Installing Oilcloth for an Antique Desk - Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- Tom Johnson of Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration in Gorham, Maine installs a fabric writing surface of oilcloth on this antique oaken desk. Tom has been restoring furniture professionally since 1979. Visit our website at www.thomasjohnsonrestoration.com, or write us at thomasjohnsonrestoration@gmail.com. And for those on the west coast looking for custom framing, be sure to check out Tom's daughter's shop, www.emcollier.com (@emcollierframes on Instagram).
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one of the best channels on youtube. I love every video!
I agree with you :)
Thank you!
So how much would you cry, if someone spilled fingernail polish remover on that?
Looks pretty Good
Mr Johnson. It's a real pleasure to watch you work.
Thank you!
Your work is artistry in action; I'll never tire of it.
Thanks!
Nicely done. Love to see the finished roll top too.
Thanks! the client doesn't use the upper section, which is why I didn't show the entire restoration.
Watching your videos makes me feel like an apprentice. Another good one!
Thanks!
Thanks for this video. I have a desktop that I need to replace and I thought it was going to be very very difficult but you made it look a lot simpler than I initially anticipated.
You're welcome!
As others have said, excellent as usual. I've learned so much from you.
Thank you!
Thanks again for an interesting video. Having scraped the edge of the inlay area, even a small piece of debris under the material may have shown up as a blemish, so great work.
You're welcome. I didn't show it but I did have to pull back the material at some point to get a piece of something out of there
I taught at a couple of Universities during my Professorship, Manchester University in the UK, London School of Economics, Cornell University in Ithaca Upstate New York US, American University Rome Italy, Delhi School of Economics, American University of Cairo but in all of those Universities bar 2 of them I had an Oilcloth desk in my Halls of residence where my rooms where, a place we're students could get 1 to 1 tutorial if they so required it or if they where struggling a bit. I used to teach Economics and International Business Management. I love you're video's by the way my Late Grandfather was a Carpenter he did his apprentship in Liverpool England on all the big ocean liners that were getting built and those getting refurbished during the 1930's. In those days Apprentices used to make their own carpentry tools we're possible I have some of my Grandfather's tools they're a very prised possession of mine.
Thanks! That sounds so interesting! I would have loved to work on an ocean liner!
I'm a couple of years late but I think you knocked it out of the park on this one!
Thanks! Never too late!
in the nick of time, just looking at replacement leather but absolutely not necessary for my application. this vinyl looks perfect. thank you
You're welcome! Yes, I really like it too. And these Victorian pieces almost always had oil-cloth, not leather
Love your work! Thanks for posting the videos.
You're welcome!
Dear Thomas, this is just the video it randomly came to when I finally decided to write a comment: I watched a lot of your videos over the last few weeks and every single one of them was a great pleasure! My - without praising myself - exceeding grades and interests in physics and science made me study civil engineering, but even thouh I realy enjoy my trade, I occasionally feel the urge to physically create and shape with my own hands. The basic act of resoring and preserving heritage always fascinated me and cleaning up old tools and woodwork helped me pulling myself out of frequent waves of depression repeatedly. At intervals, I tend to ask myself weather a proper education in craftsmanship would have been a better way of life for me, even though it might have seemed absurd to the people around me, considering my success in the scholastic fields. Watching your videos makes me feel like having a tiny bit of crafts-apprenticeship on the side! Thanks for all the hard work!
Regards, Pascal
PS: Excuse some potential minor errors due to german autocorrect!
Hi Pascal, thanks for your kind words. Keep working with tools whenever you get the chance, and lose yourself in it! That's the best therapy!
Great looking piece and great work on the repair!
Thanks!
Love watching you work Tom....cheers,,,rr
Thanks!
Excellent! Many thanks. I have a very similar task to undertake on a similar desk. Originally oilcloth but thinking about re-topping it and re-finishing the desk in general. This is great and you present it very well indeed.
Thanks!
Looks great! Restoration = so many different skills required. It's so much more than stripping, sanding and slapping on a finish.
We made a list of all the different tasks involved in restoration, we were developing a form to rate applicants. It was 3 pages long!
Been waiting too long, excellent once again.
Thanks! yes, too long, but we have a few videos underway
Always a joy to watch.
Thanks!
Thanks so much! Really enjoyed this one - something a little different!
You're welcome!
You make everything look so easy. What a great job you did - OBVIOUSLY ! :-)
Thanks so much! 😊
Thank you for the lesson and your time. Much appreciated!
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful!
always something new to learn about from you. thanks for sharing!
You're welcome!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I would apreciate that you put the material that you use in the description in each video.
All the apprentices , as I am, would appreciate it because many, like me, are not fluent in English and depending of the country will give a different name and we need to search in the internet.
Thank you, and continue the good work
You're welcome!
I just discovered your channel. And I have to say this is really great education for newbies like me.
Thank you! Welcome!
Great video, I just sold a nice old Eastlake desk that needs the top redone. . I will give it a try someday. Thanks again! Much appreciated!
Thanks for watching!
You make it look so easy.
Good editing!
Great job Tom.
Every time I watch one of your videos I learn something and enjoy a master in action.
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
I am a disabled woodworker in a wheel chair, I have learnt so much from your videos, please keep up the fantastic work and pls post more videos of your work pls , many thanks
Woodworkonwheels
Thanks! That must be challenging! I hope to keep making more videos!
love it. awesome video as always
Thanks!
As always amazing :D
Thanks!
Gorgeous! Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Amazing work
Thank you!
Wonderful work top looks great
Thanks!
Love the wood color
Thanks! Yes, it's an ideal color for oak
Not the, one of the best channel, is the best! Thanks for sharing
You're welcome! and thanks for the complement
Videos are awesome, thank you!
You're very welcome!
Well done with the imitation oil cloth! A lot easier to work with TBH! Great Video as always. I usually prefer to use leather for writing surfaces, aiming for the old english style!
Thanks! A lot of this Victorian furniture did not have leather, I try to use what I think might have been there. I don't prefer one over the other
Great job!
Thanks!
fantastic!!
Thanks!
Wow, it looks amazing, and you made it look so easy.(just read the comment below, great minds) Thanks Tom.
You're welcome Phillip! It's like wallpapering - it always looks so good when you're done!
Nice and clean.
Thanks!
Thanks for this - I have exactly this job to do on a similar desk top. Had heard to use wallpaper glue [flour and water], hide glue or contact cement. None of these quiet made sense but Titebond is so easy. Would PVA do as well?
You're welome! Yes, any PVA will work, so does wallpaper paste but I like the set up time of the wood glue
Hey Tom, really came out looking great. Did you get a chance to to video any of the repair of the base ? What a awesome piece.
Thanks! No, I wanted the video to be very specific on the one task
Pretty good! :D
Yes!
Nice work, great tutorial. Any reason for not using hide glue in lieu of the Titebond? Thanks.
I always thought hot hide glue would set too fast. The pre mixed liquid hide glue might have a longer set time. You can also use wallpaper paste, it just needs to be water soluble for cleanup
I have an 18" metal strip that I use as a cutting guide rolling fabric cutter when cutting strips for quilts. I wouldn't trade it for gold of the same weight.
Thanks! So true - nothing like a great straight edge! I take care of mine - and I like the expensive ones (think Starret), well worth it
I get the best i can afford. This one was a gift.
hey thanks nice video
You're welcome!
I want this desk. 😢😊
Me too! Thanks!
Too cool . . .
Thanks!
.......better than pretty good...it’s freakin’ dang good!!!!
Thanks!
I have done this many times. The easiest way is not to throw the whole sheet on the glue at once, since you end up with bubbles that you will have to drive out. Instead roll the sheet on a PVC tube or a broom stick and unroll it from one side over the glue. No bubbles will appear, since the material is quite sturdy packed on the tube. Nevertheless, if any air bubble would appear it can easily be driven out in front of the roll as you progress to the other side of the top.
Good idea!
Great video! This is really helpful. I do have a question though. I have a mid-century desk with a teak laminate top. There were some serious stains and other blemishes that I had to sand down and I ended up sanding through the laminate to the plywood underneath. I was thinking about placing a leather or felt top on it instead of replacing the entire desktop laminate (I would keep the original laminate as a border because the border is fine). I was planning to route out a thin rectangle for the material. After watching your video, I'm not sure this is the best way to go about it. What do you think? How much lower is the rectangular section than the desktop and how much deeper is the channel at the edge where it holds the material?
Thanks! That's a good idea. I would get the material first. Then route the top just a hair deeper than the thickness of the material. I got this material from Hollanders: hollanders.com/collections/imitation-leather/products/imitation-leather-black-mission?variant=30286165016630
@@johnsonrestoration Great. Thanks for your help!
Hi, Tom. Beautiful work. I have been in search of a good replacement material for vintage dining room chairs seats. The fabric on some of them looks like thin black leather but as near as I can tell, is more like oilcloth. I have tried every way to google and find something to use but can only find cheap vinyl which is too thick and has a high sheen. Do you have an opinion on if the fabric you ordered from Hollanders would work? Thank you.
Thanks! Yes, I think it would be fine. A lot of those vintage seats were not leather but material very similar to this. I think if the seat is well padded this material would be fine
I'm looking to do this for an antique desk I have. Where did you purchase the oilcloth that you used?
I googled it, and got it from Hollanders in Ann Arbor MI www.hollanders.com/
Just curious to know why you never used a real hide or skiver that is made for this job? You did a great job as usual but with a skiver it is recommended that the choice of adhesive is Solvite wallpaper paste. What are your thoughts on this please?
Thanks for watching! I know about wallpaper paste, but it never occurred to me to try it! I learned how to do it with Elmer's white glue so I've just stuck with that. If it ain't broke........
Interesting. Looks a lot like a standard desk from the 1910-20s, but hand cut dovetails... Definitely older. Maybe late 1890s? Hard to say. Oak wasn't super popular until the turn of the century. Was the roll top missing or just not shown?
Hi John! The hand cut dovetails were a surprise. Probably earlier than 1900. The client doesn't use the top section so that's why I didn't show the entire restoration.
Good Day Mr Johnson, I am trying to re do my vintage wooden card table The leather top has been removed and I want to replace the top using vinyl instead of leather. Your video is a spot on in how to proceed. My only question is how to handle a wider channel along the edge than there was on your desk. The previous leather top was held in place with no glue just some sort of natural reed that broke into many pieces when I removed it. I want to glue my vinyl but cant find the thin round reed/caning (?) Anywhere to re place. How would you suggest I handle the gap? Is the cane or reed insert necessary if I'm gluing it down? I guess I'm concerned where to make the cut for the best appearance . Thank you
JoAnn
Hi JoAnn, can you send me some photos? thomasjohnsonrestoration@gmail.com
This is very helpful! Thanks. I’m having difficulty finding a supplier of oil cloth. Can you recommend a supplier?
You're welcome! This is not true oil cloth, but it looks like it! It get it from Hollanders, imitation leather Mission Black hollanders.com/products/imitation-leather-black-mission?variant=30286165016630
Well done. I've got a project for complete restoration for you. It's an 1865 walnut Library Table. I'd like to discuss it with you at some point. When you have time.
Thanks! Email me with your questions and some photos. thomasjohnsonrestoration@gmail.com
The oxalic acid you use, I can't seem to find that in any store. Would savogran wood bleach be an equivalent?
I don't think so. I get mine on-line, try Hood Finishing Products.
When do you cut off the protruding edge? After the glue is dry or immediately after application?
Thanks! Cut immediately because you need to get that edge down into that corner while the glue is still wet. Always use a brand new razor blade, and have an extra blade ready to go
Great video, where did you source the oil cloth?
Thanks! I got it from Hollanders, Mission Black Imitation Leather. It's actually a vinyl, but looks like oil cloth
I always think you are saying- Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration and Gourmet. :) When does the cooking start.
Thanks! I'm trying to pronounce it more clearly, and there is cooking (food prep anyway): ua-cam.com/video/DfnQDBKFsq8/v-deo.html
Have you ever repaired/restored a desk like this one only way more ornate?
I think I have, but these "library tables" are usually utilitarion
Thomas in one of your videos you have a couple of books laying out with pictures of chairs could you tell me the name of them please
There are 2 reference books I use the most, both readily available on Amazon, the most used is "The Antiques Directory" by Judith and Martin Miller. The other is of course Wallace Nuttings "Furniture Treasury"
Hi Sir, this potentially could come off as a stupid question, but after I've removed the leather fabric could I sand down the outter frame of the top of the desk so that the desk surface is all one flat surface? I absolutely love the leather inlay but I just feel as if it would be too hard for me to maintain/I prefer a solid wood desktop. Would this be a bad decision to make? Thank you!
It depends on what the piece of furniture is. If it's a period antique I wouldn't. The fabric I use is "imitation leather" and is very durable. Email a photo of your desk: thomasjohnsonrestoration@gmail.com
bellissima
Grazi!
Nice job! Where did you purchase the oil cloth?
Thanks! I got the material from Hollander's hollanders.com/collections/imitation-leather/products/imitation-leather-black-mission?variant=30286165016630
Tom, can you give me the product name for your oil cloth? I am covering an old drop lid desk, 1900's. Thanks, great detail.
Thanks! I got the material from Hollanders, mission black hollanders.com/collections/imitation-leather
Refinishing an antique ladies writing desk, it had a leather insert on top that was ruined. I've looked for leather to purchase and was shocked at the price. Any recommendations?
Thanks for watching! Well I like the "oil cloth" I'm using here. I got it from Hollanders hollanders.com/collections/imitation-leather. Easy to work with
Hello Sir, how did you remove the original top part, what product did you use? I want to do the top part in my desk. It looks like coats and coats of black paint, but is not. Please any advise..Thank you
Thanks! Usually these tops are held by screws from underneath. I'm not sure what you are asking about the paint.
I got a 100 year old teachers desk with a black top their seems to be some old type of plastic or some other compound filling the top of the desk when I sand it the I get a olive green dust any idea what it may be?
That sounds strange. I don't understand while you're sanding it. email photos: thomasjohnsonrestoration@gmail.com
So it's ok to replace the. Leather on an antique piece?
Yes, it's fine if the leather is beyond repair. This one was missing the original material. I rarely put on leather, I leave that to the experts, but I will do the "oil cloth" and felt
Hi Tom!
Where did you purchase the oil cloth?
Thanks! I got that from Hollanders, Mission Black Imitation Leather
is the Glue Cascamite?
I'm not sure what that is, but I used Tite Bond yellow glue
I was wondering, if that was a real old fashioned oilcloth with linseed oil would you still be able to use a water soluble glue to secure it to the desktop or would you need to use something like hide glue - because oil and water don’t mix very well, or does that not matter with glue, also my father was a joiner, he used to tell me whenever he repaired antique furniture he would use old fashioned glue made with boiled animal bones, do you have any idea what the name of that glue was called - just wondering
Thanks! You could use any water soluble glue. The glue your father used was probably hide glue. I believe they use many parts of the animal, not just hides. Tire Bond Liquid Hide Glue, another brand is “ Old Brown Glue”
@Thomas - Thanks
Thank you for the tips. I have an antique French desk that has a leather insert with gold stamping around the edge. I would like to replace the top and was wondering if you have ever put on the gold stamping too? I presume this could be done with the ‘oil cloth’ you used?
You're welcome! I have never done that - it is an extremely specialized skill. I only know one person who does it: Russel Heath www.heathsrestoration.com/
Where did you get your oil cloth Tom?
Years ago I used book paper, but I found this googling "oil cloth". I don't think it's really oilcloth, but it resembles it
How did you get the roll-top off?
Thanks! This particular desk never had an upper section.
Love your channel! But how do you not scream and cringe every time you have to scrape something with the scraper? LOL!
I do! But we edit all that out!
Why would you use synthetic fabric if you can use actual leather?
What we wanted was oil-cloth, that what would have been there originally. This fabric was made for book covers and really resembled old fashioned oil-cloth
Though it obviously works very well for you, I was surprised that that wood glue has enough open time to get the smoothing done well. It wouldn’t for me, but this must have taken you must less than the 30 minutes they advertise. I’m pretty slow.
Thanks! It always seems plenty of time. You have the cloth all cut and ready. Spread the glue out and yes, it starts to get tacky but that's what you want. The whole time it's tacky the cloth goes down great. You will find that you have plenty of time
@@johnsonrestoration Good, I’ll be confident when it comes to that. By the way, the way you use a condiment squirt bottle with the HHG in the glue pot was a head slapped for me. I wish I’d thought of that long time ago (stringed instruments). Better late than never. Thanks a lot.
That's the kind of desk that just begs to be used to write a stern letter to the editor lambasting with great vitriol the "rag time" music of to-day.
Wow! I like writing letters to the editor too!