Hancock & Moore # 016 Ashmore Boot Stool in Terra Lava Burnished Leather

What's a boot stool? Smaller than an ottoman, it would be considered a footstool for a chair. Nice to have around, a very casual piece. Shown in a new leather that was introduced at the October 2009 market, not yet swatched to dealers as of the date of this post but available to order. VIENNA wood finish on the base.

Duane,

How does the quality look to you on that piece? I know H&M is supposed to among the best but I am a perfectionist and I see imperfections. Is that as good as it gets in the industry?

I ask because I have a couple of Sherrill chairs and a Bradington-Young ottoman that I bought last year that have piping that isn't perfectly straight either. I'm not unhappy with them because it is a minor imperfection but I've been thinking, based on your comments, that H&M would have gotten it absolutely perfect.

Looks fine to me. On small pieces, its much harder to get details right because theres not as much surface area to work with and take some tension, etc. Boot stools are pretty small. The unevenness in the welt trim is due to thickness in the overlapping seams underneath where the panes come together. (see the vertical panels where the button tufts are located). If those vertical and buttons were removed, then the welt trim would be straighter. It would also be less noticeable over a larger area.

I don't think perfection is in the cards from any maker, on any piece. I can go over every piece in my store and find a flaw in every single one if I look hard enough, 'tis the nature of the handcrafted business.

Many years ago I had a customer in New Jersey that I delivered off a set of windsor chairs to during an evening snowstorm. I had my truck in Boston and was headed home so her delivery wasn't too far out of the way. After I got back on the turnpike headed south, she called me on my cell in a panic - HER CHAIRS WERE DEFECTIVE! COME GET THEM! INTOLERABLE DEFECTS! I was 22 miles down the road, but dutifully turned around in this snowstorm and went back to get them. Got to her home an hour later and all the fuss was about a fingerprint in the finish on the bottom of one of the chairs where the chairmaker moved it before was fully cured. She wanted them replaced, the whole set. I said "no, sorry" and gave her the option of a refund or to keep them, but I would not replace six chairs because one had a light fingerprint impression in an area that no one ever looks at. Took me all of 90 seconds with a # 0000 steel wool pad to remove 90% of it, and I went on my way, adding nearly three hours to my trip.

Such is the quest for perfection!

Thanks for the reply. That makes me feel better. Like I said, the imperfect piping on the pieces I have are minor but it still makes me feel better to know that nobody gets it absolutely perfect.

I read a comment somewhere (maybe here) from a person that said they'd bought only what they thought were the best brands of furniture (Henkel Harris, Baker, Karges, etc.) and they still found flaws in every piece. As you said, I suppose that's the nature of the business.

I guess one can only buy well made furniture from those companies that place a high emphasis on quality but even then, don't expect absolute perfection.

By the way, count me in the group that would be absolutely scared of getting steel wool anywhere near my furniture.

Oh no! Steel Wool Super Fine # 0000 is the ace-of-aces in the furniture business. You can usually find me with a pad of it in my pocket. I can remove everything from light scratches on tabletops to those on leather with it. Paint marks come right off with it, and if a piece of finished wood is dingy or lifeless, steel wool and wax brings it right up. You've heard the term 'hand-rubbed' in the furniture business I'm sure....well the steel wool is what you're rubbing with. Make sure its # 0000 grade, or no thicker than # 000 grade. Try it! Always go with the grain and don't rub in an 'arc'.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

Oh no! Steel Wool Super Fine # 0000 is the ace-of-aces in the furniture business. You can usually find me with a pad of it in my pocket. I can remove everything from light scratches on tabletops to those on leather with it. Paint marks come right off with it, and if a piece of finished wood is dingy or lifeless, steel wool and wax brings it right up. You've heard the term 'hand-rubbed' in the furniture business I'm sure....well the steel wool is what you're rubbing with. Make sure its # 0000 grade, or no thicker than # 000 grade. Try it! Always go with the grain and don't rub in an 'arc'.

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Duane,

Since you wrote the post above replying to me, I have used steel wool a couple of times and found that you are right and it does wonders. However, I used it on a table top today and it left very visible scratches. I went with the grain but still it looks very bad. I didn't have any wax to put on it so I am hoping that once I do that, it will rectify what now appears to be damage. My question tough is what kind of wax should I buy? In every post I can find, you reference "wax of your choice" but I've never used wax on furniture so is there one you'd recommend?

Most the time with steel wool if you are leaving scratches its because you are pressing too hard on it or moving your arm in an arc. Use a new piece of # 0000 and go lightly over the top - gently. Also, use a steel wool lubricant to further diminish the pressure and make it 'glide'. You can vary the amount of effect with pressure and lube. There are steps you can take beyond Steel Wool as well for glossy surface finishes. Read this article for more:

http://www.rockler.com/articles/rubbing-out-finish.cfm

I just built a desk for my son for college this past weekend, and used a orange shellac finish on it with a poly top surface. After the final coat I used Minwax Finishing Wax (clear) in paste form to complete the project. That's my choice of paste wax, but you can use most anything - including car wax - just be sure its not silicone-based. Silicone waxes are bad for wood furniture.