Box It Up

This blog is about breathing new life into a dusty old box that was all but forgotten in the corner of an old barn. This has been one of my favorite projects so far. With a little imagination and a few tools, we can make this happen.

It all started when my aunt showed up with an old box in tow. She discovered it while helping clean out my great uncle's barn. It's a homemade box and it's assumed that he made it and likely kept his tools inside. If I had to wager a guess as to when it was made, I would say anywhere from the 1940s-1960s, most likely.

“It's seen better days.”

I asked my aunt what she plans to do with it and she says “I am going to keep my egg money in it”. She raises chickens and sells the eggs. Well, this little box will be perfect for that. It looks a little rough but overall is pretty sturdy and well made. She says “I want you to burn the words ‘Egg Money’ on the top and that’ll look nice, I believe”. Then she was gone before I knew she left. Off to go do something that needs doing, no doubt. She has never been one to let the grass grow under her feet. I am left with the box and my imagination.

Picture It

Whenever I approach a project, I first imagine the end result. This can take a few minutes or a few weeks. That’s probably the most difficult part of the whole thing, deciding what you want it to look like. It can be a little risky too, if you are doing it for someone besides yourself. Sometimes people are very specific about what they want and how they want it. That’s easy. If you are left with creative liberties, then you have to understand the person you are making it for and decide on a design you believe they will like.

Of course, you can always share with them ahead of time for guidance. In this case, I went REALLY risky by deciding to completely surprise my aunt with a 50/50 success or failure statistic. Risky because she was very specific in wanting the words ‘Egg Money’ on the top and I decided to completely not do that. I don’t advise going that route unless you are 100% certain you can overshoot the mark in a positive way.

I decided to go with more of a theme of ‘Egg Money’ in lieu of the actual words. My plan was to use old-fashioned farm sign style designs on the top and bottom of the lid. I spent the next few days looking at old photos for inspiration. Going with the Egg theme, I wanted chickens and eggs. Then for the words I thought of something kind of clever that said the same thing as Egg Money. I opted for ‘CASH STASH’ to go on the top.

With the thinking part done, I just need some accessories. It didn’t have a handle, so I thought a small egg would be a cute handle for the lid. I would need some side handles and corners. I found some nice oil rubbed brass accessories and ordered them and also some leather material for the inside. In the days I waited for them to arrive, I can begin the restoration.

"Let's Get Started"

What You'll Need:

• Wood burner

• Electric sander (with sandpaper pads)

• Screwdriver (with various sized bits)

• WoodExpox

• 2 brass handles (with screws)

• 4 brass corners (with screws)

• 1 brass latch (with screws)

• 1 Small egg

• 1 Wire brush

• Superglue

• Polyurethane

• Sealant

• 1 Pencil

• 3 Brushes (1 for polyurethane, 1 for sealant, and 1 small one for paint)

• Hot glue gun (with glue sticks)

• White vinegar

• Acrylic paint

• Baking soda

• Leather material

• 2 pair of disposable gloves

• Paper towels

• A couple sheets of paper

• 1 large, empty cereal box

• 1 Pair of scissors

• Measuring tape

• WD-40

Step 1

The first thing I did was assess the damage. I took the box and looked it over. I noticed a crack and holes along the bottom, some smaller cracks, a couple holes on the sides, a hole in the top. Overall, it is very sturdy and nothing too damaged that can’t be repaired.

Using a screwdriver, I took the hinges off and put them and the screws in a bowl with some white vinegar and baking soda to let them soak overnight. The hinges were old and rusty and didn’t move freely. My goal was to remove whatever rust I could and oil them up good. I could have gotten new hinges but I felt an old box would look better with old hinges. Even if I couldn’t get the rust off completely, I was confident that I could get them to move freely and slow down future rust. Then I took a damp paper towel and wiped away the loose dirt on the box. Only use water, don't use chemicals. You don't want to wood burn any wood that has chemicals on it. That's toxic.

Step 2

Now we are ready to repair the damage. I used WoodEpox for this. It’s a two-part mixture that is like a putty. Using disposable gloves, take a little from each container and mix it in your hands like playdough until it is blended well. Then push it into the cracks and holes, try to fill them completely and use your finger to smooth it out. Don’t worry about being tidy because it will sand off when we reach that step. Follow the instructions on the box and allow it to dry for however long it says. The great thing about WoodEpox is, once it dries, it is just like wood. You can paint it, sand it, add screws and/or nails. It can be used for any number of things to add support to damaged wood.

Step 3

Ok, we are ready to sand this baby. I took the box and lid outside, grabbed my electric sander with a fresh sand pad, and went to work. I sanded it all over. The inside of the box was the biggest challenge because my sander wouldn’t fit. So, I tried to use regular sandpaper and did the best I could with my limited elbow grease. Not the best job on the inside but it will be covered with leather anyway, right? It’s all good.

It turned out real nice. Being an old box, there were some areas that I know, no matter how much I sanded, it wasn’t going to be smooth as butter. Wood is wood and that’s just it. You have to gauge when enough is enough and you just have to work around it as best as you can. The smoother you can get it, though, the easier it will be to draw on. Again, there is just so much you can do. So, let it go and get on with it.

Step 4

Now, we are getting to the fun part, drawing and burning on the designs. If you’d like to learn more about the art of wood burning check out my post geared more towards beginners https://www.farmshedblog.com/post/burn-baby-burn

 Before you start, make very sure you have the box lid positioned correctly. In this case, I am burning the lid on both sides. I started with the top. So, make sure the lid is positioned with the hinge holes at the back. Then draw the design onto the top of lid. I am also burning the underside of the lid. So, I flipped the lid as if I were opening the box and laid it down with the hinge holes positioned at the bottom.

Once I finished drawing the designs, I turned on my wood burner and went to work burning on the designs. Always do your burning in a well-ventilated area and you may opt to wear a mask.

Check It Out

Steps 5 & 6

Time to stain and seal this box. I searched around for the perfect tone of polyurethane. I wanted something fairly light because if it’s too dark, the images won’t show up well. I found the lightest tone I thought I could find, Honey Oak. It looked light and bright. I thought about painting over the areas where I used the WoodEpox first but I wasn’t sure how that would work out, so, I didn’t. However, looking back on it, I would have painted the areas to match (with acrylic paint) after the polyurethane dried and before using the sealant.

This project should be done outside. Don some disposable gloves and grab a new brush. I placed the box on an old section of cardboard and stirred the polyurethane well as per the instructions. It was darker than what showed on the can but it wasn’t so dark that, even with a few coats, the wood burned images wouldn’t be visible. Keep in mind, the more coats you apply, the darker it will be. I added two coats, I believe. Follow the instructions and allow it to dry before using the sealant.

For the sealant, I used clear Helmsman mini-wax indoor/outdoor. *I am just stating what I used, I don’t receive any compensation for product promotion. I used a new brush for the sealant and added two or three coats. Again, allow the sealant to dry well before you attempt to handle the box.

I love how the polyurethane really added to the look. My boyfriend couldn’t believe it. He’s one who, as much as he loves boxes, would rather just buy a new box. That’s because he fails to see the end result. Though, once it starts coming together, he totally fell in love with it. I love how you can still see the age of the box and the wood lines but it has a much classier look starting to appear.

As you can see, the WoodEpox is noticeable. There underneath the wording is where that hole was filled. I am not concerned with that because I will be adding an egg handle to cover it. I also wasn’t concerned about the bottom area. I did notice a few other smaller places on the top. I took some acrylic paint and matched it up and covered them. You can’t even tell it. I lightly added some sealant on those areas.

Step 7

The accessories have arrived. So, let’s work on the inside. I had thought about inserting a small cash/change tray but I couldn’t find one that would fit to size. I ended up with a better idea. I got some leather material to line the inside.

To do this, I measured the inside of the box with measuring tape. Then I drew those sections to match on sheets of paper and cut them out. I placed each section into the box to make sure they were sized correctly. Then I took those paper sections and traced them onto a cereal box I had cut open. Then I cut those sections out.

Now, to correctly do this, you lay the cardboard sections onto the leather and cut the leather oversized enough to fold the leather over the cardboard. If that makes sense. You add a little glue and fold them over. Then simply add the sections into the box, sides first, then the bottom section. Using a little glue where needed to hold them into place.

 Ok, my dilemma was that I didn’t have enough leather to cut them oversized. Also, if I did it that way, it would take considerable amount of room from the inside of the box. Being that the leather was a little too thick to do it that way. So, I simply laid the cardboard on the leather and cut the sections to size. Then I placed the sections one at a time into the box to make sure they were sized correctly and adjusted where needed.

I used a hot glue gun because this way, if the leather ever needed to be removed; it wouldn’t be difficult to do as it would if I had used super glue. The sections could come out and the glue could be rubbed off without damaging the leather or the box. I added the hot glue to the box sparingly and placed each section one at a time. Make sure the section is in place where you want it, smooth out the wrinkles, hold it in place till it dries, and repeat with the other sections. Do the sides first and then the bottom.

Looking Sharp

Step 8

Now to finish this baby and put it together. I removed the hinges and screws and brushed them good with a wire brush. Some of the rust come off with the soaking and brushing. I wasn’t able to get it all off though. I dried them off with a paper towel and let them set to dry out further.

Meanwhile, I got the little wooden egg and wanted to paint it a light brown/salmon color (with acrylic paint) to match certain farm eggs. Its round, so, that’s tricky to do. I accomplished this by taking a small screw and drove it into the bottom just enough to be able to hold it while I painted it and allowed it to dry. Once it’s glued onto the box, end up, the hole won’t even be noticeable.

While the egg and hinges dry, I turned my attention to the main box. First, I grabbed my screwdriver and added a brass handle to each side. Then focused on the lid by adding the brass corners to the top corners of the lid.

Once the hinges dried out, I applied some WD-40 and worked it in really well and wiped away the access. I attached the hinges to the underside of the lid first and then to the box section. Wow, it’s looking great! After the egg dried, I took some super glue and glued it upright to the top/front center of the lid. I held it in place until it dried.

I noticed once I attached the hinges that the lid doesn’t sit plumb like it did originally. It needs a hinge which I happen to have around here somewhere. I had bought some small, oil-rubbed, brass hinges a while back for another project and have plenty left over. Once I found them, I made sure to center it correctly and screwed it in place.

What A Transformation!

All done! I can’t believe how well it turned out, even if I do say so myself. It was easily one of my favorite projects I have attempted. I enjoyed it so much from start to finish. I couldn’t wait to give it back to my aunt hoping that she would love it as much as I did. I waited until she came over and surprised her with it and her reaction was the biggest thrill. It made my heart happy to see her happy.

I know this was a long read and I appreciate it very much if you are still here for this. I haven’t been posting as often here lately. Partly because life happens and mostly because my computer is slower that steam off poo. Anyway, here we are and until next time.

May God bless you and thanks for reading.