Machinist's chest restoration

Machinist's Chest Restoration

[1/22/2015 - additional comments added]

An old machinist chest is repaired and restored.

This is an old machinist chest that belonged to my late father in law. It's not a particularly valuable item (not like a Gerstner or such), but it does have sentimental value.

[Click on the pictures to see larger views.]

When I got it, the fake leather covering was peeling off, the brass fittings were tarnished black, and the box was held together with a random collection of nails and threaded rods. The mirror frame inside the lid was broken, the mirror was badly tarnished, and the key to the lock was missing.

I removed all the brass fittings, stripped off the fake leather covering, washed the wood with TSP to remove old hide glue (and some mold), and dismantled the box and re-glued it.

The brass fittings were cleaned with metal polish and steel wool, and re-installed with new brass screws (the old screws were brass plated, and had rusted. Some of the original screws were missing or had been replaced with random mis-matched screws).

The front panel was re-framed with red oak, and the entire box was stained with cherry urethane (four coats). Although I gave the box a light sanding, I left many of the original dents, nicks, and gouges as testimony to it's history.

The mirror frame was repaired, new mirror glass was installed, and the box and drawers were lined with felt.

The original drawer knobs were pretty cheap, and were missing some parts, so I replaced them all with new hand made (lathe turned) solid brass knobs.

I also made a new key for the front panel lock.

Above, you can see before and after pictures of the restored box. Note that in the before pictures, some of the brass fitting and all of the old drawer knobs had already been removed.

Additional Comments

1/22/2015

These comments are being added to include some additional information:

The toolbox (before restoration) had been stored in a damp environment and had a pronounced mildew smell. Extensive cleaning and removal of the fake leatherette covering removed most of the smell, but even after that there was still a faint smell; hopefully this smell will dissipate after a while.
Faux leatherette fabric is widely available, so replacing the old fabric with new is certainly an option. I decided that staining the bare wood would result in a more attractive result, but leatherette would have been more "authentic." On the other hand, new fabric would have covered up the dents, nicks, and holes which give the box a lot of its character.
Some of the original brass fittings were missing, so I had to purchase replacements.
The green felt was purchased from a local fabric store; I used 3M spray adhesive to attach it.
The hinges were originally attached with split rivets; I replaced these with brass screws after I removed the hinges for cleaning.
When I cleaned box with TSP (after stripping off the faux leatherette) it pretty much fell apart as the old glue had failed. I put it back together with high quality wood glue and lots of clamps. The drawers were basically in good shape, and only required cleaning, staining, and relining with felt.

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