FINISH CONSERVATION

Conservation and restoration of original period finishes is one of the highest priorities at Antique Refinishers. There is a lot of discussion in the market place about the value of original finishes. I have attended numerous conferences on the analysis of early finishes and it is clear that there is no conclusive evidence that can be used to prove a finish on a piece of furniture is the "original" finish; only that it is the first layer, and rests in the pores of the wood. The fact is that pre-industrial furniture makers spent half of their time repairing and refinishing earlier work.

Certainly these early efforts must be conserved at all costs. The primary functions of the finish on a piece of furniture are to provide protection against the elements, and at the same time a sense of beauty to the grain. To refinish any piece runs the risk of removing early wood surfaces by chemicals, sanding or scraping. Thus, refinishing should be done only to protect the wood, and must be in the same method and materials as the original intent of the maker.
The same philosophy is used in decorative and structural repairs. They must follow the original design exactly, and use the same woods and techniques. Of course, animal protein glues were the only glues used on furniture until the 20th century, and must be used for all repairs. Glues such as bone, hide and fish are excellent in every aspect, and they are reversible as well.
A good example of the conservation of the "original" finish is this Spanish 16th century "Vargueno", which I worked on about 15 years ago. The entire interior of the cabinet was fitted with pierce-carved boxwood laid over a red silk backing. The original finish on this would have been a clear wax, burnished onto the carvings, which were then carefully glued down (with hide glue) to the red silk.
Early in the 20th century it was fashionable to polish antiques with a linseed oil polish, and this eventually turns dark and cannot easily be removed. When I first examined the Vargueno the red silk was impregnated with the oil and had become nearly black. It would be impossible to remove the oil from the silk with a chemical process, since the silk would be destroyed.
I turned to Dr. Richard Wolbers, working at Winterthur for advice. He suggested a formula in use for painting conservation that used natural enzymes to eat the oil, which worked perfectly. I was quite excited to "wash" off the old dark oil from the surface of the silk, cleaning the boxwood carvings at the same time and revealing the original red color of the silk.
With a little clear wax carefully rubbed onto the wood surfaces, the piece regained the style and dignity that it originally had ages ago.