Hello. I have a Paris Mfg (Maine) model 500 roll-top writing desk that is apparently >100 (possibly well over) years old. It was quite wobbly when I bought it. I am trying to make it sturdier without compromising its value as a antique. For the most part, it is butted and fastened with wood screws in a straightforward fashion. It looks like Paris was making these items in quantity, and ease of assembly was an important design criterion. I think that replacing the two missing screws and judiciously tightening the others will make the “case” adequately sturdy. However, the leg and rear cross brace assembly has me slightly puzzled. Those pieces are assembled with blind mortise and tenon joints. Each joint is secured by a brad driven through the piece at right-angle to the tenon. I’ve never seen that before. I think that was done by the manufacturer, but I guess it could have been done by some later owner. If there was ever any glue in the M & T joints, it has long since disappeared. Since this base is the source of most of the wobbliness, how I approach refastening it is an important part of the success of this project. So, I’m looking for advice. Should I remove the brads, clean any debris from the joint, and then glue and clamp it? Is there any need to replace the brads if I do that (I’m a bit afraid of splitting, even if I use the existing holes.) While I wasn’t planning on gluing the butt joints that are held together by the wood screws, I am curious about whether there would be any advantage to doing so. Any advice (especially the experienced variety) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
-Sam
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Paris Manufacturing is an interesting story for woodworkers. The founder was a woodworking hobbyist and made several snow sleds that his wife hand painted. He sold them all and there was demand for more. The business was launched the next year. Over time it grew and expanded, as did the the items they made. Most likely, your roll top desk is from the early 1900's. Value can run a large range depending on the customer. I've seen very nice and ornate ones go for $500 up to $2000.
This wouldn't qualify as a valuable antique. Doing repairs yourself won't hurt it. There are a lot of lessons in a piece like yours. Obviously, glue doesn't stand up, metal fasteners corrode and lose their grip and nails create more of a problem later than doing much good for the structure. Something to remember in our own work.
Just tightening the screws won't last, you need to add to the screw hole. Often a flat toothpick or two glued in will make the screws hold well. The brads in the M&Ts might be corroded enough so they pull out or break off as you take the joint apart. A 1/8" dowel pin in it's place, or near, would be a better repair choice. I'd likely use epoxy with a filler additive which will have gap filling ability, that other woodworking glues don't have, a pin would be optional. Not much advantage to gluing butt joints, too much opposite wood movement, some dowels may help a weak joint.
I had read that Paris' sled production started at about the time the Civil War ended. The model 500 is a small, plain child's or lady's writing desk. I found a post to another forum from a women who claimed that her grandmother, who died in 1922, had that model desk as a child. So very early 1900's was my guess (I confess that I have no idea for how long Paris made this model - it could have been for many, many years) I know that the piece isn't worth much money (although it was probably an OK deal for the $55 I paid.) When I mentioned not impairing the value, what I had in mind was preserving the aesthetics of the item to the extent practical while restoring its utility. In fact, I plan to make it a birthday present for my young granddaughter. All of your suggestions are good, I'll probably follow one or more of them. Are you suggesting that with epoxy & filler I wouldn't need the brads/pins at all? Also, isn't polyurethane glue inherently gap filling? Would that be as good as the epoxy & filler? While I'm playing "20 Questions", do you have any idea what Paris typically used for a finish on their furniture? It has run or "melted" a bit, and I plan to try to even it out, hopefully without stripping it. I tested 90% isopropyl, gum spirits, and mineral spirits on it. The alcohol did nothing. The turpentine and the mineral spirits had a very, very slight effect. I'm now thinking that it might be laquer. I may end up tung oiling it to blend in the runs if nothing else works. Finally, the canvas holding the roll-top slats together is in reasonably good condition. Would you leave it alone, or is something that I could treat it with that would help it last longer (I was thinking that "real" latex might be a good idea.) Thanks for your help!
My thoughts
If you don't mind advice from a second source... I have some experience restoring antiques, but I rely on others to judge value - one reason I waited to comment on your post. The other advice you were given is outstanding. Epoxy is a godsend on loose joints, on pieces where a tradition hide glue is not needed to retain authenticity. It has excellent gap filling properties. Polyurethane glue like Gorilla Glue will fill voids with foam, but possesses no structural gap filling strength. I worked with a guy who swore by it when repairing loose joints on dining room chairs and all the chairs started coming back 3-4 months later to be redone, opening up the loose joints revealed nothing but foam.
I personally hate nails driven through joints as they can often be difficult to remove and repair. Especially if the nails were added later by a would-be repairman. Sometimes I've had to cut away around the head to have enough material to pull on, other times I've had to resort to pulling the joint apart despite damage to the tennon, but be careful not to blow out the sides of the mortise. A tool I find helpful is a slim pair of wire cutters, the common kind that tapers to a point. Normally they don't work very well because the cutting wedge is ground on the top and bottom, making it unsuited to getting down flush with the surface. I cure this by resurfacing the bottom of the tool on the flat side of a grinding wheel until it's perfectly smooth and uniform. This enables it to get into hard to reach places and to pull out nails that are nearly flush with the surface. There may be some other specialty tools that will do the same thing. I definitely wouldn't put new nails back in when your done. The suggestion of dowels was much better, but honestly I don't think a properly applied epoxy joint is going to fail you in your lifetime.
Also, if the screw holes are too stripped out for matchsticks to work (the best fix in my opinion :-) you can resort to drilling the hole out to the same size as a piece of hardwood dowel and glueing in a section, then drilling a new pilot hole for your screw into fresh material.
About the finish, though, what kind of condition is it in generally? It may be possible to apply something over it with some success. A few times I've just sanded well and applied a couple coats of padding lacquer, shellac, or waterlox. This only works if the underlying finish is still pretty solid and free from lots of cracking, peeling, crazing, etc. Sometimes all that's needed is to bring some fresh life into a piece with some buffing cream and wax.
Seems like my best bet is to go with epoxy (possibly thickened) and no cross nails or dowels for refastening. I will do that. Re the finish - it is sound, but it looks like the piece was either stored in an attic where it got very hot and the original finish ran and pooled a bit, or some later owner tried to apply an additional top coat that was incompatible with the original, which likewise ran. I'm going to do a test of laquer thinner in an inconspicuous spot. If that doesn't look promising, then I'll either apply something over it, or leave it as is. It isn't hideous, just (in my judgement) not as quite good as it should be, even for an antique. The issue with sanding is the roll top. To sand in place would take forever, and I'd be afaid of abrading the canvas in the process. I'm trying very hard to avoid the possibility of needing to completely reassemble and refasten it. That looks to me like a unique and demanding skill that I don't currently have time to acquire :) Thanks to everyone for very useful and constructive advice.
-Sam
Epoxy is a little different than most other glues. It works best when there is some space, clamping tightly like you ordinarily would isn't what you want to do. To give the epoxy some body, you can add fine sawdust to make peanut butter consistency. Pack plenty in, clean up excess immediately with white vinegar. Stay on the warmer end of the temperature range. No pins are necessary.
I have reservations about polyurethane glue. It's expensive and has no shelf life. Don't buy a large size unless you use it all quickly. When it comes to Gorilla glue, it's permanent. Should work if gaps aren't too loose but I prefer epoxy.
Most likely, Paris Mfg. used a phenolic varnish, same as they would have used on snow shoes, sleds, skis, etc. It will take a chemical stripper to remove. If the roll top isn't broken, leave it alone.
Good trick
White vinegar? No kidding. Sure beats the acetone I was using to clean it up. I'll have to give it a try.
By the way, if you get some polyurethane glue, make sure you put the cap back on tightly. I didn't one time and the humidity in the air cured what was in the bottle hard as a rock!
Alaphatic wood glue not epoxy:
The next guy who refinishes and restores it might want to get the damned thing apart. Just a guess, but if the brads are orignal they were there to hold the assembly untill the glue dried, just like Norm did it.
There are a couple of glues out there for fixing old joints that are designed to re-swell the wood. You might try one of them.
The Polyurethane glues are good in the right application, if applied right. You need a tight joint, and both parts should be in a damp, but "surface dry" condition.. The polyurethane needs water to react and cure. The resin will penetrate into the wood to get it, and the poly is stronger than the lignon, so you can end up eith a joint that is stronger than the wood.
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