This lovely Antique 1850 burr walnut Marquertry table come in for restoration from a private client, the table has belonged in the family and been passed down from the parents to the daughter. Now some sixty years later the table needed a little restoration. The table was in use every day used currently as a office desk, and a dining room table . The table suffered from Manila sunlight damaged , bleaching the polish and the timber , this had faded the Marquertry slightly , bleaching the colours from the timber over the years.
The veneered burr walnut had only eight sheets of veneers used in the top , in some places this had dried out and blistered the veneers . The old scotch glue was cleaned out and fresh glue injected underneath with some weights placed on top over night . Any further blisters could then be lauded down with a warm iron the next day . As this will soften the glue and applying pressure will lay down small blisters in the veneers.
The top was then cleaned with fine wire wool and Methylated Sprints to remove the dirt and old polish from the surface . This will bring some colour back to the timber and the Marquertry. Some original colour remained in the Marquertry and I just wanted to enhance what was their . Once this was done it was left to dry and I could turn my attention to the base. The base was checked for any loose joints and damage to the base, thus was cleaned as well to remove the dirt and old polish, before allowing to dry.
The top and base was lightly rubbed down with some fine paper, to remove any last bits of dirt from the surface , before I could begin to French polish. The table top and base were French polished with the polish being built up using miner oil before allowing the polish to dry and sunk in to the grain. This was done over a period of days . As it’s a figured timber this can make the polish sink into the timber , once I was happy with the finish I could then wax the table and base . This would take the high shine from surface and give it a depth of sheen without looking like it’s been made yesterday and over restored . The table was then ready for delivery back to the customer to enjoy for years to come .
All work can be quoted upon , with myself collecting and delivery upon completion of restoration. I can be contacted through my website Chapmanrestoration .
Daniel Chapman antique furniture conservation and restoration 