Antique Writing Desk

Writing Desk Before

Writing Desk Before

Long before e-mails, texts, instagram, Facebook and Twitter, people spent a lot of time composing handwritten letters as a way of corresponding with friends and family. There was a sense of satisfaction in holding that special pen and putting it to paper, allowing your thoughts to flow through your hands in a script scral that reflected your unique personality and penmanship. With the electronic, fast paced world we live in, writing letters by hand has all but become a lost art. It's definitely faster to write using a keyboard, but there's something special and magical about writing "old school," using a pen and a piece of lined paper we used in school. While writing that way now gives me writer's cramp (as does long periods of working on my Macintosh), I still enjoy the art of letter writing using fancy stationery and my favorite ink pen. It's a timeless craft that never goes out of style.

Writing Desk After

This antique writing desk was likely used for composing letters by hand and keeping track of bills and correspondence with its five generously sized cubby slots to easily organize one's life. Made of solid walnut, this writing desk had great bones, with surface scratches on the split top and really rusty screws that held the original hinges in place. I knew this would be a very challenging piece to refinish because of the many components and my favorite pet peeve, spindles.

The drawer was removable, which was great because it's much

Writing Desk After

easier to strip and sand a section of an item if it can be removed. Upon further inspection, I discovered that the cubby insert section was also removable, held in place by side boards that slid out, allowing the entire cutty section to be removed. This was a great bonus since it was quite difficult to reach in there to strip the old stain, mostly because I couldn't really see what I was doing. By removing it, I was able to strip it and see all the way to the back so it was done right. Once the removable components were stripped, I began the long, tedious task of stripping the spindles. They are the most difficult and time consuming part of any stripping project because there is simply no fast way to do it.

Slow and easy, one spindle at a time, you apply the stripper solution and painstakingly remove the old varnish and stain, which turns into a gummy, sticky mess, much like brown gluey taffy. Yuck! Once the thickest layer of varnish and stain are removed, it's much easier to scuff off the residue with a wire brush, steel wool and sandpaper to prep it for the new stain. It took several days to completely strip this old writing desk, but when it was done, I could hardly wait to apply walnut stain. It took the stain beautifully. Being able to stain each section individually made this job a lot easier. I applied polyurethane the same way, one piece and one side at a time since the top was split and had to be removed. Jim was able to recreate the missing front piece which was attached with two hinges, so that when the desk top was lifted, that piece would fold down upon itself. I polished the old hinges and replaced the rusted brass screws with new ones which better held the top in place.

After removing a century of old stain and varnish and applying a new finish, this lovely writing desk would once again be a place one could sit and compose a letter, write a poem or even work on their laptop. Bringing this desk into the twenty-first century was well worth the time it took to make it so.

Check out the other furniture items we did with this one at the links below:
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/04/antique-secretary.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/04/artistic-end-table.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/04/antique-piano-bench.html