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How to Refurbish an Heirloom Tool Chest?
I have a tool chest with all tools which my great-great-great-grandfather used as a cabinetmaker in the shipbuilding trade in England and which he brought to the U.S. in 1832 and started working as cabinetmaker in Rochester, New York, shortly thereafter. The inside of the top is inlaid with a design (marquetry, I think it is called). It is currently painted black, but it appears to have been green at one time based on some earlier paint showing through. My question is whether it would be appropriate to strip the paint off and put some kind of clear coating on the chest. This would show the wood and probably make it a better piece to have in a room in the house as opposed to a very dark piece -- it measures 44" length x 28" width x 28" height. Also, some veneer on interior top-level drawers has come loose and a few pieces are now missing -- should I have someone repair the veneer and replace missing parts like a puzzle, or leave it alone? If you have other sites for information specifically about tool chests or books related to the topic, I would be interested in knowing about them. - Bob Stiles
Tim Inman: What a prize! I'd take my time and do some homework before I did anything. Consult with professional restorers and conservators. We're actually pretty nice people, most of us, and we enjoy sharing our knowledge whenever we can. It is both good for business, and good for the material assets that draw our interest to the trades. We like to see things taken care of, and we generally like the people who are interested in doing it. Seeing the project is the only way to get and give good advice. That said, many of these chests started out life as "training samplers" in the apprentice stage of the owner's life. Building a tool chest can be an excellent training vehicle for an exercise in just about any phase of joinery, marquetry, boulle work, carving and turning. Often, the outside of these chests appears to be pretty plain and simple. They are frequently painted on the outside. Open the box, though, and on the inside it is like seeing Aladdin's cave. Fancy joints, inlays and the works. As the apprentice became more skilled, he (almost always he) pressed higher and higher with his art to show what he could do. Cabinetmaker's chests usually do not have handles on the outside. These chests lived under the cabinetmaker's bench, mostly. Carpenters and other "on-the-job" specialists had handles on their chests. I own the tool chest made and used by the German-American cabinetmaker, August Werner, of 1800's wooden helicopter fame. It is one of my prizes! The worn cupped surface of the mallets matches the mushroomed wooden handles of the chisels. They tell a story all to themselves, and I wouldn't repair one thing about them.
Judicious repairs would be my rule: structural repairs, definitely and first. Cosmetic repairs would need more thought before action. Loose and chipping veneers happen because the glue/adhesive is failing or has failed. If the adhesive problem is not addressed before repairs are made, then you've just put a Band-Aid® on the problem. Unless a skilled and qualified person does the veneer repair, it is likely that worse damage will happen during the repair than if the site were just left alone. You can learn to do this, but don't practice on this piece! Practice on scrap until you become highly proficient, and have complete confidence in what you're doing. This chest is a gem, and needs to be cleaned and polished like one, too. Don't start regrinding the facets on the emerald just yet....
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To Bleach or Not to Bleach (My Floors)?
I have bought a 1915 house that is structurally sound, but it was badly abused by a previous owner who let dogs urinate on the hardwood floors and did not clean the stains. I read an article about bleaching wood in the "Finishing Secrets" Special Issue of your magazine (Winter 2011) on page 34. According to the advice given there, it seems like two-part wood bleach just might work to remove the urine stains. The man refinishing the floors says he will very lightly sand before I try to do anything to try and bleach them out. Three of the floors are 1/2-inch thick oak inlay, hence the most vulnerable. Two others are 3/4-inch quartersawn heart pine. The stains are extensive and very dark but I really want to try and "save" the old wood. It would be too costly for me to replace these floors. - Bettie Bradshaw
Tim Inman: Do NOT use two-part bleach except as a last resort solution. It is very aggressive and irreversible. It may "eat away" the wood fibers in your floor and worse. There are two issues to address here: One is color and the other is odor. Sanding should take care of staining and color problems. I live in a house made starting in 1903. Aged wood is part of the enjoyment of getting to live in an old building. We enjoy the photo developing chemical stains in my grandfather's bedroom closet. It reminds us of him as a little boy. Pets and spills -- and the evidence they leave -- are part of living in old houses. Odor is another thing, though. I don't want to smell dog and cat pee every time the humidity goes up; unless you do something, you will. I would suggest talking with your local small animal veterinarian or pet expert. There are some very fine enzyme products available to cure just what you're up against. A good "soaking" with one of these solutions prior to refinishing your old floor would be my first choice. Let the enzyme soak into the wood as far as the urine has been allowed to go in. Kill it all while you're at it. I'm just not a big fan of bleaches.
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How Do I Hide the Hinge Barrel Mortise of a Rule Joint?
