The recent refit of an unnamed 138-foot (42-meter) motoryacht raised a dilemma. The owner wanted a prized 18th-century card table featured in one of the rooms. The interior-design firm did what a number of other professionals, and owners, are increasingly doing. It turned to Onlyacht.
Founded by David Burton, who has experience in antique furniture conservation, Onlyacht has a team of conservators, woodworkers, and more who treat valuables with materials that won’t ruin their value. It also customizes securing solutions that blend with the original piece.
For the motoryacht refit, Onlyacht was instructed to restore and preserve the table. It was also tapped to create an onboard installation for the table to be used both against a wall and in the center of the room. (The top of the card table, like others of its era, can pivot out.) That same installation needed to look as if it were as old as the table, too.
At its UK-based workshop, Onlyacht’s team identified several areas in need of repair. The French oak was marred in some spots. It was mostly due to the breakdown of the original glue used to secure the surface veneer of brass, tortoise shell, and ebony. Furthermore, sections of the brass and shell had either broken off or come away from the surface. They needed replacing, cleaning, and re-securing. For aesthetics, Onlyacht aged the brand-new pieces. Then, every brass pin in every mount was removed, cleaned, waxed, and put back in place. The final touches: waxing the full table as protection against the salt air.
Onlyacht’s next challenge: the securing solution. It created a two-part, antique brass retaining bracket. The bracket has a single, small pin that secures everything to the wall. But, a carved mask protruding from the back of the table risked rubbing against the wall. So, Onlyacht also created a felt-lined frame that mimicked the shape of the mask. The brass bracket holds the underside of the tabletop, and therefore the mask, securely against the felt. When the table is moved to the center of the room, the only hint that it was attached to the wall is a single, small hole from the pin.
Creating the frame was a project in and of itself for Onlyacht. The team made a silicone mold of the mask. That mold allowed the creation of a polyurethane mask replica. The replica served as a carving guide for the frame, of period mahogany. (Remember, every component needed to look as if it were from the 18th century.) As mentioned above, high-quality felt lines the inside of the frame.
When Onlyacht completed all aspects, still plenty of work lay ahead. It kept the table in a climate-mimicking tent for seven weeks. This allowed the restoration and securing components were acclimated to the temperatures and humidity levels that the yacht was set to encounter well ahead of delivery.
Onlyacht has supplied the megayacht’s crew with containers of wax for future protection, along with instructions. It has also provided instructions on how to deploy and secure the table.
For more information directly from Onlyacht on its conservation and other specialized skills, please fill out our contact form.
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