Thread: Cleaning/Restoring A Victorian Ladies' Work Box

Hi yvan, some photos would be good and would help me and others comment more accurately.

Because shellac is alcohol based that cleaning mix should not have any long-term affect as long as you don't leave it wet. The only "dangerous" substance is the vinegar because it contains water but that won't hurt unless you leave a pool of it on the surface. It is not a good idea to wipe the surface with metho as that dissolves the old shellac and can therefore damage the surface.

I would not usually use any sandpaper on an old item because of the risk of removing any high spots back to bare wood. On fully polished items 0000 steel wool is good as it is more flexible (though it should never be used on bare wood as steel fibres stick in the timber and later create rust spots).

It sounds like the dark line is a faux string-inlay or purfling-like edge banding. It is difficult to know what it is made of without seeing it - and maybe even with photos. Some box makers used to use a fine, very hot tool to char a line to create an ebony string inlay effect. If it is a lacquer then any shellac or metho could dissolve/remove it.

Do you really need to apply more shellac over the surface - I can't judge without photos. Often I find a good wax is all that is needed after a clean and it won't do any harm. If you do need to apply polish then the brown shellac should be fine - with a fairly dry rubber so it doesn't pool and dissolve the original finish. Final-finish dilution would be best (i.e. very dilute) I think.

The Black Bison is a good wax, as is UBeaut's Traditional Wax.

Good luck,

David

Hi David,
Thanks for all your advice, much appreciated.
Will take photos and post.

Cheers

Yvan

OK, here are some photos of the box.
Work box.jpgWork box interior.jpgEdge fillet.jpgBox lid.jpg

Don't know how to rotate the pictures....

The photo of the lid shows the "work" done. BTW, can someone identify the veneer?

Cheers Yvan