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Saturday, April 13, 2013

Steamer Trunk (ca. 1908)

The Restored Steamer Trunk

A recent project to come through the shop was the restoration of an old steamer trunk.The customer who owned the piece said it has passed down through her family and that she would like to have it restored. Not much is known about this trunk except that the lock that was on the trunk said "The H&A Lock Company Patented December 10th 1907" around the keyhole. There were no indications that this lock was a replacement so I assume it to be the original. If that is true then the trunk would have to have been made after that date and was probably made at the earliest sometime in 1908. 

The trunk was made of pine that was covered in canvas or linen and tin. The wood slats that are mounted to the surface appeared to be made of Chestnut. The trunk was also adorned with leather straps and handles as well as a lock and fasteners, making it quite a chore to open and close the trunk, and also making it hard for the contents to unintentionally escape!

The condition of the trunk as it came to me was pretty bad. The exterior straps and handles had rotted and were largely missing. There were also significant portions of the canvas missing from the top. The interior of the trunk, which had been papered was torn and brittle, and also smelled of mildew. In essence, this trunk really needed some help! That being said, the damage was reversible and the customer and I decided to go ahead with the project. Below are a few photos of the trunk as it came into the shop.

The front
 The back.
 
The top.
Missing handles from the sides.

The interior with the rotted paper lining.


This photo is of the inner tray which was also papered.
After removing the paper from the interior and removing the finish from the Chestnut slats, the entire trunk was masked with newspaper with the exception of the portions that were covered in tin, which was originally painted black. The Photos below shows this part of the project

After it was masked, The tin portions were painted with Rust inhibiting black spray paint. This quickly brought the black look back to these sections. After the paint had dried the paper was carefully removed.

These next few photos show the interior after it was sanded. After the interior was sanded it was painted with Kilz primer. This is not standard procedure for me, but I thought it was a good idea to try to contain the mildew smell in the interior.


After the paint had dried on the interior, the new paper was applied to the entire interior and the tray. Below are some photos of the interior after the paper was applied.



The exterior of the trunk was finished with shellac to bring back the nice brown color of the canvas. The lock was also replaced due to the fact that someone had broken the original trying to open it. The leather straps and handled were also replaced. Here are a few photos of the completed trunk.



At the end I included two photos of the old lock which was kept with the trunk as part of its history.


11 comments:

  1. Amazing work! I just bought an old steamer trunk that I'm going to repaint--love the tips. How did you go about replacing the side handles? They're completely broken on the trunk I have and I have no idea how to do anything about it. Any tips are appreciated!

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  2. I have a similar trunk with the leather handles missing as well how do you attach the new handle do you rivet it or do you have another way of attaching them?

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  3. I've removed the caps and the old handles by carefully bending the old nails from the inside before pulling them, then pound the end caps back into shape (carefully, ha!) and then reassembling with new repro nails. The handles on my trunk (which is absolutely identical to this trunk) will go on after finishing the outside and before papering the inside. Will make try out of cedar closet lining.

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  4. Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing the process of restoration.

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  5. I am about to finish the trunk you have listed above. It has been a real education. I was able to figure out how to restore it to its original appearance. I am not sure if I ever want to tackle it again. It has been fun.

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  6. I have one that looks like yours before you refinished it can't find the name on it.i was my mother's

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  7. I have my Dad's trunk from when he was in the Navy. it is in really rough condition. Thank you for showing the process to restore your trunk.

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  8. Great tips thank you. I got my trunk at an auction for $40.00. It’s in rough condition but I have high hopes for it to look like yours!
    Do you have to cover the interior with paper or fabric?

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  9. Mine is in almost perfect condition,opens 3 layers. Approximate value.

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  10. This trunk was made by Jacob R. Elwell from Bridgeton N.J. Mine is identical but not in nearly as good of shape. There is a sticker on the green paper that list gentleman's name, Location, as well as the words: trunks, bags & harness. He appears to be a jack of all trades. He had ads for auto repair and bicycles. He passed I believe in 1920. Your work is an inspiration.

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