C'est ma vie

New term, in fact my final term. So I want to start it in as modest a fashion as possible. Save for the fact that I just have to have a french style chair for my last sourced traditional project chair; I'm happy to keep things simple. Yes, I have my heart set on a antique French Napoleon III tub chair - and I've found one! 

These chairs can be quite pricey when fully restored and upholstered so I was looking for one in need of restoration that I could get relatively cheaply. I want a proper project to get stuck into, so I absolutely was hoping to find a chair that was a bit beat up and would need some work. And I almost had the perfect find, except the chair had attracted a lot of 'attention' already. I knew there was something iffy about the wood, especially when a good portion of the front rail came off while I was stripping the chair down. I hadn't even used a mallet or hammer at this stage because I was being as gentle as possible - just hands and scissors at first. The more, let's say, purposeful tools came out when I was working on the top/arm rail and only when I was sure that what was remaining of the frame (after the lighter touch first go round) was solid.    

So I knew that, despite the obvious damage to my frame that we would surely put right with a few repair techniques, there was something that could still pose a problem. A strange texture to the wood that even when fixed in place might not stay put... Needless to say, my tutor immediately pointed out an infestation of woodworm that was actually still live - evidenced by lots of dusty debris that would fall out with even the lightest touch on the frame. We treated the wood with a chemical and I'm hoping to get some fresh wood to the parts of the frame that need replacing. Finger's crossed that I can potentially salvage the frame and realise my dream chair project at some point. But it's back to the drawing board on the old chair hunt for now. And due to the very limited time I have to find something, I'll have to basically take what I can get. Ah well, c'est la vie.