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This very special piece was created from some very special materials.First, the carvings and moldings in the piece were salvaged from an apartment building in Boston where they were, astonishingly, abandoned by a neighboring tenant. |
| The carvings were parts of two twin beds, missing both footboards, and were thus of limited use. I knew someday they would be made into something special. Clearly antique, a tag stapled to the back of one of the parts, upside down, reads "Fidelity Storage Company" of Washington, DC. The phone number is listed as "Tel: NOrth 3400" (though the staple went through the 00 and it might be a different last two digits!). |  |
This is one of the headboards removed from its molding.
(don't worry, It shined up like a new penny!) |
The detail in the carvings is exquisite. This
photo does not do it justice; all the carvings were masterfully executed by a skilled
chinese artisan probably over 100 years ago. |
| Next, I got a call from a freind one day at my favorite wood store. "I got a peice of wood for you," she said. She wasn't kidding. In a load of wide mahogany, an 18ft long, 30" wide board, surfaced to 13/16" thick.had my name on it. I stored it carefully and it stayed dead flat for three years (of course I had cut it into manageable lengths). Remember, that's ONE BOARD!!!!>>>>>> |
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Design elements from the carvings were incorporated into the new components..... |
| And the details were attended to.... |  |
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Everthing was coming together nicely. (And note, that you can never have enough clamps!) |
| A bit of Alcohol Dye Stain to match the
ancient parts, mixed and applied carefully. The ribbon stripe figure of the mahogany is tamed, playing back seat to the beautiful carvings. |
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Some final assembly, a satisfying process, and freshly mixed shellac blend the old and new finishes seamlessly. |
| Voila! About 3 months of weekends and a few
evenings in between, and the work is finished. What were bed rails are drawer fronts with carvings that wrap seamlessly around the sides of the case. Cavernous storage beneath and plenty or room for a Big TV above. I hope the piece is not so distracting that nobody watches the TV! Yes, it fit out the shop door. |
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