Greetings:

I know there is a lot of variety out there in regards to hobbies - you know, that activity you used to engage in before building a family and career. My own interests have always included woodworking, for both furniture and model airplanes. Recently, I completed a restoration project on an 100+ year-old clothes chest that Melanie's great-grandfather made somewhere in York, Pennsylvania. It is made of pine, with hand-cut dovetail joints and held together in places with the old wedge-shaped iron nails that look like horseshoe nails.

Over the course of about three months, I chemically stripped the old varnish, sanded it smooth, filled in dents and dings and missing wood, glued split panels, and sanded some more. Then, it was stained with a dark oak color, and had two brushed coats of clear lacquer applied, sanded and steel-wooled between coats. Finally three sprayed-on coats of satin clear lacquer, steel-wooled between coats, completed the job. 1/4" thick cedar panels were glued together, then cut and screwed onto the inside bottom surface and the underside of the lid. A nice, heavy brass piano hinge replaces the two door type hinges that were not very good, and a black chain keeps the lid from opening too far.

Your hobby endeavours are welcome here, regardless of what they are.

Here is the finished product. A couple "before" shots are included as well.







--------- Before --------

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- Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster