When writing on a Lap Desk there are many materials/surfaces used for the slope (or writing surface/area — also desks are sometimes called slopes). There is cloth, various linens, paper, leather, faux leather, velvet, wool, wood, plastic, fur, faux fur, and felt. There are also a number of ways to decorate these surfaces — they include tooling, embossing, stamping, and imprinting.
One very important part of the slope is color. It can define the desk in some cases beyond its outside exterior. These decisions are up to the user/owner, they become highly personal – in my experience it becomes a deciding factor for purchase or re-model.
Top Factors on Choosing Writing Surface:
Feel — How it feels to the touch (what you lean on) and how it affects your actual writing. Harder surfaces can be more difficult to write on, while more forgiving ones can be enjoyable.
Look — Highly customized, with many designs or decorations can add a certain distinctiveness people enough.
Size — The size of writing area gives you more room to work/write. While some like smaller areas depending on their purpose. In some cases, desks are made for children or young adults.
Shape — In many cases they are either square or rectangle — again this depends on size and functionality of desks.
Material – Mentioned above with examples.
Color — Mentioned above with examples.
Extra Features — There are often Pull Tabs for opening and closing storage areas. Pen Holders are also sometimes included on writing surface.
My recommendation to anyone looking for an Antique Lap Desk with a specific look: Be patient and go with your heart. If you feel this is perfect…then it often it is!
Don’t know about you, but I wake up to over a hundred emails on my personal phone every morning. It ranges from ads, business email, and personal email. My house also has four laptop computers, two iPads, two Amazon Kindles, five Large Screen TV’s, four gaming systems, two work computers, two printers/scanners, and a cable system that can access every channel you can think of. Data….Data….Data…. It is almost like you are surrounded by everything you can think of to waste your precious time on this planet. The reason I’m so attracted to antiques in the first place, is the connection to history where times were not easier, but more simplistic. When trying to write now, I have phones going off (regular and cells), texts ringing, emails coming, dogs barking (she’s a Beagle and she howls as well), kids talking loud (both are quiet kids until they talk to each other) – alright, the last two always existed.
Firstly, Slopes to me offer beauty to the eye – they are decorative in nature. They are often made of fine woods, leathers, and brass. The boxes come in many shapes and sizes, with distinctive features. They can be put in any home office, library, living room, bookshelf, and basement to add eye-catching detail. They are also great storage vehicles for your personal objects. In some cases, they double as personal boxes – not only for those things you hold most dear, but also for things you don’t use every day but want to keep in safe place. These boxes also in many cases come with stunningly designed antique locks and keys.
These writing desks also force you to detach from the modern world when writing. They force you to use old ways to write. YES people, get a fine pen or pencil and start writing. It’s “slope” or writing area allows to write comfortably while having a nice writing surface to lean on. When you write, you need old fashioned paper (preferably luxury, high quality paper). If you want to do it right, use a fountain pen with ink well and use candles to light your desk area. If you take the time, you can separate yourself from the everyday “grind”. If you don’t want to write on individual paper, use a journal to note your thoughts, ideas, and wish lists. It clears your mind so you can better focus on what is important: Your time.
Did I mention these antiques also have “secret compartments”? They have over the years astounded me with their cleverness, ingenuity, and craftsmanship. They hide things so carefully, that to the passing eye, it appears normal. They often have multiple hidden draws for anything your mind can think of. Many of my favorite boxes where ones that have these features. In some cases when I purchased them, dealers didn’t even know they had these compartments. It comes with careful examination once I get home that I find these features. In the past I have found pens, papers, and basic historical information in these compartments. It is always “treasure” for me – what is better than finding things in a secret compartment?
These boxes are also, in some cases, in need of minor repair. If you like fixing things, it is the perfect pastime to restore something that has been around hundreds of years. In my blog I try and help those brave enough to try their hand at it. There are many repair hacks that I try to pass on. It has taken me years to learn, but happy to pass on knowledge because these desks deserve an awful lot of respect. They have been thru wars, business deals, travel (by horse, train, or boat), and generations of people have owned them. Each box is unique and tells a story!!!
Money, silver, gold, diamonds, stocks, bonds, etc. – all are precious, but time is, and always will be, the most precious commodity you have…use it to write for pleasure or just to keep organized (up to you and what you see fit).
An antique box I recently purchased from the UK came accompanied by a fascinating article about the history of the writing slope. I wanted to share an excerpt from that article with my followers, though regrettably, I do not know the source. If anyone can help me identify it, please let me know in the comments!
THE WRITING SLOPE: a brief history
The earliest slopes were not made by “box makers” but by cabinet makers from offcuts of larger furniture. They first developed on a fairly large scale in the reign of George III, around 1780. These early Georgian slopes were more functional than decorative, they were made usually of solid mahogany with side handles and the writing surface was a green baize. They were waxed as French Polish did not come into commercial use until the Victorian era.
Many Georgian and Victorian slopes were made as “Campaign Slopes”. They would form part of the campaign furniture taken by officers on Military campaigns during the time of the British Empire. The writing slopes was an essential item enabling writing home and the storage of documents. These were generally large slopes veneered in walnut or rosewood, well supported and decorated with brass to help cope with the long sea journeys.
Around 1811 – 1820 slopes began to take on a much more decorative appearance. They had become an item of furniture as well as well as a working tool. Although George IV was only Prince Regent for the second decade of the c 19th. the term “Regency” typifies the period between the rigid neo classicism of the Georgian period and the decorative style of the Victorians, the rather plain turned to elegant. The Victorians liked to show off their wealth and an attractive writing slope in the parlour would impress guests. The solid mahogany had been replaced by exotic veneers from around the empire, Rosewood, walnut, coromandel, flame mahogany etc. Machine cutting had now made this much easier and many multiwood designs were seen. In addition skivers were used to cover the writing surface, tooled in gold.
The Regency writing slopes did not have a plain mahogany top, they would have cartouches of complex brass shapes, the side handles would now be recessed. Complex brass embellishments would be seen around the edges. Little tricks like hidden drawers would begin to appear.
In the English Spa towns such as Bath, Harrogate and Tunbridge Wells grew a legion of specialist craftsmen who developed parquetry and true Tunbridgeware to add to the beauty and variety of these boxes.
If you found that article as interesting as I did, you might want to do a little more reading on the history of writing boxes. Here are two great posts I discovered from fellow bloggers:
A step-by-step slideshow to illustrate the tools, glues, and materials needed to fix this beautiful Walnut Lap Desk that just needs minor repair work.
Mini-Saw, Wood Finish Marker, Gorilla Clear Glue, Tacky Glue, Wood Glue, Three Sets of Screwdrivers, and wood needed to craft new platforms for slope.
Desk is closed with larger screwdriver holding open one side of slope. If screwdriver was not there, slope would get jammed, and not be able to open easily.
Mini-Saw with two freshly cut pieces of wood to create a “landing platform” for edge of top half of slope. Purchased wood at Blick’s.
Wood Finish marker used to stain two mini “landing platforms.” Also stained side of desk — to cover recent repairs. Trying to match patinas as best I can.
Glued two mini platforms to desk with wood glue.
Staining has dried — patina looks like a match!!
Glued Brass Name Plate (Cartouche) using Gorilla Clear Glue — used for non-porous materials.
Finished Slope/Desk with working platforms. Easy to use, and good for another century!!
In the repairs I have done, veneer is always the trickiest! The boxes that need repair are often hundreds of years old and need very specific wood and/or veneers in order to match the repair area properly. When I first started, I went to a couple of antique restorers and they would quote ridiculous prices for small repairs $600 to $1000 — for what I thought at the time was not a big job. They would tell me “I have to pay my guys” — $150 per hour of work. Oh boy?!
Well then, I said to myself, if it’s labor I need, and I can buy a whole supply pack (all materials needed to make repairs) for less than a third they are charging me per hour ($50), then I will do the labor myself. And charge the customer a fair price based on my work. I was really in for a big learning curve – matching veneers, finding the right varnish, applying a clear coat, and the while trying to match wood that for all practical purposes was aged to perfection – is not an easy task. And if you have a “very fine” antique for home – please pay a highly skilled professional to do the work! Unless you know you can do a great job.
Minwax products are a godsend – also Woodcraft is a good place to find veneer you need. It’s all about finding the right veneer and then blending varnishes to make sure your “patina” is correct. Also, you must pay attention to the thickness and source of veneer when buying it. The other hard part is cutting, fitting, and gluing it to original piece. This is a labor of love and will take time to be done right. Helpful Hints:
Don’t rush, if it takes hours, it takes hours – don’t be time restrained. Remember if this is a hobby, time is not a big issue.
Buy the correct materials before you start – seek out the right type of woods needed. In some cases this will take some time – a Rosewood can have many types of appearances, find the one needed to match the job.
Use YouTube as a resource – if you’re stuck, watch how other hobbyists to do it.
Don’t be afraid to fail – you might get it wrong more times than you get it right. A job done correctly is well worth the time!!
See photos of a recent veneer job that was completed – can you spot the pieces replaced (there are eight to ten)? If not, I didn’t do so bad.
Long ago when fast travel or communication meant that the horses were well feed, or the wind was in the right direction. In that time empires spanned the world and people born in places where far away was the next village. These travelers moved to the over side of the planet, toured the massiveness of continents, or just moved to the closest city. During that time most people were strangers in a strange land, both literally and figuratively.
In those times the writing slopes (Lap Desks) were designed and built by the craftsmen of the time to link you to the world, and to home. Wherever you found yourself, you could go to your slope prepare your paper, pens, and ink and write (communicate).
For many it was that one constant, that rock to cling to at a distant shore. They were designed for communicating over large distances — they were the laptop computers of their age. See the different crafts, purposes, and stories they tell. Find one that suits you and give it new purpose. Many generations have done so before you.
Live, Explore, Hobby
Illustration from William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1848 novel, Vanity Fair. Source: From Wikimedia Commons.
Recently found an antique lap desk for sale in Canada — it had a number of needed repairs. The following are just some of the issues: 1) One slope lid was jammed inside box, 2) The leather slope had damage in multiple sections, 3) The hinges were in the incorrect place, 4) The baize needed to be replaced (currently none), 5) Multiple pieces needed to be glued back on (loose nameplate, and accents), and finally 6) The leather slope was fully detached from desk.
Before photos:
If you are thinking this might be something you should pass on, well, you might be right. The box had a lot going for it though — it had a wonderful walnut patina that is hard to find nowadays. It also had its original leather slope, lock, and key. The price ($100 even and free shipping) was also very good and allowed me to see the overall value in box, if restored.
Once I received the box, I ordered new hinges — the same metal and shape as original. The hinges currently used, were in the wrong spot, and made repairing the slope very difficult to impossible. The hinges were hard to find — finally found a vendor on Etsy based in China (ForestEra). They were exactly what I needed and were sold in bulk (saving me money and adding to my supply for future restorations). Then I wait……….a month. The shipping took a while but there was no other way.
When I received the hinges I went to work. Firstly, unjammed lid that was stuck in desk (easier that I thought originally). Then I removed old hinges (saved them for future projects — you never know) and replaced with new hinged that were just ordered. Then replaced baize on bottom of box, repaired the original leather slope, and connected slope lids to desk. This was done with wood glue, tacky glue, and some bookbinding tape (black, so it matched to leather slope). In this case I saved as much of the original leather slope as possible — wanted to look original. There was some small pieces I had to cut because of ware.
The last piece was just gluing the nameplate, and some veneer to box — used clear Gorilla glue on nameplate and wood glue on the rest. Also added new tassel for the key and allowed everything a couple hours to dry. The desk still has some damage that can’t be fixed — cracks in various places but it doesn’t take away from beauty of the antique. The box was bought for $100 and will be sold for $239.
There are many lap desks that have significant damage to their leather slope because of age, lack of care, vandalism, and just plain overuse. These were the laptop computers of their age and many professionals who were traveling on train, horse, and boat used them. In many cases their history is fascinating — filled with stories, past experiences, and as many will note — “scars” (little nicks and damage).
They (Antique Lap Desks) have traveled hundreds of years and are now with us. In many cases the leather slopes need care — they have been thru a lot, and often replacement is warranted. There are many cases though where this is not the case. In some slopes, there is a beautiful examples of antique leather designs and tooling that makes you reconsider replacement. There are also slopes that are not leather — they might be felt (velvet), linen, natural wood, and paper. What do you do to keep their original beauty, and still make them usable?
Just a tip from someone who has repaired desks for a while. Please remember replacing the slope covering completely does takes time and money. It also requires precision and patience which can lead to mistakes of various degree. Tape could be the answer for you! They make various kinds of tape now that match with slopes colors and designs. The following are some of the tapes that I use regularly:
Bookbinding Tape
Leather Tape
Duck Brand Tape
Linen Tape
Some purists are now up in arms reading this — HOW DARE YOU use tape on such beautiful antiques!! Well in some cases it keeps the original beauty of desk while minimizing repair time. It also matches with the aesthetics of the box you are trying to bring back to life. You are either repairing it to use yourself or for re-sell — then as long as you and/or buyer is happy, and the desk is back to working condition, then it’s the right choice.
The desks slopes fray or detach at the base many times due to repeated opening and closing (remember they have been used for centuries). It also can happen after storing too long in bad temperature areas (they crack if dry — thinking of leather). It can be so many factors that cause some damage to a slope. In many cases it is only the “connection” joint that is the problem. The part where the material slope connects to the actual lid and base.
In those cases where the slope is beautiful, and only the “connection” joint is the only problem (meaning everything else is perfect or you don’t want to change) — tape is your perfect solution. This solution is not good for all desks, and really is up to the individual. What we all want is to bring these objects back to life and begin using them again.
The rest is easy — it only requires you matching the type of tape to desk slope and measuring/cutting to fit the specific area you need. Please remember this “tape” suggestion works best with leather slopes. Also there are various kinds of tape within groups mentioned above — colors, thickness, look — find the right one for your desk/box!
RESTORATION PROJECT: Unique Antique Lap Desk | Period Unknown (best guess 1850 to 1920) | Cost of Desk $88 | Cost of Materials used for Restoration $4 | 3 Hours of Labor | Resell value now $240
The story begins with a great deal on a unique lap desk found at an estate sale. Waited for delivery on desk in mail with eager anticipation!! Finally the package was delivered… I opened the carton, and found a desk in pieces (and in pretty bad shape). What the heck?? Some of it was handling by USPS and some of it was packaging by sender.
The box had the following issues:
The general frame was loose — not structurally sound.
Slope needed replacement.
Baize needed replacement.
Desk needed to be put back together (like Humpty Dumpty).
See photos of Antique Lap Desk before restoration begins:
Went to work on the frame/body of desk. Had to take desk apart and put back together. Reinforced all weak points with wood glue! Once the glue dried and I tested the frame was solid/stable… went to work on other areas that needed attention.
The existing slope was covered with a cloth teal colored covering (old and falling apart). Carefully took it off covering and glue underneath. Already had a beautiful red leather replacement slope in the “wings” for a while — was waiting for the right “patient.” It took some careful cutting and glueing. It looked great once complete! When doing these types of projects — measure carefully and make precise cuts to leather (use Xacto cutting tool and take your time).
The next step was replacing the Baize. Again, it was replacing a cloth colored teal covering (looked and felt bad to touch). Used a nice “green” black wool Baize. When I say “green” — mean it’s made of natural materials (not plastic or synthetics). Also used bookbinding tape to reinforce base and then placed new baize (used white tacky glue with spreader to get even amount of glue over baize and wood).
RESTORATION PROJECT: Large Antique Campaign Writing Lap Desk | Walnut Wood from the Victorian Period (1837 to 1901) | Initial Cost $277.50 | Cost of all Restoration Materials, and Services Used During Restoration $140.00 | Restored Value $1000 to $1500
The desk was a magnificent piece purchased from the United Kingdom from Robert Morrison Antiques. It was originally destined to be listed for re-sale on my shops on Etsy and eBay, but fell in love with its beautiful wood grain, and its fine craftmanship. Decided to not only keep it as part of my own antique collection, but to restore it somewhat to its former glory.
Initially the writing slope/desk needed a couple things to get it back to working, and functional condition. The first step was a thorough cleaning inside and out – really it was a careful dusting and light polish. The desk has a lot of “nooks and crannies” had to use a mini vac to take out some of the larger particles but also used light tape and a mini air compressor to take out all fine particles.
The most noticeable detail that was missing from desk was keys for its two antique locks – one interior (on writing slope itself) and second on the exterior. Have used many antique locksmiths in the past to fashion new keys to these unique old locks. There are two locksmiths that my shops currently use to make keys or replace locks – 1) Greenwich Locksmiths – 56 7th Ave S NY NY 10014, 2) Able Lock Shop – 1100 Jericho Turnpike New Hyde Park NY 11040. In this case, I used the letter just for the convenience, literally minutes away without dealing with Manhattan traffic and parking issues. Matt is fantastic, professional, fairly priced, and handles matters quickly. In less than one week my “box” had two new keys, with decorative tassels provided by Expo International (Houston, TX).
These type of writing desks have been used, stored, or displayed for over hundreds of years. During this time the boxes have been moved around quite a bit. The next step was replacing the baize (or felt) to the base of box to protect furniture when in use or on display. This also protects the desk itself from harm, the old one had worn away and was barely functional. In this case, went with a “green option” – Eco-Friendly 100% Wool Felt in Black. This takes careful measuring, and precision cutting with a X-ACTO knife. The way I do it is to mark the felt with white wax pencil, and “cut away”. In this case, it takes a series of “cuts” to make baize look uniform (so wool felt doesn’t look sloppy after cutting). When applying wool to wood, used Aleene’s Original Quick Dry Tacky Glue. When spread glue on wool, use a plastic putty knife to spread evenly over surface. The new Baize looked awesome after drying, onto the next step.
During its many long years of use – the writing desk lost some of its brass exterior trim pieces. How do you replace these pieces without spending a ton of money? Luckily, there was one or two pieces of brass that were already dislodged and kept by previous box owner. Measured the thickness and grade of brass — and bought exact brass metal sheets from WireJewelry.com. Then took brass metal sheets to Fast Fix Jewelry Repair (chain stores that do mainly jewelry repair). They have the machinery in-house to make exact precision cuts to brass. Obviously careful measuring again is involved, but this way its pain free (not having to do these cuts by hand – or having to buy additional tools or machinery).
When you glue wood to brass, I tend to use Clear Gorilla Glue – strong glue with easy cleanup if there are “overruns”. In this case, I used weighted wood blocks on brass pieces so they dry and don’t warp. Just put the blocks right on top of pieces that needed replacement (waited exactly 24 hours and clean off any glue excess).
The last step was to replace the key escutcheon – again it was missing, and it was originally brass. My family originally owned a tannery and I thought leather might look great as an accent to box. Brass or Leather – Leather or Brass? Well, said what the heck, its going to mine and not for re-sell anytime soon – used leather. With exact measuring and hand cutting – the leather piece to me looked great! Used Titebond Original Wood glue (leather to wood). Waited for it to dry, and now have a newly restored box!
Normally wouldn’t recommend this – usually 99.9% replace original materials when restoring, this was a rare case!
