Thoughts on this furniture repair

[spanner48]

Trick is to keep offering it up until it closes as tightly as possible, then try and work out how to hold it there. More than once I have resorted to covering a piece of wood in cling film, then using car body filler to make a lump of material that fits it exactly and can then be shaped so the clamp can work as required. All good fun.
I agree with Spanner 48 on the use of Araldite in general.
Only thing to consider here is it does set to a darkish colour, so might not be suitable for your light wood.
But you do want something that doesn't go off too quickly, so you have time to make small adjustments. I find Gorilla glue is pretty good.

You're right: Araldite does dry dark. What I do is to add just a few grains of TiO2 [Titanium dioxide] to the Araldite mix. It's a very powerful white pigment; so a tiny amount will work. If it turns out too light, you can adjust with shellac.

 

[johnnyb]

I have repaired a few and the finish used to be ronseal varnish on tops and simple wax everywhere else(according to the company.)
I reckon there's a good reason they don't make this style anymore....

 

[Fergie 307]

You're right: Araldite does dry dark. What I do is to add just a few grains of TiO2 [Titanium dioxide] to the Araldite mix. It's a very powerful white pigment; so a tiny amount will work. If it turns out too light, you can adjust with shellac.

Good idea, I shall have to try that.

 

[spanner48]

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.

Just noticed that the top has been quarter-sawn, and is beautifully figured with the medullary rays. Also makes the top stronger against splitting . . .

. . . but even that can't beat a removals cowboy!