Victorian Work Table - Auction Buy

Hello

Well, I have been at it again!  Buying at local auction on the internet without checking the item out first.

Spotted this and thought that I couldn't afford it but when it didn't sell and was put in the next auction,  I  left an absentee bid.

I won the bid and went to collect it but when I got there, it was very wobbly one of the supporting legs had pulled away from the bottom of the drawer runner.   Initially, I was going to use it to display one of my Singer machines but if anything had been put on it, it would have collapsed sideways.  The top was badly marked with water, there was a burn mark on it and a couple of scuffs which had taken all the finish off it. One of the decorative finials was missing along with the original sewing basket that hung below the drawer.

 On the plus side, it was solid mahogany, with dear little knobs on the drawer and underneath the legs still had the original brass castors.   As usual, I forgot to take a photo of all the damage close up.  I was a bit disappointed and thinking it was a dud but when I got my mahogany furniture touch up pen to fill in the light marks, then gave a really good polish with Briwax, began to quite like it again.  The damage to the joints were well beyond my very limited skills at furniture restoration so I took it to Randal at https://folksy.com/shops/theturnersinthechurch.  He was a star, while Julie his wife and I went to the Harrogate Flower Show, he took the joints apart and re-glued them, turned a matching finial to replace the missing one, fixed the loose knob on the fake drawer at the back.  He advised me not to use it for displaying my heavyweight machines as the joint has been repaired several times before including someone trying to fix it with hot glue.  Its going to go in the entrance hall where it will look very pretty and sweet.

So what I thought to be a dud turned out to be a little gem.  Not bad for £45 plus commission.

What a super job Randal made of the finial, he is so clever.

Its a Victorian Work Table around 1860ish (not quite sure), good quality mahogany with really fine dove tail joints in the drawer.  I don't have many true antiques so I will treasure this one.  Randal said that if I wanted to refinish the top with french polish, I should cover the top with methylated spirit and put a match to it, which sounds horrifying, apparently this takes the old finish off. Think that if I decide to get it re polished, I will leave it to the experts!

The oak hall chair was bought at an antique fair, I think its Victorian, the canework is in good condition and I made the cushion pad to fit.

Cheers
Sharon