Wobbly Tea Trolley

[croft36]

We have a slightly wobbly vintage Thurman & Malin 3 tier Tea Trolley which has been in our attic for 30+ years and would appreciate any advice please on tightening the joints. Wondered about injecting glue somehow! Don’t want to dismantle as propose to sell it.

 

[lurker]

I would very much doubt you could sort it without dismantling.

I would either sell it as it is or do a proper refurbishment.
So far as I know, brown furniture of this type will not sell, regardless of its pedigree.
Fix it properly and spray it pink

 

[AndyT]

My parents had something very similar fifty years ago and it wobbled then!

Your best chance is if you can get the joints apart. They might pull apart, but I wouldn't be surprised to find some fine wire pins "helping" to keep tiny tenons in their mortices.

Most glues don't stick well to dirty, dusty wood, or onto traces of old glue. A piece of that age might have been made with hide glue or casein glue You could try Titebond Liquid Hide Glue, which will stick to those old glues better than PVA would.
You could try warming it up a bit to help flow - just stand the bottle in a mug of very hot water - and blow it into the joints with a straw. But really, dismantling first is what I would advise.

(And of course, it could have been repaired/botched already, leaving other glue to deal with.)

 

[Max Power]

Not wanting to sound pessimistic but you would be doing well to get someone to pick it up free, that's the way the market presently is for that type of furniture.

 

[MJP]

Is there a bit missing along the right hand edge of the top shelf?
Martin.

 

[pcb1962]

Is there a bit missing along the right hand edge of the top shelf?
Martin.

I think that's so that you can slide a tray on or off, however since the wheels aren't braked that could be a poor piece of design.

 

[clogs]

screw plywood to the back and sides change the casters for something stronger and use it in the workshop .....

most furniture of that time was carp.....
not enough wood for the fire but might help start one....!!!!
sorry, pet hate ....and wardrobes of that time were even worse......hahaha....

 

[owen]

That would be heading for the skip if it was mine, can't imagine anyone ever paying for one so don't bother wasting your time

 

[robgul]

That would be heading for the skip if it was mine, can't imagine anyone ever paying for one so don't bother wasting your time

Sadly I would agree - I like old furniture but that stuff just isn't "in vogue" - oddly enough we have a very similar trolley that's been demoted to live in the understair pantry and be a convenient way to wheel our stock of various bulk food items in an out (we buy bread flour in 16kg bags!!)

 

[lurker]

What would Jay Blades do?

 

[Racers]

What would Jay Blades do?

Paint one leg a bright colour.

Pete

 

[Fidget]

Paint one leg a bright colour.

Pete

Yes, but what would he do with the trolley?

 

[Racers]

Paint it to match his leg

Pete

 

[Jelly]

Sadly I would agree - I like old furniture but that stuff just isn't "in vogue"

This does seem to be the recieved wisdom...

However anacdotally, I have a house full of "old brown furniture" and am (was should I say) surprised how diverse a range of guests all comment on how lovely it looks, and how they'd love to have "proper" furniture.

Admittedly:

• The whole house has a cohesive style and is decorated in a sympathetic historic pallete,
• I only got started down that route because I was left a couple of genuine arts and crafts pieces (Barnsley I'm told but have never followed up on the provenance as I don't intend to sell), and
• Due to the combination of being skint as a young adult with developing a rabidly anti-consumerist outlook from my experiences in work have now become conditioned only to buy second hand.

Of course, I suspect that whilst a lot of people still enjoy the aesthetic, the don't personally go down this route because it's inconvenient and the furniture itself is awkward to deal with compared to flat-packed stuff.

 

[bjm]

...compared to flat-packed stuff.

Have you seen that Ikea are now planning a buy-back scheme to re-purpose unwanted items - a response to the waste we are creating. There may be a return to the 'buy good, buy once' approach that our grandparents used live by. Hold on to your trolley, it might become valuable?

 

[Jelly]

Have you seen that Ikea are now planning a buy-back scheme to re-purpose unwanted items - a response to the waste we are creating.

About time too!

My day-job is designing recycling and waste management plants, which is why work (of all things) lead me to be rabidly anti-consumerist; it's sickening to see how much perfectly usable stuff is thrown out every day.

So much stuff in fact that there's no realistic hope of being able to direct it to re-use without unscrupulous individuals being able to use it as a guise for hiding "real" waste being managed illegally, hence the somewhat regressive attitude to re-use that many Local Tips HWRC's take.

 

[robgul]

This does seem to be the recieved wisdom...

However anacdotally, I have a house full of "old brown furniture" and am (was should I say) surprised how diverse a range of guests all comment on how lovely it looks, and how they'd love to have "proper" furniture.

Yebbut - what I was saying is that it may look nice to the owner BUT has no significant value if selling thus not worth any effort or expense - given that the OP wants to flog it.

Even the Americans have stopped buying "shipping goods" as this stuff is described in the antique trade (as in "stuff a container full and send it off over the Atlantic" to sell at vast prices in trendy NY & Boston shops) - remarkably Americans are becoming a little more discerning on furniture, if not so much other things

 

[TheUnicorn]

I assumed the ikea scheme was essentially just a loyalty scheme / marketing ploy, they only buy back their own furniture as I understand, so it just helps to keep customers coming back for more. It did seem reasonable good value from what I recall.

I think there would have to quite a significant cultural shift towards quality, expensive products that last rather than flimsy products that are bright and fun, but only need to last a year or two at best. Not saying that would be a bad thing.

 

[bjm]

I assumed the ikea scheme was essentially just a loyalty scheme / marketing ploy, they only buy back their own furniture as I understand, so it just helps to keep customers coming back for more. It did seem reasonable good value from what I recall.

I think there would have to quite a significant cultural shift towards quality, expensive products that last rather than flimsy products that are bright and fun, but only need to last a year or two at best. Not saying that would be a bad thing.

Don't worry, the cynic in me says this is more a calculated marketing ploy, but it is a start?

 

[TJC]

I'm sure it's possible to grind up an old chipboard bookcase, insert new glue, and squeeze out a new chipboard bookcase? They may be onto something.. I doubt wood will get any cheaper.