Our client inherited many family pieces, and the American Piecrust Mahogany & Elm Candle Table circa 1750 is a sweet and unusual piece. The front side of the table contains a flat, leather clad pull-out tray (shown above right pulled … Continue reading
Above, the American Dowry Chest before treatment, Image #1, and after, Images #2-3. Below left, the interior with the dowry chest guardian inside. HISTORY We begin this post with Mitchell’s historical musings. “Our client’s American white oak dowry chest is … Continue reading
This is a family heirloom, a spinning wheel made for spinning flax. Our client inherited the wheel and wanted the small piece broken repaired. It is unlikely that it will be used again, but it has to be strong enough … Continue reading
Guest post from Kate’s Art Blog, dkatiepowellart. I don’t enter many competitions, but the Sketching Work competition for the Centre for Transformative Work Design out of Perth AU was easy for me as I sketch our lives and work quite … Continue reading
Our client brought his small carved wooden guardian dogs to us for treatment. Pairs of Chinese guardian lion statues are decorative, symbolic elements at the entrances to structures in many Asian countries. Each is different, and should come in. pairs, … Continue reading
The chair came to us through the heiress (hereafter called LB) to the Frank Crowe Mason Monterey Collection. The sweet chair was made by her grandfather… Someone had recovered it, but thankfully the original stuffings were intact! She wanted it … Continue reading
Continuing from the Reparation of the Gustav Stickley Ladderback Armchair (Or to begin at the beginning go here.) We began our finish with a quick review of the chair with the repairs completed, above. The chairs were covered with radial … Continue reading
We’ve not chronicled a project for a long time and these original Gustav Stickley circa 1900-1910 Ladderbacks are so lovely (and often poorly conserved and restored) that it is a good way to begin again! We will chronicle our process … Continue reading
Damage to traditional shellac varnishes — original varnishes made from shellac, and possibly with additional resins such as dammar, etc. — is often preventable. We see several common and preventable mistakes owners make over and over again. Before stripping, call … Continue reading
John McLoughlin was the Father of Oregon, and his history is celebrated at the McLoughlin House in Oregon City. We conserved the Prince & Co. Melodeon he gave to his granddaughter, part of a larger collection housed at his home, … Continue reading
Let’s talk about lead as in lead paint, shown right in a Mason Monterey Horseshoe-back Chair, especially in the cream, yellow, and greens. While we are at it, let’s talk about toxic pigments in antique or vintage paints. We love … Continue reading
Dragon’s Blood is a pigment that was widely used in furniture finishes before and in the early 19th century. Synthetic dyes and a shift to different preferences in wood species moved makers away from this very popular finish, and of … Continue reading
by DKP This is a lovely family heirloom, an American Empire Seignouret Chair made in New York. It had a soiled needlepoint seat, a seat that was dropping through, and the frame finish needed treatment and preservation. The chair was … Continue reading
by DKP I am having lots of fun doing slide shows of our previous projects, which are diverse. Here are many Mid-Century Modern and Modern Classic projects from our files since we were liberated from old film cameras to digital … Continue reading
by DKP I love needlework, and repairing problematic tapestries. It is a meditation, hundreds of small stitches, and these days as I work I listen to Craig Johnson (Longmire Mysteries) or Pema Chodron (Buddhism) Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs) or … Continue reading
by DKP This is the fourth post in a series on this project. This post continues from the previous post: East Lake Sofa-Bed Upholstery #2B: Repair. To begin at the beginning go to Eastlake Sofa-Bed Upholstery Conservation #1: Excavation. We made … Continue reading
We make our own shellac, using traditional recipes. We use only the freshest shellac flakes, and use lab grade isopropyl alcohol as the carrier to support our interest in having a green studio. Continue reading
There really is a Shellac God. He is a fickle god, a prankster, and loves to keep conservators up at night biting their nails. Sometimes the impurities buried deep in historic layers of shellac varnishes are like pranksters. You think you have them under control then they raise up and cause you all kinds of problems. Here is my story, one conservator against 200 years of impurities. Continue reading
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Mitchell and I have slightly different personal tastes, and a good deal of overlap. He loves really old antiques, richly carved wood, ornately upholstered, tasseled, and I like modern furniture, with its sleek lines and rich colors. We both love … Continue reading
©MPF Conservation. May be printed for your own use. May be reposted if our url+copyright is used as reference. MPFC recently completed treatment of a washstand for the Mcloughlin House in Oregon City which came from the first steamship to sail … Continue reading
