hello all, i just bought two early lcw chairs and have a couple of questions. i have searched the old posts already and have not found what i need. does anyone know how to date them accuratly? one is walnut with the 5-2-5 bolt pattern and the oblong shockmount for the backrest. the glue patch from where the sticker was is rectangular with a small half round bump protruding. it is stamped E98 on the frame. the second one is ash? or mahogany? and has a 5-2-4 bolt pattern with the oval mount and no label evidence. it is stamped lcw in the frame. the other question is; the ash? one has wear to the finish in the middle of the seat but is otherwise undamaged (no significant chips, scratches or alterations). the area where the finish is gone has darkened and is not very attractive. is there a way to lighten this area and add some finish that is subtle? i understand the showing history line of thinking and normally do not even clean my wooden pieces unless they are a train wreck, but although this chair has not been abused, it is a large ares and is ugly. thanks in advance, bill
I did a decent job with light sanding and mild wood bleach
On one of my better days, I found an oval shock mount LCW in an alleyway junk pile. The owner had used this early issue outdoors. I have read that they were covered in melamine for this purpose. Mine was a gray pulp. The bleach that I used is a powder which is labeled as wood bleach and a common hardware store item. Its the same kind of acid that they use to clean concrete, not muriatic, but used as a mild solution. Be super light with the sandpaper and remember that wet wood will often dry to have a raised grain which means more sanding. Mine had some small cracks which never cleaned out completely. Also please note that I'm not a woodman, in fact I too was a glassman. Fifeteen years in hot noisey shops getting cut and burned, sometimes both at once. I miss it a little.
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