Should you be lucky enough to live to your centenary year, we hope you fair better than a lot of the Brass and Iron Beds which are bought to us for restoration.  Lets face it, after one hundred years of faithful service, there are bound to be missing, broken, cracked and rattling pieces.  Sometimes, sadly, the decision is made that these beds are only good for the junk pile at the bottom of the far paddock. However, all is not lost, many beds have been brought to us for restoration, and we love nothing more than a challenge….  FINDING THOSE ELUSIVE MISSING BED PIECES AND RESTORING THE REMNANTS.

The most common large pieces which have been lost over time are the testers, tester brackets, angle irons and side brackets.  Some of these pieces found new uses in various parts of the farm, for example machinery parts or fencing.  Side rails, have proven the most difficult to find, as they came in a range of designs and sizes, usually to match each individual bed.  Even we have over a tonne of odd angle irons waiting for their partners. Next the brass spindles, knobs, ornaments, rosettes and marbles.  These days it is more common to receive a bed frame with only a small portion of its original pieces.  By experience and research of original mail order catalogues, we are able to offer the service or returning even a blank bed end back to its almost original condition.

How do I know if my bed had any ornate pieces? Clues to help you work out if your bed had brass spindles, porcelains or mother of pearl inlay may be things such as: Look for holes in the iron bed end, if you find any, the chances are that a threaded rod once held an array of brass spindles.  Brass porcelain holders, are probably more tricky, unless you know what they are, and of course as the name indicates, one would be at the top and bottom of a porcelain or china piece with a threaded rod.  These pieces have a round insert that fits up inside the centre, to hold the porcelain central and in place. Brass Mother of Pearl ornaments are usually made up of three pieces, the two holders on the outside are similar to the porcelain holders, however they have a square insert which fits up into a square brass tube to hold it central.  On these you will find two sides which will be smooth and two that will be rough with generally a criss-cross pattern where the Mother of Pearl once was.   The majority of the Mother of Pearl has been lost or in bad repair due to the glue of the time.  We have mastered this old-time craft by using real Mother of Pearl shell.  Each piece cut and shaped by hand to fit. Mother of Pearl medallions, generally had a cardboard backing, where the criss-cross gluelines had left an imprint of the original design.  Though a tedious process, these can be brought back to their brilliant lustre.  In some cases only a few pieces may be missing, and where possible we try to find similar colours of pearl shell to blend the old with the new. Overall Porcelains and Porcelains medallions generally show the ravage of time by arriving faded, cracked, chipped, missing or broken.  Yes, there are cheap reproductions, but why settle for second best, when we are able to also bring them back to near original condition.
In the majority of cases we have found the centre medallion was surrounded by matching or complimenting porcelains pieces.  The number of porcelains used varied with each bed styles. Glass Mirror Medallions had a limited number of designs, the majority with beveled outer edges, and with a star pattern being most popular.  Alternatively some were painted with three-leaf clover or floral patterns. Whilst original brass bed restorations is our specialty, our love of challenge sees us trying new waters, as demonstrated by the photograph.  The restoration of these beautiful opera glasses, with Mother of Pearl inlay, certainly posed a challenge.  When originally received all Mother of Pearl was missing from the handle, as were some pieces of the main glasses, the brass also was looking a sad.  Their owner is now eagerly awaiting their first test trial at an upcoming performance. When you think of any type of restoration, be it a house, a car, a piece of furniture or an old rusty bed.  If at first you see a pile of junk – please take a closer look, originally it was someone’s pride and joy and who knows you may just find your next family heirloom.

PS  In April, we will celebrate our first birthday in our premises.  We invite Antique and Arts readers to visit us personally, or should distance be a problem visit us virtually by entering our brand-new website  on www.timelessantiques.com.au .  Thank you to all who have contacted us and we wish you pleasant dreams.