Wegner CH-31  

Very nice. Those guys don't surface too often, especially in a set. How many? Any photos of the group?

The impressed stamps are not serial numbers. I believe previous threads on here IDed them as inspector stamps.

Also, this thread may be of interest to you, if you're thinking if finding an armchair or two to match...

https://www.designaddict.com/forum/Identification/Hans-Wegner-Johannes-Ha...

I think I saw that the stamp is the frame assembler, and the pencil initials are the seat weaver.

The seller had 3 of these, got there too late to secure the third but i did track down the other buyer and his chair has the number 3 engraved. I didn't find any pencil initials on these.

Numbering of the chairs could be Inspector/maker stamps but it does seem a very big coincidence they're sequential.

I got in touch with the Hanssen costumer service, maybe they'll be able to provide some more info.

The thread is how i found this forum cdsilva, good stuff indeed!

i can assure you that the stamps are not serial numbers. You can look at Carl Hansen marks and you will see these same stamps. And they never get into the double digits. Either that or I own more than one copy of the first Wishbone ever produced.

It might be the case that case that came weavers did not initial in pencil. Or perhaps the pencil marks wore off.

The cane looks like it is still in very good condition and it looks plausibly original. It is very likely stretched loose and therefore in danger of breaking. So it needs to be gotten soppy wet so that it will tighten back up again. Cane should be maintained like this on an annual basis. Otherwise they should never be sat in at all. These would be expensive to re-cane and it is not at all easy to find someone who can do the job well.

Gotto love Hanssen customer service! They replied within one working day that these are indeed the marks of the carpenters.

I treated the cane with boiled linseed oil, no discoloration and the cane seems much happier now. The chair on the right needs some partial recaning on the seat but i'm going to try to keep them as original as possible.

Haven't sat on them yet, might try making the cane wet but that seems a scary operation for the wood.

I think the carpenters' numbers were recycled rather than retired when various guys left for whatever reasons. Old guy retires, the number 2 is now free to reassign to the new guy who takes his place. I am guessing the numbers are intended for factory use--so that if a flaw is found in the final inspection, the inspector knows who was at fault. A year or five years later someone entirely different could be #2 carpenter. It's an ID system that is relevant in the factory, not beyond.

I have redone woven chair seats that had no penciled initials so that doesn't mean much either. Some guys wrote their first names, some used initials, some didn't mark them at all. I do like redoing a set where most of the chairs were done by one guy, though! That's kind of sweet. It seems more personal.

Oh, also--not sure if oil is preferable to water in conditioning cane? Cane isn't an oily fiber at all, it's a fast-growing vine which means it has a pretty high water content, I think. I mean, I'm quite sure. Maybe oil is just as good but I would go with water as a sure thing.

You must dampen the underside of the cane, however. The top has a glossy "bark" that is naturally kind of waterproof, but the underside is absorbent. You don't have to worry about the chair frame when dampening the cane, just have a dry cloth handy to wipe any drips off the frame immediately. If you want to get it sopping wet as Leif recommends, just flip it over and support it so that the seat is level, then lay a wet cloth on the underside of the seat. If the seat is level, the water will not drip down the frame. Or you could mist it daily for awhile and just dry the wood immediately each time.

Here is some information about the maintenance of cane.

https://www.wickerwoman.com/articles/cane-furniture-care

You can apply the water with a wet towel to the backside. Because the frame is oil finished teak, you don't need to worry greatly about the water damaging the teak or the oil finish. It is probably a good idea to keep the frame fairly dry, but stray drips and puddles on the frame for a few minutes can be wiped away without any concern whatsoever.

Don't apply varnish, or any drying oil, like linseed oil to the back side of the cane.

Thank you for all the useful advice!