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Project 2 Day 6 – Mission Accomplished!

OK, this trunk is finished! I have moved it into my office. I put my hanging files in there and it is now my new filing cabinet!

And just as I thought, this trunk looks awesome! I love the cherry like finish, the black accents, and the hardware!

trunk1 trunk2 trunk3

And now the rearranging starts! LOL.

The one that was in my office will end up as the new toy box. The present toy box will be on it’s way to it’s new home at our daughter’s house. And then it all starts again as soon as the next one is complete!

Starting to feel like musical trunks around here. When the music stops, where ever the trunk is, will be it’s new home! LOL.

Project 2 Day 5

Today I attached the strap handles. You really should not use screws in these trunks if you want to try to keep them authentic. But I have done it in places where they can not be seen.

I always worry about the straps not being able to hold the weight of the trunk, so I just don’t use them to pick the trunks up. But on this one I screwed the straps on. I used a long screw that went into the tray rack strip on the inside of the trunk. It will make that stronger, plus give me a handle that I can use! I also put a washer under the screw to insure that the screw will not be pulled through the hole of the strap.

trunkhandle

I then put the caps on.

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I love this idea!

Now I just have to touch up the nail heads on the strap caps, and touch up a couple of places that I messed up while installing the handles, and this trunk will be finished.

Go to Day 5 >>>>

Project 2 Day 4

OK, I put a very heavy and carefully applied coat of polyurethane on the trunk. After 2 days of drying, I was shocked. It was very even and acceptable as a finish coat. This is a first for me!

I really like the smoothness of these trunks after they have  been sanded, stained, and finished.

trunk2 trunk3 trunk1

Now I have to attach the handles and caps to finish it up. I am really getting excited now. I knew from the beginning that this would be an awesome trunk!

Go to Day 5 >>>>

 

Project 2, Day 3

OK, a lot of time has past. I really have a lot of hobbies! But I wouldn’t give up any of them! LOL

After evaluation I decided that I definitely would have to paint the hardware. I would have preferred the “look” of the worn hardware, but there was way too much rust. So I took a hard wire brush and brushed off as much rust as I could. I them painted the hardware with a flat black Rustoleum.

This will still be an awesome trunk. This is a slow process. You will need a steady hand!

trunk1 trunk2 trunk3

The black paint was old and there are some inconsistencies in the finish. I will touch them up a little and then move on to the clear coat.

Go to Day 4 >>>>

 

Project 2, Day 2

OK, if you are wondering, yes 2 months have gone by! Seems like I got caught up in an early spring and have been doing a lot of yard work. But I am catching up. But then there is the spring vacation.

Anyway I am making progress. If I didn’t have a house full of Antique Steamer Trunks, I would probably be in more of a hurry! LOL

Well, I have sanded the trunk down, inside and out. Replaced the strip on the bottom.

Antique Steamer Trunk

I put wood putty in some of the larger termite holes. Seems like they were multiplying while I was working on them!

I stained the whole trunk, inside and out.

Antique Steamer Trunk

Looks a little dark in this photo, but it is the lighting. I used a red oak stain. This is the first time that I have changed from the light oak. Since it will be in a room with cherry furniture, I thought that it would blend in more.

Antique Steamer Trunk 3

It looks a lot lighter in the second photo.

I still have not decided what to do about the metal trim. I really want to sand it and leave it like that. The only bad thing is that the bottom parts are very rusty, I suspect from sitting in water. I will probably steel wool the bottom parts and see how it looks. Then I will decide.

If this looks like a big days work, it may have actually been 2 days. I got a sudden urge to get this finished and just started pounding away at it! LOL

I am going to resist the urge to rush, because I am going to put this in my office and use it for a filing cabinet. So I really want it to look nice since everyone that comes in my house will most likely see it.

Go to Day 3 >>>>

Project 2, Day 1

OK, again I will number the posts just to make it easy to follow along. Sometimes a post may be an hours worth of work, and others may be all day.

In this first photo you can see that I have removed 2 slats from the bottom. The one towards the back of the trunk was rotten from being in water for an extended time. So I will take the middle one and move it to the back. I will then make one for the middle, which no one will see. Remember that there was a wheel missing. So I removed the other rear wheel and put 2 matching wheels on the rear. This will keep the trunk level. And the replacement wheels are close enough that no one will know except me.

Vintage Steamer Trunk

In this picture you can see where I have started removing the paper from the inside. For now I am going to stain it inside. For a later project I may put fabric on the inside. Not really sure of where this trunk will go yet.

Again, I use very warm soapy water. I soak a rag and then soak the paper with the rag. I also keep warm soapy water in a spray bottle to keep it wet where I am working. This paper is very thin and over a hundred years old. It really doesn’t take much persuasion to make it come off. Just some gentle pushing of a putty knife. Try to be careful not to dig into the wood.

Steamer Trunk

I also removed the end caps that held the straps. You can see that in the next 2 pictures.

Antique Steamer Trunk Restore Antique Trunks

I really like this trunk. It is very large and has some nice detail. The outside was already started. But someone did not do a good job. Remember to get close to the hardware when cutting the canvas. Try to get the razor knife a little under the metal, so that you will not see any canvas when you are finished. It makes for a neater job.

I can also tell you that theses trunks always look better before you start working on them! LOL. It looks like this one may have seen some termites. Lucky for me most of the damage will be hidden. I do have some holes that I may fill with wood putty.

Go to Day 2 >>>>

 

Vintage Steamer Trunk Number 10

Yes, you read that right: VINTAGE STEAMER TRUNK NUMBER 10!!!!!

Quite a milestone. I must be officially a “trunkaholic”! Trunk addict, trunky, or maybe even trunk crazy? Well we all have to have our vices! And I have never sold a vintage steamer trunk. My in-laws have one and our son Andrew has one. Other than that they are right here. Pretty sure that I am going to run out of places soon!

Here is how it went. I walk into the dog groomers. Best in the world! Right here in Laurel. And there it is. The biggest vintage steamer trunk I have ever seen.

So naturally I get tunnel vision and forget all about the dog. LOL. I start to look it over. Now this trunk needs a little work, OK, a lot of work. But it is different. The size, the top has a slight dome, and there are some really nice hardware pieces. I noticed that it “rocked”. So I look at the bottom and there is a wheel missing.

Now anybody that knows me, knows that I never paid full price for anything! So she came out and the haggling began. We both knew that we were in Laurel and she was lucky to find someone to take a vintage steamer trunk that needs a complete makeover. So we both made out.

Someone has already removed most of the outer covering. They did leave the glue behind, but that is easy. I found a whole set of used wheels on eBay for around 10 bucks and purchased them. So looks like I am just about ready to “Git er done”!!!

Vintage Steamer Trunk Vintage Steamer Trunks Vintage Trunk

I think that this vintage steamer trunk will go in Margo’s office. You know, I think that she gets just a little excited over these trunks as well! Makes it a little easier on me. LOL.

UPDATE:

This is the new project trunk. I will be posting the results as I work on this trunk. I will put a link at the bottom of each post so you can follow along. Let’s get started!

Go to Day 1 >>>>

Another Antique Steamer Trunk Restored

Here is another antique steamer trunk restored and saved from the trash.

I got this trunk from Delmarva Antiques right here in Laurel. Delmarva Antiques is now closed. A sad day for the antique community and especially the antique shoppers. I came to know Leeann and Russell Wells as hard workers and very friendly people. They had a philosophy about the business. Price the antiques to sell! What a novel approach. You really have to make a decision as to whether you want to sell antiques, or create an antique museum!

I will really miss that place. So this is the last antique steamer trunk that I will get from there. But how many do I really need?

At first glance this trunk didn’t look too bad. But upon closer examination it was really rough. A lot of cracked wood that would have to be reinforced or replaced. But at least all of the parts were there. That should account for something, right? Anyway it was not something that I couldn’t deal with, and it would definitely be a learning experience!

Steamer Trunk Restoration Antique Trunk Refinishing Steamer Trunk For Sale

Refinishing an antique steamer trunk is really a labor of love. There are basically 3 kinds of antique steamer trunks.

The trunk that has been inside a home and well cared for. It is in the original condition and looks very good.

The trunk that has been sitting out in the weather. Not cared for and really of no value to anyone. It could end up in the trash, in an antique store, or maybe even on eBay.

The trunk that someone took the time to restore. All of a sudden it becomes a cherished possession that will be kept inside and passed down to another family member or friend. A trunk that will be appreciated and displayed!

Antique Trunk Restoration Antique Trunks For Sale Vintage Steamer Trunk

Sure does look a lot different.

I love to work with wood. Not really sure if it is more satisfying to bring something back to life or create something new from a pile of lumber!

This is the eighth antique steamer trunk that I have restored. I must be liking it! LOL

Day 9 – Mission Accomplished!

The trunk is finished!

I attached the handles, attached the lid, removed and replaced the front wheels, and did some touchup work.

I actually redid the whole inside, because I did not like the finish. And even though no one will probably see it, I just wanted to insure that it was smooth and free of cutting hazards! The finish looks and feels smoother.

antique steamer trunk

The finish on the outside looks more uniform in this picture. The lighting made it look different in the earlier pictures.

vintage trunk

I like the decorative pieces on the sides that I used to hide the rips in the metal. I also like the “vintage” look of the slat clamps. I normally would not paint them black unless they are in really bad shape.

antique trunk restoration

Even the back of this antique trunk looks good. Not too many people will see it. If you look you can see the “cousin” slat clamps. No one else will probably notice.

antique trunk

This bottom sure looks different! It is smooth to the touch and the wheels work perfectly. This will not damage any floors.

steamer trunk

I hope that you enjoyed sharing this antique trunk restoration with me. Hopefully it will encourage you to “save a trunk” yourself ! This trunk could have easily ended up in someone’s trash. But instead it is saved for many more people to enjoy. I think that anyone who has this trunk now will keep it inside and use it for a special purpose. Hard to guess just how long it will last now!

Day 8

I have put the satin finish polyurethane on. I actually put 2 coats on. In between coats I roughed it up with 220 sandpaper and cleaned the dust off really well.

steamer trunk restoration

This next photo is from behind. You can see where I put a piece of wood over the hole from the new lock installation. Also notice that the top slat has “cousin” slat clamps on the corners. I am pretty sure that no one will notice. Again, these are on the back.

antique trunk restoration

And here is the lid. The colors look different because of the lighting and the angle, but they are a lot closer than they seem in these photos.

vintage steamer trunk

I am very satisfied with the finish so far. This antique trunk feels soft and smooth to the touch. That is what I am after.

Next I have to put the handles on, attach the hinges and the lid stay.

I also do not like the way that the wheels I replaced are fitting, so I am going to remove them and try again.

There is a spring that keeps the lock latch in the open position as you can see in the photo above. I will remove it so that the latch falls into place.

After that I will do a little touch up on the paint and finish where I have damaged it in the last process. Then this antique trunk will be complete!

Go to Day 9 >>>>