Steamer Trunk Restoration (Large) - This Thing Was HAGGARD!

Another Antique Trunk has wandered into the shop...and it's a BIG one.
ALL PRODUCTS I USED ON THIS PROJECT ARE PINNED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION 👍
I come across a few hurtles but the end result was fantastic!
As always, if you have any questions, please feels free to leave them in the comments.
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and as always, THANK YOU for watching!
@sherwin-williams

INSTAGRAM: @hearthsidewoodworks

DIY, Refinishing, Woodworking, Steamer Trunk, Restoration, Sherwin-Williams

#diy #woodworking #restoration

[hearthsidewoodworks]

Answers to common questions:
1) No, the opening scene was not staged. It was real and it hurt.
2) The products I used on the leather components is called Howard’s Feed’n’Wax, the green stain color was Sherwin Williams Woodscapes exterior solid wood stain (#6160 Best Bronze), the lacquer I used is Deft in satin finish and the interior sealing product I used was Modge Podge but I would recommend a water based acrylic sealer instead. It did ok for this application but the acrylic is a better overall sealer.
3) Yes, I am also disappointed that the tray footage was lost but I will be happy to make a video specifically on trunk inserts the next time one comes into the shop.
Thanks for watching!

[UWSaleen]

Can you please do a project where everything goes wrong and you end up burning it in the fire pit out back? I really need some inspiration on how to properly end a failed project. Thank you! Oh, and great video on the Steamer Trunk. It was a delight to watch.

[jasonanderson]

I've watched all of the restoration videos on YouTube. Yes, all of them (sarcasm). And this is THE first one that I've ever, EVER seen with a be safe with power tools and refer to the MSDS for any chemicals. While I may catch crap for this from commenters, safety is a real thing. Kudos for bringing attention to it.

[mostlymodern]

This one turned out unbelievably beautiful! The color scheme you picked was perfect!

[joephillips]

Thanks! Looks great. I just bought the same trunk and someone in the FB trunk group said that;s not leather around the edges but a compressed fiber / fake leather. It sure holds up well so that's a good thing.

[fdort]

@hearthsidewoodworks that turned out really nice! The green was a perfect choice.
As a carpenter you might not know...but you can get fabric tape to strengthen seams. Normally it's sewn on but fabric glue on the shelves with the fabric tape would reinforce the edges.

[LaurentColonnier-rl]

Superbe travail de restauration, qui respecte le matériau de base et n'est pas intrusif: une Master Class.

[SLorraineE]

Oh my goodness. I love that shot in the beginning with you sitting in the trunk!

[nisaak]

Thank you so much! This will be super helpful when I repair my own steamer trunk.

[timothymarcum]

Came across your channel while looking for ideas to restore a small trunk I bought at a thrift shop. Great video!! Gorgeous piece.

[sherylsbsmith]

i am now working on my 5th steamer trunk. yurs looks very good. i love doing this stuff. this one i have now is a chas t wilt 1876. very large. was a mess. think the cleaning is over. now to the repairs. thanks you did a great job.

[chandacoventry]

I haven’t seen a trunk that big since I was in my grandparents attic the last time I was in England. You did a great job with it.

[bjparker]

I needed this. I have one I decoupaged years ago and I plan to redo it. I do have the tray inserts,

[drsmithMD]

I enjoy watching your work and humor...Great resource

[heleneyoung]

What paint and color name did you use on the exterior? It would be great if you would list the products you use and maybe even links. Thank you.

[candicabaniss]

Thanks, I am planning on refinishing a travel trunk.

[rosameryrojas-delcerro]

My dad is currently restoring the second of two trunks that his cousin gave him two years ago. (We have only been in this area 5 years) She asked him if he could redo one as a coffee table for her, we could have the other, and donthe same. The wood was unsalvegable, like cardboard and rickety from being in her yard storing hoses and yard tools etc for he// knows how long. Not her fault, they were there when she moved into the house. She did not think to redo them 30+ years ago because they were trashed even then. It was basically a rebuild more than a restoration. He took careful measurements and went to work. Some of the decorative metal (alot looked like fleu-de-lis) on the first one was broken, or rusted so bad it was unuseable so he had to put less of it back to keep the decorative symmetry but it had a ton, (no indication of leather edges, or lid top to front belt straps) so it was no big deal. The leather handles were gone on both but dad used a 50+ year old belt as a replacement. No indication that either of them had ever had trays. There was no fabric on the outside of either of them, the second was painted red, (no clue if original or not) and the paper inside was mostly gone, and what we did see was on the inside of the lid and some " cornflakes" that had peeled off at the bottom. Some looked Art Deco or Art Nouveau, the other just plain. There was no indication of maker on the first one he rebuilt but his cousin asked that the inside be painted and the outside be stained. He finished that one last year and is still working on the second. The feet of the second were identical to the corners on the top of the lid, but were rusted through with holes so that they were unusable. He just replaced them with square-ish wooden feet. While the second one has similar hardware to the one you did here, the metal was far more decorative, and no leather edges, so likely an earlier era. The brass tag said the second was from a trunk company in NewOrleans. The lock, similar looking to yours, on the front was wrecked (bottom half of yours appears to be missing, maybe for the same reason) obviously by someone trying to open it by sticking stuff in the slot, (screwdriver?) destroying the lock but still resorting to prying it open. The drawbolts (?) on the front are also similar. Both decorative parts were still there so he removed the trashed lock mechanism, and manufactured the loop part of a padlock hasp to fit in the hole where the lock used to be. We bought a padlock from a museum years and years ago that was designed to look "antique" and all rusty, but old-school shaped so we plan to use that, not a modern MasterLock or something. The second is stained inside and out.

[aaronscholl]

My wife and I just bought a wardrobe steamer trunk for $4 at an estate sale and are going to fix it up. This video is an inspiration. Any advice?

Also, I'm a typewriter guy and I clean them, fix them and make them pretty again. I have heard that described with so many different "re-" words that I don't believe any of them mean the same thing to any two people.

[deimoslyric]

THANK YOU. I'm buying this 1896 trunk that will need a restoration, and I was very daunted by the idea of removing all the hardware and possibly damaging it. But I'll just leave it on and do what you have done!

[rhondaregister]

Great job! I have one to restore and you have given me alot of info on how to proceed. Thanks.