Chair/old furniture rehabbers: What are we looking at here?

[RoscoeElegante]

So several of these things are in the apron bottom of a handsome walnut B.L. Marble Chair Company desk/office chair that my youngest son and I are fixing. (Just needs some crack-mending and re-gluing.)

They don't correspond to any thing else in the chair--that is, they're not affixing an arm abutting the seat top or anything like that. They're just...there, in the apron bottom.

Are they where someone filled in recessed screws joining seat and apron with...something? If so, filled with what, and why would they bother doing that?

My son, bless his goofy sincerity, said, "Blown-in insulation?" when he saw them. Which was less goofy than my first thought: "Plugged-up hornet nests?"

 

[Timbresmith1]

Maybe re-purposed aprons from a prior crap design. “Hey Milburn, if we flip these upside down, we can still uss ‘em.”

 

[Peegoo]

TO: RoscoeElegante

FROM: Peegoo Laboratories

Dear Sir

Per your request, we've conducted chemical and flame spectrographic analysis of the sample you provided in your 9 January 2022 post to us.

We have determined the constituents of the sample as follows--in order of greatest amount to smallest amount.

Sucrose
Sapodilla latex
Dextrose
Corn Syrup
Glycerol
Soy Lecithin
Acesulfame K
Butylated hydroxytoluene
Trace amounts of unidentifiable compounds

It's Wrigley's chewing gum.

XOXO,

Dr. P. Goo

 

[Peegoo]

Seriously tho... it looks like Durham's Rock-hard Water Putty. It's a thing that's been around about 100 years and used as a filler for wood and other materials.

 

[RoscoeElegante]

Seriously tho... it looks like Durham's Rock-hard Water Putty. It's a thing that's been around about 100 years and used as a filler for wood and other materials.

Thanks, Peegoo. I remember that stuff! So those are probably just recessed screws holding the apron to the seat bottom, then...?

I liked your list, though I'm thinking that a chair this old and seeming like it came from a hardboiled detective's office oughta have

*"I chewed up and spit out plenty a tough jokers like you, see?"

amongst its components.

That and

*"Go tell it to the Marines, bub"

or

*"I'll flip you like a cheese omelette, bud"

My dad used to slather epoxy on everything that seemed creaky. The kind that had to be in two applicators and mixed. Fascinated him....

 

[Telekarster]

My dad used to slather epoxy on everything that seemed creaky. The kind that had to be in two applicators and mixed. Fascinated him....

Oh.... so... HE'S the one?!??!!

 

[MarkieMark]

Durhams is a damned good supposition. I got nuthin better than that guess.

I have used it for a number of projects. Some brilliantly successful, others not so much.
In the example, it looks like if that is the correct guess, it wasnt mixed thoroughly enough and the base material wasnt prepared correctly to achieve good adhesion.

Good news is... Its not epoxy. While some of it has adhered well, it still can likely be scraped away pretty successfully without damage to the original material. With patience.

 

[Telekarster]

I'm with @Peegoo I think that's what you're seeing here, Durhams.

Now... about that gum analysis....

 

[jimbo735]

I think thats from a spider or other bug.

 

[flathd]

Seriously tho... it looks like Durham's Rock-hard Water Putty. It's a thing that's been around about 100 years and used as a filler for wood and other materials.

Yeah, and they haven't changed their label for 100 years. I've seen empty Durhams cans in Antique shops for $10 and the full ones are available at the Home Depot for about $5.

 

[yegbert]

Crop circles.