Completed Dome Trunk (ca.1880)

After completing the finish work and the restoration of the paper interior the last steps in the restoration were to attach the new handles and make a key. Below are some photos of the new handles being attached as well as the completed trunk with it's new key. The tassel on the key might be a little overkill but it helps to keep the key from being lost. If you would like to read the previous post on the restoration of this trunk and a little trunk history follow this link:

http://johnmarkpower.blogspot.com/2010/05/dome-trunk-ca-1880.html

Once the old broken handles were removed, The trunk was discolored and had old nail holes in it. I patched the nail holes and touched up the tin to look like the rest of the side.

Traditionally, the handle would be attached with nails that were forked at the end. the nails would then be bent over the inside surface. The paper the n covered over the nail ends. Because the paper was already in place, I opted to use screws instead to attach the handles. the screw heads are then covered over by the handle end covers.The next two photos show the new handles with new reproduction end covers installed.

The next three photos show the completed trunk.