Hans Wegner dining set (FH)  

You are a lucky man indeed, David. That is a gorgeous set and you've got it in a perfectly appropriate setting!

Personally, I prefer vintage pieces to retain evidence of continuous use and care or "patina", as they say. What condition of the chairs is of concern?  Accreted grime or oil finish build up? Loose joinery? Perceived dryness? They appear to be in fantastic shape as is to me.

Hi!

Thank you very much for your reply!

Yes, it’s a gorgeous dining set (same owner for 60 years)...

I agree with you, vintage forniture has to retain the patina. 

I was wondering how I can get rid of the grime (especially the legs have a sort of grey socks). 

The seat back of every chair seems to be discoloured/dry as well.

Do you think I should use an oil to clean/polish? 

What about the colour of the backrest? There is also a small fresh chip (damaged incurred in recent transport) on a backrest...

Cheers

david

Ah, yes. The gray "socks".

Some have good luck with warm wood soap products while others swear by lubricating #0000 steel wool with oil finish and rubbing away. I prefer to use either naphtha or white spirits, an old course-weave linen dish towel,  and a fair dose of elbow grease to give all surfaces a good rub-down. This should remove most if not all grime, wax build up, and other accretions without damaging existing finish or altering the color of aged wood. The dark areas at the feet are possibly caused by shoes and/or repeated exposure to harsh floor-cleaning detergents and might need additional treatment with oxalic acid to restore color. I'd avoid sanding or excessive rubbing with anything abrasive. After cleaning, a simple re-oiling should be all that's needed to even out sheen.

The photos are too small to see detail of the "chipped" areas. Maybe post closeups not in mosaic format?

...and your floor is amazing, btw. I love it.

Posted by: tktoo2

...and your floor is amazing, btw. I love it.

Thank you! 

Posted by: tktoo2

Ah, yes. The gray "socks".

Some have good luck with warm wood soap products while others swear by lubricating #0000 steel wool with oil finish and rubbing away. I prefer to use either naphtha or white spirits, an old course-weave linen dish towel,  and a fair dose of elbow grease to give all surfaces a good rub-down. This should remove most if not all grime, wax build up, and other accretions without damaging existing finish or altering the color of aged wood. The dark areas at the feet are possibly caused by shoes and/or repeated exposure to harsh floor-cleaning detergents and might need additional treatment with oxalic acid to restore color. I'd avoid sanding or excessive rubbing with anything abrasive. After cleaning, a simple re-oiling should be all that's needed to even out sheen.

The photos are too small to see detail of the "chipped" areas. Maybe post closeups not in mosaic format?

Do you use the white spirit pure or diluted with water? What kind of oil do you recommend?

Thank you!

.

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Yes, use white spirits undiluted. You may need to sand the gouged areas to smooth out any torn fibers that can catch on skin or clothing. Depending on the depth of the damage, filling may be required. For a novice, I'd recommend a toned product made for the purpose and not worry too much about getting the color perfect. Otherwise, a professional restorer is the way to go. Exposed fresh wood with oil applied will eventually darken to match, but will take decades...

Also, any "Danish" oil finish product will do. Just try to buy it from a source likely to have fresh product and follow directions printed on the container, especially those regarding safe rag disposal (I burn them immediately).