Toshmahal: The Rebirth of Mid-Century Furniture

Hank Tosh, the craftsman behind the vintage furniture restoration business Toshmahal, isn’t like you or I. (well, I might be a little bit like him) You see, Hank has been obsessed with vintage artifacts of all sorts since childhood, when he would frequent thrift shops in search of items from the 1950s and ’60s. Hank would buy a piece of furniture when the budget allowed, and on occasion even tried his hand at repair and restoration, although in the beginning his ambitions usually outstripped his abilities. These early, tentative steps evolved into a passion, one that drives him to bring mid-century furnishings back to their former glory. Much has changed following his humble beginnings, and today Hank’s services are in high demand. I persuaded him to provide some background into the growth of Hank Tosh and his Toshmahal.
Once his schooling was completed, Hank worked for a while with automotive paint and body repair, acquiring a skill set that helped pave the way, however indirectly, for his future endeavors. He soon switched to something closer to his heart, doing entry-level work at Lakewood Furniture in Dallas. Under the tutelage of the late Billy Kieth Leatherwood, Hank started with basic sanding, stripping and staining. This was a priceless apprenticeship, one that Hank credits for much of his woodworking knowledge. Today, Billy Kieth’s son, Cody, is Hank’s helper. Cody has inherited many of his father’s skills and mechanical inclinations, and so a productive second-generation association has evolved. Another resource Hank can count on is his longtime friend, Rik Wood. There’s little that Hank can’t do with a worn or damaged piece of vintage furniture, but he knows that Rik’s depth of knowledge is an available, and invaluable, resource.
After his work at Lakewood Furniture, Hank began doing restoration of furniture from his own workshop, making ends meet by doing framing and mat-work for a frame shop. He handled just about every aspect of the process, including ordering, and was afforded a degree of independence within the shop. This gave Hank a sense of being his own boss, and in 2003 he took the plunge, dedicating his full-time efforts towards Toshmahal, his furniture repair/restoration business.
What sets Hank apart from others who refurbish old furniture is his absolute commitment to quality. His approach and methods are best explained by Hank himself:

“I do mostly just refinishing, which normally incorporates stripping the piece, any dis-assembly and reassembly that needs to be done in order to protect the piece (or to be able to refinish it properly), sanding the piece, which also incorporates sanding out scratches, filling, replacing veneer, raising out scratches/gouges. I use a technique on this that relies on water and heat to raise the grain of the wood to reverse the effects of a scratch/gouge. I have had pretty good success with this method, and not a lot of refinishers bother to do it. I mix my own toners/stains in order to get the right patina back to the piece. (most over-the-counter stains tend to mask the grain of the wood) I use an alcohol based stain, so it is not as thick as most of the others and doesn’t appear opaque. (I will also mix more opaque colors/toners if the job requires it though) Clear-coat is applied to get a smooth final finish. Normally I use a high quality satin lacquer for this, as it is normally what’s appropriate on mid-century pieces. It looks much more natural too, and I prefer it over most anything else. I also finish with a thick carnuba waxing to add a little extra protection and knock off any little burs from the final coats. It gives it a nice sheen and it protects a little more from moisture. It also smells really nice. If the drawer glides need it, I also put a little wax on them to lubricate them. (this is only for the wooden glides) I do get into some full restorations, but only if the customer is willing to do it, because it can be very time consuming and costly. I also try and do any minor glue-ups/repairs that need to be done in the process. I can’t, with a clear conscience, send out a piece with the legs all wobbly or something not right about it. I just wouldn’t be doing my job if I did that.”

In any such competitive field, potential customers diligently balance quality vs. cost, and the one that undercuts the rest is liable to get more than their share of business. But Hank Tosh avoids competing in that arena, preferring to accommodate a unique group: those who want the highest-quality work. Hank explains:

“There are a lot of people that ‘refinish’ and people are always looking for something cheap and I’m sure they can find it. I started doing this because I love the furniture, and I want it to be right. I try to separate myself a little from these other places by doing things the right way, even if it means turning away a few customers that don’t want to pay to have it done properly. I really do try to work with people on price, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Most people are pretty understanding about it and know that I am doing the best I can for them.”

Hank has worked on the full spectrum of furniture types, but his focus is on Mid-Century Modern and Danish Modern styles. In fact, one might say that mid-century is Hank’s “era of choice” for many aspects of his life. His primary television isn’t a plasma or LCD, but a 1950s-vintage Philco Predicta, setup so that it can display both cable signals and DVDs, if only in black-and-white. He has a color set on stand-by, but is usually more than happy watching in B&W. Hank received the Predicta from his wife as a Christmas gift years ago, the set having been carefully restored by a man in Texas that specializes in vintage radios and televisions. Having recently lost a source of radio and TV cabinet restoration, the man, upon seeing Hank’s completed projects, began to send his clients to him for cabinet work. This type of referral is common, and the majority of the jobs that Hank receives come the same way, by word-of-mouth. Many of the dealers that Hank does work for, including Century Modern, Sputnik Modern, 20th Century Modern and Vinya, have recommended him to others, and I do the same.