Old cedar chest cleaned up.
Virgil Johnson
This cedar chest was built by one of my uncles back in 1948 as a gift for my mom and dad. Most likely a wedding gift. Its rough as a cob but I had to find a use for it. Back in the 40's where my parents were raised tools and money were almost non existent so everyone did the best they could with what they had.
It has been tucked away in the attic of mom and dads house for the last 40 years until this past month when I retrieved it. The lid has been hanging on by a single hinge for as long as I can remember. The finish was wood smoke and coal soot topped with an occasional paint splatter and later 40 years of attic dust. In the first pic you can see where I scrubbed some of the soot off of the lid.
Second pic was post wash down. In the spirit of the way this piece was designed and built (using what's on hand) I reattached the lid with some brass hinges (aged with peroxided,salt and vinegar) I bought years ago. I had a partial can of 30 yr old BLO (boiled linseed oil) on hand so I thinned it with a bit of turpentine for the first coat of finish. I had to splurge for a new can of BLO to finish the job. I applied the first coat of finish with part of a feed sack towel that was probably as old as the chest.
Currently it is proudly residing in our kitchen.
