If you have a treasured antique that is wounded, you had best give serious thought to having it repaired while there is still someone around who can fix it. Today the area is blessed with a handful of artisans who still take pride in their work and who consider a job well done something more than a trite promotional gimmick. These craftsmen don’t hustle business, don’t hurry and don’t return your work to you half done. But when they’re gone, there may be no one to take their place.
Furniture restoration, repair and re-finishing. No one does better restoration of fine period furniture than William S. Schieffer (2419 Stutz Dr.). No one is more considerate of an irreplaceable commodity. Schieffer’s aim is to do what’s appropriate for a particular piece. He is opposed to over-restoring, trying to avoid today’s concept of how the work of yesterday’s masters could be “improved.” Schieffer has restored some of the finest pieces in the area. His son Paul says that the firm doesn’t like to quote prices on major work, but that fees are based upon job difficulty. Another local craftsman, asked to remark upon the local antique restoration scene, had only one comment: “There is no one to compare with Bill Schieffer.”
There are those in the antique trade, however, who look no further for their restoration needs than William Henry Harrison (3542 McKinney). Harrison, an ex-oil man, has been plying his trade here for 17 years. But don’t take your favorite hall tree to him and ask him to refinish it. “That’s where I draw the line,” he says. Harrison’s forte is repair and maybe a little touch up.
For refinishing at its best, many turn to perfectionist Howard Green (15289 Addison Rd.). So many, in fact, that you’ll need to make an appointment with him from one to six months in advance, depending on his workload. He’ll charge about $250 to refinish a 48″ round oak table.
Forget about the U-Haul: Breault and Son (4320 Bryan) make house calls. For $20 per hour they will come to your home and do whatever is necessary to improve the looks of your treasures. “We try to work on good stuff, not junk,” says Art Breault, whose father started the business in 1911. “Each job is different. We just got through matching and building a washstand drawer that a burglar used to carry off silver in.”
Glass repair. I had a cut drinking glass with a small chip in it that was an annoyance for years, but I tolerated it because I was afraid repairs would cost too much. James Chow (Antique House, 3903 Lemmon) makes such chips disappear for the grand sum of $3.50. Chow delicately grinds the rim down all around until the chip is gone, then polishes the glass to a smooth surface. But if you have a hairline fracture or if gluing is needed, take the piece out in the backyard and bury it. That kind of damage is irreparable. Chow also repairs crystal and other good glass.
Molloy Mirror and Glass (2635 Floyd) removes cut glass chips for $3. These people have been working with glass since 1908. The Stransky family is continuing this tradition since Mr. Molloy’s retirement. They specialize in repair of fine glass, such as Lalique and Steuben, which costs more because it requires more time and attention. They also restore and repair leaded glass, as does John Kebrle (2829 Bachman Drive), who is perpetuating the craft of his old world ancestors. Be careful, though, when buying damaged leaded (stained) glass. It may be impossible to match the old materials.
Mirror resilvering. The venerable and versatile Molloy firm is into this field too, charging $3 per square foot. Another expert is Bob Gregory, who’s been resilvering at Oak Cliff Glass and Mirror (2202 N. Beckley) for over 30 years. The Oak Cliff firm charges $2.50 per square foot with a $6 minimum. “The silver is replaceable on any mirror,” advises Gregory. “But sometimes you can’t remove the old silver except by scraping and you run the risk of leaving scratches. Some of the German mirrors from about 100 years ago had a mercury base and are real hard to work with.”
Metal plating. The local trade seems to prefer either W.M. (Pat) Teer, Jr. (6101 Wyche) or Clyde Noles (2711 Manor Way). The Teer firm, which has been around since 1910, can expertly restore and polish antique silver, gold, brass, nickel or copper. Clyde Noles, now in his 20th year of business, specializes in silver plating but works on any base metal or alloy except aluminum and stainless steel. Noles charges 200 per square inch for tray resilvering. Like Teer, he has lots of business, performing custom refinishing for antique dealers, decorators, jewelers and individual collectors.
Clock restoration. Talking with Bill Wells (10807 Alladin, 352-9970) is like a trip through the Twilight Zone. It’s as if an 18th-century master craftsman has been somehow transported into the present. Wells fixed his first clock when he was 7 years old, nearly 50 years ago. “I still use the same formula for restoring marble cases that they used 100 years ago.” he says. “And most of my tools belonged to the old craftsmen. I picked them up at estate sales. I try to give the clock back to the customer like the master would have wanted it to look. Sometimes I can’t, simply because I can’t figure out how the master did it.”
Wells takes apart every piece of every clock he accepts, to insure that it’s in good working order. “Each clock is different, each one has a story to tell.” For a simple going over of a box clock, cleaning all the works and polishing it, Wells charges $35. “Most people today are not willing to put the dedication and heart into a job that the old craftsmen did,” Wells says. Fortunately, a few still are.
Phonograph repair. If it has a crank on it, the man to see is R.L. (Bob) Dove (3324 Baylor, Fort Worth, 535-7703). Dove is an expert at repairing old phono-graphs and music boxes. He also has one of the finest personal collections in the country. He will install a new spring and rubber padding, and will probably give you a package of needles for about $15.
Art restoration. By master craftsman standards, Robert Whiteside (5003 W. Lovers Lane) is a mere fledgling, having been in business only five years. But this is encouraging in itself – someone is still interested in carrying on the trade. White-side, who already has an established following, works on fine art only, charging $250 to clean and retouch an 18″ by 24″ oil painting. He also repairs silver, gold, copper, crystal and china.
There are other craftsmen, but notmany. There will soon be one less. HoytWestdyke, a master refinisher of antiquefurniture, is retiring in mid-October. “Oh,I might still work on a piece now and thenif it’s real interesting.” Westdyke added,”You know, it’s kind of a shame there’sno one to carry on my work.”
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