The Mystery Corner Cupboard – Chapter 7
March 01, 2015
Now that the lower case was structurally sound, it was time to restore the doors. The two mortise and tenon door frames were made of solid (heavy and hard) Santo Domingo mahogany – the best. Still, their faces were veneered,some of which was loose. This I reglued while also making a survey of loose areas of veneer in the panels.
Thinned hide glue was carefully worked into the loose areas, then the panel, glue and veneer was clamped flat. Happily, it came out flat as new. The process was repeated on the second door.
Also on the right door, about 2″ of the quarter round molded edge was split-off and missing. I flattened the area with a chisel, grafted on a piece of matching Santo Domingo mahogany, shaped it down, then matched color and finish. Finally, I took care of a last minor veneer repair.
With repairs to the lower case and its parts completed, I turned my efforts to the upper case. It was happily in much better shape than the base. What repairs there were, were minor and not widespread. There was minimal case regluing, minor repairs where the cases joined, some loose or missing veneer, etc. Looming ahead, that fire-damaged finish.