1890s Heirloom Rocker from England

An 1890s rocker from England, brought in by the third generation of its family, with a shattered front rail repaired and the seat rebuilt in Austrian leather.

Era

1890s

Work

Frame repair, refinishing, rebuilt seat

Materials

Tied springs, burlap, tow, flax straw, Spanish moss, cotton, Austrian leather

This rocker came in from its third-generation owner. A previous upholsterer had packed cotton and moss over the original stuffing, replaced the webbing and patched the burlap, and serious frame damage was hiding under the cover. A steel brace had been screwed in to hold the frame together, corner braces had been nailed in hard enough to cause more damage, and the front rail was shattered with a large piece missing.

The frame needed several separate rounds of gluing and clamping to align the dowels. Varnish remover released the classic Phyfe red dye, and the wood was refinished with aniline dye, a shellac sealer and three coats of urethane.

For the seat, Kim pulled the spring ties to the bottom of the rails instead of the inside, which is far less prone to failure. He built a 2-inch front edge from burlap packed with tow, shaped it with three rows of stitching, reused the original straw and tow, and finished with cotton, denim and leather imported from Austria. “Good for generations to come!”