backing was built for the chest.

In a long day, areas were lifted and glued.

Glue was pressed and wiped with a glue rag.

A caul was placed on the glued area.

A padded back to allow it to move when pressed gently.

A board was placed over each area…

… and clamped on the open drawer end.

Mitchell kept gluing, clamping and moving…

… Until the top was completed.

Many large original veneer areas were loose and required an innovative support
to cure flat as there was no way to clamp on the backside.
A backing was built for the chest, shown above and below, right.
In a long day, Mitchell wanted to glue down all the major loose veneer areas.

Veneer was gently lifted (not pried,
as it was loose),and loose debris was removed.  Hide glue was warmed and inserted via syringe and a thin needle —  slipped under the veneer. Veneer was pressed to expel excess glue and wiped clean
before cauling to minimize the mess.

Mitchell used a padded two-caul
system to allow for some soft compression to keep the original veneer from
cracking from pressure.  At each stop,
a board was placed over the cauled area, screwed into the backing.  The front
was gently but firmly clamped to
hold the caul over the veneer securely
flat while the glue cured.

Once the veneers were resecured, small bits of missing wood were cut to fit from
our veneer and similar procedures used to secure the new wood.

Area is taped using artist’s tape.

Two colors are mixed on the tool.

Dropped into the void…

… and just before it hardens completely, lifted.

A salve is placed aroudn the burnin.

And the burnin is leveled.

Finally, the shiny burnin is buffed.

Shellac burnins were used as one fill for the missing marquetry pieces.
Above we show the two-color shellac burnin for the lighter holly wood banding.

Hard wax fills were used where veneer drifted.

Carefully dropped into place.

Allowed to harden then is gently scraped.

This was also done to the lip.

Excess wax is also rubbed out.

Hard wax is created from mixing hard and soft colored waxes.
Above, samples of two different areas utilizing hard wax fills.
These are  also excellent to stop future pests from invading.
Below, a corner from start to finish.

Both burnins and hard wax fills were utilized on both
the drawer fronts and carcass sides, as shown above.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

The Louis XIV Chest is completed.

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Written by Kate Powell, ©MPF Conservation.
May be printed for your own use ONLY, not for use on blogs without permission.