This project was completed June 15, 2015, the top of table was scratched and banged up, with parts of the veneer missing. The table had to be stripped back to bare wood, the missing veneer areas needed to be filled and touched up, then the wood was restored to the original high polish lacquer finish. The client wrote the following review on Angie’s List:
“I have a small business selling high quality mid-century furniture in Palm Springs, California. I had a couple of valuable Mastercraft pieces from the late 60’s that needed attention. One piece was a brass veneered triple vitrine. The hardwood subframe had a shrinkage issue due to climatic conditions here in the desert. This caused the brass veneer to lift in a few places. I interviewed some candidates for the job locally and nobody wanted to touch it. They all said to ship it to Los Angeles. The piece was heavy and fragile, so sending it to LA was not feasible. My research eventually brought me to Mark Fry at Museum Quality Restorations. I went to Mark’s shop in Desert Hot Springs and could tell immediately he knew how to fix the problem. He took the assignment. I had a second Mastercraft piece, a large dining table. It had a top of alternating blocks of book-matched veneer. Originally, it had a mirror-like finish that had been compromised in 40 years. Mark took this assignment as well.
Both of these assignments were handled beautifully and I was completely satisfied with the end result. I’m kind of a perfectionist, especially regarding my inventory. Mark fixed the veneer problem on the vitrine and made the dining table look new again. He charged me $500.00 for the vitrine and $2,500.00 for the top on the dining table. It was money well spent.
Now, Mark does incredible work, but like any true craftsman, (which he surely is) it’s not going to be particularly cheap or fast to get the work done. So, if you’re looking for cheap and fast, don’t waste his time. If, on the other hand, you have a valuable piece (and that can be a dollar or sentimental value) and you want it done correctly, then Mark is your guy. He’s a true renaissance man in a time when they’re hard to find. To have a resource like him in my back yard makes my business and life much easier. A happy relationship with any craftsperson depends on communication and expectation. If everyone is on the same page you have a happy ending to the story.”
Thanks for writing us a great review Steve! Here are the project photos followed by a screenshot of the actual review.
HINT – click on the images to expand and scroll through using the arrows at the side.
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- The table top is stripped to the bare wood, lighter patches show where the veneer is missing and needs to be filled in and touched up
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- Now stripped to bare wood, filled, sanded and with touched up veneer
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- Table leaf stripped to bare wood, filled, sanded and touched up veneer
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- close up, wood stained and sealed
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- Table top sanded and stained, then sealed (prior to sanding of sealant)
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- this mark had to be touched up and blended into the finish
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- Fine sanding the sealer after sealing
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- paste filling the grain after fine sanding of sealer coat
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- removing excess paste filler with burlap, leaving the grain pores filled
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- During application of multiple lacquer coats, each coat has to thoroughly dry and be sanded back smooth before the next coat. Multiple lacquer coats are required to produce the high polish deep shine
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- now reassembled with it’s polished brass base, the finished table is on display.
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- Finished leaf stored under the table
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- Now reassembled with it’s polished brass base, the finished table is on display.
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- Here is the other finished project for this client – the Mastercraft Vitrine
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- Angie’s List Review
