Refinishing the leather couch is taking longer than expedted

The old leather is sucking up the dye at an astounding rate, as are the many and deep creases where the couch is tufted. Fortunately, the weather is holding so I can open the windows and work on the couch a little each day. A filler material for some of the larger cracks is supposed to arrive on Friday. After I attend to those cracks, I'm hoping a second coat of dye goes on quickly (this time, with a sprayer). Hoping a second coat (and the sealer) are all it will need.

Dying the table yellow with analine dye was sort of a fail.

I went through a whole lotta work for not a lotta change. As you can see, the teak veneer did have a lot of red tones. But, in the middle photo, you can see that it did look like it was taking the dye well (the white haze was raised grain that I sanded down). I don't have a picture of the first coat of varnish. That was pretty bad. The white haze that I sanded off didn't completely wash away when I wiped the table down with mineral spirits. White specs were caught in the deep grooves of the grain. A second sanding (and better wiping) and another coat of clear varnish seem to have alleviated most of that problem...but the clear varnish brought up all the red tones in the wood. I don't think you can tell I dyed it yellow at all. If I ever do anymore more refinishing (I've done plenty in the past), I won't try to dye stripped wood (I would try it again on fresh wood). Ya lives and ya learns. I've also learned that today's stripping chemicals are nowhere near as powerful and effective as the ones from two decades ago...makes me reluctant to strip again.

How could anyone let this mid-century modern gem get away for $112?

Well, I let it get away, but I wasn't happy about it. The finish needed a little work, but it's an American of Martinsville piece! So beautifully constructed: dovetail joints, solid walnut...and the bones of the piece were excellent condition. It's a shame people pay three times as much for crappy particle board furniture when something like this is available for a few hours of elbow grease.

I have no place to put this. Still, I would have purchased it anyway if only I had a van and two strong guys to carry it. With a tiny bit of work, I could have turned it into a gem and sold it for a huge profit. (I love refinishing furniture. Housework, not so much.) Sigh.