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©MPF Conservation
Clipart by Microsoft
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Wooden objects,
whether furniture or statuary, usually come to
MPF Conservation with:
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loose joinery,
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bug infestation and/or damage,
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breaks in the frame or veneer, or
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a severely
compromised finish.
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Sometimes the initial damage is very old, and a
home or in-house repair was performed, and that
repair is not visually satisfying, or is coming
apart.
Finishes
are typically monochromatic or polychromatic painted finishes, true varnishes,
or waxes. Occasionally they have been stripped and refinished in a polymer
"varnish." Occasionally we are asked to restore a piece that
has been stripped of its original finish. We utilize techniques and
materials appropriate to the history of the piece.
MPFC's conservation treatment is usually performed
with a combination of techniques from the
appropriate time period. New materials are
introduced when necessary, utilizing barriers to
ensure reversibility.
In some cases, new wooden pieces must be
duplicated to replace completely disintegrated
parts of the frame. We use appropriately
aged woods, and finishes should be
duplicated in age appropriate techniques on newly
formed parts to match the older areas.
From our resume of pieces, below (though several pieces of
Upholstered objects
also have finish work and repairs):
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AMERICAN ROCOCO REVIVAL POLYCHROME RADIO CHEST CA. 1925
(PDF): A family heirloom, this beautiful radio chest was
broken in shipment to the families new home on the West
Coast. Several areas needed reparation, then the entire
radio was waxed for protection. We did not infill the
missing gold leaf.
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SHERATON KIDNEY LEATHER-TOPPED DESK (PDF):
A family heirloom, this kidney shaped Sheraton mid-twentieth
century leather topped desk was in poor condition. The
finish on the body of the desk was experiencing loss due to
the move from a moist climate to a dry climate; the leather
top had many problems besides a layer of deep grime form
decades of use. The desk was beloved by the owner, who
saw her mother use it her whole life; however, costs needed
to be reasonable. MPFC thoroughly cleaned the piece,
repaired the finish losses on the body of the desk, and
cleaned the leather top. We did not infill color loss
to the leather top.
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AMERICAN GREEK REVIVAL CHEST OF DRAWERS, CA. 1910
(PDF): A family heirloom, this chest of drawers had
many accidents over its many years of use.
Perfume bottles, white rings from water glasses, spills of
colored liquid, and numerous scratches had marred it surface,
plus the usual nicks, dings, and gouges. Ammonia had
been sprayed on the mirror surface, and had seeped into the
wood and finish around the mirror. The owner had tried
to refinish it herself then decided to bring it to us, so we
also had to match the sanded side and drawers with the
older finish. Our goal was not perfection, but to bring
the piece back to an acceptable appearance with its aged
flaws as part of its history. To that end, we did no
sanding other than to lightly etch the surface. We
thoroughly cleaned the piece, repaired the minor woodworking
issues, then began the long process of finish infill, ending
with wax top coat for protection.
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KENTUCKY
LIVERY TABLE (PDF): A Family Heirloom, this Livery Cabinet was
passed down thought several generations. We believe it
was made in Kentucky, with a Germanic influence. The
piece had a broken and missing top edge, broken base, and the
finish was in poor condition.
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1730 PAINTED
WINDSOR CHAIR (PDF): This family heirloom is from the early 18th
Century, and had the original monochromatic finish. We repaired loose
joints, used a barrier and performed some infill on two large chips in the seat,
and preserved the existing original finish.
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IMPERIAL BUFFET (PDF): This
piece was one of the original three dozen pieces
bought for the first Crater Lake Superintendent's
House. It has unusual features, like a
hidden prohibition bar that is accessed through
the top drawer! See all
three dozen pieces on our page covering the NPS Imperial Monterey line,
including the IMPERIAL CORNER
HUTCH.
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PRIMITIVE WOOD BOX
(PDF): Possibly made by the by one of the Superintendents, this wood box
has been part of the collection in the first Superintendent's House at Crater
Lake National Park. Layers and layers of shellac and polychromatic paint over many years
had created a wonderful patina. We repaired cracks, then cleaned and protected
the finish.
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AMERICAN FAMILY TABLE (PDF): A sentimental
family piece from the 1920's, this table suffered extreme
color damage to its leaves, damage to the table base, and
needed preservation treatment to the overall top. In
addition, the family requested that we create a reversible
prosthetic to stabilize the table from excessive wobble.
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BUCKS COUNTY TILT-TOP TABLE
RESUME
(PDF):
A family heirloom, this Bucks County Pennsylvania piece circa 1750 was passed down through the
generations. It came to us with several
cracks in the base and a cracked top. The
finish was compromised. Our goal was to repair all compromised areas;
assess previous repairs (but not necessarily "fix" them); clean, repair
(where necessary), and
preserve the original finish.
TO VIEW THE TREATMENT REPORT, CLICK HERE.
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RANCH
WINDSOR (PDF OF TREATMENT COMING SOON!): This barrel-backed Windsor, a family
heirloom, was used daily for generations by ranch hands in Oregon. The arm, back, and seat had
serious breaks and splits, and the finish was compromised. We repaired the
compromised areas, cleaned, repaired, and preserved the original finish.
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MUSIC STAND (PDF): A sentimental family heirloom,
this piece was to be conserved so that the very
old music books that were embedded in the finish
stayed intact, while the frame was repaired, and the entirety
preserved.
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1940'S TEA CART (PDF) showing Sheridan
influences. This is a well-cared for reproduction that
had an accident, and shows the ability for traditional
finishes to recover. Broken shattered wheels were also
repaired, but the French Polish of the deep gouge is
miraculous.
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LATE 1800 GERMAN RENAISSANCE REVIVAL BUFFET (PDF): A German family heirloom, this piece
needed some disassembly as many joints were loose,
and the finish was compromised. When this
piece was conserved, we had no digital camera, but
we visited our client and took photos fifteen
years later.
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To Contact MPF Conservation,
click here!
Most of our PDF files
are not printable.
If you would like a copy of them, or the ability to print them, contact us at
dkatiepowell@aol.com
©
MPF Conservation
Special Thanks to the National Park Service for their permission in using the
Imperial line!
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