Please Help w/Age, Origin and Possible Maker of this Rocker.

Thanks, everyone for your replies.

From this link: http://antiques.lovetoknow.com/Identifying_Old_Rocking_Chairs they ID these no arm, small chairs as: "This small chair is a ladies sewing rocker, sometimes called a nursing rocker. The chair is always bigger than child-size but smaller than a full size rocker would be. The lack of arms allowed the lady of the house to easily nurse and infant or sew a shirt while she rocked. These are utilitarian chairs, usually simple and made from pine".

 

I have one here that was used as a nursing rocker. It's been recaned and alas refinished. It was used by my great-grandmother, so since Grandma and Grandpa on that side were born in 1898 it goes back a ways. No arms. I think that arm thing is a fallacy.

 

6rivets, thanks for the painting tip.

Do you have a recommendation for the type of paint to use in the concoction if you didn't have paint on hand and were going to do small pieces of furniture with turned legs and old picture frames?

 

Grab an 8 oz jar of the "sample" paint at Lowes. Three bucks, nice colors. Or you can use plain white latex paint - Lowes cheapest is around $10/gallon I think - and tint it with the little bottles of acrylic craft paint you can get at Walmart, Michaels, etc. (One should always have a bucket of white paint around, anyway.)

 

Just be sure to sand it down first or somehow get rid of the old finish. I tried using some of that Lowe's paint over some kind of craft paint on a wooden clock I bought to mess with. The new stuff peeled right off.

 

Thanks, 6rivets. Sounds easy enough, and the price is great! Does the plaster of paris prevent the peeling problem that evelyb experienced?

 

It has in my experience (and we're talking "kitchen chairs" here, i.e., furniture that's taking abuse). Just wash the thing down with TSP first.

 

Okay, did a little research and read about TSP (trisodium phosphate)... sounds like potent stuff. How much do you dilute it when you use it for this purpose?

 

Hi,
Soilax is TSP. It is a strong degreaser that does not need rinsing. We used to use it to wash down the walls before painting.
greg

 

Soilax??!!

Duz does Everything! And, Brusha, brusha, brusha. New Ipana Toothpaste!

 

What? No picture of Bucky Beaver, silverthwait?

 

Greg, thanks for the Soilax info.

 

Sorry - he was at the orthodontist.