I was able to get the rocker from my grandparent's homestead. It had been stored in a barn for decades and was a big mess, especially the horsehair upholstered seat, and the woven cane back had broken. But anyway, first I stripped off the old blackened varnish, bird droppings and 'granny sweat' with a combination of turps and (alcohol? Don't recall) using steel wool and a putty knife. Soused it down good to remove the chemicals and when it was dry, I applied linseed oil which brought out the beautiful stains but to my surprise, they were mixed woods, so it looked kind of odd--one arm was cherry, the other walnut, the rockers maple. LOL So then I understood why it had been covered in a dark opaque varnish. I left it natural though.
I bought an uphostery remnant and paid an upholsterer to redo the seat--had big iron springs, and a thick layer of horsehair padding that had to be replaced. Got the cane back replaced. It was a beauty. Unfortunately, after awhile, one arm weakened and kept snapping off in the front where it had a very slender turning. After several repair attempts, including an inserted metal rod, I gave it away before I moved. Hope they figured out how to fix it. It was an oversize rocker, just like my Gram, and had a lot of character.
I hunted and hunted online but can't find a pic of one similar.
