Writing Slope Dilema

[my63]

The more that I look at this box the more I like it.

The box measures 18in wide x 12 deep in x 4 in high it screams art decco the detail continues in the hinges which have stops built in to hold the lid open.

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8219/8326033995_deb5021f6a_z.jpg

IMG_3123_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Esterbex I will try to acquire the rights to this one on your behalf wish me luck :roflmho:

I will keep you informed there are one or two blemishes on the lid that need to be addressed.

the box itself is solid oak although the lid and base are plywood.

Thanks

Michael

[esterbex]

Waiting with bated breath.....

[my63]

Waiting with bated breath.....

Wait no more

You can start designing your interior

Should I place an advance order for red velvet :roflmho:

Regards

Michael

[esterbex]

I wish there was a back-flipping emoticon!

Red is my favourite colour!

[my63]

Ok New Year new project This box is for forum member Esterbex.

I thought I would share as many stages as possible with you and of course Esterbex herself.

As Esterbex was kind enough to help me with the desgin of Henrys box (previous project) there will be some similar touches ie the large amount of red velvet that is going to be used inside.

 

I have started by cutting a piece of oak veneered plywood to the right size to fit inside the box

I normally make the oak frame to fit inside this piece of plywood.

I have marked out where the oak frame will fit around the edges I have then marked out possible placing of the inserts.

As this is a large box and has to travel to the United States weight is an issue so I am looking for alternatives to dowell and plywood for the inserts.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8373198075_56c42e2355_z.jpg

IMG_3149_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

As this box is going to be home for a number of oversize pens I have made a rough card tube slightly larger than the largest pen I also have wooden blanks equal to Parker 51s etc.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8373200235_65630bbdac_z.jpg

IMG_3153_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

These layouts will change I am sure as the project progresses I will make the frames up next week and hope to collect the material tomorrow.

There is something not right about picture two but I cannot put my finger on it rather than delete it I will leave it and you might be able to help me.

Regards

Michael

[my63]

I had to visit a local plastics company today to look at bathroom wall boards.

Any way as always I was on the lookout for pen or pen storage related stuff.

I came home with this......

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8232/8384131612_ccaec61f2d_z.jpg

IMG_3176_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8512/8383046433_4185e473f6_z.jpg

IMG_3174_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

It is 12mm in diameter and glows I know there is a correct term but I cant spell it.

The diameter is the same as some of the dowel I use on the bigger boxes I think it looks good against the black suede.

It is quite expensive but it is different.

 

If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Michael

[esterbex]

Fluoresces?

 

It is quite different....sort of lava lampish....:roflmho:

[my63]

Thanks Esterbex the very word I was looking for your spelling is spot on.

I have made the trays for your art decco box unfortunatley I managed to make thenm too small :embarrassed_smile:

I am going to blame my new sanding machine but it is more likely to be me.

I am picking up replacement timber tomorrow they are going to try and cut the timber thinner to enable three trays rather than two so fingers crossed.

On the positive side I have collected a huge bag of luscious red velvet. And its got your name on it.

I am going to strip the top layer of polish from the outside of the box itself so I can prepare for fresh wax.

pictures will follow soon

Regards

Michael

[my63]

I have spent a few hours on the Art Decco box today the isides started off like this

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8082/8386593491_fde14c6842_z.jpg

IMG_3181_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8387677236_38881f1788_z.jpg

IMG_3179_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

The red fluff is the remains of the previous velvet type material that covered the lower section of this box.

Everything was fixed iside using hide glue which has an unfortunate smell so needs to be removed.

When dry this glue is very hard and as it cotains shellac it can be softened using water.

I use a small paint brush warm water and a wllpaper scraper.

 

My timber supplier was kind enough to cut me some oak 18 mm thick to make the trays so I have cut 4.8 metres into 12 pieces to make them into 3 trays.

After yesterdays mistake with the size of the tray I am not cutting any mitres until I have fitted out the sides of the box and can get an exact measurement.

 

Dont worry about the trays I made in the wrong size I have decided to make a custom box from scratch to fit the trays.

 

Thanks for reading

Michael

[my63]

As you can see the inside is almost ready for lining

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8081/8389123809_e714364b45_z.jpg

IMG_3191 by my0771, on Flickr

 

There is some writing on the inside of the base not sure about the text but it ends in the number 64

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8351/8390209960_651cb903bf_z.jpg

IMG_3194_1 by my0771, on Flickr

The inside of the lid appears to be a piece of mahogony

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8220/8389123177_9b1a6a6b1f_z.jpg

IMG_3190_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

I have started the outside the lid has a number of scars that have been picked up over the years.

To be honest there is very little that I can do with these marks but I do have a couple of tricks to make them a little less noticable

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8052/8389125987_4305d31aac_z.jpg

IMG_3195_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8389127307_dd478a3b09_z.jpg

IMG_3197_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8369/8389127951_7425b42272_z.jpg

IMG_3198_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

At some point sellotape had been used to keep the interior inplace the tape was easy to remove but the glue that remained was a nightmare and required a certain water displacement no 40 to assist in its removal.

Final jobs today wipe the box over with a damp cloth and then start rubbing all finished surfaces with 0000 steel wool to remove any remaining dirt.

 

Thanks

Michael

[esterbex]

:clap1: Mahogany, eh? This box was made from accumulations of scraps...way to be green!

 

Scratches show character....wonder where this box has been....:hmm1:

[my63]

Hi Esterbex

I should have explained this a little better when this box was made an oak veneer was applied to a piece of plywood.

If you veneer one side of a piece of wood then you have to apply a veneer to the other side as well. otherwise your nice flat piece of wood will look like a banana.

I am pretty sure that there will be mahogany boxes out there where the inside of the lid will be oak veneer.

If you would like the scratches left as they are I can do that some will fade when the wax is applied.

I think this box is going to look fantastic when it is finished.

Michael

[my63]

At present I make the tray inserts with plywood and dowels and then cover that with material.

This can be quite heavy especially if the box is being posted to the other side of the world.

I know that there are custom made tray inserts in the USA but by the time I add shipping it is too expensive.

I have spoken to a plastics company near to me who can make trays from plastic however the mould would cost £100.

I would really value input from anyone who can offer any help here.

This is a mid weight cardboard I made a rough mould then painted on a mixture of pva and water.

I will stick some material to it and see what it looks like.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8185/8392038826_9ea7c41538_z.jpg

IMG_3200_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8216/8390955681_6415dba2ca_z.jpg

IMG_3205 by my0771, on Flickr

 

I know it is not perfect and a little rough in places.

Thanks

Michael

[esterbex]

Hi Esterbex

I should have explained this a little better when this box was made an oak veneer was applied to a piece of plywood.

If you veneer one side of a piece of wood then you have to apply a veneer to the other side as well. otherwise your nice flat piece of wood will look like a banana.

I am pretty sure that there will be mahogany boxes out there where the inside of the lid will be oak veneer.

If you would like the scratches left as they are I can do that some will fade when the wax is applied.

I think this box is going to look fantastic when it is finished.

Michael

 

Those whitish blemishes are not so attractive....so if they and the scratches all disappear, it's ok by me.

Besides, I'd like to see what magic you can work....

 

As for the inserts, what about foam tubes or some such....I don't even know if anything like that exists or would be a plausible alternative.....just doodling in my head....

 

[esterbex]

Popsicle sticks??? I saw that on a thread somewhere....

[my63]

Hi Esterbex

I should have explained this a little better when this box was made an oak veneer was applied to a piece of plywood.

If you veneer one side of a piece of wood then you have to apply a veneer to the other side as well. otherwise your nice flat piece of wood will look like a banana.

I am pretty sure that there will be mahogany boxes out there where the inside of the lid will be oak veneer.

If you would like the scratches left as they are I can do that some will fade when the wax is applied.

I think this box is going to look fantastic when it is finished.

Michael

 

Those whitish blemishes are not so attractive....so if they and the scratches all disappear, it's ok by me.

Besides, I'd like to see what magic you can work....

 

As for the inserts, what about foam tubes or some such....I don't even know if anything like that exists or would be a plausible alternative.....just doodling in my head....

 

The white blemishes are where the shelac in the finish has been damaged often by water ther was a fantastic ring left by a cup ont the top but it would not show up on a photograph.

I use a fine guage steel wool to rub through the damaged top coat without affecting the wood itself.

I could remove the top surface and make this box look as good as it did when it was new. But it would loose that lovely colour and those little marks that tell its story if you follow what I mean.

Michael

I think I understand what you are looking for and hope that I can make this box good enough for you to show it off.

[my63]

I have made a start repairing the top of the Decco box today it might seem as if I am jumping from task to task well I am with good reason I suffer from chronic pain in my right arm and have to be able to move the arm to repair the surface and today was the day.

Looking from the front the lower left corner looked like this

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8185/8392038244_455ee97bc3_z.jpg

IMG_3195_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

Bottom left of the picutre the hole almost went through the veneer the scratches were quite deep though the finish which I am pretty sure was shellac based.

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8190/8398576873_814136587b_z.jpg

IMG_9491 by my0771, on Flickr

 

The scratches and chips were filled by using a cotton bud and shellac sanding sealer over 5 hours I built up layers of shellac rubbing down between coats.

The shellac dries quickly when applied very thinnly the finish is not perfect and to be honest I dont think it ever will be the scratches are almost gone but the dings and chips are still there just a little less noticable.

Thanks for looking

Michael

[esterbex]

Wow! Looks fantastic to me!

[my63]

There is still a blemish on that lower left corner I dont think i can make it any better, rather than risk rubbing through the veneer I will leave it alone.

Esterbex we need to decide what kind of finish you would prefer oak always looks good waxed but will need the odd touch up.

French polish is another option very shinny can somtimes look like plastic.

Neither finish is bullet proof.

The third option would be wax and then a varnish on top to seal it.

Michael

[esterbex]

I don't tend to like shiny wood, and for what's left of my own lifetime, the closest thing to natural protectants would suffice.