Restoring a "Made in Denmark" stamp

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nateclark

(@nateclark)

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09/06/2016 2:23 am

Hello,
First time caller, long time listener...
I just bought a Hans Olsen chair in pretty rough shape, and I'm planning to refinish/restore it myself. (Except for the caning part. Duh.) I was hesitant to buy it because I didn't see any manufacturers markings... I thought maybe it was a reproduction or something. But then I found a very, very faint "MADE IN DENMARK" stamp underneath.
I have three questions:
1) Is there any other way to confirm that this is a Hans Olsen chair? It looks exactly like the ones he designed for Juul Kristensen... but the stamp doesn't have the "JK." It only says "MADE IN DENMARK"
2) Do you have any suggestions for how I can restore the "MADE IN DENMARK" stamp? Can I make it pop with stain or hold a candle to it? (Joking. Half joking.)
3) I'm pretty certain this is African teak (Afrormosia). Do you agree?

I'm really looking forward to this project and ending up with a new/used office chair for my home office! Thanks in advance for any guidance.
- Nate

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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner

(@leif-ericson)

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Posts: 5660

09/06/2016 2:28 am

That board does look like Afrormosia. It is my experience that Juul Kristensen was extremely unreliable about marking their furniture. And many Danes were unreliable. If the details match, then it is what it is. I've owned 3 Hans Olsen/Juul Kristensen rockers, and not one even had "Made in Denmark" so your is ahead of all 3 of them.

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nateclark

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09/06/2016 2:35 am

Ah, good to know. Thanks, Leif!
Unrelated... I posted this twice. How do I delete the other post? It didn't seem to go through the first time.

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Spanky

(@spanky)

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09/06/2016 3:17 am

The forum owners will delete the duplicate thread when they do their regular sweeping.
There are some good discussions here on that caning pattern, if you're interested. Even if you prefer to have someone do it for you, it might be a good idea to read through the posts so you have an idea of what goes into it. It might help you in choosing a competent restorer.

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nateclark

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09/06/2016 3:23 am

Thanks, spanky. Any leads on caning discussions? I did a search, but didn't see anything specific to this pattern. Is there a name for this pattern?

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Spanky

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09/06/2016 5:31 pm

I found these by searching for "olsen cane" (without the quotes)-
http://www.designaddict.com/forum/General-discussion/Last-Thing-You-Acqu...
Scroll down until you get to the photo of the Olsen rocker.
Similar weaving pattern, maybe some helpful information about caning in general-
http://www.designaddict.com/forum/General-discussion/Cane-Rastad-Relling...
General caning-
http://www.designaddict.com/forum/General-discussion/Replacing-Rattan-Bi...
A search for "binder cane" (with quotes) may help, too.
http://www.designaddict.com/forum/General-discussion/Scandinavian-cane-f...
Good tip on soaking cane:
http://www.designaddict.com/forum/General-discussion/rattan-rope
General info-
http://www.designaddict.com/forum/Repair/Kofod-Larsen-Selig-lounge-chair...
I'm sure there's more but that's a start.
I don't think the weave on the Olsen chair has a name but I could be wrong.

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nateclark

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11/06/2016 10:57 pm

spanky, thanks for these links. Super helpful.
I'm working on the wood this weekend. Cane & Basket Supply Company is near me in Los Angeles and they just did a set of dining chairs for us, so I'll check to see if they are familiar with this pattern (I'm sure they are) and can do it for me.

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