The Process

The Process

Aug 06

 

I’ve had a few inquiries regarding the processes and techniques I use to restore the pieces that come in.

 

The short answer is that everything is done under high magnification and special lighting.

 

The longer answer is, wood specific to the piece and a lot of time and skills are used on each piece to make sure it is accurately restored to the highest quality without compromising the integrity of the piece or its age.

 

A recent restoration I just completed for one of the Nutcracker Collectors’ Club members is a perfect example.

 

The customer sent in a really nice piece of a man wearing a tricorne hat.

 

It had damage to the face (nose) and most of the tricorne hat was missing. Damage to these specific details can detract from the piece’s aesthetics as well as its value.

 

The piece was also missing the feet, but due to this piece’s age they were left alone.

 

The feet missing does not detract from the value, in fact, this type of damage on a piece this old helps to maintain the piece’s integrity and prove its age.

 

Here are some pictures of the piece when it came in:

 

 

 

 

Here’s a great picture of the piece “in process” with many small chunks of period specific European Boxwood joined to it.

 

Each chunk is roughly about the size of a fingernail.

 

 

 

Here are pictures of the piece completed:

 

 

 

 

 

This piece has all the right details in place now that it should, but hasn’t been “over restored” to where the age of the piece might be questioned.

 

 —– Brandon

 

An Old Anri Dog

An Old Anri Dog

May 28

 

Here is a another older Anri that came in for repair from the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

As you can see in the pictures below, this piece had a lot of damage around the mouth and a badly broken handle.

 

 

 

 

Here are a few pictures of the piece after all the repairs:

 

 

 

 

I was real pleased with how this piece came out.

 

Well, that is all the Anris from the lot of 9 that the museum sent in for repairs.

 

They were all sent back and should be on display at the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum for many visitors to enjoy.

 

Groden Update

Groden Update

May 21

 

 

If you remember, I fixed a Groden a few months back (http://www.brandonetto.com/?p=2712).

 

I only had to do the repairs, the customer’s wife was going to paint it once they got it back.

 

The piece is done, and they were kind enough to send me photos of it painted.

 

All I have to say is – Wow! She did a fantastic job!

 

Here is a quick reminder of how the Groden looked when it left my shop:

 

 

 

Here’s a picture they sent of the Groden painted. She really did an awesome job on this!

 

 

 

—– Brandon

Anri – Rolling Eye Woman

Anri – Rolling Eye Woman

May 13

 

Here is a another very rare Rolling Eye Anri that came in for repair from the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

As you can see in the pictures below, this piece had a previous repair on the handle and bit of damage around the mouth and bonnet.

 

 

 

 

I was able to separate the old repair performed on the handle, re-join the pieces, and blend them to make the repair seamless.

 

 

 

Here are more pictures after the restoration showing the mouth and bonnet repairs.

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple pictures showing why these are called “Rolling Eye” Anris. The eyes roll and change color when the lever is moved.

 

 

 

 

—– Brandon

Too Eager

Too Eager

Apr 30

 

Yep, sometimes I get too eager to work on a piece and forget to get before photos. this is one of those instances.

 

This piece came in from one of the Nutcracker Collectors Club members with a lot of cracks and checks throughout. Some actually went completely through the piece.

 

Here are some photos of the piece after it was repaired. All the cracks and checks have been stabilized, filled, and blended to match the rest of the piece. Lots of work, but it’s worth it.

 

 

 

 

This piece had a carving of some sorts on the top that had broken off. The customer wanted the remnants of it removed and blended with the rest of the top’s texture.

 

 

This was a great piece with a ton of detail and was a lot of fun to work on.

 

The customer was very happy with how well it came out.

 

Rolling Eye Anri – Man

Rolling Eye Anri – Man

Apr 20

 

 

Here is a rare Rolling Eye Anri that came in for repair from the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

 

As you can see in the pictures below, this piece had a bit of damage around the mouth.

The face was also starting to split on each side of the nose where the wood runs thin.

 

 

 

Here are a few pictures of the piece after the repairs:

 

 

 

 

This picture shows how the eyes roll when the lever s pulled to open the mouth:

 

 

As I mentioned before these are very rare. I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on a few of these.

 

—– Brandon