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The Answers
General Information
Q. Which book on caning is best for the beginner?
A. That depends on which type of caning or seatweaving you want to do. Please see the supplies page. For each listed book we stock, I’ve added a snippet of information about which book is best for which job.
Prewoven Cane
Q. How do I determine how much prewoven cane to buy?
A. Measure the opening from groove to groove, at the widest point, and add 2 inches. For instance, if the opening is 12x14, you would need a piece 14x16. And don’t forget the spline. It’s that wedge shaped piece of reed that fits in the groove around the seat. To determine the correct size of spline, measure the groove width and depth. Or better yet, if possible, save a piece of the old spline for your supplier to match.
Q. How long do I need to soak the prewoven cane? Can I soak it too much?
A. For open weave cane, generally about 30-45 minutes in lukewarm water is fine when the seat or back is flat. If the seat, (or most likely) the back has some curve to it, you’ll need to let it soak about an hour. If you’re in a big hurry, you can decrease the soaking time by increasing the water temperature.
For close weave cane, increase the time about 15-20 minutes. But, anything over about an hour and a half begins to weaken the cane. The soaking time for the spline depends on the size of the spline, and whether the groove has straight sides or is rounded. But usually 15-20 minutes is plenty unless the spline is #10 or larger. (Most times I put the spline in to soak when I take the cane out. Then by the time I get the cane in place, the spline is ready.)
Q. What kind of glue should I use for prewoven cane?
A. Please, please, PLEASE, use a liquid hide glue, also known as caning glue. It is completely water-soluble, yet is unaffected by any type of finish. But the best thing is, the next caner (20-30 years later) will thank you profusely! All that needs to be done to remove it at any time is to soak it thoroughly with water and it will turn loose, lifting out easily.
Q. What’s the best way to remove old spline from a prewoven seat? And could I reuse it?
A. Well, first of all, if the old spline just lifts out, then you may be able to reuse it. But that’s rare. If the previous caner used hide glue, the removal will be easy. If they used any other type of glue, be prepared to call on your patience. Begin this way: use a drill with a 1/16 inch drill bit, or an awl, (or ice pick) and make holes in the spline about 2-3 inches apart all the way around the seat or back. (If you’re using a drill, be careful not to drill too deep into the groove. You’ll probably be able to feel when the bit "drops" through the spline.) Take a glue syringe, or something similar, and insert water into the holes. (You’ll actually see the water come up through the next hole!)
When you get water through out all the spline, let it soak a couple of hours, adding a little water now and then. Now, if the glue is hide glue, it will lift out (but with holes in it you can’t reuse it.) If it isn’t hide glue, you’ll have some work to do. Use a 1/16 or 3/16 inch chisel, depending on the size of the groove, to work the spline out. It may come out in pieces, and with the water it will be a gooey mess, but there’s just no other way. When you get the most of it out, let it dry overnight then sand the groove with coarse sandpaper folded to fit. If you have a Dremelâ tool, it works great to finish cleaning a groove, but either way, it just takes time and patience.
Q. I have a chair with holes around the seat, can I router a groove in it to use prewoven cane?
A. If the chair is yours, and you want to do that, go right ahead. But be aware that, 1. You’ll destroy any value the chair has, and 2. There’s a good possibility that you’ll destroy the chair completely. However there are books that say you can, and even give directions for it, but I won’t do it. And neither do I recommend it.
Finishing and/or Care
Q. What kind of finish should I put on my newly caned seat?
A. The main thing you don’t want to do (for either handcane or prewoven) is put any type of varnish or lacquer on it. That will seal the cane and cause it to dry out and become brittle. Beyond that, finishing cane is a highly debatable subject. Many caners use no finish at all, preferring to let the cane darken naturally with age. Others will choose paste wax or making their own mixture using 1/3 parts beeswax to 2/3 parts turpentine. Personally, I usually wipe a very light coat of tung oil just over the surface of the cane. Tung oil protects the cane from dirt and stains, yet allows it to remain pliable.
A. Cane, with its slick surface doesn’t take any stain well. Most anything you use will have to sit a while to soak into the cane. Sometimes I will lightly rub the surface of the cane with very fine steel wool (#0000). That seems to help. As for the stain, there are many choices for coloring or staining the cane. There are water based and oil based stains and gels, as well as analine based and water based dyes. The main objective is, just don’t choose anything with a finish in it. The best thing to do is take some scrap prewoven cane and test colors until you get the effect you desire.
Handcane
Q. Can I use golf tees instead of caning pegs for handcaning?
A. Sure, however, they don’t work as well. Golf tees are the same diameter from top to bottom, while caning pegs are tapered and will hold the cane more tightly in place.
A. Well, I’ve never heard that one before! First of all, before you do anything else, make sure the existing weave and the piece of cane you’re weaving with are both the same dampness, if either one is wetter than the other, it will be difficult to pull the strand through. But probably, if you’re weave is too tight at that point, the cane you’re using is, most likely, too large for the size holes in your chairs. Of course I know, you certainly don’t want to cut it out and start over now! However, I don’t think I would use petroleum jelly, although it probably wouldn’t hurt it. I would just be afraid I couldn’t get it all off of the seat, and it would end up on someone’s clothes.
What I have done is pull the strand of cane across a piece of beeswax. That helps it to slide better. Beeswax also works great for repairing wicker when you have to slide a replacement piece in between some weave.
A. Well, they could be, but probably not. Very, very, old chairs, or chairs done in England are usually done in two sizes. One size (say, "fine-fine") is used for the verticals and horizontals, and the next larger size, (in this instance, "fine") for the diagonals.
I use this method, of course, when I’m replacing a seat that is done this way to start with, but this is also good when the hole dimensions call for one size and the distance center-to-center calls for a larger size. (See size chart on the supplies page.) If you use the smaller size for the entire weave, it looks skimpy. And if you use the larger size, it gets really hard to weave because it’s too tight. So, two sizes work great.
Q. I have a chair with holes, but they don’t seem to go all the way through. How can I cane this?
A. You have one of two situations. Either the chair (and I’m betting it’s the back) has what is called "blind" or "French" caning, or it has a wooden spline covering the holes. Many times this spline is so well made, that it is VERY difficult to detect.
If it has a spline, you can (very, very) carefully take it out to cane the back, or treat it like a blind caned piece. (Which is what I would do.)
Blind caning is not for the novice. This is no time to be learning the pattern. You’ll have much more serious things to attend to. Each strand in the weave must be cut to fit and pegged in place. It’s much too involved to go into here. A great book covering this is The Craft of Chair Seat Weaving by George Sterns. (see supplies page)
Fibre Rush
A. No you should not "soak" fibre rush as it is a paper material. However, you should dampen it. I usually measure out (roughly) about 10-12 yards, coil it up, and dip it in the water for about 5-10 seconds. Dampening the fibre rush makes it more pliable and easier to "fit" together in the turns. If it dries out too much while weaving, either use shorter lengths, or pull the remaining length through a damp sponge.
Splints (Reed, Binder cane, or other materials)
Q. What’s the best way to splice splints?
A. There are several ways that work well. If you’re weaving oak splints, I recommend either: cutting an arrow shape in one piece and a slot in the second piece and interlocking them, or preferably overlapping the two pieces, cutting notches, and tying them with waxed linen thread.
For binder cane, and splint reed, I recommend overlapping the two pieces, putting a bead of caning glue on them and stapling the two together. Then when the weave is finished, take out any visible staples. (Yes, I know, someone will say "They didn’t use staples in the old days", but as my husband would say "If they had had staples back then, they would have used them!")
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