Antiques
Are you hooked on antiques? I am. There are lots of old tools, woodwork, and other articles used by previous generations that are still in use today. When I visit a second-hand or antiques store, I’m very likely to buy something that catches my eye. A number of them have been old tools and items I remember from my youth. Most of the larger items I have are from acquaintances or were handed down by parents or grandparents.
I was once asked if I was interested in buying the claw and brass feet from a piano stool. A lady had been using it at her craft bench. It was handy, as she could turn easily to reach for tools or items she was using, and adjustable in height to match what she was working on. Then one day, it let her down with a crash! A bit bruised, both physically and ego-wise, she was going to dispose of it. I offered $10 for each of the feet, and asked if she still had the whole stool. She did, and now she wanted another $10 for the whole mess. Anyhow, I bought it from her, disassembled it, touched up the finish, re-glued it and put it all back together. (Pictured below.) Now I use it at my sewing machines.
Another article I have that I am proud of is a small three-legged knickknack table that used to be my mother’s. For some reason, it was very attractive to kids maybe five to ten years old. They wanted to climb on it and often did before they could be pulled away from it. Finally, Mom had had enough of it, and gave it to me in pieces. Tenons on the legs were broken and in sad shape, the sockets were chipped and now so oversized from many accidents and repairs that it would just not stay together anymore. It sat in my garage on a shelf for around 20 years. I finally decided it was time to fix it, but first I wanted to duplicate it and make three reproductions.
So I had the leg spindles duplicated and started work on the repairs. Drilled out the top ends of the legs to fit dowels, drilled out the bottom of the table top about two-thirds of the thickness, machined a piece to fit each hole, and drilled dowel holes to fit the legs. Machined a piece to replace a broken part of the bottom shelf, stripped the original finish, re-finished it, and put it all back together. It now has a place of honour in our home (pictured below), and the reproductions have places in each of our children’s homes.
The most recent restoration was my grandmother’s hundred-year-old dining table. My father remembered it being delivered by a horse and wagon out in the middle of the prairie. It took maybe a hundred hours to complete. Lots of work and some experimentation to fix splits, warps, and to completely redo the finish, strengthen weak parts, repair loose screws, and add additional screws. It now has a place of honour in my eldest son’s home.
We as a society need to learn to conserve our resources. We need to reuse, repair, and repurpose instead of tossing stuff into the garbage. Buy well-made articles so they will last, saving you cash and resources. Learn to do minor repairs and refinishing so you can enjoy your hard earned resources for the years to come.
Are you hooked on antiques? I am. There are lots of old tools, woodwork, and other articles used by previous generations that are still in use today. When I visit a second-hand or antiques store, I’m very likely to buy something that catches my eye. A number of them have been old tools and items I remember from my youth. Most of the larger items I have are from acquaintances or were handed down by parents or grandparents.
I was once asked if I was interested in buying the claw and brass feet from a piano stool. A lady had been using it at her craft bench. It was handy, as she could turn easily to reach for tools or items she was using, and adjustable in height to match what she was working on. Then one day, it let her down with a crash! A bit bruised, both physically and ego-wise, she was going to dispose of it. I offered $10 for each of the feet, and asked if she still had the whole stool. She did, and now she wanted another $10 for the whole mess. Anyhow, I bought it from her, disassembled it, touched up the finish, re-glued it and put it all back together. (Pictured below.) Now I use it at my sewing machines.
Another article I have that I am proud of is a small three-legged knickknack table that used to be my mother’s. For some reason, it was very attractive to kids maybe five to ten years old. They wanted to climb on it and often did before they could be pulled away from it. Finally, Mom had had enough of it, and gave it to me in pieces. Tenons on the legs were broken and in sad shape, the sockets were chipped and now so oversized from many accidents and repairs that it would just not stay together anymore. It sat in my garage on a shelf for around 20 years. I finally decided it was time to fix it, but first I wanted to duplicate it and make three reproductions.
So I had the leg spindles duplicated and started work on the repairs. Drilled out the top ends of the legs to fit dowels, drilled out the bottom of the table top about two-thirds of the thickness, machined a piece to fit each hole, and drilled dowel holes to fit the legs. Machined a piece to replace a broken part of the bottom shelf, stripped the original finish, re-finished it, and put it all back together. It now has a place of honour in our home (pictured below), and the reproductions have places in each of our children’s homes.
The most recent restoration was my grandmother’s hundred-year-old dining table. My father remembered it being delivered by a horse and wagon out in the middle of the prairie. It took maybe a hundred hours to complete. Lots of work and some experimentation to fix splits, warps, and to completely redo the finish, strengthen weak parts, repair loose screws, and add additional screws. It now has a place of honour in my eldest son’s home.
We as a society need to learn to conserve our resources. We need to reuse, repair, and repurpose instead of tossing stuff into the garbage. Buy well-made articles so they will last, saving you cash and resources. Learn to do minor repairs and refinishing so you can enjoy your hard earned resources for the years to come.
