Advice on restoring/fixing a cabinet

Hi all,

I've been asked to effect a repair on a cabinet. I know nothing of its age or worth.

Fixing it isnt really too much of a problem, but I do have a couple of questions from those in the know....

-- Just by looking, is it possible that someone might be able to guess the timber?
-- Is it best practice to restore in a manner that isn't perfect? i.e. its very good and very close... rather than 100% spot on?
-- I can do the perfect repair, or very close. Is this a standard that repairers adhere to?

Attachment 369173 Attachment 369174

What you have is almost certainly an English,late Victorian period Circa 1880 bookcase cabinet.
Probably made from Honduras Mahogany.This cabinet is quite a faded example.
The damage around the hinge is quite common to find and I would try to repair it so it was hardly noticable.

Is it possible to find a spot inside the cabinet that no one will easily notice and cut a piece large enough for the repair in a crescent shape on one edge so it will blend into the grain without actually showing a true shoulder insert, if this all makes sense.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rwbuild

Is it possible to find a spot inside the cabinet that no one will easily notice and cut a piece large enough for the repair in a crescent shape on one edge so it will blend into the grain without actually showing a true shoulder insert, if this all makes sense.

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I was thinking exactly that. Just like a knee ligament repair :)

To determine the cabinet's authenticity, open the draw and have a look at the dovetails, if they are large and chunky its a replica. Next, take a bit of a chisel shaving off the area of the damaged hinge. If the timber is light in colour it is not Honduras Mahogany its Philippine Mahogany and not worth a bumper. The corbels look like replicas also.
I'm tipping a cheap Philippine Mahogany replica import. Lousy, highly active, semi dry timber that moves at the slightest weather change.

I can see why the previous poster thinks it is possible that this is a repro as the design is so common that there are many reproductions of it. Without seeing it in actuality it can be difficult to assess. However, overall, I am inclined to agree with mark david that it is 1880's mahogany. The figure in the timber seems to be formed by parenchyma bands (lighter tissue) rather than lines of pores (ring porous timbers include Australian cedar). The age is also given away by the wear marks, the darkness in the crevices and the white speckles in the timber. Late in the 19th century French polishers used a light coloured filler stained to match the timber colour (probably Plaster of Paris I have been told). Unfortunately the stain they used was not a solid, stable colour (technically it was what was called fugitive) so has faded back to light speckles in time. Late 19th century mahogany furniture is currently worth very little, although it may have been purchased for quite a lot of money. The value cycle is low for it at the moment but it will come back in time as people realise the quality of the cabinet making and timbers are so superior to current fabricated board cabinet work. it is therefore important to treat it with the respect it deserves.

IMHO a good repair of an antique removes as little original material as possible and matches as closely as possible to the original so as to become almost invisible. Now, there is a school of thought amongst academic restoration experts that repairs should be perfect in terms of joinery and fit etc. but be painted grey or some such to stand out and make clear that they are repairs. I completely disagree with that school.

Most restoration experts would recommend that the repair be glued in with a reversible glue such as hide glue and that the finish be exactly the same as the original - i.e. brown button shellac (not orange flake please). I do not believe however that you need to grain fill with stained or unstained plaster of Paris - just make the repair as minimal and least obvious as you can. Hide glues work very well and have been proven over hundreds of years so there is no valid concern about their quality.

Good luck

David

P.S. Furniture conservation would argue strongly against taking a piece from elsewhere in the cabinet. Use new mahogany and stain/bleach it to fit. Most of what you can buy is quite pale so so should not need to be bleached.

Before speculating about possible cheap Philipino mahogany and parenchyma bands, has Evanism asked the owner(s) about the provenance of the piece? Its history might actually tell exactly what it is !!!

yvan

Yvan is right. I have asked, but no answer yet. I'm not an expert in antique or even old restoration, but I have fixed dozens of pieces over the last 4 years.

I'm of two thoughts.

First is to preserve, but if the thing is "just an interesting old cabinet" what does it matter what happens to it? Since we know it isnt some rare artifact with some particular provenance it makes me think that to make a non-reversible repair the thing to do. This should be fun and not too difficult.

Second, if it is worth something, then he is essentially unaware of it. Even if it is "worth something", is a high class repair is even needed? I don't know. Clearly it isnt some magical attic find.

I took the time to buy 2 good books on the field and I'll read all of those to scraps. Thanks to everyone for their wisdoms.

The "style" of repairs to an old piece is always a debate.
I personally believe that the best way to preserve a piece is to use it and, in the process, look after it.
We tend to forget that an old piece today may become an "antique" in years ahead.
The fact that a piece is in use may to some extent "dictate" how it is repaired to remain functional.
This obviously doesn't excuse butchering !!!

yvan

Whoa there yvan. I am a botanist (PhD), and have been a collector and restorer of antiques for over 40 years so my comments about parenchyma bands are not speculation - they are informed observations from the photographs and were made with an interest in providing helpful information for Evanism in his future timber identifications.

BTW, the usual behaviour in these forums is to be respectful of others' posts and opinions, even if they differ from your own.

If Evanism knew or had been told the timber, history or origin of the piece he would not have asked for forumites opinions. He did so we gave them in a spirit of helpfulness and respectfulness that should be the standard all adhere to.

I was on Gumtree over the last few weeks and thought that people selling old wardrobes and desks was an excellent source of timber!

A $50 or $75 solid wardrobe or table has heaps of timber for boxes.

Antique or not, it's cheaper than the local timber supplier :)

Thanks for the advice all. Deep knowledge!

Damaged old furniture is especially cheap (virtually worthless) and can be a good source of timber.

Xanthorrhoeas, do you have any suggested books on the restoration of antiques?

I bought one on Amazon that's on it's way "The Furniture Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Identify, Restore & Care for Furniture"

It's proving to be a very interesting thing repairing furniture. It's much much harder than making it new, therefore more challenging and far more enjoyable.

Any advice for resources would be grand.

[QUOTE=Evanism;1925341]Xanthorrhoeas, do you have any suggested books on the restoration of antiques?

I bought one on Amazon that's on it's way "The Furniture Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Identify, Restore & Care for Furniture"

It's proving to be a very interesting thing repairing furniture. It's much much harder than making it new, therefore more challenging and far more enjoyable.

Any advice for resources would be grand.[/QUOTE
So are we going to get any info on the dovetails?
Another dead giveaway is the use of a single timber specie.
If you google Phillipine mahogany repro furniture you will see a classic example of your cabinet.