An interesting old piece and one of the nicest I have seen in many years. The owner's mother had stripped the original finish off several years ago and oiled the wood. The current owner had done nothing but clean the surface and re-oil.
These photos above show the overall condition, which was very good, though very dry. The client wanted a golden oak finish as there were dark spots throughout the carcass. And yes, they are difficult to see.
Here it is with the backs, doors and mirror removed, freshly stripped and ready to stain.
Stripping was fairly easy since most of the original finish had already been removed. But the oil made for a sticky, gooey mess!
After staining, the writing lid bound and I had to trim the left side (next to the bookcase) at a slight angle to compensate for the carcass being not quite square anymore.
Amazingly, this original tag remained on the back. Click on the photo to enlarge and it will be easier to see, though not any easier to read as the old pencil writing has just about faded away.
The finished piece, shown both in the shop and back home at the customer's house.
Slightly darker than we wanted but even bleaching would not tone the wood down as light as planned. However the client was very happy and that's the main thing.
Slightly darker than we wanted but even bleaching would not tone the wood down as light as planned. However the client was very happy and that's the main thing.
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