The Hardest Restoration I've Ever Finished..

In this video, I restored a oak hall chair that came to me in very poor condition, missing most of its brass and its caning gone. This one meant a bit more than usual: it belonged to a fellow restorer who didn't get to start it, and I bought it from his wife to finish what he'd planned.
About the restoration: the finish was still sound, so instead of stripping it I cleaned it with white spirit to keep the original shellac and colour. The hard part was the brass. Much of the Greek key fretwork was missing, so I drew the pattern and machined new brass. The bed was too small for the full length, so I cut it in two and soldered the halves back into one continuous run. I also laminated veneer to match the 1mm brass thickness and cut the wood inlays to fit.

Then the caning. Both the back panel and the seat were re-caned by hand, four days for the seat alone, and I toned the fresh cane with a shellac and stain mix so it matched the aged frame. A coat of beeswax to protect the surface, and the chair was finally back to work.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you.
Cheers,
Johnny