Restoration photos: http://bit.ly/2Sbwnf0, folks!I just finished restoring my grandmother’s old jewelry box as a Christmas gift for my girlfriend. A little background:I received the box in the same condition it had been in ever since I could remember: weathered, missing the bottom latch, and encrusted with an aged, hard, and yellowed varnish. It had passed from my great-grandmother to my mother, to my grandmother, and finally to me, and after some research I managed to date the box to around the 1940’s.The overall design is quite common (handcarved cedar, dovetailed, with a paper decoration on the lid and identical closure latches), although no two are alike due to each having been carved by hand.About a year ago, I learned how to properly restore large antique trunks and bring them back into use, and decided to apply the same techniques to the jewelry box.First, I sanded away the old, yellowed varnish with 100-150 grit sandpaper, revealing a beautiful cedar grain underneath. Caked into the carvings on both the front and lid was a hardened, powdery white substance (likely makeup, since my grandmother had used it for many purposes while she owned it). To remove this, I used folded 220-grit sandpaper and an X-acto knife.Secondly, I removed the top latch closure, ripped the fabric out of the inside, and also removed the old, cloudy mirror from the inside lid. After sanding the inside and re-sanding the entire piece once more with 220-grit, getting everything down to bare, smooth wood, I was ready to apply my finish.I used Formby’s Tung Oil Finish for this, as I felt a wiping varnish would be the most ideal to use for this particular piece and I also felt it would really bring out the cedar grain colors. I was not disappointed.After the first coat of Formby’s, I lined the inside of the box in a navy polyester fabric and installed a new mirror on the inside lid. This was a huge pain in the ass, and I quickly learned that the technique for lining large trunks was much harder to use on small boxes like this. I would have liked to keep the original mirror as it had a unique floral pattern etched into it, but it was cloudy and had suffered damage with age, and I wanted my girlfriend to be able to actually use the box for its intended purpose. Perhaps one day I’ll have the original mirror re-silvered and placed back in the box.After the inside was complete, I applied a second coat of Formby’s on the outside, using a fine-bristled paintbrush to get inside the hand-carved grooves. After a night of drying, I replaced the latch closures, now sanded down and silver-colored to match the monogrammed fabric medallion (with my girlfriend’s initials) I affixed shortly thereafter. I’d actually stumbled upon a similar box in an antique store last week, complete with the bottom latch, and just pulled it off to use for this project (don’t worry, I paid full price for the second box!).TL;DR I sanded down and refinished an old handcarved jewelry box with Formby’s. This was a relatively simple project, but it brought something of my grandmother’s back to life and ready for my girlfriend’s enjoyment. It’s a good feeling doing something you’re passionate about (restoration) for someone you love.I kind of wrote this in a hurry, so please comment if you have any questions. I hope you guys enjoyed the photos. Merry Christmas! via /r/DIY http://bit.ly/2EG4ZBY
