Full of SURPRISES! - Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration

[margaretbarclay-laughton]

I love watching your videos, no nonsense, no loud music, no harshness, just a craftsman sharing his love of wood.

[Surmulerum]

I especially loved watching this one. I am danish and my dad was a furniture maker and worked for France and son in Hillerød, Denmark in the late 50s early 60s. We had two of those chairs at home. Both with wool covered box cushions with an edge bead. One was light curry yellow and the other duck egg blue. We also had lost of leftover teak bits to use for various things … I built doll house furniture out of some and my dad had a bucket full of those bullet bits and used them as garden tool handles and other repair stuff around the house. Thank you for all your wonderful videos. You do some beautiful work.

[gearchange]

I never get tired of watching you work Tom. Your skill set is unparalleled. Thank you Tom .

[wileycoyotesr]

TJ, not many YouTubers will caution viewers that loudness is coming. Just one more reason why you're the best. Thanks for your consideration.

[patriciamay]

Thanks. I greatly respect the way you calmly go through each problem and fix it without missing a single detail.

[keithcrockatt]

Thanks for epoxy putty application pointers... I learn something from every video !

[Wintersnow]

Your craftsmanship is unmatched. The chairs are beautiful.

[Beegee]

I inherited a Danish Modern living room set that I loved and have now passed on to a daughter. Timeless and comfortable.

[Berre]

This was far from an easy job. You make it look so simple. Great restoration, as always.

[Jordy]

Thanks for making my insomnia a little more bearable. Cheers.

[iantyler]

Watching the pieces come alive with the application of the Danish oil was so satisfying to watch. They look wonderful. 34 minutes went by in a flash.

[guyhiebert]

I enjoy your videos because you show most of the error that could go awry and you show most of them and some escape but you do recover. Thank You for you're time

[danlopez]

Tom once again another great video, your dad would be proud of you since the trade runs in the family. Quick story my dad also was good with his hands as a craftsman. I remember one time as a small boy going with my dad to my uncles house. My dad inset a china hutch into the wall. Didn’t think much about at the time. Until years later and many shop classes, that I returned. And saw my dads excellent craftsmanship. He inset this complete cabinet / hutch with the crown molding and ornate figure flush within the wall. It turned out really nice and think of this often, the things sons gained from our fathers.

[judithburke]

I'm glad that you didn't forget, "I think that looks pretty good".

[cmmc]

Tom, I talk about your channel, the quality of work, the care, the knowledge, the corrections even...all the time. My husband laughs at me sometimes when I get excited over saving the 'age' of a piece. That's my favorite btw.

Just to let you know, I have started making strides towards making furniture again...well...doll house pieces! LOL I want to share with young people the beauty of hand crafted items. In an IKEA world, they need examples of imagination and skilled hands. I can't restore furniture anymore but I can go through my books and find pieces I adore or I can go through my mothers house and find pieces to make in miniature. I just wish I was better with my hands, any suggestions for old, achy joints?

As usual Tom, I agree...it does look good!

[janvafa]

I really appreciate that you show and explain any ‘oopsies’ this helps us beginners understand that stuff happens - even to professionals - and that life does indeed go on.

[cmmc]

I got lucky recently when I went to a dollar store and found wood markers for a buck twenty five! With my current projects they are perfect. I have used these for years and want to tell about removing the wrong color or lightening the marker once it is on the wood.

For me, an artist, lighting is everything. Before starting (this is for those who are new to staining and/or markers), I make sure I have full spectrum lighting. I am amazed at how often I have had to explain light to people but am glad to do so. With the most current common lights, LED, both "white" and "yellow" bulbs are needed. In fluorescent lighting, "Daylight" and "Cool White" together provide full spectrum lighting. You can also use a plant light bulb. If you are preparing a piece for a certain room and are very particular about color, do test swatches and take them to the room to see there what the light does to them. This is all important because you can fall out of love with a piece if it isn't just right.

Why is lighting so important? When working to find just the right color for something, let's say wall paint, you are looking at it under Daylight bulbs in the ceiling of a big box store most likely. The swatches help you when you take them home but if you are checking them at night, with the curtains closed, or in a space where the other side of the spectrum "cool white", which is the most common bulb color in the home, these swatches look different under all of these different situations.

When thinking about color, think about the use of the thing that is getting the color. We often use colors because we like them but some of us use certain colors because they create a feeling inside. Yellow invokes joy and renewal, pure white a clean feel, blue is calming. We get this from nature. Green grass reminds us of spring and renewal, deep blue is the ocean and its vastness, browns and oranges are colors of harvest and plentiful stock. These days gray being so popular make me curious, gray or grey, however you spell it, it seems sad to me.

About four months ago and did four paintings for my mother. One for each season, in miniature, I did trees in winter and fall, and for spring I did a field of wildflowers and summer a warm beach at an ocean. My mother is well traveled so I invoked the images I invented with my childhood time with her traveling as the 'navigator'. The winter was black, white and gray with built textures for snow on dark, back lit trees. It seemed ominous so I brightened the snow with a full moon glow and it became peaceful but dead. So, with the slightest amount of blue added to the white, I gave it life. The change was as if I had lit it with two different bulbs, cool white and daylight. Each painting held the facts of light and my mother noticed. She is an artist as well.

Now that I shared this diatribe, if you find you have used too much ink from a marker, or the color turns out to be wrong once you follow my suggestion for checking it under the right light, you can remove the marker with rubbing alcohol. Use a mini paintbrush for the edges where it overlaps the original finish if any. Put it on, wipe it off, repeat until it doesn't show stain on your cloth after wiping. It will still be there but it is the fastest way to fix this issue that I have found. I hope if you have read this far you got a few smiles and some information you might use. If not, whats wrong with you!?!? LOL I would love to hear other peoples suggestions for this common issue.

[kenc]

The chairs came out beautifully. That Watco Danish Oil finish is a perfect choice.

[timtaylor]

I love your deadpan way of saying "I've just got to do this 27 more times..."

[josephwebber]

The shot of you sanding in the direct sunlight was a great shot.