Today I bought 3 beautiful chairs for peanuts. They were bought by the seller's grandmther about the beginning of the 60's he thinks. They have been retwined not too badly, until you look at the reverse side. But more worrying is the split in the wood on 2 chairs in the same place. I shall add photos. The bashes and scratches are for the most caused by carelessness it seems. I also will add photos of the identification discs. I'd be grateful for advice on how to repair the splits, or at least minimise damage. Drspite the splits the chairs are all pretty stable. Thanks a lot! And another thing.....by the discs, can the chairs be dated?
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The angle brackets in the corners aren't original and are most likely someone's effort to stabilize the cracks (in case that's not obvious---which it might not be to someone who's never seen a chair in original condition).
From what little I can see in the photos of the underside, the weaving actually looks very good. I wouldn't use staples to anchor the ends or to join a new strand, but it's a far better way than some of the nutty stuff I've run into on seats that I've rewoven.
I'll leave the crack repair advice to others here who are way better versed in it than I am.
Thank you very much Spanky and Leif for your authoritative advice. No point repairing unless done properly! A couple of questions.....what glue should be used, and what oil? In one of the 3 the old L nails were reused, the other two were stapled. Are L nails available anywhere for re-weaving? I shall get professionals to do this eventually, and want to make sure they use the most suitable materials. Many thanks!
HH Perkins does sell L nails but they look an awful lot like cut electrical staples to me and I also can't figure out their pricing (they say "Sold by the dozen package" which I guess sounds like 144 per package..? but it's only $2.95 per package, which is less than what some places are asking for just a dozen authentic nails--which seems a bit off. But they're not the right kind anyway. I do like their paper cord a lot, though!)
I think the best deals are from CaneAndBasket.com (100 nails/$8.95 as of this writing) and Caning.com (50/$3.95 right now).
By the way, the photos of the underside with the identity discs and the Lnails are of only one of the chairs, which has the slit in the wood. I have a feeling it was never re-corded. The other two have been restrung much less neatly with staples. I'll post a photo. The cord used in all 3 look the same.
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