Rocking Chair Refurbishment
Refurbished an old rocking chair which was in pretty bad shape. The back was being held in place with a piece of plywood nailed to the back. The chair had to be completely dismantled and all of the old wood reconditioned. Several pieces were broken beyond repair and had to be made from scratch. The main back piece was broken but unique enough to warrant the extensive repair. The break was such that the piece wouldn't have enough strength to be usable without reinforcement. Reinforcement was done by drilling small holes through the sides and inserting small bamboo dowels (a very strong wood) and plugging the end holes with small plugs made from pieces of the chair that weren't usable. Filler for the holes was made from sawdust made from otherwise unusable parts from the chair. The back top piece was a piece of maple selected to closely match the color and grain of the rest of the chair. The entire woodwork was finished in an oil rub. Lastly, new upholstery was installed using fabric supplied by the client.
Material
- maple
- oak
Type
- wood
Type
- Rocking Chairs
Shape
- unique
Material
- upholstery
Size
- small
Meet the Maker
Thomas Hammett
Flint Hill Innovations
I create custom jewelry and art in metal employing the ancient technique of hammered metal called chasing and repoussé. I work in gold, silver, and copper to produce custom pieces of lasting beauty.
I learned hammered metal techniques from a succession of internationally renowned artists including Tom and Kay Benham, Valentin Yotkov, and Fabrizio Acquafresca. Much of my knowledge of silversmithing is self-taught, though I have attended workshops in silversmithing and other metalsmithing techniques.
My work usually employs natural objects as their model, such as leaves, flowers and animals, although some of my more spectacular pieces involve geometric shapes. All my pieces are one-of-a-kind, and I enter into an extensive dialog with my clients to arrive at a personal design before I begin work.