The DIY Vintage Repair Before/After Thread

Jish1969 · Jan 28, 2011

I got this idea as I was hauling away a rather neglected art deco nightstand from the Salvation Army "as is" store. When it comes to vintage items, it seems that everybody on this forum cherishes them no matter what the condition and we go to great lengths to "bring them back from the grave" so to speak. I love looking at everyone's before and after pics of what they have done to their wonderful heirlooms and it seems to me that there should be a sub-forum on the Golden Age where we can pick at the collective brain. A lot of us can do great things on the cheap as well and even if it did not turn out so well it should be shared as lessons learned, or it may turn out to be a great fix for someone else. I have rewired lamps, reupholstered kitchen chairs, rehabbed veneers(or substitute them when necessary), and I know where to find a few good vintage replacement parts. Hell, DUKE NUKEM can probably whittle a yacht in an afternoon, but you get my point. A place where we can post tutorials on what we are restoring, what not to do, before and afters, etc, etc...

So what do you all think?

Nick D · Jan 28, 2011

I think that would be helpful, escpecially since, as you say, a lot of the things we get need fixing. And clothes and other things in constant use need maintenance as well.

Of course, a couple boards I'm on have added so many subforums they become unwieldy. I don't think the FL is there yet, but there's certainly more than when I joined.

Jish1969 · Jan 30, 2011

Heres what I mean: This is the nightstand I picked up the other day. It was pretty much trashed, and the veneers were peeling off and the previous owner did the shabby chic treatment with the borders in an ugly gold. I firmly believe that this nightstand called out to me for help and I answered. The cost was 5 bucks...

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Jish1969 · Jan 30, 2011

Step one: The stripping agent: Apply the stripping agent generously, but meke sure you are wearing gloves and the area is well ventilated. If you find yourself laughing at the sight of your own fingertips get the hell out and get some fresh air! This will take a while. becaise you want to get all of the old finish off. Any leftover shine will not allow the new stain to take hold on the wood.

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Jish1969 · Jan 30, 2011

When you are stripping the body and you get to those tight crevasses, go at them with a razorknife to get all the loose stuff out. This is not the time to get lazy! If you are going this far on your project go a little further, but not too hard with the razor because you are now working with basically new wood...

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Drew B · Jan 30, 2011

I would certainly like to see this sort of a subforum pop up. Resoring something is such a pleasure and it's also great to be able to show it off with your own thread where you might show the progression of how thigs worked out, ask for advise on a particular aspect of the job. I would REALLY love to see that sort of sub forum get made!. I have a couple of projects in the making and I would also LOVE to see what other people are making.

Jish1969 · Jan 30, 2011

Now use extra fine steel wool(or sandpaper, your choice) and remove any shine you can see against a light source: Now it should be bare naked...

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Jish1969 · Jan 30, 2011

Remember those crevasses!

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This will show up in your finished product so take note!

Drew B · Jan 30, 2011

Jish: You may need a heat gun... I had to remove a lot of veneer from a table once and the heat gun was the way to go but you have to be careful not to burn the job. You seem to know what you're doing so I'm keen to see how it turns out!

Jish1969 · Jan 30, 2011

I have spent 14 dollors so far, and now I have decided that I want tigerstriping to match the rest of my bedroom furniture so here we go!

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Jish1969 · Jan 30, 2011

I dont have the paint to do the tigetstriping yet, so I did the first coat of stain on the drawer and door. I used Minwax Polyshades Pecan Satin:

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Jish1969 · Jan 30, 2011

Drew B, I am not using a heat gun or anything else I have to buy. I am recommending this for those of us who have the passion shown on this forum, but may not have the money. I cannot call myself a pro in any sense when it comes to this sort of thing, nor am I worried about resale. This is important also for those of you looking at value: find a pro!!! I am not: I simply want to resurrect things I find beautiful...

Jish1969 · Jan 30, 2011

I say again REMEMBER THOSE CREVASSES!!! They are small but they are everything...trust me, if you see that one imperfection, it is going to haunt you. Do it right the first time...Patience...

Methuselah · Feb 1, 2011

Looks like a cool project, so please don't take this negatively:
I don't really see the need for a subforum, there are already many forums out there specialising in DIY and hobbies ranging from furniture to jewellery to tailoring to car repair...
Also, isn't that brand of varnish polyurethane? Hardly 'The Golden Era'?
Just playing Devil's advocate I suppose - but if I wanted advise on a specialist subject, I can usually find a suitable forum that already exists.
I do enjoy seeing people's pet projects on the Lounge, but I don't think they necessarily all need to be gathered up together.

David Conwill · Feb 1, 2011

I love DIY posts and would love to see more of them, but I think they probably best belong in the Display Case subforum.

-Dave

Miss Neecerie · Feb 1, 2011

Heh...well your posting the tutorial here just affirms that the lack of a subforum has not stopped anyone from posting such things

past examples include...a tutorial about starching clothing was done, and rightly belongs in 'general attire'....furniture stuff in either 'golden era' or display case....etc...

Looking through a subforum of types of projects I have no interest in, seems less efficient then finding textile related diy in the gen attire....gadget diy in accouterments, etc etc.

oh wait...maybe we need subforums to the subforum....:whistling

Jish1969 · Feb 2, 2011

I just used an acrylic paint for the tigerstriping and then sealed it with a light coat of stain. It came out well, but my second coat on the body did not give me the color I was looknig for. I have used it before, but with a different wood, which is why I probably thought I could get the same result. I will keep it like this though, until I find some cheaper veneers and attempt to do a pattern. It just came out a little too orangy for me, but I am most impressed with my tigerstriping job, I think that more than anything on this came out great...

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Heres tigerstriping and one coat of stain(I wish I would have stopped here)

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i light coat of stain over the striping to protect it

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a handle, partly to cover the missing veneer, partly for convenience of not having to reach all the way down from bed to open it

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done...

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Jish1969 · Feb 2, 2011

I will get it set up in the bedroom soon and take some pics of it with the rest of the furniture, but I hope some of you found this a little useful and thank you for tuning in...

scotrace · Feb 3, 2011

I don't know if a whole new forum is called for (we add those very, very reluctantly), but let's make this The DIY Vintage Repair Thread and see how it goes.

Atomic · Feb 5, 2011

Hey, I have a bunch of old projects and such that I've done that I could add in. Here is my breakfaster that I refinished and cleaned up. I wanted to clean it up, polish it, and be able to actually cook with it if I wanted to.

How it started:

Started off by taking the whole thing apart. I needed to get inside it and clean it up. Four long bolts hold the whole assembly together.

I didn't take any pictures of the sanding and polishing, but thats all I did. I cleaned and polished for a few hours with sandpaper and steel wool. Since basically the whole assembly is aluminum there was a lot to go through, but it wasn't like polishing steel. Much easier! The ceramic heating plate on the top (the big white square) was cracked, but the wire running through it along with support from the body held it in place without any issues. I washed all of the pieces in the sink with dish soap to be able to place food on it, then started reassembling it.

Here it is after the work:

It works great! This little bugger gets hot in a hurry and stays hot. Its so simple and over built that I don't think it will ever die. Heck, its been around for 75 years already and still works like a champ. When was the last time you had a modern toaster that lasted 10 years?

This thread if fun, I'll probably post another thing or two as I find pictures and remember the projects.

The DIY Vintage Repair Before/After Thread

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