Dog Nutcracker

Dog Nutcracker

Apr 06

 

 

The Holiday lull is over, it’s Spring and restoration work is starting to roll into the shop again.

 

Here’s a really nice dog nutcracker that came in with a chipped ear.

 

Seems to be a common break on these.

 

 

 

Here’s a picture of it in process with new wood joined and ready to be carved:

 

 

 

Here’s the dog all fixed up and ready to be shipped home:

 

 

 

This is a really nice piece and the customer was very happy with how well the repair came out.

 

 

Another New Addition

Another New Addition

Jan 05

 

Here’s another nice piece I bought recently and restored to add to our growing collection.

 

This one had a few minor chips, an old repair that needed blended, a nail for the pin, and the finish needed refreshed.

 

Here are a couple pictures before it was restored:

 

 

 

Here are some pictures after it was restored:

 

 

 

New Addition

New Addition

Dec 27

 

 

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas this year!!!

 

Here’s a piece I restored for my wife for Christmas to add to our personal collection.

 

As you can see in the pictures, the piece is marked “Zurich” on the front of the base.

 

This indicates the piece was probably originally sold as a souvenir in Switzerland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was in great shape and basically just needed a refresh done on the finish.

 

Here are a few pictures of the piece after it was restored:

 

 

 

 

 

 

My wife didn’t know I had bought this. So it was a nice surprise for her when she opened it.

 

Arab Figural Nutcracker

Arab Figural Nutcracker

Nov 09

 

 

Here’s a unique nutcracker that came to the shop missing a jaw.

 

 

 

The piece was disassembled, the broken area flat spotted, and new wood added.

 

 

 

 

Here’s the piece all done with the new wood blended to match up seamlessly with the original.

 

 

The finish on the piece was also refreshed to bring out the details and make the piece pop.

 

 

 

 

 

The customer suggested I carve the piece with a soul patch.

 

 

Honestly that was a great suggestion, it works, and really looks great on this piece!

 

Early Lever Nutcracker

Early Lever Nutcracker

Oct 13

 

This great really old lever nutcracker came into the shop with some damage to the face as well some older repairs that were not done well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I removed all the old repairs, replaced the damaged areas with Boxwood, and blended them into the original piece:

 

 

 

The face was fixed and all the new repairs were then painstakingly stained and colored to seamlessly blend in with the original wood and the piece’s great patina:

 

 

 

 

Both myself and the customer are very pleased with how well this piece turned out.

 

 

Groden

Groden

Jul 22

 

 

Another great rare Groden came through the shop recently.

 

This one came in with a lot of woodworm damage which is a common issue with these pieces.

 

 

 

 

The customer wanted all the woodworm holes filled and the damage to the top and above the lever repaired, and wanted to retain the original patina.

 

This meant filling every hole individually and blending each one to match the surrounding color/ patina.

 

It’s a lot of work, but is well worth it on a piece this rare.

 

It came out great!

 

 

 

 

I was very happy with how this piece came out and, more importantly, the customer was thrilled with the restoration.