We bought part of a vintage rattan living room set years ago when we lived in Kaaawa. They were offered in an auction along with other items said to be from the estate of Spence Weaver, who with his brother, Cliff, operated several Hawaii restaurants under the Spendcliff brand beginning in 1939 until they sold their business in 1986. I don’t recall what our winning bid was at the time.
Several years ago, we discovered one of the chairs had broken at the joint where the back joins the base. We found a furniture repair business that thought they could repair it, but their attempt quickly failed.
Here are some photos of the damaged chair, with closeups of the damaged section.
The question: Can it be repaired?
I’m going to wander off here to say that there’s some family nostalgia attached to this and the other rattan pieces we purchased that day.
The Weaver brothers arrived in Honolulu in 1939, the same year my dad, then 25, moved from California to take a job with the Honolulu branch of Dohrmann Hotel Supply Company. He had been working for Dohrmann in Los Angeles for a couple of years when the position opened up in Honolulu. So he began selling restaurant supplies at around the same time that the Weavers were launching their first food venture in Hawaii, the Swanky Franky food cart, and being a small town, they soon met and became friends.
I believe these photos of my mom and dad with Spence and Cliff Weaver, with their Swanky Franky cart, were taken in 1939 or perhaps 1940.
My mother, Helen Lind, with the Swanky Franky, the hot dog stand that began the Spencecliff restaurant empire.
That’s my dad on the right, with Cliff and Spence Weaver, Spencecliff founders.
My dad was a good salesman, and I know he got more than his share of the Spencecliff business over the years, including after he left Dorhmann and opened his own small restaurant supply company in 1959, the year of Hawaii statehood. Growing up, I remember we often went out to dinner at one or another Spencecliff restaurant, all familiar names to anyone who lived through those years, including the Ranch House in Aina Haina, not far from my parents’ Kahala home.
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The repair looks like the entire broken piece of rattan must be replaced. The company we used decades ago doesn’t exist anymore, so I don’t have a reco. But, be aware that replacement (and not refurbishment) always took longer because they had to source the right material then stain to match (which wasn’t always successful). It was alarming that it sometimes took months. Other stuff, like new cushions or covers, were usually very speedy.
Try Restoration Furniture Repair
Use epoxy to join the broken rattan cane and to reattach the rattan where the nail is.
Clamp the broken pieces together while they set for +/- 24 hrs.
Ian,
To add on to the epoxy comment. One-way forward would be to remove the entire back portion, then drill holes into the core of the vertical sections to allow insertion of a steel reinforcement bar. As an example, drill a 1/2 hole that is three to four inches, then “dry-fit” a steel 3/8″ reinforcement bar. Then, drill a hole into the base section to allow it to go into several of those horizontal rattan pieces. If you go 4″ into the vertical and 4″ into the horizontal pieces then you would use an 8″ rod. Note, you may have to bend the bar to accomodate the angle of the back and the space between the half inch hole and 3/8″ rod is to allow space for the epoxy. Once everything is “dry-fitted”, get out your epoxy, mix it up, then insert epoxy into each of the holes and insert the rods. You may determine that inserting just the base pieces first, allowing it to dry, then inserting epoxy in the back piece holes you drilled (which will then be slipped over the base and rods) will be easier to manage. If you have some cinch straps to tighten the back against the base while it all dries, that would help. I would not use a quick setting epoxy so that you have some time to work. The repair would be somewhat invisible to retain that nice rattan look. Best of luck!