Thoughs on this furniture repair

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aesmith

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Aberdeenshire
Hi,

This an oak stool, given to us a long time ago, broken by removals company and not properly fixed. At the time we accepted a repair and some cash, with hindsight should have insisted on replacement or proper repair. But we are where we are. The "repair" arranged by Pickfords didn't last, we lost the pieces but have now found them and it's sitting in the workshop before I even consider doing anything that might be irreversible.

So I'd appreciate any comments or advice. The broken bits fit together reasonable tightly but don't close up. That might be because the top was formed by bending rather than hollowed out from solid, so there's some stress in the top but not the fragment. Or because there's some glue or gunge from the "repair" present on the broken surfaces. I'm not expecting an invisible repair.

Thanks, Tony S

1. Stool.jpg


Break from above and below ..

2. Break from above Screenshot_25.jpg


3. Break from below.jpg


The bits ...

4. Pieces.jpg


Bits dry fitted, viewed from various angles. The gaps close up a bit under finger pressure, but not completely. That crusty light coloured stuff on the underneath is from the "repair", ideally I'd remove it.

5.Dry fit from below.jpg
6. Dry fit from above.jpg
7. Dry fit edge on.jpg
 
Hi Tony.
You have a very nice Robert Thompson (Mouseman) stool. The top is not bent but hewn out by hand with an adze. In perfect condition it would fetch around £500 in auction and probably over a thousand with a dealer so well worth doing a proper repair.
It looks as though the Pickfords repair was glued with cascamite, there is still some residue in the break which is what is preventing a good join. All of the old glue will need picking/scraping out carefully so as not to damage the edges. There is enough glueing surface for the repair to be done with scotch or fish glue. It will need clamping with care so as to get a good join.
 
I don't reckon that's repairable long term beyond cosmetically. The design is short grainy imho. Whilst a beautiful and understated piece I think it's a bit badly designed.
I would approach the company to see if a replacement Could be made.
 
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