Originally posted by Milam: Question: Are all of the knobs for these bookcases the same? Is there a significant difference in value between Wernicke and Globe-Wernicke? And in restoring this, what is the most authentic was of doing so? The refinisher suggested a honey oak stain with several layers of varnish. I had hope to have something deeper colored and not quite so shiny--possibly a stain with bees wax on top. Any suggestions?
Knobs - No, not the same. I have two different Globe W sets with different knobs.
Difference in value - Not really. There are actually several period makers of stacking bookcases and the prices all seem to be in the same range for the same style/type of case, regardless of the maker. Globe Wernicke was just the most prolific maker after 1900 - earlier Wernicke products would be in the same range I imagine.
Refinishing - It's OK to stain the piece to an authentic colour and Globe W pieces seem to cover the range from 'gold' to 'dark walnut' - aim for something in the middle I would say but try to discern from the stipped wood what the original stain colour was. If you want an authentic finish then you will have to go with shellac NOT varnish. Original finish seems fairly thick on these pieces, so maybe 2-4 thin coats. You can then wax the shellac and buff it as little or as much as you want to get a range from dull to glowing.
Here is a barrister I am looking at for purchase. There are no labels or stamps on it and the seller does not know who made it. It looks like a Globe-Wernicke, but who can say. Is there any way to tell if this is Globe-Wernicke? I will follow with two more pictures.
Hard to say who made them. Despite all the patents and style variations it seems that many cases 'of the day' are copy-cats of another company. The two things that look non-GWish to me are the dark colour back board and the inside face of the sideboards. I believe GW typically used a lighter colour laminate of maple on the insides (at least the sets I have show this, and others I've seen), but maybe this is a specific grade or model year that didn't do this. There is an eBay seller who seems to be quite the GW expert and he regularly has pieces and parts for sale and includes a contact phone number and email in his listing, and he says to call/email him with any GW questions. Do an eBay search for GW and you should find him.
I can tell you "10-1/4" means the inside measurement is 10-1/4 inches. "299" means quarter sawn oak in a golden oak color with a polished finish along with brass oxidized trimmings.
In the attached picture there is a label under the "Canada Office Furniture Co." label. I've not seen this style before and would like to know if it is a Globe-Wernicke.
Originally posted by Bossard: In the attached picture there is a label under the "Canada Office Furniture Co." label. I've not seen this style before and would like to know if it is a Globe-Wernicke.
Thanks.
Indeed it is - for the Stratford, Ont. branch factory - see attached
So, I got my new 12 1/4 door from Dr. Rq. It is really nice. I stained it with a dark American Walnut minwax finish, and then shellaced it with 3 layers. Ordered up a piece of 11 2/4 x 30 1/4 glass and installed it with the roller assembly hardware Dr. Rq includes with his door and it really looks great. I guess I need to wax it a bit to bring down the sheen to match the finish of its century old neighbors, but the finish matches perfectly and the tiger oak he built it of fits in great with my piece. Incredible. I'll post some photos soon, but if you need any replacement parts, go to Dr. Rq. He does an amazing job, and fast!
So, any suggestions for a furniture wax brand to use over shellac? I've never done that before.
Originally posted by JBennett: So, any suggestions for a furniture wax brand to use over shellac? I've never done that before.
Thanks.
Congrats on the matching parts. I might contact this guy to see if he can make me a couple things.
As far as wax goes, hard to say any brand is better than the next. I just picked up some stuff called "Antiquax" ('Brown', but seems more black-brown) that's made in England and distributed by a company from Montreal called Swing Paints Ltd. and its pretty good stuff. You could Google these names to see if you can find any info and a local retailer.
So, these are photos of my Dr. R. Quales Reproduction door that I recieved a week ago. It came unfinished and I think I did a pretty good job of matching it with the rest of the units. The repro door is the BOTTOM door on the bookcase. Nice Tiger stripes, nice woodworking. Some photos are better than others, but I figured I'd post them all so people could examine the workmanship. Pretty much identical. Slightly different molding detail, but really beautiful.
I'll post a bunch of links, and a couple of the better images I took. NOTE: I haven't installed the doorpull yet. For now there is a screw in the hole I drilled. Soon to be finished.
