Brian VanVreede Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 So my brother and I are currently bidding a job for refinishing an oak kitchen table and the 4 chairs that go with it. My question is about getting the chairs down to the point where we can apply a new finish. The chairs are "Windsor" like, with no arm rests and are aproxomitly 30 yeas old.Before we bid the job it would be nice to have a good plan in place for sanding/stripping the spindles on the legs and backrest. Is there a way to safely dismantle the chair or are we just looking at a lot of tedious hours sanding all the spindles and the tight spaces around them and where they meet the seat. I don't mind the tedious sanding but I gotta believe there is an easier way(without doing a chemical dip or taking Matt Vanderlist's advice and paying someone else to do it) Any adivice or direction wood be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian VanVreede Posted January 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 So listening to episode 24 of WTO and the guys are talking about.glues. Marc mentions that if a project is constructed with hide glue then I should be able to take a heat gun to the joints to reactivate the glue. Are there any risks if i use a heat gun on the joints and its not hide glue? Were companies using a lot of hide glue in the early 70's or is hide glue an older product then that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Hide glue is as ancient as the hills. PVA glues date from the early 20th century, so I would doubt that production furniture from the 1970s used hide glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian VanVreede Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 So do you think there's any hope of taking these chairs apart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagel Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Hide glue is still used by luthiers to attach fretboards to guitar necks and bodies. The primary reason is that it allows for resetting the neck when necessary. The problem is that there's really no way to tell beforehand if the joints were bonded with hide glue other than applying heat to the joint and seeing if it loosens. I agree with Rob. It's not likely that furniture makers in the 70s would have used hide glue because there's no practical reason to want to loosen furniture joints as there is with guitar necks. As long as you're careful to not scorch the surface as you apply the heat, it doesn't harm anything to give it a try. That's really the only way to tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Sure. The tough part is getting it back together. Even if the old glue lets you push, pry, lever, twist things apart without breaking anything (highly unlikely) the inside of the joints will now be fouled with old glue. Not the end of the world (epoxy should be able to get things back together) but yet another headache. I like Matt's idea: At the very least, subcontract the stripping. Find a shop can dip entire pieces and get you down to the point that you can focus mostly on applying the new finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Hide glue is still used by luthiers Not just for fretboards; violin makers put the whole body together with it. One of the most terrifying, ripping sounds is when a professional luthier actually removes the board of a violin for repairs. It sounds like the violin is screaming in death; but it's all in a day's work and the instrument eventually goes back together good as new. PVA glue, however, would in fact destroy the instrument as it comes apart. Hide glue also used by organ builders who have to attach leather gusseting (typically sheep or kangaroo) to wooden bellows. Not only does hide glue make the inevitable releathering job possible (PVA glue would make it impossible) but it also makes the gussets flex easier. All this to say that, no, I doubt very much that a 40-year old dining set would have used the stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagel Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Not just for fretboards; violin makers put the whole body together with it. One of the most terrifying, ripping sounds is when a professional luthier actually removes the board of a violin for repairs. It sounds like the violin is screaming in death; but it's all in a day's work and the instrument eventually goes back together good as new. PVA glue, however, would in fact destroy the instrument as it comes apart. Hide glue also used by organ builders who have to attach leather gusseting (typically sheep or kangaroo) to wooden bellows. Not only does hide glue make the inevitable releathering job possible (PVA glue would make it impossible) but it also makes the gussets flex easier. All this to say that, no, I doubt very much that a 40-year old dining set would have used the stuff. Agreed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian VanVreede Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Hahaha I really didn't think about putting the chairs back together but ya, just another headache! What kind of places offer chemical dips? I'm gonna have to look into that. The only problem is that were doing the job for a family friend so I'm sure a chemical dip on 4 chairs is not in the budget unless its under 75 per chair! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 The only problem is that were doing the job for a family friend so I'm sure a chemical dip on 4 chairs is not in the budget unless its under 75 per chair! This brings us to the next lesson: It's rarely cost-efficient to refinish furniture because the cost of getting things down to clean wood is often more than the cost of a new piece. Unless you're dealing with a very rare piece, or are working for the rare person for whom money is no object, I wouldn't touch jobs like this with a 10' pole. Paint, OTOH, is a possibility. The surface prep isn't nearly as fussy and you can do some wonderfully interesting, durable, beautiful, personal, etc...things with a custom paint job. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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