Writing Slope Restoration Question

[scrivelry]

This is a really marvelous slope and I am thrilled for you.

 

Do you really want to get the stamps off? One of my boxes has addresses pasted in from 1919 - I find I do not want to remove them as they add to the history of the piece, but if they would keep you from enjoying it then of course you will want them to come off.

 

I cannot understand your explanation of how the second secret compartment works, but that is me. I just have trouble with that sort of thing. I hope you are able to get pictures up at some point.

 

That is a very special slope - I've looked at tons of them and have a few and yours is different from all those. Enjoy!

[saharawest]

Thanks! As if you couldn't tell, I'm quite taken with it. This weekend I will clean & start the repair/reassemble process in earnest.

 

For some reason the stamps just really bothered me. I'm sure it's the same thing that keeps me from putting bumper stickers on my car. Some of them are loose, some only partially there, some torn, etc. It may be the ixny-oxny way they are placed, but I decided they had to go. So I sat with a dish of water, a sponge & a pair of tweezers for over an hour until they all were peeled off. I laid them all out to dry and will try to research them in future, just to see where/when they are from. I really love the clean wood panel that remains. I think I may do tacked ribbon to hold notes, etc.

 

Even though the writing panels aren't attached or covered, I have them in place and have been using them when taking measurements & patterns of the slope. It's funny I never really noticed how hunched over I become when writing on a flat surface. It is definitely more comfortable using a slope.

 

Sorry about the explanation, the companion pictures really demonstrate what I'm talking about. The 1st picture I posted above was just cut & paste from the seller's listing. The pictures I'm having trouble posting were taken with my iPhone.

[saharawest]

Inside Panel.bmpInside Drawers Clsd.bmpInside Drawers Open.bmpDrawer Trigger.bmp

 

Ok, here are the pictures of the drawer area. I will have to get replacement knobs for the secret drawers. The secret drawer cover trigger is in the corner on the right side of the box just after the last drawer. The inkwell section above it is where you press the center of the bottom to pop the trigger,

[saharawest]

Sping Section.bmpSpring Box.bmpSpring Piece.bmp

 

Here is the spring box area. The bottom of the raised section is actually the hidden box cover with the spring attached. It rests on top of the hidden box & the spring presses against the outside right side of the box. When you remove the little divider (or inside wall of the inkwell), it releases the spring tension & the cover slides (actually shoots) to the right to reveal the hidden box.

 

In the middle of the 1^st picture above you can see the raised section that is missing a short divider in the center. It splits the raised section in half and then the left side is split in half again by the little scalloped piece of wood.

 

[saharawest]

This is my last attempt to get the pictures to display . . . If this worked, then below are pictures of the inside drawer area:

 

[saharawest]

Wow! It worked! . . . So here are the pictures of the spring box/drawer area:

 

[gpgia]

Selected links on the repair and rehabilitation of pre-1930 writing boxes and writing slopes was created on July 4, 2017 for the user group at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/writing-slopes-repair. An example question about a missing latching mechanism is here. See also the personal signature that is incised on bottom of the slope's pen tray.

 

[gpgia]

This is my last attempt to get the pictures to display . . . If this worked, then below are pictures of the inside drawer area:

 

image.jpegimage (2).jpegimage (3).jpegimage (4).jpeg

Hi Saharawest,

Nice work!

My slope is entirely missing the metal piece than engages the catch (see my post in this forum). Also, I do not know how that metal piece was originally triggered so it would release from the catch, thus allowing the wood panel to spring free. Can you give me any pointers on figuring that out? Thank you.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Hi Saharawest,

Nice work!

My slope is entirely missing the metal piece than engages the catch (see my post in this forum). Also, I do not know how that metal piece was originally triggered so it would release from the catch, thus allowing the wood panel to spring free. Can you give me any pointers on figuring that out? Thank you.

 

Saharawest was last here about 3½ years ago. You are probably not going to hear from that member, others may chime in on this revived thread, however..

 

So is there a Google Group that's just about restoring writing slopes?

 

Do you have any idea of what the general price range is for writing slopes these days?

[saharawest]

Hi Saharawest,

Nice work!

My slope is entirely missing the metal piece than engages the catch (see my post in this forum). Also, I do not know how that metal piece was originally triggered so it would release from the catch, thus allowing the wood panel to spring free. Can you give me any pointers on figuring that out? Thank you.

 

Hello!

 

The previous poster is correct, I'm a hit & miss lurker. I'm also posting-challenged when it comes to adding pictures. I tried to send this last night but it froze on Saving Post. So I'll give it another try . . . I hope this is what you are looking for & that it helps in some way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[saharawest]

Also forgot to mention, that the "trigger" is the floor of the inkwell compartment above. For mine, I just press on the bottom of the compartment which then makes contact with the back of the trigger bar, lifting the front of the trigger bar & springs the front panel open. If you look at the 3rd picture in my last post, you can sort of see the front of the trigger bar is cut with a little hook on the bottom.

[gpgia]

Saharawest, I am very much appreciative of your detailed answer, clear images, and amazing engineering drawing. Over the past three months I have searched the net and reached out to professional restorers in hopes of finding at least an image of the missing trigger-catch mechanism. Nothing helped until your message. Thank you so much for your time and thorough attention to detail! Members of this group show a similar willingness to help others and share experiences in the restoration and repair of these old writing slopes. I hope someday to be a knowledgeable resource like yourself. Thank you!

[saharawest]

Although my expertise is over estimated, you're very welcome. My iPhn & Excel make me seem more clever than I am. I'm glad it was useful.

[my63]

Although my expertise is over estimated, you're very welcome. My iPhn & Excel make me seem more clever than I am. I'm glad it was useful.

Credit where it is due I have tried to explain this part to someone on another forum and made a total mess of it. I will go back to that post and add a link to your explanation. I hope the writing slope survived.

[gpgia]

Also forgot to mention, that the "trigger" is the floor of the inkwell compartment above. For mine, I just press on the bottom of the compartment which then makes contact with the back of the trigger bar, lifting the front of the trigger bar & springs the front panel open. If you look at the 3rd picture in my last post, you can sort of see the front of the trigger bar is cut with a little hook on the bottom.

Dear Saharawest,

I was about to make the wood block and brass trigger-bar per your images and diagram but have to ask what keeps the entire thing from being pulled-out when the panel spring is compressed and the bar-hook engaged? I can't see what holds the block in position. Is there a nail or pin for that? Your images suggest you easy removed the block for taking the pictures.

Thank you,

Gilbert

[saharawest]

Dear Saharawest,

I was about to make the wood block and brass trigger-bar per your images and diagram but have to ask what keeps the entire thing from being pulled-out when the panel spring is compressed and the bar-hook engaged? I can't see what holds the block in position. Is there a nail or pin for that? Your images suggest you easy removed the block for taking the pictures.

Thank you,

Gilbert

Hello again!

On mine, there is residue of some type of glue on the right hand side (see pictue 3 on my prev post) that would have fixed it to the inside of the slope. I don't know why I haven't gotten around to glueing it back in place other than it stays there on it's own, so forgot about it. It's probably because the pressure put on the bar to engage the lift holds the unit in place. The open action happens very quickly, so I'm usually still pressing down on the compartment base when the panel pops open. Also the hook end of the bar should lift completely free of the plate on the face panel, otherwise it won't pop open.