Introduction: I'm a master craftsman in a one-man shop. Having employees create an imperative to apply the fastest, easiest procedures to furniture repair and restoration. Most outfits with expensive Dip, strip & spray equipment apply that procedure to almost everything. I hand strip selectively, and whenever possible, I try to rescue existing finishes. Hand-applied lacquer or shellac with multiple glazes finished with paste wax can work wonders. Hand mixing colors and tints gives me far more versatility than computerized paint mixing programs. The final touches to any procedure, often less than 5% of total working time, determine success or failure. This takes years to learn and can't be readily taught to employees.
I enjoy the great diversity of pieces coming in over the course of a year -- a Roman lead hand basin needing mount, wooden crow with a broken foot, and missing table leaves. I like quickly finding solutions to complex problems. Time flies with this sort of activity. I really find making all kinds of things, large and small, very fulfilling.
Happy customers leaving my studio with their restored treasures is a gift to all concerned.
