Saturday, July 28, 2012
Vintage Antique Trunk Steel Veneer
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| https://www.etsy.com/listing/104353884/antique-distressed-wood-and-steel |
I picked this trunk up at an auction and had no idea what a wonderful
piece of history I had bought. There is a sticker on the front of this
trunk that says Samson Steel Veneers Shwayder's Trunk Company Denver
Colorado. This is a little history I found this Shwayder Bros. Samson
trunk was made around the 1915's or so. Jesse Shwayder rolled the dice
with his last $3500 and started making trunks in Denver around 1910.
Soon members of his family joined in the effort forming Shwayder Bros.
Trunk Co. One of their early trunk lines was named "Samson" as a
marketing strategy to promote the strength of the trunk. Later products
are the more commonly known Samsonite Luggage and soon the small company
grew to become the largest travel bag and case producer in the world.
This is one of their early trunks marked "SAMSON" on the hardware. The
lock say Excelsior which was a common maker of locks for these trunks.Someone in a desperate bid to open up this big boy pried up the lid with I assume a crow bar breaking the bottom part of the lock and pulling the entire front out so the latches didn't line up. With the help of my husband we lined the front latches up and were able to shut and latch the trunk. Metal and wood have a memory and I was hoping that by re-latching and some gentle persuasion with a rubber mallet this fellow would remember it's original shape. Then I gave this trunk a thorough washing which revealed that the steel was originally a deep blue. I was able to reveal some of the brass but most of the
trunk was quite rusty
but still solid. A little more pounding with the rubber mallet and I let
him sit, latched, over night. The next day I was pleased to find that
this trunk was beginning to remember and opened and shut with minimal
effort from myself and every day since has improved. While I don't ever
think it'll work perfectly it's working quite well given his age. I
wanted to let the blue show through so I used only one coat of my custom
mixed chalk paint in Old White.
for an overseas adventure. I'm sure it suited it's owner well back in its youth and can again be a beloved item in someone's home. This steamer trunk would be an excellent addition to any home decor use it for storage or as a coffee table, at the end of you bed for an brilliant bench with storage. No shabby chic home is complete with out an antique steamer trunk. Visit my Etsy store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TreChicDesigns
Recycled, Upcycled, Repurposed....Simply Lovely ~ Tre' Chic Designs
Enjoy
Tracy
Shabby Chic Half Moon Side Table
clamps and I'm spending my summer at their lake home. Yippee for me. As seems to be my habit I forgot to take a proper before picture these before's are after I painted a single coat on the legs but you get the gist. |
I cleaned it up and then glued using Elmers wood glue and clamped all the legs and support
arms. I also used a product call Wood Swell that actually causes the
wood to expand making loose joints tight again. Then let that sit overnight.I am very pleased to
announce that this table is once a sturdy. I decided on two shades of a
creamy pistachio green custom mixed chalk paint would be a lovely
choice, the top is a lighter shade of the same pistachio used on the
legs. After two coats of paint this table was ready for a thorough hand
sanded to smooth the paint and distress the lines. I then applied two
coats of clear paste wax to the entire table and an extra coat to the
table top for extra protection. I love the silky smoothness and design
of this table. She is a beauty and would make a welcome addition to any
home. Measuring 24"x12"x24" tall. Recycled, Upcycled,
Repurposed....Simply Lovely ~ Tre' Chic Designs.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Vintage Shabby Chic Steamer Trunk
Not to be a big bragger but isn't this steamer trunk just gorgeous!!! I am so in love with this transformation! I wish I could show you before pics but well I forgot to take them, I know what a shocker right?!? I picked up this big fella at a local auction, I'm pretty sure it had sat abandoned in a musty basement for at least a decade. I'm sure there were intentions of restoring but I can see where someone would get intimidated. The metal was rusty and the fabric was torn and worn. Not to mention the paper lining was also crumbling and very fragile. In addition to that just the size of this bad boy, 35"x22"x19", is enough to scare off any creative plans. But this shabby lady has been looking for a project to spread my wings, so after much chin 
scratching and a request from an Esty customer for a distressed old white trunk I began. After a thorough scrubbing I re-hammered 
all the tacks and replaced some
missing tacks. I used Mod Podge to coat the fabric that cover the metal
portions of this style trunk. The fabric was very worn and even torn in
some spot and the Mod Podge worked well to seal the holes and tack the
fabric down. I have to pat myself 
on the back for this idea. It worked like a dream. I then applied a custom mixed Old White chalk paint to the
entire outside of this trunk. Now it was time to hand sand for
distressing. I love the way the rust tannins spot their way through the
white paint, its adds so much depth to the distressing. I brushed out
the interior and then vacuumed up the debris. I then made a mixture of
Mod Podge, turquoise chalk paint and water, using this mixture I pasted
down the loose and lifting original paper lining. I coated the entire
interior 
with this mixture to give the paper lining strength and to seal
it. I love the look and was so glad I thought to do it. If you're going to do this I really thinned down the Mod Podge paint mixture. There is an
detailed border on the inside of the lid that would have been a shame to
cover. Now the entire trunk was 
ready for a hand waxing with clear
paste wax. I waxed inside and outside. I then used a black paste wax
lightly applying to enhance the texture and antique. I am again
especially in love with the inside of this trunk the wrinkles and the
cracks in the paper really worked well with the black wax. The entire
piece was again waxed for a 3rd time with a clear paste wax ensuring a
silky smooth protective surface. The middle locking latch is not
functional due to the fact that this trunk didn't come with a key but
the side latches are in full working order. 
There are 3 functional
casters on the bottom of this trunk and one broken caster that I covered
with a small furniture slider that you can choose to remove if you
desire. I like to think that this is a well traveled trunk, that it rode
on trains across country or even crossed the ocean for an overseas
adventure. I'm sure it suited it's owner well back in its youth and can
again be a beloved item in someone's home. This steamer trunk would be
an excellent addition to any home decor use it for storage or as a
coffee table, at the end of you bed for an brilliant bench with storage.
No shabby chic home is complete with out an antique steamer trunk. This item has been sold! But it's still really lovely!!!
Enjoy
Tracy
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