If you remember this post a while back, I spotted this chair that looked out of place and ran a contest to see who could figure out what was different about it.  There were many responses in the comments section and many knew that it looked like a Merklen chair and that the brass elements were conspicuously missing.  The authentic antique chair can be seen in the image here.

Paul Tucker contacted me recently and let me know that Tom Webster was dead on right in knowing that this was a reproduction.  Not only are these chairs being sold “new in box”, but so are Merklen style tables (sold under the wrong name, Hunzinger) and Hunzinger lollipop chairs.

Thanks, Paul, for the heads up and Tom for the sharp eye.

On a separate note, if anyone is getting “banned IP” messages, I’m having a sporadic issue with security software that I use to keep out people trying to spam the site with fake comments.  If you continue to get it and are willing to work with me live on the phone to try and resolve it, please get in contact with me.  No, I’m not really banning any of you!

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Well, the table is finished and it looks fantastic.  In this final episode, John Hutchinson of Rose Valley Restorations in West Chester, PA explains the process that he, Kyle, and Bill followed to bring the table to this final condition. There is a luminescence to the color due to the shellac that John mixes himself from imported flakes that can’t be captured on the video.

The table is now in my foyer next to my other golden Oak pieces, including a tall lion-crested Oak hall bench from around 1910.  They all look like they belong together.

Thanks again to John for allowing me to film the process and for creating a work of art for me.

You can view the video by using the player above or follow the instructions to view it in full-screen, stereo and High-Definition.

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A quick update on the table’s progress in this video. It is fully stripped and sanded and the quartersawn Oak shows in all it’s bare glory. We select stain for the wood and paint for the griffins.

Video Part I and Part II - if you haven’t already seen them.

You can view the video by using the player above or follow the instructions to view it in full-screen, stereo and High-Definition.

Here’s Part II of the Merklen Brothers table refinish project.  If you didn’t view the first Part yet, I recommend you watch it first, here.

In this episode, I’m in the shop of my favorite local furniture restoration business, Rose Valley Restorations, and we go through a battery of tests to determine the best approach to stripping.

You can view the video by using the player below or follow the instructions to view it in full-screen, stereo and High-Definition.

This will be the first of hopefully many video blog posts here on Rare Victorian in the future. I did end up rescuing the Merklen Brothers table from this previous post and I hope to capture the transformation on video for you.

You can view the video by using the player below or follow the instructions to view it in High-Definition.

Antique Merklen Brothers Table Refinish Project from RareVictorian.com on Vimeo.