My very first restoration project

The story of this chair is very scpecial for me. It started in 2008 when I wanted to start a new hobby, restoration. I signed up to a course in the workers' institute that was about painting and restoratin small pieces of furniture or other objects. BUT I never went there. However, I had visited (almost) all the antique shops in Oulu to find something to restorate. In the sixth or something I got these three chairs for free!!! First they recommended some 50 euro rocking chair and I said it's way too much. Then they searched some pieces of wood from the darkest corner of the store. Obviously they thought it was a stack of junk and gave it for free :)



For me it was a treasure. I soon found out, however, that there would be only two chairs. Some of the pieces were in such a bad shape that I had to choose only the somewhat healthy pieces.


Then I had to wait for the summer. Because I didn't go to the course, because it was so far from my home and I don't have a car and that would have ment missing almost half of my weekends that 6 months... I'm an expert making up excuses for not taking part of stuff that's outside my comfort zone (like a course with complete strangers) :D

So I had to wait for the summer 2009 because then I could use my dad's workshop (garage) in Kempele. I just bought equipment (like an extra tiny gruinder and some Osmo tree wax, ebony). I didn't need a course to make these decisions, because my dad helped me and he's really talented as a free-time-carpenter.

With the help of him we grinded the extremely demanding layers of varnish and paint for two days. Then I applied/rubbed the wax to the chairs with a help of an old pillowcase. Two-three layers. I don't even remember anymore :) This was six months ago! Anyway, this is the result: