All done for now

As the summer comes to a close, I look back at all the work I have done. Many projects were not documented just because I failed to bring a camera as often as I would have liked.  For the first time in years casement windows and french doors were scraped of paint and opened up, allowing the house to breath with fresh air and one can now hear the rhythmic ticking of the home's 1883 clock tower, now back in working order.

The Clock Tower

One of many things that sets this house apart is its exterior clock tower. For decades the clock did not run and no one knew the reason. I was curious to see the 1883 weight driven clock movement, a very high quality one built in Philadelphia. After some dusting I tried winding the clock. It took many adjustments to the pendulum, but soon enough the clock was running once again. Though its westminister chimes no longer work due to heavy rust, the clock keeps precise time.

Black Forest Shelf

This old wood shelf sat on the floor of a staircase closet. It was carved out of one piece of wood in Germany's black forest region. Besides being covered by a think grime, the shelf was also missing some wooden details. After an intensive cleaning and oil polish, it came up just great.

Before

After

Onyx Angel Sculpture

This white onyx piece sat in pieces in the basement when I first found it. My first step was to collect up all of the pieces and clean them. After a lot of scrubbing and rinsing with the hose, the bright white stone beneath came shining through. 

Next, I had to put together the broken wings and reattach the female's arms. A 2 part epoxy resin worked perfectly for joining the stone parts. While the glue dried on the sculpture I moved on to repair it's green-stone platform. The large piece of stone had broken right down its center and would be a challenge to repair. I began by routing grooves perpendicular to the main crack. In these grooves I set copper nails in epoxy, forming a strong bond between the stones. 

Once all parts had dried, I fastened on the angel's wings and lifted the sculpture onto its platform. (Nearly crushing all fingers in the process!)

 

Completed Statue with newly carved hands.

Louis XV Hall Table

It seems as though every piece of furniture in this house is damaged in some way, however many of the missing pieces can be found in drawers within the rooms. This table was missing gilt molding on its leg.  After some searching I was able to find both pieces and glued them on. The gold garland in the bottom right corner of the photo was separated and sitting in the basement. Once I found they belonged together, they were cleaned and reattached. 

Brass Boulle Desk

This antique brass boulle desk sits in the main hall of the house. Brass boulle is the term for when furniture is overlaid with brass and inlaid with tortoiseshell, malachite, silver, and other precious materials. The desk's main drawer had a large escutcheon which had fallen off. To reattach, I cut finish nails to the correct size and with the help of a little epoxy, fastened it in place.

Malachite Clock: In Progress

This massive, antique malachite clock was buried beneath boxes and grime in the basement of the mansion.   My job is to clean and repair it. These pictures show the case fully cleaned with the bronze angel waxed and polished. Yet to be done: repair chipped malachite and build clock face/find movement.

7/8/11 Updated Picture:

Cedar Signs

On the property here, there are three separate homes all under the same address, so signs are needed to differentiate them. I was asked to build new, attractive placards for the buildings to replace old plywood ones.

Dresden Fruit Stand

This antique Dresden fruit bowl stands about 15 inches tall and is filled with ornate porcelain detail. It consists of two separate parts, a base with two figures and a basket on top, laced with vines. All details on the piece are hand painted and very delicate. Unfortunately,  a few years back the stand was tipped over and the basket suffered a devastating fall, shattering it into many pieces. Both pictures here show the fruit bowl after restoration but the red lines above trace the break lines.  I reassembled the pieces using a two part epoxy.

The Lapis Lazuli Cabinet

To start off, here is the first project I took on at the mansion. This ebony veneered lapis lazuli table cabinet was sitting in the mansion's basement when first shown to me. It had suffered from years of water damage, much of the centuries old hide glue had lost its tack, and many parts were broken or missing. Here is a "before" picture...

Lapis cabinet before restoration

Drawer faces had fallen off as had many pieces of Lapis. The base needed reinforcing and ebony veneer had to be replaced and flattened in many spots. But beneath the thick grime, I could see a masterpiece just waiting to shine again. After 4 months worth of afternoons spent sanding, scrubbing, gluing, and shellacking, the cabinet was complete. 

Lapis cabinet after restoration

Back Story

Hello all.

I have created this blog to document my work this summer. What I will be writing about is no ordinary summer job. Over the past few years I have become friends with a great man who is the owner of a W.D. Hewitt and Frank Furness designed mansion, the name of which I must keep private. When he learned of my interest and knowledge of antiques and architecture I was asked to work on an antique cabinet from the estate's collection. Given my success with the piece and the multitude of other projects within his mansion, he has hired me to work at the estate this summer, working on both the house and items in it. Enjoy! Starting June 23rd I will do my best to keep this up to date and well documented. If you have any comments or advice on projects, please post.