Ball and Claw Easy Chair Restoration

This beautiful ball & claw, ebony & cane-backed easy chair was a typical restoration in many ways.

It came to me in one piece but, not due to any particular abuse or trauma, was wobbly & stressed all over!

What happens over time it that the glue in the joints becomes brittle & loses its contact. This just happens as a matter of course & is largely unavoidable. What can be avoided, however, is the time it takes to reach help!

Because the chair was loved so much, it was used for a long while after the loosening of some of the joints. What then happens is that the movement in the joints causes stresses & tensions in the rest of the chair—often, as in this case, causing some elements to crack.

So I had to dismantle the chair completely and did all of the following:

• cleaned up all the old brittle glue
• replaced some dowelling pins as required
• plugged & filled any fixing holes
• cleaned & repaired any cracks
• cleaned up & re-fitted all joint joinery
• oiled the springs
• gave the chair a light sanding to remove any damaged finishes
• re-glued everything that needed regluing
• re-oiled it
• & returned it to my very happy client ready for many more years of enjoyment.

You can see the pics below to see the process.