Do you know how many processes it takes to successfully repair an old piece of furniture? How can a restorer who is good at rejuvenation make antique furniture look brand-new while retaining its antique charm? Regarding these, Chen of Zhongmou Business Network also wants to talk about the "six steps" of antique furniture restoration.
1. Dismantle
When repairing an old piece of furniture, the first thing to do is to observe the structure of the furniture carefully, mark the serial numbers on different parts for later installation, and disassemble the furniture in the reverse order of the original furniture assembly. When disassembling furniture, we should pay attention to maintaining the integrity of the furniture, and remember to destroy the paint film of the furniture and form new damage. Some antique folk furniture is made with special structure and technology, commonly known as "unique skills". Dismantling may damage the component structure, so try to keep it as it is, and don't disassemble it.
clean
Cleaning the dust on old furniture and wiping it with a wet cloth is a big taboo, because blindly wiping it with a wet cloth at present will cause unpredictable harm when the parts themselves are clearly seen. Therefore, high-power blower is the first choice to remove floating dust and accumulated soil. Waste such as cement slurry, asphalt and chemical coatings attached to modern parts should be removed by physical means, such as fine scraping and polishing, and chemicals should not be used as much as possible. After deciding not to keep the original paint surface, rinse it with water and brush it with a special brush. If the scale is deep, you can add a little alkaline water prepared with edible alkali. Glue, dirt and other stains at tenons and mortises need to be soaked in hot water to be cleaned. Washed antique furniture needs to be dried in the shade for more than a week, otherwise it is difficult to recover the tenon after it is disassembled when it expands in water.
3. Paint removal (except for old workpieces)
Generally, it is polished gently with fine sandpaper, and the harder part is scraped with a knife. When the paint is removed, the original carved part cannot be destroyed. For example, the "one wick" leg of console furniture is very fragile after long-term natural weathering. Once worn off, unless the leg is modified, it will become a permanent injury.
4. Woodworking renovation
For the partial repair of old furniture defects, we should adhere to the principle of "repairing the old as the old". In short, we need to find old materials with the same quality and color to completely repair them. Even if the conditions do not allow, try to use materials similar to wood grain and lighter colors instead. Such as legs and feet, handrails, speakers and other parts, if there is a symmetrical other half, you must copy it as it is. If it is missing at the same time, it needs to be matched and supplemented according to the shape and style of the whole furniture.
Before gluing, it should be noted that the grain direction of planing and bonding surface should be controlled in the same direction as far as possible to eliminate obvious bonding gaps. If it fails, it needs to be remade. The most difficult thing to repair is the carving part. After the pattern is missing, it needs to be repaired according to the same style. Every time, every place, craftsmen's methods are different. Even if the same material is used, the discerning person can see the flaw. And the damage of the carved part is mostly due to the slender part. Once part of it decays or collides, it can only retain this incomplete beauty.
Continue reading: Seven steps for an old carpenter to rejuvenate and repair old furniture.