Featured Old Tool Chest…Seeking Advise

This is my Great Uncles tool box. It’s definitely seen better days but I LOVE the vibe and color…between me and y’all I’d love to figure out a way to have it somewhere inside our house…maybe in the corner w/ a lamp on it or something….not sure. The problem is mainly the top and the lack of paint there. I was thinking maybe a cloth or linen of some sort or maybe a light clean-up and have a piece of glass cut for the top of it?
Any advise on how to spruce this up without repainting or removing paint would be appreciated. I think the loose hardware and fittings can be worked back into place, possible remove the hasp and lock that were added later…although the old padlock is pretty cool.

 

I'd leave the top as is - how many people had sat on that while eating their lunch to account for the paint loss? The color is fantastic - Too cool. I'd go with the tempered glass that would sit ontop of some small cork pads on the lid and add some type of nailable felt slider pads to the bottom slats to protect the floor and just call it a job at that.

 

I like the glass top idea, too. I'd use some clear rubber bumpers in the corners and one in the center on each side. Don't use a piece that's too thin.

The felt pads Rayo mentioned are good idea too.

 

Was just thinking..........it would be a shame to not access the inside for storage space. Have the glass company figure out a way to attach the glass to the wooden top so you can still open it without constantly having to remove the glass first. (maybe have some holes drilled through the glass and used some type of brass screws to attach it?) Have it stick out about an inch in the front so you can get your fingers under it to act as a handhold to open the lid easier. Then you can store items inside and they would be easy accessible.

 

You might consider a sheet of scratch resistant acrylic, rather than glass. It would be lighter.

 

Glass Like Finish on Wood : 6 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables

How to Remove Rust From a Padlock | Hunker

 

Please don't mess with the wood. If you feel it needs care, use a gentle product like beeswax.

 

I would be tempted to apply some linseed oil to help preserve the wood and keep it from deteriorating further. Test it out on the bottom and see how that works. Then go from there depending upon how you feel about it. The linseed oil will soak in and the looks will change over time as it dries out.

 

Boy, some great ideas and advise! Thank You!!

After posting I took a soft cloth dampened with some distilled water and went after some of the dirt on the top, surprisingly there’s a more green pqint hidden under there than I thought. I think I’m going to work at it slowly and carefully to get it as clean as possible without removing any finish or material and see where it’s at.
On a side note I mentioned wanting to have this somewhere in the house(not coffee table status or center stage) to the wife. She saw it in the garage recently for the first time and it was up on it’s side with the bottom facing her…that was not a good first impression so this will be an uphill battle lol!

 

Wonderful.

Never show your wife a chest's bottom!

 

Although linseed oil has a long history of use on furniture and can seal the surface to some extent, it probably should not be described as a preservative. In addition to darkening the surface when it is first applied, it will continue to darken with age, and can be difficult to remove in the future.

As it is, it is a wonderful, honest, hardworking chest.

 

I really like your chest but I'm probably a bit on your wife's side and not excited on giving it 'house space'.

It appears to have spent a good portion of time in a very damp place and I wonder how musty it smells. I have an over-active 'smeller' and any smell it has would really bother me. My husband on the other hand has a broken 'smeller' and wouldn't object at all to it being inside.

Just a thought on your wife's behalf.

 

I Refinished a chest very similar in color as yours. the top needed sanding because of the splinters. The paint was already worn off. When I got done the paintless top and bottom looked funny to me so I mixed up some acrylic paints to match in color, watered it down, wiped it on and then quickly wiped it off with a cloth. It left just enough green paint to make it blend with the bottom half. I then put on 3 coats of polyurethane. I did the same to the top of the antique doll house that I had stripped of the 10 coats of white paint which took off most of the original green. I practiced a lot on boards till I knew what I was doing.

 

All very true! The box luckily had been in dry storage for 30 or 40 years…not sure how long before that it was exposed to moisture. If I can’t get it looking…and smelling respectable I won’t advocate for it inside.
Neither of us have override authorization and both of us have full veto power so this will work out one way or the other!!

 

I would leave it alone and preserve it ...my Dad stripped the green paint off my Great Great Uncles tool chest and then regretted it years later ( as I did ) : Had I known he was going to do it I would have begged him to leave it alone.

 

Yea, definitely going to try to preserve and conserve as much as possible….not that it’s valuable…it’s just way better looking how it’s supposed to look.

 

A good coat of paste wax is all this needs once cleaned well.

 

If it still has a smell after letting it air out, then spray it down with ZorbX and let it dry thoroughly before doing anything else to it. Usually works pretty well..........

 

That's wonderful for you, but it destroys much of the value of a piece so if you want to pass it along in future, it isn't worthwhile. You essentially made a new piece of furniture out of an antique. Not being snarky, I'm just a purist when it comes to antiques.