I repair, restore, and conserve antiques and collectables, mainly wood, metal, and plastic items. I stay away from jewelry, ceramics and fine art. What I hope to bring to the viewers are the many methods along with tools and supplies used so that projects like these are less daunting, and in many cases, quite simple.
Thank you Sir for sharing your knowledge and expertise! I have window sills that that are suffering from wood rot that is causing the wood to become fribrous. Due to the humidity/climate (Hawaii), it is difficult to dry the wood out. Wondering if this product would work for this condition?
Lovely seaside demo of you careful repair ..I looked at this as my my has a mirror of her mother's that has plaster work.. and I was really curious what you would do . Considered beautiful repair Thank you for sharing
I have an old cigar box that has a thin veneer layer that’s detaching from the wood underneath.. the spot is just a 2x2 spot and you can see some small minor cracks in the vaneer but its not flaking up yet.. so I’m hoping it can be salvaged do you have any suggestions on how to apply some light adhesive or glue underneath the vaneer without damaging the rest of the box.. this is a great video it’s definitely nice to see people restoring these old pieces.. thanks for the content and if you can lend some insight or advice that’s greatly appreciated…
You can use thinned out hide glue that will wipe off the label as you press into place. A warm iron will set the glue in 30 seconds and you can reset with applying heat again until you get it right. White and yellow glue don't do that well. Test the label for being able to be damp wiped and don't use enough glue to squeeze out if you can't clean it. If the paper changes colors when damp, stop. You may have to use contact cement applied thinned and very carefully so as to not get any on top. Follow the directions.
@@OddJobFix thanks I appreciate your input and advice.. I’m probably going to try this method out and see how it works.. I guess you could say the spot is kinda bubbling but not flaky yet and none of the vaneer is damaged aside from two small cracks on either end of the bubbling.. my initial thought was to use some wood glue and press it into and under the vaneer with a credit card or something similar.. then try to add some pressure to the surface but I think the wood glue would discolor the old polyurethane or lacquer finish.. but I’m not really familiar with vaneer finishes and I greatly appreciate your advice on this one.. I will definitely follow your directions… Thanks again
Thanks for your time … wish you would have explained/shown the screw and the area you said needs tapered down or cone shaped etc was unclear on that …great video thanks for posting
Sorry it was unclear. It's just a matter of clearance and fit. When you do this I think you will understand. If it's still not clear, reach out, I'm here. Thanks for watching.
@@OddJobFix oh please don’t get me wrong I’m really appreciative for your post /idea it’s a great idea .. and that is what my brother said when I get to that part I will see more clearly what you are referring to .. again thank you for replying so fast and for your informative videos .. I saw your other post and I subscribed to your channel
I've done a lot with it. It's like a big Dremel. Won't take a lot of abuse due to the overload circuit that seems set low but a quick push of the button and you're off to the races. The tool as it comes from HF is useless. Thanks for watching!
Instead of putting a sheet of paper down, rubbing a trace image to obtain a template and then using the template to cut out an identical shape from the veneer, wouldn't it be better to simply create a patch (slightly larger than the missing veneer) and then cut the veneer to match your patch? This would ensure that the patch edges more closely align to the missing veneer as its a more direct process (fewer moving parts). Please let me know if you see any issues with this approach.
I think that would be a good way to do it. That's the thing, whatever works best for you. And I think I have done a trial and error approach many times. I can't recall exactly, but typically I will cut a piece from a pattern slightly larger and then sneak it in. Hey, thanks for watching!
I bought some beautiful antique chairs from the 1800s, it looks like they were poorly refurbished, someone tried to reglue the leg joints but allowed so much glue to drip down the legs. I’m not sure what type of glue they used. What would you suggest to take the dried glue off without damaging the chairs? There are also some joints that were not hammered in all the way but they are dried in that position. Would I use this method to loosen them up and then redo the joints?
Chances are very good that the glue is a modern PVA type so you would follow the steam and vinegar method. AFA surface drips go hopefully there is enough dirt and wax that the glue will pick off with a dental pic, needle, etc. I wouldn't try to dissolve it. GENTLE heat will help, but some might say try ice to make it more brittle. Start with an area that is not too noticeable and experiment. Thank you for watching.
@@anestassia6346 If you want to follow what many restorers do you would use hide glue. Look around there aren't too many brands to choose from. Old Brown Glue is one that YT'r Thomas Johnson uses. He also mixes from powder as do I if there is a big project. Other than that, a real loose fitting joint might need some epoxy. Look for small kits. There's always PVA but that's where you just came from unless it was the dreaded hot craft glue.
Can't believe I just stumbled across this video right now. No joke I've got a set of like 12 of these exact chairs to repair and I am not looking forward to it. They are an all around awful design that I just know is going to break over and over again.
While I don't recommend it, you could use epoxy and hope they don't break. It does take a reasonably tight fit of clean wood in the joints to get glue to hold for years. Consider the use of thickeners.
I can only envy those that do finish work. A lifetime of experience is not easily replicated. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skill with us Zeke! I also hope all is going well with you. 🌷
Wha do you do with a veneer that's bubbled up that's about an inch long and raised about 1/8" and has turned hard? It's not soft and pliable so that you can cut down the middle and insert glue and weigh it down. This is rock hard, that's been there for a long time.
I have a 100 year old mirror with several cracks in the frame. They don’t go all the way through. Nothing ornate has fallen off the frame but I’m having a hard time finding videos to fix or fill in the cracks. Could you please advise me on what to do?
You could mask off so just the cracks are accessable and drizzle a few different compounds in the cracks. You don't say if it's plaster over wood or what. For that I might mix plaster of paris with some white glue and water to a pancake batter consistency or milkshake like and get some in there. A toothpick might help move it around and down. You have to get creative to keep it from running back out. There's more but that's what I do and I can't manage to show everything. Thanks for watching! Hope you gave it a thumbs up.
Fine but I did need to remove some of the swollen wood to get complete compression. A thicker blade or double stacked? Didn't think of that but you did. Thanks for watching.
I am glad you made the video, because I need to repair some nice antique furniture. My dog decided to chew on a few things. Please change the word liberal. I am conservative and the word liberal means Democratic and offends me lol.
Hard to say. Maybe if you made something in the way of a shield out of metal strips you could concentrate on the lifted area and then move a strip over to hold it down. Thanks for watching.
Hello Zeke, Have you every flashed a ring off with denatured alcohol and then lighting it on fire? Sounds crazy but I saw the English Polisher do it. His video is 9 years old and not the best quality but it was quite interesting. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cmeTjg2hEqg.html
Yes, But the steam carrying the vinegar is what helps loosen the old glue. Heat is just part of the process. Keeping the heated wood at 200º an nmore ensures you won't scorch it. With steam scorching is all but impossible. Thanks for watching!
I just found this channel and I have a feeling I can learn alot from this restorer due to his many years of experience! I DIY all the time, but not for employment; just simple enjoyment.
Hello! No fancy intro... really informative,, thank you very much! I have been restoring dog chewed skirting board, kitchen cabinet paintover. Your video is very useful, thank you.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Did the orang oil cleaner have pumice in it or did you add the pumice yourself? Or is it just regular Orange Oil hand cleaner that contains Pumice?
Very nice methods and good video resolution Mr. Zeke! A masterful attack strategy against dry rot and repair. Even though I don't have the same issues here it is very nice to see your methods which make me think about different repairs around here I need to get busy on. 👍😁
Ab, this is a good product that you might be able to use on some clock cases, depending on the construction medium. I'm sure it will repair ceramic and cast plaster because I have done so. Wood, maybe but it does paint nicely and a faux grain can be added.
@OddJobFixRestoration thanks for sharing. My friend had an antique children's chair damaged in a flood. The plies have separated and the top layer rippled. Please tell me how to repair
I love restoration an various projects, but when it comes to keeping the climate out of my house, I would not depend on a surface solution. The only way at this point would be to replace all the old wood. It is full of mold spores and they will do their job when they get a chance.
Very true. If not for spores the forests would not decompose. However, in order to do so moisture content above prox 20% and 02 are necessary. I used the product I mentioned which is a boric sulfate to kill active fungus and this product does not deteriorate as salts are very stable. If water and oxygen reach areas of treated wood the fungi won't grow.. This is in no way an argument because you are correct. Replace if you can. In many instances, replacement is not practical, so alternate methods are available such as epoxies that I would use on a wood boat. But that boat has to be bone dry and again on a house one doesn't always have that condition. I stressed in another video that this system is NOT structural, only cosmetic. Epoxy can be structural done right. Inmy opinion, this product is as good if not better than commonly used auto body filler. YMMV. Thank you for your comment and for watching. I have one more coming which concludes the series and my overall thoughts.
Thank you, so much, Zeke. This looks very do-able. My son bought an old farmhouse (1856) and what with inflation (200%+ amIrite?) this may save the farm! Aqua-Resin.🤗
The US distributor is still working on a formula specifically for wood. This is a wonderful product for sculpture, sculpture repair and 18th Century plaster on gilded wood ornate frames. I started there and saw potential. Thanks for the compliment!
Omgosh 😱 That frame is beyond amazing. I've never seen the like 😍 Question. I'm confused about something. When filling you said to use Q-Tip and water to clean up oozing. If I get water, or any water based cleaner on the plaster at all, the plaster starts melting away, and running like cheap mascara. I had to use 91% isopropyl alcohol and blot dry immediately. I had to sacrifice my M.A.C 263 Angled Eyebrow brush! 😂 Worked great getting the last of the stripper gooze out of million six tiny little reese's creases. Even the 71% softened and or made the plaster feel sticky. hmmm .. I wonder if removing the stripper using the sawdust trick aka, once the stripper is ready, sprinkle sawdust on the stripper. Use a toothbrush to mix it up. The sawdust will absorb the stripper out of all those little curves and crevices of whatever you're stripping. Would it be safe to use on the plaster tho? Thoughts? On a wing and a prayer, I'm currently trying to bring back a curbside treasure. A 3'×5' painted over guilded mirror. The frame is entirely finely detailed ribbons and bows. I've spent a month stripping the 30+ layers of paint, one bow and ribbon at a time. Oddly I didn't lose the original water gilding. Sadly, the oil guilding is toast. Expecting to eventually hit the gesso layers, I was so sad to hit what I thought to be resin. Turns out, it's plaster over wood. Wheee!! I used wood filler for gaps. It has tons of cracks I'm keeping and the corner bows are split and have large gaps from the frame's joints being pretty loose. I can't believe the mirror glass didn't fall out. It's SO heavy!Almost ¼" thick. No missing parts tho. Thank goodness. Anyway, sorry for the Novel.
