I have an obsession....
I have an obsession....
This is going to be an on going blog that Im starting for the 29th of August.
I have an obsession. My obsession is trunks. Not swimming trunks and most definately not elephant trunks. Although swimming trunks would mean that it is still summer. Yeah I could use another month of that. Im not ready to go back to work.
But my obsession started about a year ago. I love antiques. But with my antiques, I use them. I dont just show them and dust them off now and then. I like to use them because they are made better than modern things. I have a lot of them. My bedroom set is actually unused because I dont have the room for it here. But someday I will have a larger room again. I also have some kitchen things that are quite old. Like old enamel fry pans and some burner covers for cooking things. You put them under pots and they distribute heat evenly. I gave used some new ones of these but they tend to burn out quick. The old ones were made better and are still working perfectly. I also have some old cast iron ones too.
My diningroom table is actually and old enamel top kitchen table. On some of these, the sides come up to form a square table. I had a couple of those before but sold them as I didnt have the room. But the one I kept is one where the ends come out to form a longer table. I like this one better and they are more rare.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Trunks. I have always loved the old trunks. When I was a kid, we had a few and I liked them then. We used one as an old coffee table. The wooden box type. Some refer to them as steamer trunks. Some have a dome top and some are flat. Some have metal over the wood and some are canvas. You know the kind I am talking about. Some open up to be a closet with drawers too. They come in all sizes and shapes. Some are low and flat. Some are so big that an adult can crawl inside them.
I have done a lot of research on them. I wanted one badly. I have a stack of blankets and things in the living room that I would love to put in an old trunk. I looked on line for some and, for the love of god, they were so expensive. Trunks are very different than most antiques. When you restore and antique, you decrease the value. I dotn care how good you make it look, it wont be worth as much. But with a trunk, the better you restore it, the more it it worth. To restore a trunk, takes a lot of time and money. If you can keep it as original as you can, it will be worth more. But there are so many parts that need to be cleaned.
Usually you will find these trunks to be well worn. Handles and straps missing or in bad need or repair. Usually you cant repair them so they will be replaced. The casing of the trunks is made of wood. Usually pine. Over that they will use canvas or sheet metal. Most people will call this tin, but it wasnt. Tin doesnt rust. And a lot of these old trunks are showing signs of rust somewhere. They can be smooth sheet metal or they can be embossed with a pretty design. The hardware it usually very ornate and a lot of it. Its needed to hold the trunk together. And they are filled with brass nails and tacks to hold everything in place. And believe me, there are a lot of nails.
The canvas trunks are the more common ones you will find. Sometimes the canvas is in decent shape to where all you will have to do is clean it up a bit. Most of the time though, it is in rough shape and will have to be removed. But thats ok. Under that canvas is some nice wood that can be sanded and refinished with a stain. This is where these trunks gain in value. The beautiful wood looks wonderful when stained. Makes a nice addition to any decor. You can check out all this on various websites that restore trunks. And you will also see before and after pictures and will know what I am talking about. Also check out the prices they want for these beasts. Outrageous. But they are beautiful. The work they put into them is awesome. And expensive. Which is why I want one of my own, but Im going to have to do it all myself. I cant afford what they want.
So my journey begins with the search of a trunk of my own. Little by little I will be posting about various adventures along my route of trunkdom. Im sure you might be bored but then again, it could inspire someone to do something similar. Not so much as a trunk but something else that you may want to have in your home. Could be a table or even a special couch. Who knows.
On with my obsession......
This is going to be an on going blog that Im starting for the 29th of August.
I have an obsession. My obsession is trunks. Not swimming trunks and most definately not elephant trunks. Although swimming trunks would mean that it is still summer. Yeah I could use another month of that. Im not ready to go back to work.
But my obsession started about a year ago. I love antiques. But with my antiques, I use them. I dont just show them and dust them off now and then. I like to use them because they are made better than modern things. I have a lot of them. My bedroom set is actually unused because I dont have the room for it here. But someday I will have a larger room again. I also have some kitchen things that are quite old. Like old enamel fry pans and some burner covers for cooking things. You put them under pots and they distribute heat evenly. I gave used some new ones of these but they tend to burn out quick. The old ones were made better and are still working perfectly. I also have some old cast iron ones too.
My diningroom table is actually and old enamel top kitchen table. On some of these, the sides come up to form a square table. I had a couple of those before but sold them as I didnt have the room. But the one I kept is one where the ends come out to form a longer table. I like this one better and they are more rare.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Trunks. I have always loved the old trunks. When I was a kid, we had a few and I liked them then. We used one as an old coffee table. The wooden box type. Some refer to them as steamer trunks. Some have a dome top and some are flat. Some have metal over the wood and some are canvas. You know the kind I am talking about. Some open up to be a closet with drawers too. They come in all sizes and shapes. Some are low and flat. Some are so big that an adult can crawl inside them.
I have done a lot of research on them. I wanted one badly. I have a stack of blankets and things in the living room that I would love to put in an old trunk. I looked on line for some and, for the love of god, they were so expensive. Trunks are very different than most antiques. When you restore and antique, you decrease the value. I dotn care how good you make it look, it wont be worth as much. But with a trunk, the better you restore it, the more it it worth. To restore a trunk, takes a lot of time and money. If you can keep it as original as you can, it will be worth more. But there are so many parts that need to be cleaned.
Usually you will find these trunks to be well worn. Handles and straps missing or in bad need or repair. Usually you cant repair them so they will be replaced. The casing of the trunks is made of wood. Usually pine. Over that they will use canvas or sheet metal. Most people will call this tin, but it wasnt. Tin doesnt rust. And a lot of these old trunks are showing signs of rust somewhere. They can be smooth sheet metal or they can be embossed with a pretty design. The hardware it usually very ornate and a lot of it. Its needed to hold the trunk together. And they are filled with brass nails and tacks to hold everything in place. And believe me, there are a lot of nails.
The canvas trunks are the more common ones you will find. Sometimes the canvas is in decent shape to where all you will have to do is clean it up a bit. Most of the time though, it is in rough shape and will have to be removed. But thats ok. Under that canvas is some nice wood that can be sanded and refinished with a stain. This is where these trunks gain in value. The beautiful wood looks wonderful when stained. Makes a nice addition to any decor. You can check out all this on various websites that restore trunks. And you will also see before and after pictures and will know what I am talking about. Also check out the prices they want for these beasts. Outrageous. But they are beautiful. The work they put into them is awesome. And expensive. Which is why I want one of my own, but Im going to have to do it all myself. I cant afford what they want.
So my journey begins with the search of a trunk of my own. Little by little I will be posting about various adventures along my route of trunkdom. Im sure you might be bored but then again, it could inspire someone to do something similar. Not so much as a trunk but something else that you may want to have in your home. Could be a table or even a special couch. Who knows.
On with my obsession......
posted by BC at
11:19 PM
2 Comments:
When you find one (or even just for the search), I want to see photos!
There will be more to this blog :D
Blood sweat and tears more. LOL
And how weird that my word verification was Panic. LOLOL
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