So, we have a rather old antique wooden high chair. More like a tiny high stool with a back & arms. The seat has split in two places. I am also going to clean it to remove years of grit and mildew.

Questions: Glue first then clean the entire chair? Or the opposite?

I cleaned an old table a couple of years ago using a method Carlton suggested (iirc). I believe it was just to use ammonia & water & fine sandpaper. Then use linseed oil. I followed these instructions and the table came out looking very nice. Is my thinking correct? Ammonia & water?

I've always cleaned, then glued

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Ammonia and water. Knock the whole chair apart, probably just dowels and pegholes with a few screws thrown in maybe.

This'll give you a chance to clean all the old glue off the dowels, Good, abrasive sponge is ideal for this, specially if the chair is oak, as most were.

I'm assuming the seat is solid, in which case the gluing surfaces that split should be planed true with a jointer, or failing that with a very mild, careful application of a supersharp jackplane. In the abscence of both a sheet of 220 paper on a dead flat surface works well as you glide the piece slowly along it to get a decent edge.

Got a pic?

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No but I'll take a couple tonight. Not so sure I want to do a tear down. It's pretty solid save for the seat. Split one occurred when I brought it home; Split 2 when I washed it. Besides,we're not talking Antiques Roadshow here.
Here's how the table top looked before linseed oil was applied.

Depending on the crack, you can always make a putty using the right kind of glue and sawdust from your sanding, which will be very fine.
You can also add to your sawdust by flipping the seat over and re-sanding the botton just to get more sawdust-- This is an old fitter's trick I was taught.

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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

I glued the chair together and cleaned it with ammonia and water. I want to hit it again to remove a little more grit in a few places. Little children coming to table this weekend. I'll post a pic up in the next day or two & seek opinions on treating the surface. So far so good though.

Got sidetracked this past weekend with the boys doing windows. You should see what a 120 yr old sash pulley can turn into living on the coast.

Nice house (er sorry nice window too!).

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Thanks Army, but it's NBW.. (nuttin but work.)

Scary having a place with a 120 yr old brick foundation.

Keep on going you will get on top of it in the end.

Nothing wrong with bricks many many many places here are built with brick...



...sorting out old pointing can take a while on a place like this though...

I used to live in a cob cottage now that's a bit more scary with modern central heating. The walls are made of hay and horse sh## - they turn to dust. I've seen the ends of beams just hanging about in that dust...

...now I'm living in a re-inforced concrete mulit-story car park like structure. Concrete cancer is a bit of a concern particularly on balconies that stick out from walls without additional support (cantilever)

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Place I'm at is about 80YO with brick foundation. The earthquake and hurricane this year certainly gave us some scares but looks like a solid and nice place! Old pulleys and rust = no good

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

The problem with bricks is that there is no footing. They simply built a low wall of brick that extends not more than 1 foot below ground level. The support for the structure is poor and the the brick wall will disfigure itself quite severely over the years.

About 15 years ago, I replaced one of those walls on this house with a proper footing (4 feet down) and a proper concrete block wall. There remains another deteriorating brick wall on the far side that is definitely beyond my desire to do at this point.

Soil type in a location seems to be regional in nature. Local practices generally hold up in a given area. For example here the clay content is too high. So only concrete below grade line will last. Almost anything else is a waste of time.

I had no idea it was done that way in the US - here they have pretty deep foundations.

If I remember correctly our house (built in 1959 so not especially typical of the picture I posted previously!) has 2 meter deep foundations on a concrete (probably reinforced) footing before the bricks got laid. But then everything round here is sand...

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

It all depends on age. The brick foundations on the ground were done before the days of building codes and building inspectors. NFW they could ever be approved for that today. A 16" footing below the frost line and an 8" block or concrete wall are required on just about everything.

This house was built in 1921. The folks who built it could do anything they wished...........and they did.