MY BAFRA ASSESSMENT
By Michael Goater
By Michael Goater
I subjected myself to "The Assessment" for full BAFRA membership three years ago, so I have had time now to assess my “Assessment”. Inevitably this is, therefore a personal account, but everybody comes to it in a different way and I am especially envious of those who have completed one of the courses available in restoration and conservation. They have a positive advantage.
Why did I want to join BAFRA? Well at that time I had run my furniture restoration business for fifteen years full time. Before that I had been a schoolmaster, musical instrument maker and lecturer at the Welsh School of Musical Instrument Making and Repair and the London College of Furniture. I have always had a passion for furniture and furniture design, and I suspect that one of the attractions of marriage was the opportunity to design and make all my own pieces! Having established the business - a very steep learning curve and one in which we should help students far more – the inevitable question arose: “Ok, but how good am I?” I always made a point of trying to see other restorer’s work, always went to antiques fairs to have a close look at the furniture. Seeing that I was paying such enthusiastic attention was a great disappointment to a lot of dealers! Needless to say I brought every book I could find on furniture history or restoration, so I seemed to know a bit about the subject and was getting some nice pieces to work on. I particularly enjoyed talking to other restorers but they seemed few and far between, and the demands of business don’t make this easy. I looked around to find some association of like-minded people, and very soon made my first phone call to BAFRA.
Apologising to your bank manager for the slight overdraft was nothing to how I felt when making that first call, but I was soon reassured by the friendly response – more about work than BAFRA. The forms were quickly on their way from which I could judge if my business and me might be up to it. That was the first lesson. BAFRA was as concerned about the standard of service you give to your customer as it was about your personal skills as a restorer. The forms stated the aims of the association as well as the requirements for different levels of membership. Feeling slightly chastened I phoned my contact again and spent some time discussing the criteria. Again there was encouragement and I decided to go for a full membership assessment, knowing that if I wasn’t quite up to it I could get a student membership, benefiting from all that BAFRA offers. While I knew that BAFRA was exactly what I wanted to join I wasn’t over confidant of getting in. However I filled in the forms, arranged for references and was delighted when I learned that I was to be assessed for possible full membership.
Very quickly I looked again at the criteria for assessment and felt the nearest I have ever got to having withdrawal symptoms. However, my cheque had been sent off and I was committed. I looked around the workshop and ticked off what I had in the way of equipment, insurance and security etc., etc. It wasn’t too bad and I further realised that because I was trying to run the business reasonably professionally the demands of BAFRA were not a foreign language; because they are a professional body run for the benefit of me and my customers. That was quite reassuring because seeing all the criteria written out is pretty formidable at first. Strangely, having it all in black and white almost immediately had an impact on the way I did things in the workshop.
Notification eventually came with the promise of a mid-week visit from the assessor. There may have been a certain amount of sweeping up and dusting off, but I thought that seeing the workshop in something like its normal state would give a better idea of the way I work and make me feel more comfortable. From what BAFRA had sent, I knew that the day would be divided between looking at my business and assessing my skills as a restorer. I had collected finished pieces and work in progress and more or less put chisels and planes where they ought to be. The paperwork from my business seemed to cover an extraordinary amount of bench space and this gave the assessor some documentary evidence regarding the way I conduct my business. It consisted of insurance documents, security certificates, copy invoices and other bits of paper that hadn’t seen the light of day for some time.
The assessor arrived, and if I could ever imagine what an assessor should look like, he was it – he was friendly but certainly knew exactly what he was talking about. I knew roughly what questions I was going to be asked, and I suppose I had mentally prepared my replies, but meeting someone so experienced in the field put one on one’s metal because he seemed to sniff out any area where I might have a weakness. Admittedly, this was the first time that I had spoken at length and in depth to anyone at the very top of our profession. However, the fact that we were dealing with a mutual interest saved the day from being too uncomfortable. I won’t run through every detail of an assessment, because these are easily available to all, but there was an interesting moment while we were talking about various historic topics. You can imagine that I had spent the previous weeks with my head stuck even deeper in any book which even hinted at the history of English furniture. In doing so I realised that perhaps I had neglected certain continental influences when the assessor asked me what I knew of the work of Daniel Marot. Even the lifelines he was throwing me couldn’t quite get out what I knew I should know, in fact the only thing I could remember about this fabulous maker/designer was the excessive ornament which I didn’t find particularly appealing. This is the trouble with DIY self-education – you tend to concentrate on what you like instead of gaining a comprehensive background, which you can get at college.
The day was quite unique and one I shall never forget, and I knew from having met the assessor was that I certainly did want to be a member of BAFRA. After what seemed an age, the dreaded letter arrived and offered another lifeline. It appeared that in general things weren’t too bad, but that my knowledge and standard of wood finishing was not all that it should be. The committee felt that should I agree to attend a course on the topic with one of BAFRA’s accredited members, and my work found satisfactory, they would consider my suitability to become a full member. I have not named those that I met in my first encounters with BAFRA, but can’t resist saying that the course most suitable for me was one of those run by Gerald Langley. I would hardly dare to suggest it, but I think anyone entering BAFRA would benefit enormously by spending some working time with one of the accredited members. The way that Gerald shared his skills in polishing and finishing plus the unending conversations on all topics dealing with furniture made for a most memorable week. He kindly informed me and BAFRA that I had performed reasonably well so I was in – and I didn’t even buy him a pint!
Life after the assessment has been pretty good. The fund of experience and knowledge which becomes available is unimaginable, and if you have a problem you just have to pick up the phone. Consolidation – the method of conserving poor but original timber and a technique for bleaching new rosewood are just a couple of things I have learned. BAFRA is a very supportive organisation. The comprehensive suppliers list is a revelation and I have picked up work through being an accredited member – not from Head Office but through another Suffolk member and potential clients asking Bonhams, the V&A and Ipswich Library for a restorer and being referred to our annual Guide. So now I can’t even complain about the BAFRA subscription. It costs nothing to find out about assessment and for me it has been a very positive move.
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