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[Weecow]

Hey everyone.

I am what the call " the village idiot," in that I am not afraid to tackle a project of any shape or size.
Have taken on the project of my grandmother's Duncan Phyfe sofa! It has been with me for 40 years, and has had a lot of abuse, and I figured it was time to breathe some new life into it. I have sewing knowledge and have reupholstered dining room chairs before, but this is my first attempt at hand tying springs, strapping webbing, etc...... Will hopefully post pics as I go.

I have completely deconstructed the sofa, saving the fabric as a pattern, and saving the horsehair padding to reuse (will clean it first),
but I have overthought this project and need someone to "Calm all of the questions" I have running in my head that can cause me to stop working on it.

Here is my first set ~

1) Tacks or Staples ~ is there a better use for one over the other, or does it really matter? Have an air compressor stapler, but other than speed of project, is there a better use or preference?

2) Burlap of Canvas ~ I noticed during the deconstruction of the sofa that some spots used burlap as a cover over webbing and others used canvas/cloth. Is there a specific reason for one over the other, or is it just personal preference?

3) Filling holes in the frame ~ I think my grandmother had this reupholstered once or twice, and so there are lots of tack holes and staple holes around the frame where I will be reattaching padding, webbing, etc... is there a wood filler that I can use to backfill some of these places that will still allow staples and tacks to go in, or is this just a waste of time?

4) Twine for hand tying the springs ~ the seat has a total of 27 springs that I will be hand sewing to the webbing, and then retying them and attaching them to the frame of the sofa. (It is a tight seat sofa, no cushions, and I would prefer to keep it that way). Does anybody have any suggestions as to the best twine/cording to use for both the sewing the springs to the webbing, and then for hand tying the springs to the frame??

Okay ~ enough. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Weecow]

Just some pics to give you a general idea ~ am currently regluing joints and cutting springs off of webbing and burlap

[WILD BILL]

Wish I could help but I have no experience (or desire) with furniture.

That said, I will say welcome to the board.

[Adam12]

Hello there and welcome to the forum. Quite an ambitious project you have there. I'd use staples if they're hidden and decorative tacks if they're visible. Burlap vs canvas is probably just a difference in preference between upholsterers as you stated that it had been re done before. Wood fillers will be hard to match with stain if the areas are visible. If they're hidden then anything would probably work but thick putties will leave an air void at the bottom of each hole and essentially just filling the surface. If you want over kill, fill with thinned eopxy and let it start to tack. Followed by un thinned epoxy and then thickened epoxy. The holes will be completely filled and stabilized but that extent is probably not necessary. Para cord is probably a good replacement for the twine.

[Weecow]

Adam 12 ~ thanks for the response.
The holes I was concerned about filling are the ones that are hidden, where the tacks and staples for the webbing, spring tying, horsehair and cotton padding attach. Have been washing, reshaping and getting the horsehair ready for reuse and will start the wood refinishing probably tomorrow. The exterior visible frame is in pretty good condition, just a few light scratches that should come out with a light sanding. Saw Gorilla wood filler that says you can nail and screw into it when it was dry, and thought I might give that a try, since the holes will be hidden.

Thanks so much. Will keep you posted ~