I just picked up two Globe-Wernicke barrister bookcases - no top or bottom, pretty filthy but cleaned up nicely. I'm not a collector or anything and did the minimum to make them work for me- but now I want to make the scissor mechanism functional but have no idea what it is supposed to look like. I assume somehow the eyelets on the top of the glass fronts connect to the mechanism and eyelet on the back of the case- with a sash rope type of cord maybe? but how? I'm guessing it's threaded through in a way that makes the scissors open to stabilize the glass cover as it goes back?

oh- they look different - only one has a label, and the wood is darker inside the other. It also appears to have a jerry-rigged repair of the piece that the cover slides over. No matter. They were really cheap.

Hello Friend,
Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Arts and Crafts Society Forums and we hope you come back often as there is a lot to be learned from each and every one.

Now for your book cases. You only have two which connect by just stacking one on top of the other and the front doors or panels have either dowels,(one on eachside) that ride in a groove so when you open the door, you lift the bottom of the door up and then slide it straight back flat over the books or empty case. Where it will remain till you choose to close it.

The convienence of the doors being this way is good as you don't have to worry about the glass breaking. In the state they are in with no base or top sections they would be better used on a table top or counter top as well.

You can clean them up a little better with the use of Murphie's soap and after you make a lather of the soap and warm water you only want to use the suds for your cleaning and very little water if none at all.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones

Welcome Pheline,

I don't know if you have all the parts of the scissor mechanism, but replacement parts are available. They are a pretty reasonable price and include instructions.

Lauren