I bought five connected fold down theater chairs. Looks like 50's.
They are made of laminated wood, similar to plywood, and are curved.
The type like they used to make curved barstools and chairs and desks
out of. They are in decent shape, but are separating a little here and
there. What would I use to get them back to original. I would imagine
glue inserted in the cracks and held together with a clamp of wood
pieces band saw cut to fit the contour. Which type of glue:

And there is black paint, covering up a nice pine color underneath. It
looks like latex, as it is coming off in flat flakes about an inch
square. What would be the best way of getting off the wood without
introducing much water, or something that may cause it to delaminate or
cause further damage. Thanks.

Steve

"SteveB" wrote in message

I bought five connected fold down theater chairs. Looks like 50's.
They are made of laminated wood, similar to plywood, and are curved.
The type like they used to make curved barstools and chairs and desks
out of. They are in decent shape, but are separating a little here and
there. What would I use to get them back to original. I would imagine
glue inserted in the cracks and held together with a clamp of wood
pieces band saw cut to fit the contour. Which type of glue:

Yellow giue works, so does epoxy. I'd use yellow, simpler.

No need (probably) to make clamping cauls, a bunch of spring clamps should
work fine. If you don't have a bunch they are easy to make by cutting
3/4"-1" rings off a piece of 2" PVC pipe, then cut a slot actoss each ring
do you can pull them apart. The diameter of the PVC pipe used depends upon
the thickness of what you want to clamp.

And there is black paint, covering up a nice pine color underneath. It
looks like latex, as it is coming off in flat flakes about an inch
square. What would be the best way of getting off the wood without
introducing much water, or something that may cause it to delaminate or
cause further damage. Thanks.

Sand paper springs to mind

I kinda doubt that it is latex if from the 50s...they still had real paint
then. Might be lacquer too in which case, lacquer thinner would save much
sanding.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

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Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
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On Saturday, July 26, 2014 10:22:32 AM UTC-5, SteveB wrote:
I bought five connected fold down theater chairs. Looks like 50's.

They are made of laminated wood, similar to plywood, and are curved.

The type like they used to make curved barstools and chairs and desks

out of. They are in decent shape, but are separating a little here and

there. What would I use to get them back to original. I would imagine

glue inserted in the cracks and held together with a clamp of wood

pieces band saw cut to fit the contour. Which type of glue:

My suggestions. Remember what you paid for them. This is classic refinishing 101.

Take the whole set apart after you label/number each piece. Remove all hardware. Buy a good finish stripper and strip the pieces once at a time. I use Kleen Strip in the orange can (K5?). Wash with cheap lacquer thinner, not soap and water, water, or anything else. Lacquer thinner. Inspect all wood surfaces for damage, staining, etc., to decide if you want to clear coat, stain, paint, etc. Determination of your coating will determine how much you finish sand before coating application.

Repair wood as needed. Cut cauls to conform to shapes as needed. Use filler pieces of wood if pieces of edge laminate are missing. For this type of repair I use 30 minute epoxy I buy at Hobby Lobby. I use epoxy for its holding power, but also for its ability to harden. If you use a wood glue and the surfaces aren't clean, there may be adhesion problems. If you fill in a bit with epoxy, it won't shrink later, and if needed, the epoxy will harden enough to successfully fill voids. If any of it is exposed, then the surface of the glue should be treated or roughed up (as with any other glue) before finishing. When you are repairing, fill any worn screw holes with a soft wood plug and yellow glue to make sure new screws will grab. This needs to be done now, not later so you can sand down the plugs as needed before applying your finish.

Apply your desired finish to the wood/laminate.

Use the same method for the metal hardware, but remove all rust and carefully clean any pivot areas that probably received lubricants over the years to prevent squeaking. Lubricants can dry up, their solvents leave and they can turn to a gummy material that won't hold finish.

Prime the metal before you paint. All of it, not just the bare metal.

Buy new screws, bolts, nuts, and whatever else you need to reassemble. These aren't priceless antiques so don't worry about authenticity. Take your mechanical fasteners with you and match them up on the hardware store's rack.

Put it all back together.

As you can see, it is a process. If you skip steps, you will pay for it later.
Be patient, dont' get in a hurry and plan your work.

Robert

On Sat, 26 Jul 2014 16:57:51 -0400, "dadiOH"
wrote:

"SteveB" wrote in message

I bought five connected fold down theater chairs. Looks like 50's.
They are made of laminated wood, similar to plywood, and are curved.
The type like they used to make curved barstools and chairs and desks
out of. They are in decent shape, but are separating a little here and
there. What would I use to get them back to original. I would imagine
glue inserted in the cracks and held together with a clamp of wood
pieces band saw cut to fit the contour. Which type of glue:

Yellow giue works, so does epoxy. I'd use yellow, simpler.

No need (probably) to make clamping cauls, a bunch of spring clamps should
work fine. If you don't have a bunch they are easy to make by cutting
3/4"-1" rings off a piece of 2" PVC pipe, then cut a slot actoss each ring
do you can pull them apart. The diameter of the PVC pipe used depends upon
the thickness of what you want to clamp.

And there is black paint, covering up a nice pine color underneath. It
looks like latex, as it is coming off in flat flakes about an inch
square. What would be the best way of getting off the wood without
introducing much water, or something that may cause it to delaminate or
cause further damage. Thanks.

Sand paper springs to mind

I kinda doubt that it is latex if from the 50s...they still had real paint
then. Might be lacquer too in which case, lacquer thinner would save much
sanding.
But the paint may not have been put on in the '50s

On Saturday, July 26, 2014 3:57:51 PM UTC-5, dadiOH wrote:
No need (probably) to make clamping cauls, a bunch of spring clamps should work fine.

Making spring clamps: I've made foot long "clothes pins". 3/4" square stock for the legs, a pivot block between 2, with strips of cut (tire) inner tube wrapped around the legs.

I like the PVC idea. I'll have to try that.

Sonny

On 7/26/2014 2:06 PM, wrote:
On Saturday, July 26, 2014 10:22:32 AM UTC-5, SteveB wrote:
I bought five connected fold down theater chairs. Looks like 50's.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I paid $60 for them, and have two
people interested at $350. I want them to look nice, so will take my
time. Five seats will be a bit of a job, but I think they will look
very nice refinished with a light wood stain and clear topcoats. I have
a small Sears sandblaster that seems to work fine on such jobs, and I
think it will save me a lot of work, and give me a good base to prime.
I hope my daughter in law doesn't see them, as she has a home theater
room. She thinks if I paid $60 for them, I ought to throw in the work
and materials for $25 tops. She says it's so easy, a woman could do it.

Steve

On 7/26/2014 2:06 PM, wrote:
On Saturday, July 26, 2014 10:22:32 AM UTC-5, SteveB wrote:
I bought five connected fold down theater chairs. Looks like 50's.

They are made of laminated wood, similar to plywood, and are curved.

The type like they used to make curved barstools and chairs and desks

out of. They are in decent shape, but are separating a little here and

there. What would I use to get them back to original. I would imagine

glue inserted in the cracks and held together with a clamp of wood

pieces band saw cut to fit the contour. Which type of glue:

My suggestions. Remember what you paid for them. This is classic refinishing 101.


Take the whole set apart after you label/number each piece. Remove all hardware.

Buy a good finish stripper and strip the pieces once at a time. I use

Kleen Strip in the orange can (K5?). Wash with cheap lacquer thinner,

not soap and water, water, or anything else. Lacquer thinner.
Inspect all

wood surfaces for damage, staining, etc., to decide if you want to clear

coat, stain, paint, etc. Determination of your coating will determine how

much you finish sand before coating application.

Repair wood as needed. Cut cauls to conform to shapes as needed. Use

filler pieces of wood if pieces of edge laminate are missing. For this

type of repair I use 30 minute epoxy I buy at Hobby Lobby. I use epoxy

for its holding power, but also for its ability to harden. If you use a

wood glue and the surfaces aren't clean, there may be adhesion problems.

If you fill in a bit with epoxy, it won't shrink later, and if needed,

the epoxy will harden enough to successfully fill voids. If any of it

is exposed, then the surface of the glue should be treated or roughed up

(as with any other glue) before finishing. When you are repairing, fill

any worn screw holes with a soft wood plug and yellow glue to make

sure new screws will grab. This needs to be done now, not later so you

can sand down the plugs as needed before applying your finish.

Apply your desired finish to the wood/laminate.

Use the same method for the metal hardware, but remove all rust and carefully

clean any pivot areas that probably received lubricants over the years to

prevent squeaking. Lubricants can dry up, their solvents leave and they

can turn to a gummy material that won't hold finish.

Prime the metal before you paint. All of it, not just the bare metal.

Buy new screws, bolts, nuts, and whatever else you need to reassemble.

These aren't priceless antiques so don't worry about authenticity. Take

your mechanical fasteners with you and match them up on the hardware

store's rack.

Put it all back together.

As you can see, it is a process. If you skip steps, you will pay for it later.
Be patient, dont' get in a hurry and plan your work.

Robert

Thanks for the excellent info. What kind of clearcoat? I have used
McClauskey's (?) before. Is that overkill, or would a generic do as
well? Suggestions? Is there any chance of stain/varnish reacting with
clear coat and bubbling? I had a car do that once.

Thanks again.

Steve

On Monday, July 28, 2014 6:11:53 PM UTC-5, SteveB wrote:

Thanks for the excellent info. What kind of clearcoat? I have used

McClauskey's (?) before. Is that overkill, or would a generic do as

well? Suggestions? Is there any chance of stain/varnish reacting with

clear coat and bubbling? I had a car do that once.

Hope it helps, Steve.

My suggestion will make many here gasp with dispair... I would use Minwax clear, oil based polyurethane. While I don't have the results, articles, tests, documents or other cites for you, I can tell you it always winds up in the top 10% in blind testing by professionals. And those findings always result in indignant screaming, teeth gnashing, gasps of disbelief, and outright denial.

Other finishes have to be better... after all, they cost more so that must mean better, right? Plain old Minwax and Defthane work well for me. Minwax takes the edge though as it dries harder, and makes a more abrasion resistant top coat. Believe me, I have tried just about everything (practical) under the Sun if it will make me money, save me time and give a good finish.. And being a professional, most companies will send me their product to try as a sample.

I have my favorite, but it is expensive and must be sprayed. So with that in mind, I wouldn't have any problem at all with Minwax. I have put it on desk tops, and just left a long time client's house today that has a dining room table I finished with Minwax. Still looks perfect; it is a dining room table, a get together table, a craft table, cookie making table when the kids are around, etc. In a rake light, the table finish is still excellent and there are very few minor scratches. I would give that top finish a hearty thumbs up as it is about 5-6 years old now and actually looks new. It is three coats of Minwax "satin" over hard maple butcher block. The table top was sanded naked (to 220gr to remove the old finish completely), washed with lacquer thinner, and the material applied with a pad.

NO SANDING BETWEEN COATS. NONE. Just sayin'...

If your surface is clean you will have no bubbling simply because you applied your finish over stain. Remember to stir your coating, no shaking allowed. If you have any problems, it will be because you overwork the application of the urethane and pick up the stain with your applicator. Even if you don't see it, you can easily mottle the color and shadings by repeatedly going over a surface to "smooth out" the applicator marks.

Since I spray everything possible, I don't worry about that. But if you are hand applying and find the stain is picking up (check for ANY color on your applicator) then stop, spray dewaxed shellac on the surface, then carry on with your top coat in a couple of hours. The bottom of one of those seats would be my test bed for not only color, but proper application technique and method.

Robert

On Sunday, July 27, 2014 9:30:37 AM UTC-5, SteveB wrote:
I paid $60 for them, and have two people interested at $350.

Unfinished and you get an offer as that, i.e., unseen finished condition. What kind of offer will you get, once they are restored?

In good restored shape, I'd think they might be worth double that, but the market dictates the value. Do the work, then advertise them and see what offers you get, what better offers you may get. But sometimes I do restorations just for fun and reimbursement fees, not for profit, so much.

I'd like to see the refinished results, also.

Sonny

On 7/29/2014 9:36 AM, Sonny wrote:
On Sunday, July 27, 2014 9:30:37 AM UTC-5, SteveB wrote:
I paid $60 for them, and have two people interested at $350.

Unfinished and you get an offer as that, i.e., unseen finished condition.

What kind of offer will you get, once they are restored?

In good restored shape, I'd think they might be worth double that,

but the market dictates the value. Do the work, then advertise

them and see what offers you get, what better offers you may get.

But sometimes I do restorations just for fun and reimbursement fees,

not for profit, so much.

I'd like to see the refinished results, also.

Sonny


Good advice. Thanks. People know I scrounge, so ask me to watch out
for things they want, and their price ranges. Of course, sometimes, it
comes out that the value is in excess of their projection, but I still
give them first right of refusal. Sometimes, it takes a long while,
sometimes I never find what they want. But it sure makes it easier
buying something when you know you have interested buyers, rather than
just taking a chance on an item.

Looking at these, and all the stripping, and work, I agree that they
might come in at more than $350. I was thinking of just painting over,
but there is such nice wood underneath, and it's pretty solid. I think
it would look great with the black off there, a light stain, and a
clearcoat.

Steve

On Tuesday, July 29, 2014 3:09:51 PM UTC-5, SteveB wrote:

People know I scrounge, so ask me to watch out

for things they want, and their price ranges. Of course, sometimes, it

comes out that the value is in excess of their projection, but I still

give them first right of refusal. Sometimes, it takes a long while,

sometimes I never find what they want. But it sure makes it easier

buying something when you know you have interested buyers, rather than

just taking a chance on an item.



Looking at these, and all the stripping, and work, I agree that they

might come in at more than $350. I was thinking of just painting over,

but there is such nice wood underneath, and it's pretty solid. I think

it would look great with the black off there, a light stain, and a

clearcoat.

It isn't an item with a particularly markup:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_saca...r+seats&_frs=1

among other examples...

Robert

On 7/29/2014 5:38 PM, wrote:

It isn't an item with a particularly markup:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_saca...r+seats&_frs=1

among other examples...

Robert

I have historically done much better than ebay prices on Craigslist on
items where shipping becomes an issue. I advertise in Las Vegas, and
there are people there who have quite a bit of disposable income. We
will see.

Steve

On Tuesday, July 29, 2014 9:43:01 PM UTC-5, SteveB wrote:

I have historically done much better than ebay prices on Craigslist on

items where shipping becomes an issue. I advertise in Las Vegas, and

there are people there who have quite a bit of disposable income. We

will see.

Steve

Good luck!

Hope you make a mint. There is a lot of tedious work ahead. You sure deserve more than your asking price.

Robert

On 7/29/2014 8:17 PM, wrote:
On Tuesday, July 29, 2014 9:43:01 PM UTC-5, SteveB wrote:

I have historically done much better than ebay prices on Craigslist on

items where shipping becomes an issue. I advertise in Las Vegas, and

there are people there who have quite a bit of disposable income. We

will see.

Steve

Good luck!

Hope you make a mint. There is a lot of tedious work ahead. You sure deserve more than your asking price.

Robert


This is new for me. I haven't really redone any furniture before, but
have some pieces to be done. I'm doing it more for the experience than
anything else. I can see that refinishing furniture is labor and cost
intensive, takes a lot of time, takes a lot of space, and is messy. I
think this will be a good starter project. Winter is coming, and it
will be a good indoor project to be taken at a steady pace. Luckily,
there is not a lot of reconstruction or repair to be done. I'll try the
sandblaster and see if I can improve on cleaning metal over the paint
remover process, or compare them. I am building up my stock of wood
tools, organizing my bench, consolidating and repairing power tools, and
just learning some basic things. I do metal work primarily, and would
like to do some combination work, like work with hand made hand hammered
metal accents. It's all fun, but a guy would have a hard time making a
living at it.

Steve

On 7/30/2014 10:27 AM, SteveB wrote:

I do metal work primarily, and would like to do some combination work,
like work with hand made hand hammered metal accents. It's all fun, but
a guy would have a hard time making a living at it.

Had limited experience doing that (providing the woodworking to go with
someone else's metalworking), but what little I've done was satisfying,
and paid surprisingly well.

--
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Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

SteveB wrote:

This is new for me. I haven't really redone any furniture before, but
have some pieces to be done. I'm doing it more for the experience
than anything else. I can see that refinishing furniture is labor
and cost intensive, takes a lot of time, takes a lot of space, and is
messy.

More labor intensive than cost intensive.

I think this will be a good starter project. Winter is
coming, and it will be a good indoor project to be taken at a steady
pace. Luckily, there is not a lot of reconstruction or repair to be
done. I'll try the sandblaster and see if I can improve on cleaning
metal over the paint remover process, or compare them.

Sandblasting is going to open you up to a whole new world. Lots of
complications with sandblasting. For one - unless you have way more
sandbaster than you can probably justify, you are only going to do very
small - very small areas at a time. This becomes VERY time consuming.
Second - you don't end up with a finish ready surface - you will be doing
more surface prep. Third - you will have a mess like you cannot possibly
imagine until you actually go through it, unless you can contain it within a
sandblast cabinet. Trust me - this stuff gets everywhere you don't want it.
Everywhere. Think your worst case scenario and then tripple it.

I am building
up my stock of wood tools, organizing my bench, consolidating and
repairing power tools, and just learning some basic things. I do
metal work primarily, and would like to do some combination work,
like work with hand made hand hammered metal accents. It's all fun,
but a guy would have a hard time making a living at it.

So... maybe (based on your metal work...) you do already understand the
issues surrounding sandblasting - did not mean to speak down to you. But -
if you've never put your hand to it before, then I would suggest some
experimenting. I think you're going to be disappointed in what the cheap
cost of entry is going to offer you.


--

-Mike-

Subject

IMHO, the project is far too labor intensive to ever recover your
labor costs, much less material costs, unless you are willing to
work for $3-$4/hr.

As far as sand blasting is concerned, you ONLY do it outside
in the drive way.

Might try to reclaim sand for a 2nd pass if you can.

Even garnet is an expensive blasting material and you want to
seal the metal as soon as it is blasted clean.

This project could become a bottomless pit in a hurry.

Just my opinion.

Had a guy down the street who did glass bead blasting.

Made him a deal.

If he didn't build boats, I wouldn't blast clean things.

Lew