Sticking Stickley

[frogpatch]

I am thrilled with this little server that was a 35.00 weekend find. It has a label in the drawer that says "Leopold Stickley Original, 1956."  It is made of cherry and is the heaviest piece of furniture for its size that I have ever moved. All the drawers are solid hardwood which adds a few pounds. It is in good overall condition but it has two issues both caused by moisture I think. The first is a warped and moldy back board. Its is in the back so I can live with that. The other is that the the two small deep drawers stick tight when closed. The drawer fronts jam in the frame. I think it was caused by swelling from moisture. I tried the old trick of candle wax but it did not help. They stick so much that It really that a hard yank to open the, Do you think that they will eventually shrink? Or does anyone have another trick? I tried switching them but one will not even fit in the opening at all. Sorry that the picture isn't better but the piece is in a tight spot and I very close to it. There was no way I was going to move it. My back is still killing me.  Thanks for your help. 

[bigwull]

I love the colour of this piece,as for the sticking drawers...changing them about...won,t help, as they were made for their respective openings...from experience,i would say that once this piece has lived in a dry environment for a while the drawers should eventually run free,

[ghopper1924]

Nice and solid, that's Stickly alright!

I would keep it in a low humidity environment for a few months, then try the drawers again. If they still need work, you may need to find a restoration specialist.

[mart]

nice find !! may get better when it stays dry a while !!  i used to put them in a small room like a bathroom and put an electric heater on for a few days !!  then try !! you can also buff the tops down with 4-O steel wool a little bit !!

[bbc-antiques.co.uk]

the advice given is good  however once the drawers free we often use beeswax to help them run easier  sometimes you have to sand the areas where the sticking evolved  you can see the rub marks when the drawers are free

[frogpatch]

Thanks for all of your advice. The humidity here has dropped in the last 24 hours from terrarium to terrific. It had rained almost every day last week and the sun made it steamy and this was outside when I came upon it. Now it is indoors. It is still too warm to put the heat on and the only small room I have is the bathroom. I don't think my wife would appreciate navigating around this. If it does not start to move on its own I may try the steel wool or sanding. I can get then opened and they feel as if all four sides of the drawer fronts stick all the way around. There is no one or two places where there is wear. They are just too snug all around. I think they were made to such an exact tolerance that a little swelling was all that was needed to stick them.  I just scraped all the built up stuff of the top and gave the whole thing a coat of paste wax. I an going to move it to a bigger, brighter place and I will post another picture. It really has some unusual features like dovetailing on the front and half round moldings around each drawer.

[mart]

 i meant just put the drawers in the bathroom,, not the entire thing !!  a small heater at night maybe ??  bar soap does same as wax !! i would give it a while before sanding ect !!  sometimes if you sand too soon the drawers get a little wiggle after they finally dry out !!

[bigwull]

i meant just put the drawers in the bathroom,, not the entire thing !!  a small heater at night maybe ??  bar soap does same as wax !! i would give it a while before sanding ect !!  sometimes if you sand too soon the drawers get a little wiggle after they finally dry out !!

You may have led a sheltered life....but your on fire tonight..1st it was battleships now its drawers wiggling....

[frogpatch]

One of the drawers is already unstuck since the humidity left. I can't believe I thought Mary meant to put the piece in a small room.

[bigwull]

personally speaking,i,d have thought the bathroom would be the last place to put something to help dry it out....heater or no heater...even with the lid down a heater would create humidity...

[frogpatch]

I meant to say Mart. The T and Y are next to each other

[mart]

One of the drawers is already unstuck since the humidity left. I can't believe I thought Mary meant to put the piece in a small room.

  Who is Mary   Gotta get cha` Frogpatch !!

[bigwull]

nowt wrong with Mary....that was my mums name....

[ghopper1924]

So the dehumidifying solution is working! Excellent

[frogpatch]

Drawer number two is still sticking but it is not as bad. Here is a new picture now that its in its place to stay. I cleaned it up a bit. Thanks again all