I picked up this old oak rocking chair at a thrift shop last weekend for $15. The armrest was cracked clean through, but the price was too good to pass up. A guy at the Habitat ReStore told me to try a mending plate instead of wood glue - says glue alone never holds on a broken spindle if there's weight on it. I grabbed a 4-inch steel bracket from Ace for $2.50 and screwed it into the underside where you can't even see it. Chair is solid now and I'm thinking about doing this on purpose for other wobbly pieces. Anyone else use metal brackets to fix up old furniture finds?
I was digging through a booth at the local flea market over by Route 9 last Saturday and caught two antique dealers talking near the back. One of them was loud about how he took a 1920s solid oak dresser, sanded it down with 80 grit, and just glopped on a thick coat of glossy polyurethane from Home Depot. He said it looked "good as new" and flipped it for $400. I walked over and checked it out later and yeah, the grain was basically ruined and the finish was so shiny it looked like plastic. It made me think a lot of people buying at antique stores don't really know what a proper restoration should look like. They just see a smooth shiny surface and think it's high quality when really it's covering up all the character. Anyone else notice more of these fake refinishes popping up at your local antique spots?
I found this set of four nesting Pyrex bowls at a garage sale outside Portland last weekend. The lady selling them just wanted them gone, so I got the whole stack for $8. Looked them up online and apparently the "Cinderella" pattern in turquoise is pretty collectible, one bowl alone sells for like $40. Has anyone else had luck with old Pyrex at thrift stores or is it usually priced too high now?
Some random vendor in Portland told me to use ketchup on tarnished brass, and I thought he was messing with me. Tried it on a lamp I got for $8 and it worked better than any polish I've bought. Has anyone else tried weird home remedies that actually worked?
I asked if he was serious and he just shrugged and said 'it's vintage, honey' so I walked away wondering if I'm the crazy one or if people have just lost their minds over old glassware.
I found one piece at a flea market in Ohio for $8, a small mixing bowl. Turned out it was part of a four piece set from the 1940s. Took me six months of hitting every antique shop within 50 miles before I found the other three pieces, and the largest one cost me $45. Anyone else ever get stuck trying to complete a partial set like this?
I found this old chrome Toastmaster at a flea market in Portland for $20. The cord looked a little frayed but I figured it was fine. Got it home, plugged it in, and it sparked and popped before the coils even got warm. I'm thinking about replacing the cord and the mica insulators inside but idk if it's worth the hassle. Has anyone here actually restored one of these old toasters or should I just cut my losses?
I picked up this heavy cast iron skillet at a flea market in Lancaster, PA for $40. Seller swore it was from the 1920s, had the whole story about it being passed down. Got it home and started cleaning it up, and noticed the surface was way too smooth and uniform for something that old. Looked up the markings online and turns out it's a Chinese recast from like 2005, just artificially aged with some acid bath trick. I was kinda pissed at first, but honestly it cooks just fine and I only use it for camping trips now anyway. What really bugged me was the guy trying to pass it off as antique instead of just saying it's a solid workhorse pan. Anyone else have luck telling real old iron from the fake stuff?
I was at an antique mall in Portland last weekend (near the vintage toy booth) and two dealers were arguing about pricing old glassware. One guy said a 1920s vase was worth $200 just because it was old, but his friend shot back that age doesn't equal value if nobody wants it. Made me think about all the stuff I buy based on era alone, like that 1940s lamp I grabbed for $60 that's been sitting in my garage for 6 months. But then again, some older pieces really do hold their worth better than newer reproductions, right? Which side do you lean on when you're picking things up at estate sales or flea markets?
I picked up this really cool green vase at a flea market outside Portland last weekend and wanted to figure out when it was made. Spent way too long looking up patterns and glass textures online before I thought to just flip it over and check the maker's mark. It was a Fenton piece from 1972, right there stamped on the bottom the whole time. Has anyone else wasted forever on research when the answer was staring you in the face?
I found this little brown teapot at an estate sale in Ohio for $8. It had a mark on the bottom that looked like crossed arrows or something. I spent probably 6 months off and on googling that mark, posting in Facebook groups, all that. Finally last week I stumbled on a blog from a British pottery nerd who said the mark was actually a bird on a branch, not arrows. Turns out it's from a small potter in Staffordshire around 1880. Has anyone else had a maker's mark drive them crazy for way too long?
I grabbed an old Stanley plane from a flea market in Austin thinking I scored a bargain, but the sole is warped and the blade chatters like crazy. Tried sharpening and lapping it myself with sandpaper, but it just burns the wood instead of cutting smooth. Anyone got tips for fixing a warped plane bottom without a machine shop?
I dropped 15 bucks on a cute art deco vase from a flea market in Austin last weekend, thought it was a steal for the price. Got it home, filled it with water for some flowers, and now there's a slow drip coming from a hairline crack I totally missed. Anyone else ever get burned by a pretty antique that turned out to be totally useless?
I found this beautiful oak dresser at an antique mall in Portland for $120. Got it home and tried wiping it down with what I thought was a gentle wood cleaner, but it started bubbling the finish within seconds. I panicked and grabbed some mineral spirits I had in the garage, dabbed it on carefully with a rag, and luckily it stopped the damage before it spread. Anyone else almost ruin a piece by using the wrong cleaning stuff?
I picked up this old brass lamp at an estate sale near Dayton for $3 and could not figure out why the switch kept sparking. Finally, I took it apart and saw the wiring was totally frayed and wrapped the wrong way around the screw... an old electrician at the shop told me I had been stripping too much insulation off for years. He showed me the right way to hook it up and now the lamp works like a dream. Has anyone else had a simple fix change how they see old hardware?
I grabbed this ornate mirror from a Goodwill in Phoenix last week for $15, thinking it was a steal. Turns out every photo I take with it in frame comes out blurry, even on a tripod, and my cat won't stop hissing at it. Has anyone else found a mirror that just feels wrong, or am I being paranoid?
I was digging through a bin of rusty wrenches last Saturday and this guy next to me starts telling me about the old Stanley planes he restores. He said most people strip the patina off because they think it's just dirt, but that layer actually protects the tool and keeps it working smooth. Made me stop and think about how I've been tossing good finds in the trash because they looked ugly. Has anyone else passed up something old that ended up being way better than the new version?
I picked up this vintage Rival ice crusher for $8 last Saturday and it crushes ice way faster than my $40 electric one. How did we go backwards on something as simple as crushing ice?