July 16, 2013

What Worked For Me

The hardware on my antique chest was in bad need of cleaning. After going online and trying three different solutions, this is what worked for me:

A mixture of baking soda and lemon juice.  I used about one half box of baking soda and added lemon juice until the mix was about the texture of honey. I made enough to cover all my hardware and soaked overnight. The next day I just rinsed, washed in soapy water, using a sponge, and rinsed again. Easy--no toothbrush, no scrubbing .

What didn't work as well:

1. Soaking in coke overnight.

2. Soaking in a mixture of flour, white cider, and salt overnight. I made more of the above-mentioned lemon juice/baking soda mixture (enough to completely cover all the handles).

This as a picture of mixture #2 above:













They came out pretty good!













Sanding done:













Now I am off to Google for some advice on choice of stain...



July 14, 2013

Behind Schedule!

Oh golly! I do love the Internet. BUT...in seeing a link on "How To Convert VHS Tapes to DVD", I had to purchase a screen capture device. Spent a couple of months converting my tapes to my computer. I am in process of restoring this old chest and catching up with our gardening. I know--excuses, excuses!