This has been the largest trunk restoration we have completed to date. Our customer wanted a restoration but also wanted us to retain the 100+ years of patina. We first set about hand cleaning the tin which had years of rust dirt and grim build up. We believe that the trunk also had fire damage which had caused a darkening of the wood and tin. We then set about remaking the broken base slider and then replacing a broken corner runner. The next replacement parts were the leather handles and lid tab. These were all hand made by our upholstery dept. The interior was upgraded from paper to cedar panels. Lastly we used a satin water based lacquer to seal and protect the exterior thus preserving the patina we had uncovered. See the results below and our customer review.
I brought Mark a project I had sitting in my garage for close to 15 years. It was an old travel trunk that my father had purchased at a Flea Market in San Francisco. I remember it being in our house all my life. By the time it found Mark it was not in the finest condition and needed more love than I could provide. I took the trunk to Mark’s shop and we discussed what my expectation were and what kind of time it would take to deliver on them. I asked him to attempt to preserve as much of the original trunk as possible and to leave it’s reflection of age and wear… to me that was integral to it’s identity. (All too often a restorer will make the item appear “new” and that is what I did not want.) Mark understood what I was asking for and moved ahead enthusiastically. In the end, while I think the project took a bit longer than he anticipated, the trunk is absolutely beautiful. It has been brought back to a well preserved representation of an antique it’s age. It is perfect. I always fear handing off projects I have spent considerable time thinking about to others. In this case the finished result exceeded my expectations. Cheers and Thanks, Mark. -Mike 10/10
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