# Refinishing Cedar Hope Chest



## anotherit (Feb 4, 2012)

I have an old hope chest I got from a family friend and I'm going to start refinishing/fixing it. I know nothing about it other than it was kept in a Michigan garage for a few years. Attached are pictures of how it currently looks.

I not quite sure where to start. Considering the all the deep scratches all over the piece should I just get out the sander and sand it all down or is there a more nuanced approach I should take?

Also there is a significant crank in the lid (as seen in the picture). What would be the best way to take care of that?


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## chemmy (Dec 13, 2011)

Haven't restored an Excelsior before but plenty of Lanes and others. my first concern would be to make sure the front applied moldings were actually wood and not some type of composition that the stripper might attack and disfigure or ruin if it was plastic material of some type ok?

2nd, try to do all the necessary reglueing before any stripping is done so your not fighting stripper getting in to the areas to be glued and making it more difficult for the glue to hold if at all. 

After she's glued back up, then stripping can begin, also you have the choice to sand most of the finish off on all the flat areas of wood and only stripping the carvings or edge moldings or other profiles, etc.

The only crack i see is in the last pic, if thats what your reffering to, then i suggest filling with epoxy tinted with dry powdered colors to closely match the exterior finished color, again i would do that before stripping. I would also suggest you tape off the interior side where the crack is so the glue does not seep onto the raw exposed cedar. 

We always resanded the interior cedar after finishing it, just to bring back a stronger odor of the wood, but you can buy cedarwood oil from constantines or other places to use if you desire.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Looks like a CHARACTER crack to me...depending on how bad it is and what look your going for, some look worse after the repair than leaving as is...but this one looks fine enough it may take the glue and it'll bar clamp back closed and the mend may not even be noticed:thumbsup:. I like the true aged and used look/character/blemishes accepted over the renew and never used. It diffinently needs refinishing but when it's done ....what age do you want it to look???

Keep us posted with progress and pics, chemmy and others can direct you on finishes and other procedures.

Have a Blessed day in Jesus's Awesome Love,
Tim


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Tennessee Tim said:


> Looks like a CHARACTER crack to me...depending on how bad it is and what look your going for, some look worse after the repair than leaving as is...but this one looks fine enough it may take the glue and it'll bar clamp back closed and the mend may not even be noticed:thumbsup:.



+1. I would do the repairs, and sand (if that's the look wanted). IOW how old or new a look. A film finish could be used on the outside. For the inside, I would just sand or use bronze wool.










 







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## chemmy (Dec 13, 2011)

Has anyone done an Exceisior before? if so do you know if the carvings/moldings are wood or composition or plastic?


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## anotherit (Feb 4, 2012)

I got my sander in the mail today and decided to try it out before the Red Wings game got started.

The finish on this piece was super stubborn and destroyed I went through many pieces of sandpaper getting just the top done. I will probably use stripper on the other sides and then sand.

Also I found a random piece of metal in the lid... weird...

As far as the moldings they seem to be wood, and I believe Excelsior is just the name brand of the lock and not the company that produced the chest.


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## chemmy (Dec 13, 2011)

from the gumming i'd say it's shellac, go ahead and use denatured alcohol to strip and lacquer - 80 alcohol 20 LT. The lock name makes sense!:yes:, so far so good get back when it's stripped and sanded ok?:thumbsup:


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

anotherit said:


> I got my sander in the mail today and decided to try it out before the Red Wings game got started.
> 
> The finish on this piece was super stubborn and destroyed I went through many pieces of sandpaper getting just the top done. I will probably use stripper on the other sides and then sand.
> 
> ...


I would use a chemical stripper in lieu of sanding to remove the finish. Once the finish is removed sanding will get the wood ready for whatever finish (if any) you want to apply. 

From the looks of the sanding discs, there's no indication that the finish is/was shellac, IMO. The loading up of finish residue can be from any finish along with grime, polishes, or waxes used that act as a binder/coagulant. I would suggest that you change out the discs sooner, as sanding with those with that amount of buildup can induce scratching.

By stripping first, the buildup on the discs would be minimal. Besides using a dedicated stripper to remove the finish, using lacquer thinner will remove more unknown finishes than alcohol.










 







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## chemmy (Dec 13, 2011)

C'mans right it could be lacquer or other finish, so test it put some alcohol on a spot and let set for a few minutes, then stick your finger in it and swirl a little bit and then put you finger and thumb together if it it is shellac it will become sticky as you do this a few times, if your fingers don't feel sticky then it means you have some other finish, if it softens the finish then it's most likely shellac and you can use what i said or just lacquer thinner since it contains some alcohol anyway, if it does not sofften it, then for sure use lacquer thinner, but at least then you will know if its shellac by itself or not when you test it.


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## chemmy (Dec 13, 2011)

out of here for a couple of weeks or so moving see ya when im settled :thumbsup:


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