Antique Chair repair finishing question

[TheTrooper]

I had a chair break and need help on finishing. I'm going to make the side that is broken. What type of finish do you think that they used back then?

 

[mouppe]

Dye, shellac and varnish I would have thought.

 

[waho6o9]

Interesting how the dowels broke on this repair.

Good luck on matching the new piece to the existing chair.

Practice your finish on some scrap first  and that's good advice from RL.

Personally I'd splice in a piece, but making a new one is good as well.

 

[mouppe]

Interesting how the dowels broke on this repair.

Good luck on matching the new piece to the existing chair.

Practice your finish on some scrap first  and that's good advice from RL.

Personally I'd splice in a piece, but making a new one is good as well.

I agree. I would saw the dowels flush, and use either dominos or dowels to reattach the leg. A new piece would not be any stronger and would always look different. Looks like mahogany to me.

 

[mike_aa]

If the chair has any value as an antique, you'd be best off making the splice and retaining as much of the original side rail and it's construction as possible.

Mike A.

 

[Brent Taylor]

It looks like a factory built chair and also looks to be mahogany. I would suggest making a new seat rail out of old stock if you can find some or dutchman in a piece and veneer over the repair. I would have it appraised first, no matter what you decide to do. If it's of real value your options are limited.   

 

[TheTrooper]

It's pretty old. It was my great grandmother's. I'm just very worried about matching the finish. I mean if it was a floor or a staircase that I had to match. It would be no problem. Just very unfamiliar with dyes and older methods.

 

[leakyroof]

Shellac would react with alcohol, so you can gently try some Denatured Alcohol in a hidden place on the chair to see if the finish comes off easily.
Lacquer is not that old of a finish but the chair doesn't look that old in the dowel contruction methods that were used to put it together.Same trick, but try Lacquer thinner to see what happens instead of Alcohol.
If neither of these solvents really attack the finish, then it's most likely a Varnish Finish.
Agree on using existing parts with new dowels or Tenons to repair the chair, then you won't hardly need to worry about the finish matching a bunch of new wood.