28-03-2011, 09:00 AM
Hi,
David you really are so kind; thank you.
The hardest part of any cabinet restoration is making the start. Looking at a really rough basket case can put anyone off attempting its restoration but these sets are actually the best to practice and gain experience on as there is little to lose but a great deal to gain. I find lots of patience wins through in the end and have reached the point many times during a restoration where I could give up and jump up and down on a cabinet due to sheer frustration but every time I reach this stage suddenly things come right as if by magic.
The first "woody" I ever restored was sitting in a puddle of water waiting for a skip to arrive; I obtained this free of charge and brought it home to see if I could do anything with it; I dried it out and although there was some de-lamination and a number of frame joints had parted was surprised at how easy it was to put these faults in order with a drop of glue and a bit of applied pressure. Next I used a cabinet scraper to remove the original finish then attempted my first French polishing job. The restoration did take a lot of time but I found it most enjoyable just tinkering around and after each session working on it could see positive progress; I was absolutely over the moon when I finally completed the restoration and could stand back to have a good look at it; during such a restoration focus is on the job at hand and I don't notice the full picture until the restoration is completed; please believe me when I say what a wonderful feeling sweeps through me and fills me with joy to be able to look at a restored set that I have done on my own and the question I always ask myself is "how did I do that". The picture is my first ever restoration.
Tools and materials cost very little in fact I don't think I spend more than £10 per week on this hobby which is little money for the joy I get out of it and I have something to show for it. The more difficult the restoration is the higher becomes the frustration but the satisfaction at the end knowing I've done my best is immense.
There is no gain without pain and this is so true whilst attempting the first cabinet restoration as so many problems arise and many new skills and techniques need to be learnt; this not only covers the physical part of the restoration but involves many materials all having their own characteristics from plywood that curls up to a multitude of stains and finishes all just waiting to trip me up.
The trick if there is one is to ignore the bigger picture and break the restoration down into as many small parts as required; trying to do the restoration all at once in one go is sure to end up in failure. I find that if I can visualize what I'm trying to achieve I slowly work towards this; I'm not scared of failure because so far I've never failed and have now reached the happy position that I can not only restore a cabinet to near original but go much further and change the entire look of a cabinet to suit how want it to look and what pleases me; I like to experiment but I must always have the picture in my head of the finished cabinet before I start.
I've just completed my most difficult restoration to date it being a TV cabinet that was a basket case in dire need of much TLC; from the factory this cabinet must have looked like a bit of utility furniture having a dark brown treacle finish applied. As the set cost me very little and given it's condition I wanted to experiment with some of my new found skills and techniques and my dream was to completely restore this cabinet but to add very fancy veneering; if I failed nothing would be lost but I would still add more to my experience; I didn't fail though and the transformation of this cabinet is complete; it now has fancy veneers in the form of inlaid panels and cross banding together with home made stringing and has been given a full French polish; it is still work in progress but the cabinet is completed and I'm about to start work on the chassis.
This restoration has taken four months so far but I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
I would never ever criticize what the owner wishes to do with their own sets regarding work carried out; when I see restorations involving using Danish Oil as a finish I merely pass them by thinking at least the owner has had a go at restoration.
I never want to be an expert on cabinetwork as I love to learn all the time and if I could restore a cabinet without having to think about it or the cabinet driving me to tears of frustration I would quickly become bored. Every cabinet I've restored has been different and every restoration has given me a lot of pleasure.
Good luck with yours David and I'll be more than happy to watch your progress.
Kind regards, Col.
David you really are so kind; thank you.
The hardest part of any cabinet restoration is making the start. Looking at a really rough basket case can put anyone off attempting its restoration but these sets are actually the best to practice and gain experience on as there is little to lose but a great deal to gain. I find lots of patience wins through in the end and have reached the point many times during a restoration where I could give up and jump up and down on a cabinet due to sheer frustration but every time I reach this stage suddenly things come right as if by magic.
The first "woody" I ever restored was sitting in a puddle of water waiting for a skip to arrive; I obtained this free of charge and brought it home to see if I could do anything with it; I dried it out and although there was some de-lamination and a number of frame joints had parted was surprised at how easy it was to put these faults in order with a drop of glue and a bit of applied pressure. Next I used a cabinet scraper to remove the original finish then attempted my first French polishing job. The restoration did take a lot of time but I found it most enjoyable just tinkering around and after each session working on it could see positive progress; I was absolutely over the moon when I finally completed the restoration and could stand back to have a good look at it; during such a restoration focus is on the job at hand and I don't notice the full picture until the restoration is completed; please believe me when I say what a wonderful feeling sweeps through me and fills me with joy to be able to look at a restored set that I have done on my own and the question I always ask myself is "how did I do that". The picture is my first ever restoration.
Tools and materials cost very little in fact I don't think I spend more than £10 per week on this hobby which is little money for the joy I get out of it and I have something to show for it. The more difficult the restoration is the higher becomes the frustration but the satisfaction at the end knowing I've done my best is immense.
There is no gain without pain and this is so true whilst attempting the first cabinet restoration as so many problems arise and many new skills and techniques need to be learnt; this not only covers the physical part of the restoration but involves many materials all having their own characteristics from plywood that curls up to a multitude of stains and finishes all just waiting to trip me up.
The trick if there is one is to ignore the bigger picture and break the restoration down into as many small parts as required; trying to do the restoration all at once in one go is sure to end up in failure. I find that if I can visualize what I'm trying to achieve I slowly work towards this; I'm not scared of failure because so far I've never failed and have now reached the happy position that I can not only restore a cabinet to near original but go much further and change the entire look of a cabinet to suit how want it to look and what pleases me; I like to experiment but I must always have the picture in my head of the finished cabinet before I start.
I've just completed my most difficult restoration to date it being a TV cabinet that was a basket case in dire need of much TLC; from the factory this cabinet must have looked like a bit of utility furniture having a dark brown treacle finish applied. As the set cost me very little and given it's condition I wanted to experiment with some of my new found skills and techniques and my dream was to completely restore this cabinet but to add very fancy veneering; if I failed nothing would be lost but I would still add more to my experience; I didn't fail though and the transformation of this cabinet is complete; it now has fancy veneers in the form of inlaid panels and cross banding together with home made stringing and has been given a full French polish; it is still work in progress but the cabinet is completed and I'm about to start work on the chassis.
This restoration has taken four months so far but I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
I would never ever criticize what the owner wishes to do with their own sets regarding work carried out; when I see restorations involving using Danish Oil as a finish I merely pass them by thinking at least the owner has had a go at restoration.
I never want to be an expert on cabinetwork as I love to learn all the time and if I could restore a cabinet without having to think about it or the cabinet driving me to tears of frustration I would quickly become bored. Every cabinet I've restored has been different and every restoration has given me a lot of pleasure.
Good luck with yours David and I'll be more than happy to watch your progress.
Kind regards, Col.
