We are the original owners of the trunk and Scott kindly shared the restoration video with us. My Mom was a secretary at the E.B. Eddy Company in Hull, Quebec but I think the trunk was purchased by my Dad who was an officer in the Canadian Army (Black Watch RHR and RCR). This old “steamer” trunk actually accompanied our family by ship en route from Halifax to Bombay in 1962. It has endured trips to Germany, USA and several postings to CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick. After my parents passed away, we used it to store pillows and linens. We are so grateful that Scott honoured the legacy of this old beauty with such care, attention and pure craftsmanship. Thank-you Scott!
Thank you for sharing that history. It's great to understand where it came from and how it was used by your family. We will carry on using it to store linens in our home. Thanks. Laurie and Scott
When I saw the timer on the video and saw it said over an hour, I thought "What the hell is going to take an hour on this thing ?" Then I watched the video. This is one of the most detailed, sympathetic restorations I have ever seen on UA-cam, and it turned out just so beautiful and exactly how it should be. Thank you for sharing your skills and years of expertise with us, it's really appreciated.
My grandfather was a paper hanger and one of the tools he used was a wide brush to smooth out the paper and press it to the surface. This would work well for the trunk paper as well. I also have a small steamer trunk that needs repairs and found your video very helpful. Thank you. I look forward to what you have for us next.❤😊
Oh my goodness! Thank you for this video! I bought my wife an old trunk as a wedding gift and have wanted to restore it ever since! It has a pressed paper box insert with a folding lid. Thanks to your research and links for materials, it is now on my to do list as well as my great grandfather's oak single pedestal rolltop desk and chair, from Sears and Roebuck. That you inspired me and did on a previous video! The more I watch your channel, the more work I have to do. Any experience with restoring old Westinghouse ceiling fans? Thank you for a GREAT channel!!!!
I found this channel by accident and glad I did. I have a couple of these trunks I need to restore and this was a huge help! I enjoyed every minute of it and subbed.
Nice, I really appreciate the clear explanations of how to along with the close ups, they are very instructive! and, of course, the end product was great too! :)
Thank you so much for this video! I have a stinky steamer that belonged to my great-grandmother and I’ve been just staring at it wondering how to fix the broken parts. It’s a relief to know Kennedy Hardware is a source & now I have all of the tips from your video. Thanks again!! ❤
You did a very nice job fixing this beaty to suit you and your wife's needs. Beautiful trunk, and I love the look of natural wood. This video came at a great time! I have several of these trunks in the attic of a 1600s log home that I have to get down and look over and see what has to be fixed. One of the trunks is very large. A doctor had the log home built in the 1600s. We bought the home, contents, and land 2 years ago. There are pictures of the doctor who built it sadly none of the current generation wanted much from the house, not even pictures of ancestors.
If you have an electric pressure cooker, put it in the trunk, shut the lid and let the water boil for 30 minutes, it will remove the paper nicely. The heavy hammer at the back of the board helps absorbing the energy of the hammering. You are applying less stress on the board, it is not flexing so much and you can hammer with more strength and more natural blows. Even when you are not bending the nail at the back, you should always use an heavy hammer at the back if your board is not well supported. For the tin missing in the corner, you can use an old tin can, you certainly have an old one in a corner of your workshop gathering dust and old rusted nails. It will have the natural patina, but may look a bit thin.
What a great result. There is a trunk in the attic of our old farm house that might just get a new lease on life. Don’t exactly remember what shape it’s in but I’ll definitely check it out the next time I’m there. I now know what can be done. Thanks Scott.
Great result. You had me holding my breath while you were lining the trunk - I have literally stuck myself to a cupboard shelf trying to get this done :) Excellent!
I appreciate the tip about increasing the effectiveness of the scraper. If you have a vise, the job can be done better and faster. Also, use a Sharpie to highlight the face that needs resurfacing. Don’t take off more than necessary.
Enjoyed the video Scott. Very nice job. I work for an Auction/Estate Company and we see many of these old trunks at the sales and because they are so bad looking we can't give them away. I know it was allot of work and if people could see your video they may feel more inclined to tackle a project like this. Thank you for taking the time to produce the videos. Take care and God bless.
Great job Scott superb work, I watched Trena's restoration of one of these Trunks the other day it was great too, Look's like you used the same paper as Trena or something very similar. But anyway you both did excellent restorations of these Trunk's !!! Have a nice day all !!!. Brian UK !!!. 😀😃👍👍✏📐.
Thanks for sharing that history with us! It's great to understand where it came from and how your family used the steamer trunk. We will carry on the tradition of using it to store linens in our home. Laurie & Scott
Your videos are always at the top of my watch list as your technical advice and easy-going style are music to my ears. I relish the advice and great tips as I'm just in year three of my one-person furniture restoration business, after a lifetime of fixing old houses, wooden boats and rescuing furniture from the curb. Happy and excited for you as you work on a bigger shop; what you do now is amazing work! One quip: at 1:06:10 there is an empty nail hole in metal edge protector...intentional?
I may have some bad news for you. I restored a 150 year old trunk a few years ago and like you I decided to avoid the mess and use adhesive backed paper. The adhesive eventually dried out and turned loose. I would advise anyone doing a project like this to use tried and true wallpaper paste.
That was a joy to watch - I can't believe how well it turned out. The dad joke was a fun bonus, too 🙂 Good luck in your workshop expansion plans and look forward to hearing all about it.
Yoooooo Scotty!!! My apologies for missing a lot of videos Bud. They're always enjoyable & also full of info. I enjoyed every min. of this one at work on a quiet Sat. afternoon while on the clock. And... I saw a clip one day of how small the shop is. It's mind blowing & an inspiration on what you accomplish in such a confined space. Blessings Bud, Dirty Jersey out!!
Great new info for me! I have an old similar trunk that I haven't really got around to looking to see what it needs, and now I'm more motivated to get it done. I also have a vintage sewing machine case that was created with almost the exact same methods, and I've gotten as far as having taken off the canvas, and now I know how to remove the hardware and replace it correctly. Thanks for being such an excellent source of restoration knowledge!.
not if youre storing linens in it... Splinters... Thats why they always went to the added trouble of a liner, otherwise u might end up with splinters in your bloomers in uncomfortable places ;)
Nice Job! I have the same looking trunk but with the insert shelf, I did not restore mine but about 20 years ago found a place that sold remake travel stickers for the outside of different countries. The stickers really made the look! ....Thanks for the upload!
Honestly, if I hadn't watched the whole video through, I would have sworn it was a different chest. It turned out beautiful. I was hard pressed to see which corner piece was the replacement . The lining was perfect too. Thank you for sharing your skills with us. God bless
That’s a funky trunk! Congratulations on handling the sticky paper! It was a bit nerve-wracking to watch. I probably would have used cotton print fabric since I have so much of it in my stash.
I come from a military family and we have a couple of these steamer trunks. The one that you worked on was made by a company called E.B. Eddy in Hull QC. They also made wood matches and later paper products. I read that the bending of nails as you did it was common in the 1800’s and was called clinching or clenching. The cut nails were so well seated that the only way to reuse them was to burn the barn down, collect the nails and then reheat them to be able to straighten and lastly temper them again. On the exposed metal strapping, did you consider blueing the steel? This helps prevent rust and gives the steel a dark look. Blueing can be found at many hunting shops.
Top job by Scott as usual, but what was the manufacturer of the replacement lock hardware thinking putting text on there? And in a typeface that was unlikely to be around when such trunks were made. An odd choice.
I appreciate the tip about increasing the effectiveness of the scraper. If you have a vice the job can be done better and faster. Also, use a Sharpie to highlight the face that needs resurfacing. Don’t take off more than necessary.
That nailing into an anvil technique is how cobblers nail shoes together. They hook back into the leather insoles and leave a smooth surface. High end work boots could have several dozen nails.
Great video, very helpful. The trunk I want to clean up is painted metal w/ wood slats, no canvas. What type of soap did you use to clean the wood slats? Should I use the same soap to clean the metal part of the trunk? I didn’t see a link for the wax, what type should I use? Thanks for such a great video:)
very interesting video good job scott the stain that you used on the trunk if someone was going to start using those stain what color would you recommend to start with
The first restoration of a steamer that I have seen. Excellent work! The little corner pieces of contact liner were not well adhered. How did you secure them?
Hi Scott. Did you consider doing a controlled rusting on that new piece of metal? It came out great but I was wondering if that was a viable option. Maybe some salt water? Either way, man you killed it once again with this one. I love the longform videos.
To insure the technique when using a steel plate or additional hammer, is to slightly angle the nail so they will automatically cinch. It is far faster than trying to just bend the nails over and safer in the long run. If one only has a single hammer and no plate, then to begin to cinch the nail, use another nail to bend your primary nail over. This puts the tip of your nail in the correct position to re-enter the wood. I learned these techniques when constructing antique scenic flats and needed to apply corner triangles on frames that would be covered on the font side with only canvass.
It looks to me that the canvas was not just providing weather proofing and impact protection, but a considerable part of the chest's structure. Obviously it won't be subject to the same kind of wear in the corner of your bedroom. But if you did need that strength could you apply a veneer to the inside for a pseudo-plywood effect? or would that cause problems with temperature changes causing splitting etc?
Good question. If you glue a veneer to solid wood on the inside of the trunk, it will break away over time as the wood moves from seasonal wood movement. Here's a video that explains what that is in detail ua-cam.com/video/pmM1APci8TY/v-deo.htmlsi=4M3hG35v-CNEe3KV
Nice job Scott. Did you know cobblers bend the nails when putting nails in leather heels the same way, but they have the a metal stand that they work the shoe on for rebuilding the shoe. Check out Bedo's Leatherworks LLC or Trenton and Heath. These people are cobblers very interesting.
I have been successful at using a power washer to remove the canvas outside and the paper inside. It also removes the dirt from wood and metal. Also removes any black mold growing into the wood underneath. And faster. I do not see any adverse affects. Any thoughts?
3 items: 1:My wife was a Los Angeles City Firefighter. One night they got a call. It was the Buca di Beppo Restaurant that was being created on Ventura Blvd. After they put the fire out it was determined that it had started because the workers had not secured their oily rags properly. 2: The hammering of the nail into your sledge is similar to a bucking bar when one is riveting. 3: Safety Hint. When cutting with a knife next the straight edge that you are holding with your fingers, don't let that left index finger slip over the edge of the straight edge.... not that I am missing any skin from my left hand...
1. That nail curling technique is used by cobblers when they nail heels on their metal last. 2. Many years ago, I visited in a house that had a trunk coffee table. It was terrible! There was no place to put my feet. If you want to make a coffee table from a trunk, you should build a short platform to put it on.
i went to a junk shop and found a trunk and it had painted canvas on it , with the lower lock removed . no biggie cause the hinged top covered it... i also removed the canvas on mine and was going to sand it only to find.... red cedar!!!! woah !!! so i stopped.and painted all the metal black LIGHTLY SANDED WITH WET/DRY sandpaper so i didnt remove the natural look..and i def steamed the inside to kill anything... and threw some cedar branches inside to get absorbed into the wood as it dried.... and touch sanded where it was jagged/rough. and let it be... i use mine as a "coffee table/ blanket box " in my living room .another story; my sister threw mom/dads wedding cedar chest out a attic door to a 20 ft drop to the grd. it splintered all to bits. i have had it since march of this yr..and STILL trying to put it together in places...i decided.. to keep the cedar chest as a replacement for the trunk...which..my niece has been hounding me for yrs since i did it. so now she has it and LOVES IT. mom/dads cedar chest means more. hope i can get it looking decent again and no im not painting it. leave it natural.
Sisters can be so irritating at times. At least your niece knows a good thing when she sees it. Wishing you the best for your restoration. I wish there was a way you could share photos of both the trunk and the chest. They look wonderful in my imagination.
@@shirleyannconfer9651 , my freezer is not self defrosting, so if I'm in a hurry... I use a blow dryer too. You've gotta be careful not to put the blow dryer in the freezer where melting ice can drip water into the blow dryer and cause a short and electrocute you. The steamer is waaay safer as all the electrics was a couple of feet away and the steam came out of a hose with a nozzle so there isn't a electrical hazard with the steamer that he used. Some steamers are different and you need to use proper precautions where necessary... Not all steamers or blow dryers are safe for defrosting freezers.
I noticed when you first put the paper in the bottom you didn't pattern match and when you were doing the back the bottom was matched. I saw that on another project too. Don't ask me who's project that was😁😁
FYI, the traditional conditioner for veg tan leather is Neatsfoot oil because of it’s resistance to cold, rot and moisture. BLO will do the same thing it does in wood, slowly polymerize into a semi hard substance that’s not a good fit for the longevity of the leather. 👍🏽
We are the original owners of the trunk and Scott kindly shared the restoration video with us. My Mom was a secretary at the E.B. Eddy Company in Hull, Quebec but I think the trunk was purchased by my Dad who was an officer in the Canadian Army (Black Watch RHR and RCR). This old “steamer” trunk actually accompanied our family by ship en route from Halifax to Bombay in 1962. It has endured trips to Germany, USA and several postings to CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick. After my parents passed away, we used it to store pillows and linens. We are so grateful that Scott honoured the legacy of this old beauty with such care, attention and pure craftsmanship. Thank-you Scott!
Thank you for sharing that history. It's great to understand where it came from and how it was used by your family. We will carry on using it to store linens in our home. Thanks. Laurie and Scott
When I saw the timer on the video and saw it said over an hour, I thought "What the hell is going to take an hour on this thing ?" Then I watched the video. This is one of the most detailed, sympathetic restorations I have ever seen on UA-cam, and it turned out just so beautiful and exactly how it should be. Thank you for sharing your skills and years of expertise with us, it's really appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed it and the details we share in our videos. There are close to 100 other videos for you to enjoy. Cheers. Scott
Thanks a lot for this, so many people are giving away broken, I'd love to give them life again
my grandmother used this kind of trunk when she emigrated from Norway to USA around 1920. Great work you did!
Oh, cool! Thanks for sharing that!
Dude, I really like your choices with this trunk. It turned out fantastic. Great job.
My grandfather was a paper hanger and one of the tools he used was a wide brush to smooth out the paper and press it to the surface. This would work well for the trunk paper as well.
I also have a small steamer trunk that needs repairs and found your video very helpful. Thank you. I look forward to what you have for us next.❤😊
Thanks for the tip! It's great to hear about different tools used in various trades.
Oh my goodness! Thank you for this video!
I bought my wife an old trunk as a wedding gift and have wanted to restore it ever since!
It has a pressed paper box insert with a folding lid. Thanks to your research and links for materials, it is now on my to do list as well as my great grandfather's oak single pedestal rolltop desk and chair, from Sears and Roebuck. That you inspired me and did on a previous video! The more I watch your channel, the more work I have to do. Any experience with restoring old Westinghouse ceiling fans?
Thank you for a GREAT channel!!!!
I found this channel by accident and glad I did. I have a couple of these trunks I need to restore and this was a huge help! I enjoyed every minute of it and subbed.
Nice, I really appreciate the clear explanations of how to along with the close ups, they are very instructive! and, of course, the end product was great too! :)
Thank you so much for this video! I have a stinky steamer that belonged to my great-grandmother and I’ve been just staring at it wondering how to fix the broken parts. It’s a relief to know Kennedy Hardware is a source & now I have all of the tips from your video. Thanks again!! ❤
You're welcome! It's always a pleasure to help.
You did a very nice job fixing this beaty to suit you and your wife's needs. Beautiful trunk, and I love the look of natural wood. This video came at a great time! I have several of these trunks in the attic of a 1600s log home that I have to get down and look over and see what has to be fixed. One of the trunks is very large. A doctor had the log home built in the 1600s. We bought the home, contents, and land 2 years ago. There are pictures of the doctor who built it sadly none of the current generation wanted much from the house, not even pictures of ancestors.
I'll be saving this video for future as I have a steamer trunk of my own to restore. Thanks!
You're welcome! Hope it helps!
If you have an electric pressure cooker, put it in the trunk, shut the lid and let the water boil for 30 minutes, it will remove the paper nicely.
The heavy hammer at the back of the board helps absorbing the energy of the hammering. You are applying less stress on the board, it is not flexing so much and you can hammer with more strength and more natural blows. Even when you are not bending the nail at the back, you should always use an heavy hammer at the back if your board is not well supported.
For the tin missing in the corner, you can use an old tin can, you certainly have an old one in a corner of your workshop gathering dust and old rusted nails. It will have the natural patina, but may look a bit thin.
What a great result. There is a trunk in the attic of our old farm house that might just get a new lease on life. Don’t exactly remember what shape it’s in but I’ll definitely check it out the next time I’m there. I now know what can be done. Thanks Scott.
You're welcome! I hope you find it in good shape!
Great result. You had me holding my breath while you were lining the trunk - I have literally stuck myself to a cupboard shelf trying to get this done :) Excellent!
I appreciate the tip about increasing the effectiveness of the scraper. If you have a vise, the job can be done better and faster. Also, use a Sharpie to highlight the face that needs resurfacing. Don’t take off more than necessary.
Enjoyed the video Scott. Very nice job. I work for an Auction/Estate Company and we see many of these old trunks at the sales and because they are so bad looking we can't give them away. I know it was allot of work and if people could see your video they may feel more inclined to tackle a project like this. Thank you for taking the time to produce the videos. Take care and God bless.
You can send one to me. 😁
Great job Scott superb work, I watched Trena's restoration of one of these Trunks the other day it was great too, Look's like you used the same paper as Trena or something very similar. But anyway you both did excellent restorations of these Trunk's !!! Have a nice day all !!!. Brian UK !!!. 😀😃👍👍✏📐.
Looks amazing! This was my families and was used as a coffee table growing up lol. Thanks for bringing it back to life.
Thanks for sharing that history with us! It's great to understand where it came from and how your family used the steamer trunk. We will carry on the tradition of using it to store linens in our home. Laurie & Scott
An outstanding restoration. Especially the paper lining. I could handle the rest of it but the paper would do me in. Thank you for sharing.🙂🙂
Fabulous work! I didn’t think it could this good! It is now beautiful! Nice video, thank you. 😊
Lovely job, your stain matching and colouring is really first rate...
Thank you so much 😀
Your videos are always at the top of my watch list as your technical advice and easy-going style are music to my ears. I relish the advice and great tips as I'm just in year three of my one-person furniture restoration business, after a lifetime of fixing old houses, wooden boats and rescuing furniture from the curb. Happy and excited for you as you work on a bigger shop; what you do now is amazing work! One quip: at 1:06:10 there is an empty nail hole in metal edge protector...intentional?
Great project. It’s a video lots of people can use. Gotta love Kennedy Hardware for having all of those parts and fasteners.
Yes, they're a great resource! Scott
Fantastic work! Turned out so beautiful while still maintaining the old charme..
I may have some bad news for you. I restored a 150 year old trunk a few years ago and like you I decided to avoid the mess and use adhesive backed paper. The adhesive eventually dried out and turned loose. I would advise anyone doing a project like this to use tried and true wallpaper paste.
I appreciate the heads-up, I’ll keep that in mind on future projects. Thanks for the #tip
Absolutely gorgeous ❤
That was a joy to watch - I can't believe how well it turned out. The dad joke was a fun bonus, too 🙂 Good luck in your workshop expansion plans and look forward to hearing all about it.
Yoooooo Scotty!!! My apologies for missing a lot of videos Bud. They're always enjoyable & also full of info. I enjoyed every min. of this one at work on a quiet Sat. afternoon while on the clock. And... I saw a clip one day of how small the shop is. It's mind blowing & an inspiration on what you accomplish in such a confined space. Blessings Bud, Dirty Jersey out!!
Did a dome chest about 5 years ago but used fabric inside and made it very puffy! Yours looks good but like the fabric idea better! Very good job!
Great job! I have one so similar. Lots of work ahead of me.
What a great result. I have enjoyed this episode more than your usual videos. I have a sudden Urge to actually make a Steamer trunk. 😁
Always fabulous. You are inspiring. Thank you for sharing. Regards from Scotland.
Thanks for watching! Glad to hear you enjoy our videos. 🏴
Great new info for me! I have an old similar trunk that I haven't really got around to looking to see what it needs, and now I'm more motivated to get it done. I also have a vintage sewing machine case that was created with almost the exact same methods, and I've gotten as far as having taken off the canvas, and now I know how to remove the hardware and replace it correctly. Thanks for being such an excellent source of restoration knowledge!.
Great restoration. Its a joy to watch. Personally I would have gone for green felt for the bottom and left everything else uncovered wood.
not if youre storing linens in it... Splinters... Thats why they always went to the added trouble of a liner, otherwise u might end up with splinters in your bloomers in uncomfortable places ;)
I promised a friend a trunk years ago, and I have been thinking of starting on one. Suddenly, I am seeing trunk restore videos every third click.
This is definitely a streamer trunk. 😊
Love your videos Scott. Excellent work.
An amazing transformation at the hands of a true craftsman.
It’s going to look awesome in your home.
Beautiful restoration looking forward to the live lesson on Thursday
Nice Job!
I have the same looking trunk but with the insert shelf, I did not restore mine but about 20 years ago found a place that sold remake travel stickers for the outside of different countries.
The stickers really made the look!
....Thanks for the upload!
Really smart trunk, thank you for this interesting video.❤
This turned out absolutely gorgeous. I like the way you respected the history while still updating the trunk.
I really appreciate your expertise and have already benefitted from your knowledge. It's amazing what goes into fixing these trunks up!
I do like this piece very much!
Thank you for sharing this restoration😊
I appreciate that, thanks for watching!
Absolutely amazing work wow
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
I’m now restoring 3 different style trunks because of this video. Thank you for the inspiration
Fabulous project, thanks so much for sharing your skills and knowledge!
Vrhunski saveti! Sve pohvale za vas trud i umeće .Veliki pozdrav!🙂
Honestly, if I hadn't watched the whole video through, I would have sworn it was a different chest. It turned out beautiful. I was hard pressed to see which corner piece was the replacement . The lining was perfect too. Thank you for sharing your skills with us. God bless
Thank you! Cheers!
👍👍👍 Great finish. Thank you
Learned so much from this video…thanks!
I'm glad you found it helpful! Scott
Really enjoying this one, Scott!
I like trunks😊 your work is impeccable 😊👍
Hi Scott. Great video I believe the nailing technique you used is called clinch nailing, used in gates and boat building.
Oh, cool! Thank you for sharing that #tip I appreciate it!
Thank you. And beautiful work.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
That’s a funky trunk! Congratulations on handling the sticky paper! It was a bit nerve-wracking to watch. I probably would have used cotton print fabric since I have so much of it in my stash.
Looks great! Thanks for all the tips
AWESOME work. Well done.
Thank you!
I’m working on a 1919 Gerstner Tool Chest that these techniques will come in handy for. Thanks!!!
Looking great. Just a thought, maybe place side paper first so the bottom sheets cover the overlaps around the edges.
Wonderful work as always 👍👍
I come from a military family and we have a couple of these steamer trunks. The one that you worked on was made by a company called E.B. Eddy in Hull QC. They also made wood matches and later paper products.
I read that the bending of nails as you did it was common in the 1800’s and was called clinching or clenching. The cut nails were so well seated that the only way to reuse them was to burn the barn down, collect the nails and then reheat them to be able to straighten and lastly temper them again.
On the exposed metal strapping, did you consider blueing the steel? This helps prevent rust and gives the steel a dark look. Blueing can be found at many hunting shops.
Amazing transformation ❤
Beautiful job!❤
Beautiful
Beautiful job.
Great job as always.
Very nicely done.
Top job by Scott as usual, but what was the manufacturer of the replacement lock hardware thinking putting text on there? And in a typeface that was unlikely to be around when such trunks were made. An odd choice.
Beautiful work 👏 😊😍
I have an old camel back trunk. This gives me ideas to how to fix it up.
Awesome job!!!
I appreciate the tip about increasing the effectiveness of the scraper. If you have a vice the job can be done better and faster. Also, use a Sharpie to highlight the face that needs resurfacing. Don’t take off more than necessary.
That nailing into an anvil technique is how cobblers nail shoes together. They hook back into the leather insoles and leave a smooth surface. High end work boots could have several dozen nails.
'E.B. Eddy' was a lumber company located in Hull (now Gatineau) Quebec.
Eddy matches!
Muy bien 👌👍🇪🇸
Thank you 😊
Great video, very helpful. The trunk I want to clean up is painted metal w/ wood slats, no canvas. What type of soap did you use to clean the wood slats? Should I use the same soap to clean the metal part of the trunk? I didn’t see a link for the wax, what type should I use? Thanks for such a great video:)
very interesting video good job scott the stain that you used on the trunk if someone was going to start using those stain what color would you recommend to start with
The first restoration of a steamer that I have seen. Excellent work! The little corner pieces of contact liner were not well adhered. How did you secure them?
Hi Scott. Did you consider doing a controlled rusting on that new piece of metal? It came out great but I was wondering if that was a viable option. Maybe some salt water? Either way, man you killed it once again with this one. I love the longform videos.
To insure the technique when using a steel plate or additional hammer, is to slightly angle the nail so they will automatically cinch. It is far faster than trying to just bend the nails over and safer in the long run. If one only has a single hammer and no plate, then to begin to cinch the nail, use another nail to bend your primary nail over. This puts the tip of your nail in the correct position to re-enter the wood. I learned these techniques when constructing antique scenic flats and needed to apply corner triangles on frames that would be covered on the font side with only canvass.
It looks to me that the canvas was not just providing weather proofing and impact protection, but a considerable part of the chest's structure.
Obviously it won't be subject to the same kind of wear in the corner of your bedroom. But if you did need that strength could you apply a veneer to the inside for a pseudo-plywood effect? or would that cause problems with temperature changes causing splitting etc?
Good question. If you glue a veneer to solid wood on the inside of the trunk, it will break away over time as the wood moves from seasonal wood movement. Here's a video that explains what that is in detail ua-cam.com/video/pmM1APci8TY/v-deo.htmlsi=4M3hG35v-CNEe3KV
@@FixingFurniture Thanks.
Nice job Scott. Did you know cobblers bend the nails when putting nails in leather heels the same way, but they have the a metal stand that they work the shoe on for rebuilding the shoe. Check out Bedo's Leatherworks LLC or Trenton and Heath. These people are cobblers very interesting.
I have been successful at using a power washer to remove the canvas outside and the paper inside. It also removes the dirt from wood and metal. Also removes any black mold growing into the wood underneath. And faster. I do not see any adverse affects. Any thoughts?
You left the tag uneven?!?!? Nooo. It will haunt me dreams tonight
Are you doing some steam bending for replacement parts?
3 items: 1:My wife was a Los Angeles City Firefighter. One night they got a call. It was the Buca di Beppo Restaurant that was being created on Ventura Blvd. After they put the fire out it was determined that it had started because the workers had not secured their oily rags properly.
2: The hammering of the nail into your sledge is similar to a bucking bar when one is riveting.
3: Safety Hint. When cutting with a knife next the straight edge that you are holding with your fingers, don't let that left index finger slip over the edge of the straight edge.... not that I am missing any skin from my left hand...
Do you think the streaming might have a bit of a sterilizing effect for the musky smell?
EB Eddy was quite a figure in turn of the century Hull.
Great outcome. TBH I think that the ease of application of paper with paste is worth the mess. That adhesive backed paper looked tough to fit!
1. That nail curling technique is used by cobblers when they nail heels on their metal last.
2. Many years ago, I visited in a house that had a trunk coffee table. It was terrible! There was no place to put my feet. If you want to make a coffee table from a trunk, you should build a short platform to put it on.
i went to a junk shop and found a trunk and it had painted canvas on it , with the lower lock removed . no biggie cause the hinged top covered it... i also removed the canvas on mine and was going to sand it only to find.... red cedar!!!! woah !!! so i stopped.and painted all the metal black LIGHTLY SANDED WITH WET/DRY sandpaper so i didnt remove the natural look..and i def steamed the inside to kill anything... and threw some cedar branches inside to get absorbed into the wood as it dried.... and touch sanded where it was jagged/rough. and let it be... i use mine as a "coffee table/ blanket box " in my living room .another story; my sister threw mom/dads wedding cedar chest out a attic door to a 20 ft drop to the grd. it splintered all to bits. i have had it since march of this yr..and STILL trying to put it together in places...i decided.. to keep the cedar chest as a replacement for the trunk...which..my niece has been hounding me for yrs since i did it. so now she has it and LOVES IT. mom/dads cedar chest means more. hope i can get it looking decent again and no im not painting it. leave it natural.
Sisters can be so irritating at times. At least your niece knows a good thing when she sees it.
Wishing you the best for your restoration. I wish there was a way you could share photos of both the trunk and the chest. They look wonderful in my imagination.
Fun fact: The repairman who fixed my freezer, used a steamer to quickly defrost inches of ice. 💕🌞🌵😷
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
My late grandmother used a hair dryer!
@@shirleyannconfer9651 , my freezer is not self defrosting, so if I'm in a hurry... I use a blow dryer too. You've gotta be careful not to put the blow dryer in the freezer where melting ice can drip water into the blow dryer and cause a short and electrocute you. The steamer is waaay safer as all the electrics was a couple of feet away and the steam came out of a hose with a nozzle so there isn't a electrical hazard with the steamer that he used. Some steamers are different and you need to use proper precautions where necessary... Not all steamers or blow dryers are safe for defrosting freezers.
More Fun
Steamer refers to the mode of locomotion of the ships for Trans Atlantic travel
As opposed to Saiils or…..
I noticed when you first put the paper in the bottom you didn't pattern match and when you were doing the back the bottom was matched. I saw that on another project too. Don't ask me who's project that was😁😁
This specific paper isn’t designed to pattern match, unlike wallpaper. There may be other patterns where they do.
I have a trunk with a cotton lining. I was hesitant to remove but it stinks. I guess I have todo it now. 😊
My mom has a steamer trunk similar to that one that was - if I remember correctly, her great grandmother’s -
That’s cool to have something with history like that! Scott
Don’t love the fact you used contact paper on the interior, but end result was good.
Would I be wrong to say that the hinges and the wood around them seem a bit wobbly?
FYI, the traditional conditioner for veg tan leather is Neatsfoot oil because of it’s resistance to cold, rot and moisture. BLO will do the same thing it does in wood, slowly polymerize into a semi hard substance that’s not a good fit for the longevity of the leather. 👍🏽
So the ager takes time to work? 🙂 Seriously though, nice work on the project.