[TheForge] Somewhat OT question...

[Andy Vida]

gblacksmith wrote:
> 
> Andy:  I know of a woman who, with her partner, makes a good living
> reupholstering.  She specializes in restoration work using repro vintage
> fabrics.  She re-did my Spanish baroque chair (circa 1650) in a vintage
> fabric at a reasonable (for hand work) price.  Folks who have antique
> furniture don't want anything other than a high quality restoration.  If you
> can tap into that market, you might have plenty of work and a chance to
> learn about antiques in a new way.  Grant

	That would be my plan, were I to undertake this.  I'm pretty
	sure I'd be good at it... it's the sort of thing that seems
	to come naturally to me.  The only questions are if I would
	enjoy it enough to stick with it.  Probably would... it seems
	to be a rather meditative activity in the way that smithing
	is.

	About 14 years ago my girl and our closest friends did a weekend
	in Lancaster at a B&B.  It just so happened to be the weekend
	of a major antique thing in that area.  I will never forget this
	one thing.  Butthole, that's my oldest friend from high school
	(AKA Brent) says "Hey butthole, look at this", pointing to the
	bare frame of a wing chair.  This frame looked like the most
	pathetically cobbled up piece of garbage I'd ever seen.  It
	was made of many differing woods with one of the wings of black
	walnut.  The rails where the upholstery tacks were placed were
	chewed up to hell from all the reupholstering that had been done
	to it, which should have been the clue.

	I saw $1,100 price and almost crapped.  Brent said "look
	again".  It was $11K!  Henry the VIII must've parked his
	royal buttocks on that chair.  I'm sorry I didn't ask the
	seller.  I guess I was too shocked to think straight.

	I have a friend in IL that wants to build iron furniture.
	I've build iron furniture.  Maybe learning the upholstery
	trade and combining iron, wood, and fabric might have some
	market appeal.

	I'll worry about it when I get back.

	Thanks.