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<p>[QUOTE="Gold Dial, post: 2489990, member: 15972"]Hello Everyone,</p><p><br /></p><p>I just bought a massive, antique roll top desk that I plan to completely rebuild and refinish this next year. </p><p><br /></p><p>The desk is labeled Horrocks in several places, but no other markings indicate where or when it was made. I suspect it was made in Herkimer, NY by the Standard Desk Company, which was perhaps the largest manufacturer of desks during that era. Judging by the austere, slab-style, I suspect it was made during the 1910's. I bought the desk in Western Minnesota and the seller thought it may have come from an old railway station.</p><p><br /></p><p>The desk is in rather rough shape and will need to be refinished. The left side is missing an entire sheet of oak veneer and large patches of veneer are missing elsewhere. I think even the purists would have to concede on this one.</p><p><br /></p><p>What is the best way to refinish this desk? How do I most accurately replicate the original finish and methods? I assume this desk was finished just like most of the QSWO furniture and woodwork of that era. Should the grain be filled first? Should it be waxed? Is there any way to really bring out the tiger stripes and flakes in the veneer? The desk seems to have originally been a light golden color that darkened over time. Since I like the darker color, would a darker stain be appropriate on a desk from this era?</p><p><br /></p><p>If anyone has information on this kind of desk or has had success refinishing one, I would love to hear about it. Thanks.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/84/bc/73/84bc73a2edcd364e880beacda011faea.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/57/bb/4d/57bb4dbf5429c910e2dc1ea991705ca5.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b1/b4/f3/b1b4f3a589403c67ab7e5aacd980ebfc.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c0/a1/59/c0a159ebdeefbee6da8325fed0ba32f0.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b8/75/da/b875da009287e7458679a5fb86700211.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/60/8e/fc/608efc427990ff48065910814ee7741b.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/07/7a/af/077aaf86d2add69345ff6008fd29f77e.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Gold Dial, post: 2489990, member: 15972"]Hello Everyone, I just bought a massive, antique roll top desk that I plan to completely rebuild and refinish this next year. The desk is labeled Horrocks in several places, but no other markings indicate where or when it was made. I suspect it was made in Herkimer, NY by the Standard Desk Company, which was perhaps the largest manufacturer of desks during that era. Judging by the austere, slab-style, I suspect it was made during the 1910's. I bought the desk in Western Minnesota and the seller thought it may have come from an old railway station. The desk is in rather rough shape and will need to be refinished. The left side is missing an entire sheet of oak veneer and large patches of veneer are missing elsewhere. I think even the purists would have to concede on this one. What is the best way to refinish this desk? How do I most accurately replicate the original finish and methods? I assume this desk was finished just like most of the QSWO furniture and woodwork of that era. Should the grain be filled first? Should it be waxed? Is there any way to really bring out the tiger stripes and flakes in the veneer? The desk seems to have originally been a light golden color that darkened over time. Since I like the darker color, would a darker stain be appropriate on a desk from this era? If anyone has information on this kind of desk or has had success refinishing one, I would love to hear about it. Thanks. [IMG]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/84/bc/73/84bc73a2edcd364e880beacda011faea.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/57/bb/4d/57bb4dbf5429c910e2dc1ea991705ca5.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b1/b4/f3/b1b4f3a589403c67ab7e5aacd980ebfc.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c0/a1/59/c0a159ebdeefbee6da8325fed0ba32f0.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b8/75/da/b875da009287e7458679a5fb86700211.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/60/8e/fc/608efc427990ff48065910814ee7741b.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/07/7a/af/077aaf86d2add69345ff6008fd29f77e.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
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