It's too worn for me, and I'm guessing that it would be too worn for the majority of buyers, too---so whatever value is lost by one of these being refinished will be at least equal to what it has lost already with that deterioration.
I think it's up to your personal tastes. If you kind of like it as is, then leave it! If it bothers you, refinish.
I am pretty sure these were done in black lacquer, not paint, so if you want to remove it yourself all you have to do is use acetone. (Use a respirator and the most chemical-resistant gloves you can find.)
I had one of these re-lacquered by a pro for under $200. I paid next to nothing for it so it was well worth having a pro do the work.
Ink is also an option but for it to look correct you will need to add a glossy clear coat finish, which may be just as big a pain to do as glossy black lacquer. (If I'm wrong about the originals having black lacquer---please say so! Now that I think about it, the old ones I've seen have the color evenly worn at points of use, rather than chipping the way lacquer tends to do.)
I agree that it's always best to spend some time with newly-acquired pieces before deciding on any restoration vs conservation treatment. That said, your chair, Dr, certainly has accrued more than its share of "character." The damage (as opposed to "patina" in this case) appears to me to have likely been caused by failure of the original finish rather than normal wear which would make restoration a reasonable choice at some point, IMO.
Love the artwork on the blackboard, BTW!
It looks to me like it got left out in the elements, or something. Damage vs. patina, as tktoo put it.
You can do a simple test to see if it's lacquer: just dampen a cotton swab with nail polish remover and touch it to the finish for a few seconds. If it's lacquer, the swab will come away black.
@ tktoo. Ahah, I don't know if that was ironic but thanks!
When we moved in this flat, we thought it would be cool to have a chalkboard painted wall. We wanted some kind of urban, hipster-ish look. However, my kids took that as an invitation to express themselves.
This Munch meets Basquiat, tormented character is by my 4 years old girl and is supposed to represent Dismarelda from Yokai watch. Jibanyan is on the left...
The irony, if any, is that as an art school survivor that spent his entire career working with fine art in museums, I now have a daughter in art school.
That's just a way of saying that I know genius when I see it!
Edit: Spanky, I've looked at the pics a few times now and I can't imagine a likely cause for the pattern of damage. It almost looks as if someone used it to hang dog chains on for a few years.
You're right...it's not any recognizable pattern of misuse or just normal wear and tear. Maybe someone started to sand the black off but got discouraged or bored and quit? Who knows.
I am really curious now as to whether it's lacquer or not. DrPoulet, please let us know if you determine which it is!
I've been wondering about the right arm at the end---how is it that the black is so neatly gone up to that line of demarcation? And what's the blueish color left behind? Was this originally blue, maybe? I think they were made in colors way back when though I don't know if blue was one of them.
The seat looks to be original if only because it's really well done. Well, also it just looks vintage. Though yeah, it's hard to image that the frame took the beating it did while the seat remained pretty much untouched.
The grey/blue color could be a toned primer under the black, I suppose. But, if that's the case, there was a problem with adherence between it and the finish coat. The black should never have come off an underlying primer like that if original, lacquer or otherwise. Again, I'm having trouble imagining circumstances which could cause this type of damage to a properly applied production finish.
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