As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, January 2008

Q. I have acquired what I think to be a very old love seat in desperate need of repair and reupholstering. I am well versed enough on basic repair techniques to tackle the structure of the frame but I am in a quandary about one of the aspects of the upholstery portion of  the project.  In particular I am concerned about the nailing surface of the frame. It appears that the frame has been recovered numerous times and there are places in the seat frame where some of the original wood is actually missing. In many areas there doesn't appear to be enough sound wood to staple or nail the jute webbing, tie strings or fabric to. I have seen several epoxy type fillers that claim to be for this type problem but I don't want to use a product that is not reversible in the long run. Do you know of a product that can be successfully removed later if there is a need?

      A. Your approach to the restoration project is admirable and generally preferable if  time and expense allow it and if the piece warrants it.

      I am not aware of any product that would fill the gaps in the nailing surface and be sturdy enough to withstand the stress of upholstery yet be completely and safely removable at a later date. (If anyone knows of such a product please let me know.)  I think the solution to your problem is not a product but a technique.

      Cut strips of 3/8in plywood to conform to the nailing surface that is damaged, either the top or bottom of the frame depending on the configuration of the upholstery. These strips can be nailed onto the sound parts of the frame and supply a new surface to attach fabric, tie string and edge rolls. The additional 3/8in thickness probably will not be noticeable and can be compensated for in the thickness of the padding. To take the reversible repair concept even one step further, instead of nailing the plywood to the old frame surface, attach it with nylon straps wrapped tightly around the frame and then nailed or stapled into the plywood. The straps can easily be concealed with padding or batting and you have left not one new nail hole in the entire piece. It takes more time but it does solve your problem and meet your preservation criteria.

      Q. I know there are scores of collectors who love the blond Heywood-Wakefield furniture from the 1940's - 50's but I think I have one that goes WAY back and I'm trying to figure out how far. The chair is unusual and I couldn't resist buying it even though I don't collect Heywood-Wakefield and I already have a house full of  wonderful chairs. It's a tall clerk's or bank teller's or draftsman's chair in solid oak. The hardware that allows the chair to spin is made of cast iron, not steel so I think its pretty old. Some parts of the frame are bent wood (unless I'm wrong and they are merely sawn that way). It has a round foot rail. It has part of a paper label on the bottom of the seat with the number "C 111" on it and another label on the bottom of the chair back. This H-W chair I would place in the 1890's.

      Can you give me any additional information? Did H-W design a line of office furniture a hundred or more years ago? The available reference books seem to focus on the old wicker and on the modern furniture. Thanks.

      A. Your chair is called a bookkeeper chair or rotary desk chair. I could not find a picture of your chair in H-W literature but I found examples from other manufacturers in two other books. The best reference I found is "Furniture Made in America 1875 - 1905" by Richard and Eileen Dubrow, published by Schiffer. Illustrations on pages 190, 198 and 199 show similar pieces made by Tyler Desk Company of St. Louis and by E.F. Pierce of Boston. Another book is "Antique Oak Furniture, An Illustrated Guide" by Conover Hill, Collector Books.  This book shows chairs almost identical to yours on page 36 and the 1990 price guide, which obviously is out of date, suggests a price around $275.00.

      The "C 111" on the paper label is probably the model and style number. H-W used a similar alpha-numeric system later on in its modern furniture lines and this may have been a early prototype.

      However, the most telling clue is not the style or the cast iron appliance but rather the decal type label on the rear of the back. This label clearly says "Heywood-Wakefield". The significance of that name is that until 1921 the company was known as "Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company" using the ampersand and no hyphen and spelling out the word "brothers". It was not until 1921, shortly after acquiring Lloyd Manufacturing Company that Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company, which had been formed in 1897, was liquidated and "Heywood-Wakefield" was incorporated.

      Based on that piece of evidence, unless it was added at a later date which is possible, your bookkeeper chair is a product of the 1920's just before H-W began its transformation into modern furniture.

Visit Fred's website at www.furnituredetective.com. Fred Taylor's new book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is now available for $18.95 plus $2.00 S & H. Send check or money order for $20.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423. Fred and Gail Taylor's video, "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE", ($29.95 includes S & H) is also available at the same address. For more information call (800) 387-6377, fax (352) 563-2916, or e-mail fmtaylor@aol.com.