Itemized post-stripping Qs (EZ Low-toxic items/process for chair

[JudySmith]

Thanks, y'all confirmed my thoughts. I cried after he left, due to my letdown. (To think how hard i worked cleaning it thoroughly with vinegar/water including gathering the buttons which fell off into a baggie which he simply discarded. He never even phoned to ask if i want it glossy).

 

He charged $100, and he did say that he's not officially a restoration guy, rather repair. But he'd looked confident he could handle it, and on his own, he mentioned patina. Not just that, he saw how anxious i was that it should be done right. I'd emphasized a Matte look. About the underpart, um actually i didn't want what was there before, as it wasn't too nice, and I'd expressed that maybe he can improve on them. But yes, I realized that the underpart and all else was done sloppy. What can i say, he gave me short shrift, which is the recurring pattern of my life. I'm cautious, do prep-work online, and then the real-life people i deal with end up taking me for a ride. I was referred to him by the flood-cleanup guy, after i desperately had a brainstorm to ask him if he knows anyone (because the others weren't getting back to me).

 

You better believe, I'd have gone with that other guy who'd offered an estimate of $100-to-$175, if only he'd assured me not to be concerned about the stain rubbing off onto clothing. But guess what - i should have used that guy regardless, for the very reason that he sounded so cautiously non-commital.  What i'd really wanted most was the 3rd guy who does do full restoration, but i kept leaving phone messages and emails, yet never heard back. Above all, i've been so busy with post-flood cleanup people, insurance rep, and contractor, that i couldn't focus only on the chair to the exclusion of all else. And to boot, i'm also now dealing with two more plumbing crises, one major and one minor (both not resolved yet, along with lots of other unresolved house issues.

 

Re: felt pads, thanks, i'll suggest that to my BIL, but i assure you the guy will attach felt of his own choosing, not what i suggest. For example i suggested he contact my BIL directly about the pads, and he didn't want to. So on 2nd thought I might not even bother with him anymore, as the chair is a fiasco anyway so let my BIL put ones of his choice, that's if he'll even want such a glossy chair anyway.

Edited June 26, 2024 by JudySmith

[John Morris]

4 hours ago, JudySmith said:

So on 2nd thought I might not even bother with him anymore

I wouldn't Judy, you can purchase felt pads at any hardware store and put em on yourself and do a better job.

As for the repairs on the bottom of the chair, if you didn't want those old blocks to begin with, the guy who made the repair to the splits in the seat could have done away with the blocks entirely and repaired the seat directly, there are no need for blocks at all. I am very sorry this turned out like this. I am embarrassed for our craft right now in relation to your story. 

 

Not to poofoo your expenditure of 100 bucks, but it could have been worse. I know a hundred bucks is hard to come by for many, it is for me at times, but a 100 bucks isn't that bad of a loss for a lesson learned for all of us. And, that chair, can still be restored to it's glory, it's not ruined.

If you had the patience, and wanted to hang on to the chair for awhile, just shove it in your closet and forget about it, perhaps another opportunity for a true craftsman to work on your chair may show up.

[lew]

3 hours ago, John Morris said:

but it could have been worse.

Do not feel too bad about your experience and disappointments. It happens to experienced collectors as well. A friend, very knowledgeable in antiques, had an extremely valuable "Pennsylvania blanket chest". He took it to a local "professional" restorer to repair a small crack in one of the boards. The "professional" repaired the crack and then REFINISHED the entire chest, thus completely destroying the antiques value.

 

I like John's suggestion of putting the chair away until you can get some of life's challenges out of the way. Maybe then you'll be able to work on it yourself and have something even more personal to give to your BIL.

[Gerald]

i would say he did not finish the finish. You can rub it out with 0000 steel wool or buff with a pad like you would wax on a car. May not be the kind of work you want to do but short of a lot more sanding and spray work that may help. 

[Smallpatch]

Judy the first thing you should ask of someone who is going to take your prized antique away and fiddle with it is to ask for some pictures of his work...... 

  If he has no pictures of things he has fiddled with then he is not proud of what he does....

   It actually looks like he did a brush job and made it look worse than when it left your place...

  It does look like he glued up the seat but can't tell if he messed with any other glue joints.

   If you live anywhere close to me you can come and pick up this swivel rocker of the same manufacture only it is a swivel base style and pretend it came from your family....  My refinishing days are when I can get out in the other end of my shop and do the stripping and spraying and that end don't have any air conditioning like where I do the scroll sawing and the carving.

 This one is just taking up space in my extra storage unit on top of my baltic birch plywood so I have to move the chair every time I need more baltic birch plywood.

[JudySmith]

Thanks so much again for all your suggestions and commiseration, but i think i'll just give it to my BIL, and he can decide what he wants to do with it. He's moving to a retirement community in less than a month, so he'll have that much more time to decide, and may even tinker with it himself.

 

John, you needn't be embarrassed, he wasn't a genuine restorer anyway. And the world abounds with guys like him, so there's no real surprises there. It wouldn't be the first time i've been conned by far (though hair restoration is a first for me.)

 

Lew, i cringed at the story of your antique-knowledgeable friend. Wow... I'm curious whether he had emphasized to the "professional" to NOT refinish the chest, the way i myself emphasized to my guy that i want it to be "Matte" and got his assurance... See, i wasn't just taking his word for it when he mentioned about keeping the "patina", but also made sure to reinforce my instructions by reiterating "Matte" and also asking him if he'd had experience with this type of work, both of which he responded affirmatively.

 

And to Smallpatch, that's really sweet of you to make that offer...and that's a wonderful chair you've got there, but you know what? I bet someone way more local to your area can benefit from it. You see, it's the sole fact that it was our grandpa's, therein lies the value to him (however much that value was detracted by the patent-leather botch job.

 

The truth is, if i had been alot less busy, and more muscle-tone, and not so chemical sensitive, and not have arthritic fingers by now, with the right setup, I would have tackled the job myself and i bet i'd have done a much better job on my own. After all, i've done lots of intricate sewing alterations throughout my life for various relatives, so you see i have handy hands, even if they're small.

[lew]

9 hours ago, JudySmith said:

Wow... I'm curious whether he had emphasized to the "professional" to NOT refinish the chest, the way i myself emphasized to my guy

Yes, he did and that made it all the more of an expensive failure.

[JudySmith]

Wow, what a bummer, how sad all around

BTW, you may have noted he even damaged the chair, because originally there weren't indentations at the top of the slats, and now several of the slats do have indentations where they meet the upper part of the chair-back.

Edited July 4, 2024 by JudySmith

[JudySmith]

Update: My BIL picked up the chair today and wonder of wonders, he was thrilled with it.

So i'm thanking my lucky stars about that, at least!

[lew]

50 minutes ago, JudySmith said:

Update: My BIL picked up the chair today and wonder of wonders, he was thrilled with it.

So i'm thanking my lucky stars about that, at least!

Glad to hear it!