Accademia Riaci
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Reporter
R.T.

Country: Japan
Course: Furniture Restoration
Program: Summer Course
Period: Aug. 25, 2025 – Oct. 17, 2025

I wanted to learn furniture restoration techniques in Italy, so I participated in a summer course.

イタリアで家具の修復技術を学んでみたいと思い、サマーコースに参加しました。

Nov. 11, 2025 | Posted in Reports, Woodworking , | Tags:, Reporter: R.T. | Course: Woodworking

Furniture Restoration Summer Course (#7) – R.T.

Day 43 (Monday)
Continuing from last week, I worked on restoring the tabletop of a non-antique table. First, I applied a thick layer of paint stripper, let it sit for several minutes, then used steel wool to remove the old finish. During the work, I focused on sanding the entire surface uniformly to eliminate unevenness in the stripper. Next, I shaped the areas filled with putty last week. Using a chisel, knife, and sandpaper, I worked to form the shape, but the amount of putty was insufficient, making it difficult to match the height with the surrounding area. This resulted in slight distortion, leading me to reflect that my judgment during the filling process was inadequate.

43日目(月)
前週に引き続き、アンティークではないテーブルの天板修復を行った。まず、剥離剤を厚めに塗布し、数分置いた後にスチールウールを用いて古い塗装を除去した。作業の際は、剥離剤のムラをなくすために全体を均一に削ることを意識した。その後、先週パテを充填した箇所の成形を行った。のみやナイフ、紙やすりを使用しながら形を整えたが、パテの量が足りず、周囲と高さを合わせることが難しかった。そのためわずかに歪みが生じ、充填時の判断が不十分であったことを反省した。
Day 44 (Tue)
Continuing from the previous day, I applied shellac coating to the tabletop. I started with a low-concentration solution, gradually increasing the concentration while waiting for each coat to dry. Afterwards, I worked on the final finishing of the rattan chair, adjusting the height of details and applying color to sanded areas. I confirmed the overall balance and completed the restoration of the rattan chair.

44日目(火)
前日に続き、天板にシェラック塗装を施した。最初は濃度の薄いものを使用し、乾燥を待ちながら徐々に濃度を高めて塗装を進めた。その後、ラタンの椅子の最終仕上げに取り組み、細部の高さを調整したり、削った箇所に着色を施したりした。全体のバランスを確認し、ラタン椅子の修復を完了した。
Furniture Restoration blog
Day 45 (Wed)
Today, I shifted to restoring an 18th-century antique table. I worked on bonding a missing part, but the bonding surface curved, making it difficult to secure with springs or clamps. Therefore, instead of hide glue, I used a two-part adhesive that hardens quickly and performed the entire process from curing to bonding myself.
I also observed the instructor injecting animal glue into the peeled veneer section using a syringe for bonding. Deciding the fixation method beforehand made the process from glue application to securing extremely smooth. Since glue takes time to cure, I learned the importance of planning for efficiency, such as scheduling this step toward the end of class time.

45日目(水)
この日は、18世紀のアンティークテーブルの修復作業に移った。欠損していたパーツを接着する作業を行ったが、接着面が曲線を描いており、バネやクランプによる固定が困難であった。そのため、牛膠ではなく短時間で硬化する2液性接着剤を使用し、養生から接着までの工程を自ら行った。
また、先生が剥がれた化粧板部分に牛膠を注射器で注入して接着する様子を観察した。事前に固定方法を決めておくことで、膠の塗布から固定までが非常にスムーズであった。膠は硬化に時間がかかるため、授業時間の終盤に行うなど、作業の効率を考慮した段取りの重要性を学んだ。
Furniture Restoration blog
Furniture Restoration blog
Furniture Restoration blog
Furniture Restoration blog
Furniture Restoration blog
Furniture Restoration blog
Furniture Restoration blog
Furniture Restoration blog
Furniture Restoration blog
Day 46 (Thursday)
Continued the previous day’s work. In the morning, I performed bonding work as before. In the afternoon, after preparing the missing section, I created a new veneer panel. I shaped the prepared veneer with a chisel and sandpaper, progressing the work to match the shape of the damaged area. Once the shape was reasonably formed, I bonded the peeled-off veneer section using glue. I was reminded of the difficulty in handling glue and managing the work schedule.

46日目(木)
前日の作業を継続した。午前中は前回と同様に接着作業を行い、午後は欠けている部分の下処理をした上で、新たな化粧板を作製した。用意した化粧板をのみや紙やすりで整え、欠損箇所の形に合わせて加工を進めた。形がある程度整ったところで、剥がれていた化粧板部分の膠による接着を行った。膠の扱いと作業時間の配分の難しさを改めて実感した。
Days 48 & 49 (Sat & Sun)
I took advantage of the weekend for a short trip to Venice. Wandering the city without a specific destination, I enjoyed the canals and narrow alleyways. The sight of waterways spreading out immediately upon exiting the station was striking, strongly conveying how the entire city is structured around life with water. The sunset scenery was beautiful, a fitting scene for the end of my stay.
The next day, we took a water bus to Lido Island and enjoyed a meal by the sea. Despite it being mid-October, the open atmosphere where dining and smoking by the water were possible left a strong impression. Venice’s streetscape and way of life conveyed the wisdom and aesthetic sensibility of people coexisting with water, making it a valuable experience to learn about cultural richness.

48・49日目(土・日)
週末を利用し、ヴェネチアへ小旅行を行った。特に目的地を定めずに街を散策し、運河や狭い路地の街並みを楽しんだ。駅を出てすぐに水路が広がる光景は印象的であり、街全体が水と共に生活する構造であることを強く感じた。夕暮れの景色は美しく、滞在の終盤にふさわしい情景であった。
翌日は水上バスでリド島を訪れ、海辺で食事を楽しんだ。10月中旬にもかかわらず、海辺での食事や喫煙が可能な開放的な雰囲気が印象的であった。ヴェネチアの街並みや生活様式には、水と共存する人々の知恵と美意識が感じられ、文化的な豊かさを学ぶ貴重な経験となった。

OTHER REPORT

Furniture Restoration Summer Course (#8) – R.T.

Day 50 (Monday) Continued restoring the antique tab…
Language:   Reporter: R.T.
Course: Woodworking

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Furniture Restoration Summer Course (#7) – R.T.

Day 43 (Monday) Continuing from last week, I worked…
Language:   Reporter: R.T.
Course: Woodworking

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Furniture Restoration Summer Course (#6) – R.T.

Day 37 (Tuesday) Today, I worked on repairing the i…
Language:   Reporter: R.T.
Course: Woodworking

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