Great great grandfather's box advise needed

**Cklett** · 26th October 2019, 11:17 AM

Hi,

I have these 2 boxes which my great great grandfather made. He lived from 1874 till 1953 and I remember was told he was a ships carpenter. We believe the boxes to be at last 80 years old. They are not special, but as you can assume of emotional value to my family.

Anyway here are some pictures. The left one is generally in good shape. Probably just need some rejuvenation and nourishment for the wood and finish. The bottom is only nailed in and some are slightly loose which maybe will fix with putting some moisture back into the wood.

The right one however needs some work.
The lid came off and depending on humidity rolls up more or less. I am thinking of carefully sand the surface in between and just glue it back down.

In the front are small hair line cracks. Would these close with renourishing the wood?

Then the lock is missing since I cam remember. I know these boxes since I was little some 40 years ago. Is there any way to find a fitting lock with some patina on? I am not planning to get them back to fully shiny and new. They shall remain look old, but good. And hopefully last for another 80 years.

I don't want to stuff it up on these ones. So do you have any advise how to go about it?

Thanks

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**homesy135** · 26th October 2019, 01:43 PM

How lucky you are to have some surviving items from your ancestors.

I would do as little as possible to the boxes. However, I can see that glueing the lid down and replacing the lock would be aesthetically pleasing.

As I understand it - wood is always moving. So, the woodworker's goal is to join pieces of wood in such a way that the natural movement of the wood doesn't tear the joint apart. Also as I understand it, one can't nourish wood. Adding moisture (water) to the wood will make it swell but the crack it still there. As the wood dries out the crack will become evident again.

Glueing the lid down forces the lid that wants to curve upwards to be flat. Over the years the glue will fail and the lid will separate and curve upwards again or crack to relieve the stress in the wood. Alternatively, the whole lid may warp and not sit flat on the body of the box.

Applying what I believe to be correct, I'd glue the lid down with hide glue. If the box hasn't been repaired before the glue use by your GGGF was likely to be hide glue. Repair the lid with the knowledge your great-grandson may have to repair it again in another 80 years time.

The small cracks in the front of the box I'd fill with wax. The woodworking stores sell tinted wax sticks to match the colour of the wood being repaired. As a general rule get a wax with a slightly darker colour to fill the crack. Scrape off the contaminating wax on the face of the timber with a blunt scraper to avoid damaging the wood.

Once the glue securing the lid is dry and the wax has hardened I would finish the box with boiled linseed oil. The idea of finishing wood with oils, varnish, shellac or modern coatings is to hinder the wood's absorption of water.

Finally to the lock. Locks are readily available from many outlets (Jacksons Locks in Tasmania springs to mind) and the catalogues or web pages describing the locks usually give dimensions. You should be able to find a replacement lock to fit the half mortise in your box.

Good luck.

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