ConNext-2021

40 A Method for flattening a warped Dining Room Tabletop using Moisture and Heat KEYWORDS: warped wood, flattening, moisture, heat, Biedermeier table. We would like to present the challenging restoration of a circular Biedermeier dining table carried out during our studies at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Germany. The table belongs to Museen der Stadt Dresden and will probably be part of an exhibition on the life of the early 19 th -century bourgeoisie. Thus, the aim of the restoration is for visitors to perceive the object as a functional dining room table of this specific historical period. The table is mainly constructed in oak and veneered with cherry wood. Its condition before restoration suggests that it was stored in adverse climate conditions and possibly also experienced mechanical stress. This, in combination with the partially deficient construction and poor selection of construction timber, resulted in damages such as the warpage of the tabletop. As a result, it detached from the base and split into two parts. Large areas of the tabletop veneer became loose. The main objective of the treatment was the flattening of the two severely warped tabletop parts, to allow for their reassembly and reattachment to the circular frame and to reglue the loose and buckled veneers. Finally, the treatment included the replacement of all missing veneers and subtle improvements to the construction to ensure the long- lasting preservation of the table. The method used in this treatment was developed by Gert van Gerven at the University of Amsterdam, which he published in Studies in Conservation (2016, vol. 61, No. 3, S. 124- 135). It employs moisture, heat, and a vacuum press to bend wood while preserving the animal glue and surface finish. In order to apply his method, which was developed for a relatively small part of a cabinet, to this table, a scientific review of hygroscopicity and anisotropy in wood was necessary. This helped in understanding the specific difficulties we were confronted with within this particular case. Based on our research, a solution for the problem at hand was developed. As a result, this table now mainly tells a story of cultural history and reveals its history of damage, alterations and restoration treatments only on closer inspection. katja_hiller[at ]gmx.de