Cleaning/Restoring A Victorian Ladies' Work Box

[yvan]

I have just started cleaning a Victorian Ladies work box taking the following steps:

• light cleaning Mix: 1:boiled linseed oil 1ure gum turpentine 1:cider vinegar
• applied with a cotton pad, wiping the surface often with a clean cloth
• lightly sanded the surface with 1000-grit sandpaper

I plan to apply a 2-3 coats of brown shellac before buffing with Bison wax.

I have been as careful as I could wiping the mix with a clean cloth. However, could some residue affect the coating of shellac? Should I wipe the surface with metho before applying the shellac?

In addition, the edges of the lid have been accentuated with a black line 2-3mm wide of what could be lacquer. The black has faded in spots and my first "reaction" is to leave it alone, mainly because I don't know how to deal with it. If I were to mask the line and apply a few coats of shellac on the lid top I would build the surface to the edge of the line, creating an uneven surface across the top of the lid and its sides.

Any suggestions please? All comments will be gratefully received !!

Yvan

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Hi yvan, some photos would be good and would help me and others comment more accurately.

Because shellac is alcohol based that cleaning mix should not have any long-term affect as long as you don't leave it wet. The only "dangerous" substance is the vinegar because it contains water but that won't hurt unless you leave a pool of it on the surface. It is not a good idea to wipe the surface with metho as that dissolves the old shellac and can therefore damage the surface.

I would not usually use any sandpaper on an old item because of the risk of removing any high spots back to bare wood. On fully polished items 0000 steel wool is good as it is more flexible (though it should never be used on bare wood as steel fibres stick in the timber and later create rust spots).

It sounds like the dark line is a faux string-inlay or purfling-like edge banding. It is difficult to know what it is made of without seeing it - and maybe even with photos. Some box makers used to use a fine, very hot tool to char a line to create an ebony string inlay effect. If it is a lacquer then any shellac or metho could dissolve/remove it.

Do you really need to apply more shellac over the surface - I can't judge without photos. Often I find a good wax is all that is needed after a clean and it won't do any harm. If you do need to apply polish then the brown shellac should be fine - with a fairly dry rubber so it doesn't pool and dissolve the original finish. Final-finish dilution would be best (i.e. very dilute) I think.

The Black Bison is a good wax, as is UBeaut's Traditional Wax.

Good luck,

David

[yvan]

Hi David,
Thanks for all your advice, much appreciated.
Will take photos and post.

Cheers

Yvan

[yvan]

OK, here are some photos of the box.
Work box.jpgWork box interior.jpgEdge fillet.jpgBox lid.jpg

Don't know how to rotate the pictures....

The photo of the lid shows the "work" done. BTW, can someone identify the veneer?

Cheers Yvan