Thread: L for leather

Thanks WW,...Oh to posses half the knowledge in that head of yours,...

Originally Posted by Chief012

Thanks WW,...Oh to posses half the knowledge in that head of yours,...

I'm currently searching for the other half myself!

If you ever find it and want to dispense with it, please let me know!

I'm a newbie here and tend to be at the restoration rather than the creation end of things but I'd describe myself as a slightly talented amateur. I do passable French polishing, for example.

I've a question which is slightly related to this topic though swerving slightly OT.

In the 1960s there was a crazed Italian called Aldo Tura who used to do all sorts of furniture covered in brightly coloured goatskin hides. These were lacquered with his own two-part concoction, a recipe which seems to be lost in the mists of time. They were also highly polished.

The downside of this finish is if the lacquer cracks (as is the case with a bright green coffee table I'm restoring) you have to take off all the lacquer and start again. Removing the lacquer had me paralysed with fear and all the advice I had from people who dealt with his stuff was not to try. But 'twas too far gone so I took the risk. Turns out plain old Mitre 10 paint remover works like a dream and with a plastic scraper I've taken this bizarre piece of furniture back to the pure hide with no damage to the colouring or skin.

I can now either re-do it in shellac (something within my grasp) or get someone else to do either a modern finish or do it in something like nitro-cellulose lacquer.

Only problem is I have yet to find anyone who's actually ever done this. I've even been in touch with a couple of people in the US who actually make stuff like this (clearly inspired by Jean-Michel Frank) but nobody's actually given me a tip of what preparation, if any, needs to be done prior to the lacquer going on.

The cheapskate (and craftsman) in me wants to have a crack at French polishing it but the purist in me wants a more period-appropriate finish (plus more practical for a workaday coffee table I'm intending to us myself).

Sorry for the lengthy backstory but......any tips (on prep and/or finish)? I also need to glue down a few of the side flaps. Was thinking fish glue but am open to hearing other thoughts.

Here's a pic of it in its stripped state. I have a matching cocktail shaker!

Next step is to start trying to make stuff like this (OK, maybe not actually coloured) myself.