That flat, black finish wasn't always flat, nor black. Many pieces of that era were mahogany, veneered with mahogany, or stained dark to look like mahogany. It's dark, but not black. Finishes darken with age, as does unfinished wood, but if you wish to duplicate the original finish, unless you have something truly unique, like a Japanned (black lacquer) piece, it will be lots lighter when you get done. You'll need to determine if the piece was shellacked, varnished, lacquered. You are feeling the gooey, sometimes crinkled old finish. It depends on what it was finished with, what type of solvent you use to remove the goo or dissolve it so it becomes smooth again. it's all over the web how to determine what kind of finish it is, and what to use.

Calliope is right; it is probably an aged finish, plus surface grime from years of use, rather than an original black finish. Morris chairs were seldom (maybe never) originally black, but could have a fumed-oak treatment which darkened the wood. Couple that with an aged finish and it will look almost black. At the age of your pieces they most likely have a shellac finish. And it wasn't originally flat; it would have had a definite sheen to it.

Start with the least drastic method; you can try the big guns if that doesn't work. Get a good furniture cleaner to remove old wax, grunge, and gum! Howards makes a good cleaner that you can buy at antique stores. Or mineral spirits will do the trick, but it's not as nice to work with and you have to be careful to dispose of the clean-up rags or 0000 steel wool.

When the piece is clean, if the original finish is in good condition, you can try the lemon oil or a good paste wax to revive it. The trick with wax is to apply as little as possible, let it dry thoroughly, then buff it vigorously. It is a labor-intensive job, but worth it.

If the finish is alligatored, crazed, or otherwise seriously damaged, you can try re-amalgamating the finish with denatured alcohol, but it's tricky. There's a fine line between repairing shellac and stripping it.

I haven't found anything that replicates the look of shellac except shellac. Sadly, it's not a very impervious finish by itself; water is really hard on it. But you can protect it with a coat of paste wax. See the above note about how much work that is! The paste wax can be easily repaired if necessary later.

You are not going to get the flat black look you're expecting. That is not what these pieces had originally, unless they were painted (unlikely). But you might get them back to what they did look like years ago. And don't worry about the minor scars; they aren't damage, they're patina. But stop flicking off that finish! You may be able to save it!

The old style polish of beeswax, turpentine and linseed oil will blacken with age.

Clean it carefully ... Dust it, then use mild soap and water on a soft cloth to remove water-soluble crud. Then shift to mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool, cleaning gently to get the oil-based hand grime and such off.

If you have a flaky, scaly finish, that's probably old wax buildup. Remove it with a blend of lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol (I use 50/50). Apply liberally to a small area, let it soften a few moments, then gently rub off the crud with the steel wool. Repeat until clean. Do this outside, with gloves because the fumes are vile and flammable.

This picture shows what removing the decades of old polish and wax can do - It went from black to walnut in about an hour.

If it is black lacquer, there is one restoration approach. If it is ebonized, another. If simply dirty, as already suggested, yet another.
Casey

lazy , that's Mahogany , not Walnut on your drawer face : )

Stocky ...
It was identified as walnut by various people on this board, based on the grain pattern.

It cleaned up real nice :)

I beg to differ , but ok . It's a beautiful cut of something : )

Maybe you who know about ebonized wood can help me. I have a nice round table with wood that looks like the first pic. Ebonized? The table has been in the family for many years. It has brass claw feet with glass balls and is about 32" across and has one lower shelf. I really like it and don't want it refinished, but there is a mark on the table where the finish is gone - sort of like if you set something a little too hot on the surface. I don't know that's what happened because it happened before my time. Any suggestions to make the marked part look like the rest of it? Thanks.

Lou, if your table looks like the top drawer in the photo, it probably isn't ebonized. It's most likely a good finish gone bad. Try cleaning the table with 0000 steel wool and mineral spirits and see what you discover. That may cure the mark. But be prepared to find that you uncover beautiful wood, not an ebonized finish.

Lou - That blackened, alligatored "finish" is the results of decades of polish and accumulated dirt. The old-fashioned beeswax, linseed oil, turpentine polishes will blacken with age, and they build up on the surface, and it dries and cracks.

Can you start a new post with a picture of the table, the finish in a couple of spots, and the damaged place?

Thank you, Chibimimi, for responding. And thank you LazyGardens. I'll learn how to post pics. Lou