The chair is a WS Morton (William Scott Morton), manufactured in Scotland sometime between 1860 and 1903. Probably the earlier period, as they branched out from “art furniture” into architectural interiors. It may have been an early piece made during his apprenticeship before he went into business on his own account, as he was apprenticed to a chairmaker who lived and worked in Scotland but was originally from High Wycombe, the chair making capital of the world at that time, and the inventors, and largest producers of the windsor chair. Certainly arare piece generally, and extremely rare on US soil. I am fortunate to say that my family were High Wycombe “bodgers” (woodsmen who used primitive green sapling lathes to create chairs, usually in the woods themselves) for at least 400 years, until the end of the trade. My grandfather being the last, finishing his career as head French Polisher for the Parker Ercol company.
Hi Anthony, thanks for the info! That's quite a legacy you have, I'm glad that you are so aware of your history, and know so much about it. Very interesting!
Hot glue was a wise choice for the repair. Even though I build Windsors in the 18th century tradition, I am in awe of the antique ones and would feel intimidated to repair one. I confess that my first thought was to use an epoxy from the West System for the maximum strength aspect, but cleanup would have been tricky and would possibly remove some patina. Thanks for walking us through a careful and respectful repair.
Jim Paulson Thanks Jim, I agree, but I felt I had really good wood to wood contact, and that this piece would probably not have any excessive stresses put upon it. The easy clean up to save the old finish was important too.
Hang tough in the blizzard heading your way! I'll be watching the Northeast blizzard from my home in TN trying to fathom that much snow. Lol. Stay warm.
+Gracie N Thanks, I often have thought how similar it is, especially when someone's describing a joint replacement - the doctors use identical techniques
Sorry to be critical, but you MUST make more videos for us. We need at least a weekly fix! When I watch your fingers at work, or even hear the sound of your scraper, I'm encouraged to keep fixing up my old stuff. Thanks.
Tom - thanks so much for all your informative videos. I have a chair like this one in this video that needs repair. The challenge is that the legs are loose and the legs and spindles need to be glued and reapplied. The question I have is how to deal with the legs where the leg's dowel comes up to the surface. It seems that a shim is used in some way but I'm not familiar with this design. What would be the best way to move forward on gluing and securing? The piece is currently painted, but am going to strip and refinish with stain. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
You're welcome! These chairs are difficult. If they are real antiques, there can be breakage trying to get them apart. Consider using this product: Wonder-Loc-Em www.pcepoxy.com/products/wonderlokem-tite-chairs/. I do not typically use this product, except for these windsors, there was just too much breaking trying to get them apart
Happy Thursday Tom. Looks like your town is enjoying some beautiful weather for early December . The weather here on the Prairie has been kind to us also. How old is your oldest wood clamp ? You got some pretty impressive clamps.
Tom, prior to glueing was there a reason you didn't remove the wooden peg first, then glue the broken piece back into place and then replace the peg in it's original place? Just curious.
Tom, how do you decide when to use hide glue and when to use epoxy? I've seen you use both and was wondering what your criteria were. Thanks for the videos. I enjoy watching them.
Hi Tom, thanks for watching. If you have good wood to wood contact and can clamp properly, wood glue is stronger than epoxy. If the pieces can't come together properly, or they're shattered or something, then epoxy is the best choice.
I might be wrong, but while pausing your video at 4:13, it looks like the maker's stamp might be "W.S.MORTON.", not "MONTON". In searching for "WS MORTON chair" I found that there were several (probably many) throughout the years. One interesting find was a WS Morton that donated a collection of genealogical material to the College of William & Mary in the early to mid 1800's. No mention of his occupation could be found. WS Morton wrote of witnessing a shooting by a Col. Morton which sounded like Revolutionary war times or soon after. Another WS Morton found can be confirmed as a furniture maker - who may or may not be the maker of this chair. The dates would put this chair in the mid to late 19th century, much later than your estimate, I could find no evidence that this WS Morton made Windsor chairs. The reference I found was from The Furniture Gazette dated August 15, 1892. It mentions a furniture maker named WS Morton of the Albert Works in Tynecastle, Edinburgh (Scotland) who received a patent (#12,341) relating to chairs on August 7, 1890. Again, this might not be the right WS Morton. I enjoyed searching and wondering. History is fun. Thanks for your video!
Wow! Thanks for watching and thanks for the research. The chair is certainly old, and could have been made in the mid 19th century. It'd be kind of hard to tell at this point. I will pass this along to the owner of the chair, maybe he can research it further
Amazing video Tom! Could you please tell me what wax that was that you melted and what you used to melt them? Also I see you use a triangular shaped thin type of knife or scraper to apply glue and epoxy what is this tool called and any idea where I could get one? Thank you for all your help have a wonderful day.
+Paul Rhodes Hi Paul, thanks for watching! That's a low heat burn in stick from Mohawk Finishing Products. The knife is a pallet knife also from Mohawk
hi there! great work! i have a double Windsor that someone was sitting back in and crashed to the ground splitting the very top. i live in northeast iowa. any direction appreciated. thank you.
Great video Tom. That looks like W. S. MORTON not MONTON. He was a late 19th century artisan who primarily carved duck decoys. His stamp looks similar to those on the bottom of his decoys.
Clearly the carving, the run of the grain and the dowel mortise conspired to weaken that section of handle. Thinking that the repaired joint needed as much help as possible, I would have applied heat to see if the pin could be removed. That would allow for the pieces of the break to be filmly registered before glueing and the dowel to be reinserted with 100% contact the length and circumference of the pin.
I'll bet that the name on the bottom actually doesn't say"W.S. MONTON", but rather "W.S. MORTON", as in William Scott Morton, who was part of the mid-1800s business, Scott Morton & Co., Tynecastle, Edinburough, which produced "art furniture." More information about W.S. Morton can be found here: canmore.org.uk/collection/1176532
Thanks! That's very interesting! I thought I had responded to your comment a while ago, now it's popped up as "unanswered". Sorry if that's the case. Have a great Holiday!
@@johnsonrestoration UA-cam has been really strange lately, Tom. I'm not sure what's up there. Regardless, I always appreciate your videos and expertise very much! It's always a joy for me to get new videos from you, and I also enjoy checking out the older ones that I may have missed. Merry Christmas and a happy holidays to you and your family!
The chair is a WS Morton (William Scott Morton), manufactured in Scotland sometime between 1860 and 1903. Probably the earlier period, as they branched out from “art furniture” into architectural interiors. It may have been an early piece made during his apprenticeship before he went into business on his own account, as he was apprenticed to a chairmaker who lived and worked in Scotland but was originally from High Wycombe, the chair making capital of the world at that time, and the inventors, and largest producers of the windsor chair. Certainly arare piece generally, and extremely rare on US soil. I am fortunate to say that my family were High Wycombe “bodgers” (woodsmen who used primitive green sapling lathes to create chairs, usually in the woods themselves) for at least 400 years, until the end of the trade. My grandfather being the last, finishing his career as head French Polisher for the Parker Ercol company.
Hi Anthony, thanks for the info! That's quite a legacy you have, I'm glad that you are so aware of your history, and know so much about it. Very interesting!
regionalfurnituresociety.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/scottish-chair-making-the-case-of-francis-east-8c-co-and-east-brothers-dundee-david-jones.pdf
@@johnsonrestoration regionalfurnituresociety.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/scottish-chair-making-the-case-of-francis-east-8c-co-and-east-brothers-dundee-david-jones.pdf
regionalfurnituresociety.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/scottish-chair-making-the-case-of-francis-east-8c-co-and-east-brothers-dundee-david-jones.pdf
Thank you for taking the time to show your skills. Keep saving those ole pieces. Well done.
Hot glue was a wise choice for the repair. Even though I build Windsors in the 18th century tradition, I am in awe of the antique ones and would feel intimidated to repair one. I confess that my first thought was to use an epoxy from the West System for the maximum strength aspect, but cleanup would have been tricky and would possibly remove some patina. Thanks for walking us through a careful and respectful repair.
Thanks!
Jim Paulson Thanks Jim, I agree, but I felt I had really good wood to wood contact, and that this piece would probably not have any excessive stresses put upon it. The easy clean up to save the old finish was important too.
Hang tough in the blizzard heading your way! I'll be watching the Northeast blizzard from my home in TN trying to fathom that much snow. Lol. Stay warm.
It missed us! We still have a lot of snow, but hey, we're Mainers, we love it! Thanks for watching!
Well.... We got ice! Never get much snow but we get ice storms frequently. Currently in one.
You sir, have forgotten mire than I'll ever know about restoration. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome!
everytime i watch your video it feels like a surgeon at work :)
+Gracie N Thanks, I often have thought how similar it is, especially when someone's describing a joint replacement - the doctors use identical techniques
Sorry to be critical, but you MUST make more videos for us. We need at least a weekly fix! When I watch your fingers at work, or even hear the sound of your scraper, I'm encouraged to keep fixing up my old stuff. Thanks.
Hi Linda, thank you! I will try, I have already realized I'm going to start repeating myself. I'm trying to do 2 per month.
I like that chair! Videos are great can't wait for the next one!
Thank you! I'm working on it!
Hi Tom. Great Repair. Those colored burn waxes work really good. Thanks for sharing,
Cheers, Mike F.
FREY WOODWORKING INC.
FWI356 You're welcome!
Tom - thanks so much for all your informative videos. I have a chair like this one in this video that needs repair. The challenge is that the legs are loose and the legs and spindles need to be glued and reapplied. The question I have is how to deal with the legs where the leg's dowel comes up to the surface. It seems that a shim is used in some way but I'm not familiar with this design. What would be the best way to move forward on gluing and securing? The piece is currently painted, but am going to strip and refinish with stain. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
You're welcome! These chairs are difficult. If they are real antiques, there can be breakage trying to get them apart. Consider using this product: Wonder-Loc-Em www.pcepoxy.com/products/wonderlokem-tite-chairs/. I do not typically use this product, except for these windsors, there was just too much breaking trying to get them apart
Happy Thursday Tom. Looks like your town is enjoying some beautiful weather for early December . The weather here on the Prairie has been kind to us also. How old is your oldest wood clamp ? You got some pretty impressive clamps.
Thanks! We're planning on doing a video on clamps! I have some hand screws from my father's shop, but it's impossible to know the age
Tom, prior to glueing was there a reason you didn't remove the wooden peg first, then glue the broken piece back into place and then replace the peg in it's original place? Just curious.
Thanks! It seemed solid, I think I was worried about possibly breaking it. The end effect was just as good as if I had tried to remove it
Great job!! I enjoy your intro / outro's! :0
Thanks!
Tom, how do you decide when to use hide glue and when to use epoxy? I've seen you use both and was wondering what your criteria were. Thanks for the videos. I enjoy watching them.
Hi Tom, thanks for watching. If you have good wood to wood contact and can clamp properly, wood glue is stronger than epoxy. If the pieces can't come together properly, or they're shattered or something, then epoxy is the best choice.
I might be wrong, but while pausing your video at 4:13, it looks like the maker's stamp might be "W.S.MORTON.", not "MONTON". In searching for "WS MORTON chair" I found that there were several (probably many) throughout the years.
One interesting find was a WS Morton that donated a collection of genealogical material to the College of William & Mary in the early to mid 1800's. No mention of his occupation could be found. WS Morton wrote of witnessing a shooting by a Col. Morton which sounded like Revolutionary war times or soon after.
Another WS Morton found can be confirmed as a furniture maker - who may or may not be the maker of this chair. The dates would put this chair in the mid to late 19th century, much later than your estimate, I could find no evidence that this WS Morton made Windsor chairs. The reference I found was from The Furniture Gazette dated August 15, 1892. It mentions a furniture maker named WS Morton of the Albert Works in Tynecastle, Edinburgh (Scotland) who received a patent (#12,341) relating to chairs on August 7, 1890.
Again, this might not be the right WS Morton. I enjoyed searching and wondering. History is fun. Thanks for your video!
Wow! Thanks for watching and thanks for the research. The chair is certainly old, and could have been made in the mid 19th century. It'd be kind of hard to tell at this point. I will pass this along to the owner of the chair, maybe he can research it further
Please see my entry about signed pieces of furniture . William Sergeant .
Nice job, but what budget we can expecting for this kind of restauration ''ballpark''?
+Marc Daigneault Hi Marc, thanks for watching! That entire job took 8 hours, so multiply by your hourly rate!
Tom
I thoroughly enjoy your videos and have learned alot from them. What kind of wax did you use for the repair? Keep up the great work!
I use Howard's Feed N Wax, great stuff. It's widely distributed. Thanks for watching!
Amazing video Tom! Could you please tell me what wax that was that you melted and what you used to melt them? Also I see you use a triangular shaped thin type of knife or scraper to apply glue and epoxy what is this tool called and any idea where I could get one? Thank you for all your help have a wonderful day.
+Paul Rhodes Hi Paul, thanks for watching! That's a low heat burn in stick from Mohawk Finishing Products. The knife is a pallet knife also from Mohawk
Thank you very much! You have been such an amazing help.
hi there! great work! i have a double Windsor that someone was sitting back in and crashed to the ground splitting the very top. i live in northeast iowa. any direction appreciated. thank you.
Thanks for watching! email some photos thomasjohnsonrestoration@gmail.com
Great video Tom. That looks like W. S. MORTON not MONTON. He was a late 19th century artisan who primarily carved duck decoys. His stamp looks similar to those on the bottom of his decoys.
Wow! Thank you! I'll pass it along to the owner of the chair
Clearly the carving, the run of the grain and the dowel mortise conspired to weaken that section of handle. Thinking that the repaired joint needed as much help as possible, I would have applied heat to see if the pin could be removed. That would allow for the pieces of the break to be filmly registered before glueing and the dowel to be reinserted with 100% contact the length and circumference of the pin.
Yes, good idea. But I decided there was too much danger of further breakage, I didn't want to take the chance
I'll bet that the name on the bottom actually doesn't say"W.S. MONTON", but rather "W.S. MORTON", as in William Scott Morton, who was part of the mid-1800s business, Scott Morton & Co., Tynecastle, Edinburough, which produced "art furniture." More information about W.S. Morton can be found here: canmore.org.uk/collection/1176532
Thanks! That's very interesting! I thought I had responded to your comment a while ago, now it's popped up as "unanswered". Sorry if that's the case. Have a great Holiday!
@@johnsonrestoration UA-cam has been really strange lately, Tom. I'm not sure what's up there. Regardless, I always appreciate your videos and expertise very much! It's always a joy for me to get new videos from you, and I also enjoy checking out the older ones that I may have missed. Merry Christmas and a happy holidays to you and your family!
Try W.S. Morton.
Thanks, and that did yield some interesting leads
Are those llamas or alpacas?
They're alpacas. Llamas are much larger