Recaning Thonet bentwood rocking chair

[Malcolm Stewart]

First time posting here. Some advice please.

Is it worthwhile having an antique rocking chair recaned, bearing in mind that
my home is centrally heated and dry (less than 50%RH most of the year).

Apart from the cane seat and back having failed, the chair is in good condition
with the maker's name clearly visible on the under-side of the seat frame.
Commercial caners I've approached don't appear to have tackled anything as big
as my chair, and don't seem to understand about the finishing off strips needed
to cover the underside of the cane holes.

Is it possible to obtain the correct width of cane if I decide to do it myself?
Many years ago I found that the original cane for the seat and back was between
adjacent sizes easily available in the UK.

Thanks for any advice

--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK

[a l l y]

Hello Malcolm

Since we specialise in cane & rush seating, and the supply of
materials for DIY projects, I'm probably as well qualified as anyone
to reply to your query.

I'm surprised to hear your local caners aren't used to large caning
jobs though! I'll tackle anything, though of course the bigger it
gets, the more it costs. Whether it's worthwhile is really up to you:
it depends on what sort of value you, personally, would put on the
chair. Central heating in itself shouldn't do too much harm: I find
the worst damage seems to come from leaving chairs in direct sunlight,
rather than just dry heat. You can always spray the back of the
canework with water now and again, anyway, if you're worried.

Is it vital to recane the chair in exactly the same sizes as the
original? We can certainly obtain the more unusual sizes if you
require them, but generally we just use the nearest commonly available
size, as these others have to be ordered specially and therefore cost
more.

Do I understand that on the back of the chair the holes finish off in
a groove, which was originally filled in with a narrow strip of wood,
and this is now missing? We do come across chairs such as this from
time to time, and you really need a woodworker or furniture restorer
to make a new strip of wood after the caning is completed, as it has
to be almost invisible after sanding and polishing.

If you'd like any more information please email me, but take the dog
out first. :-)

ally

http://www.marshallmcgurk.co.uk/SitUpon

[ReyneH]

There is a dealer in the UK who specialized in Thonet. You might consider
asking them.

Their name is City Antiques

I don't remember what their URL is but I'll see if I can find it and get back
to you.

Reyne
http://www.reyne.com