1800’s Nutcracker Repair

1800’s Nutcracker Repair

Aug 22

A customer had just scheduled a piece he recently bought to come in for repairs when one of his wife’s favorite pieces fell over and sustained some damage.  So it got to make the trip for some repairs too.

This is a fantastic piece from the late 1800’s. He mentioned it was most likely carved in Switzerland. Luckily he was able to locate the pieces that broke off which helped tremendously in making this a seamless repair.

I can easily see why this is one of his wife’s favorite pieces. The detail on this piece is incredible. Whomever originally did it had some serious talent. Pictures don’t do this piece justice, this is an incredible example of what carvers were capable back then.

The repair came out great. Everything matched up and the colors blended perfectly to make this a seamless solid repair.

Nutcracker Restored

Nutcracker Restored

Aug 05

Here’s a recent restoration I did for a collector. This is a great piece. It needed the bottom jaw repaired, the nose fixed, and the pin replaced. The pin had been previously “fixed” with a large nail which had the lever all loose and acting like it was broke. A new wooden pin tightened the piece back up so it works as it should now.  I also carved the ends of the pin so it blends seamlessly into the piece. I’m very happy with how this came out.

 

 

 

The Finished Groden Restoration

The Finished Groden Restoration

Mar 23

 

The Gröden has been completed for a while but I’ve been busy and just haven’t gotten out here to post pictures of the restoration.  It turned out great and its owner was very pleased. Chipped paint is typical for Grödens from this time period. To keep the piece looking authentic, the aged and chipped finish was matched. Paint was also added to some areas that were overly worn and bare. It matched perfectly and looked like it had always been there.

 

Here is a before picture….

 

 

Here are the after pictures…

 

 

 

 

 

The Gröden is now complete.  It was a challenging project but it turned out looking like an authentic well aged unbroken Gröden which is rare and hard to come by. It’s going to look great in the customer’s collection.

 

 

 

New Restoration Piece

New Restoration Piece

Jan 09

 

 

 

I am currently restoring a Gröden nutcracker for a collector.  Here are a few pictures of the piece in it’s original condition.

As you can see this fellow has a few areas that need to be addressed.  The base needs to be reconstructed along with the boots.  The area under the mouth also needs repaired.  The hat looks as if it needs repaired but after closer inspection it appears to be correct the way it is.

I sculpted a model of the base and boots in clay to get the owner’s approval of the design.

 

Now that the clay model has been approved it is time to get carving.  When the carving is complete I will match the newly carved areas to it’s aged finish and patina.

Check back shortly to see the completed restoration.

 

Completed Monkey Restoration and Old Woman Sitting on a Log Restoration

Completed Monkey Restoration and Old Woman Sitting on a Log Restoration

Oct 28

Brandon has completed two more restorations.  First is this monkey…the pin needed to be replaced.  I don’t have before pictures of this piece.  However, in the after photos you can see that the pin has been blended to match the piece’s patina and doesn’t look like a new pin.  It is now fully operational.

Next is this woman sitting on a log.  She had some condition issues such as her nose was missing, bottom lip and upper teeth were also in need of repair.  The overall finish of the piece was freshened up also.  Here are some before pictures….

Here are the after pictures….

 

 

 

 

 

These pieces came together nicely and are ready to be delivered.

Check back later for Brandon’s redesigned Skull Nutcracker.

Yet Another Restoration…..and More To Come…..

Yet Another Restoration…..and More To Come…..

Oct 07

Brandon received a full figure screw type nutcracker for restoration work. It is a very detailed well done nutcracker but had some condition issues. You can see some of the issues in these photos.

Every nutcracker has it’s own unique quirks and each carver that originally carved them had their own style which takes time to learn for making the restoration correct. Brandon did a great job making this restoration accurate and look seamless.

Now Brandon is working on a few more restorations, a redesign of one of his original design nutcracker and a few more projects.  So look for updates about those in the near future!