QUESTION: I have collected antiques for years. I got my start with a writing box I bought in England. But the box needed some tender loving care, so I decided to try restoring it. The most noticeable problem were a couple of missing corner angles on the lid. Do you think the angles were made of brass? The depth of the voids is about 3 mm. The box, itself, is showing signs of wear. What would you suggest I do to restore it?
ANSWER: Whether or not to refinish an antique box depends on several things, including its condition, value, and what you plan to do with it. Unlike antique furniture, especially pieces made before 1830, antique boxes often require some restoration which actually adds to their value.
The corners on your box would have been brass, so if you can find someone to make these for you, they should be easy to replace. Be sure to glue them with a strong glue. Box makers usually used brass on the corners of better boxes to protect them while traveling. Victorians took writing and other types of boxes along on long trips so that they could communicate to their friends and family back home. It’s not unusual to find boxes from this time period in poor condition. Restoring them isn’t as difficult as doing furniture but can be challenging.
Antique boxes acted as portable storage workhorses for past generations. They served a variety of purposes from document boxes in which to keep valuable papers to writing boxes for correspondence to dressing boxes for grooming while traveling to tea caddies for storing precious tea. Victorians, in particular, loved boxes, and people from all classes used them.
Unfortunately, people handled boxes a lot, so most antique ones aren’t in the greatest shape. Some boxes may have sat on a table in front of a window in the sunlight and became faded over time while others suffered from neglect.
A good example is an Indian sadeli mosaic-covered writing box that outlived its usefulness. Someone decided that instead of tossing it out, they would give it to their children to play with. The children drew all over the beautiful mosaic with crayons and someone did a bad job of pasting a piece of chartreuse felt over the writing surface on the inside. Needless to say, this restoration wasn’t a walk in the park.
Unlike antique furniture made before 1830, many antique boxes will benefit greatly with even modest restoration. And since they’re not large, it doesn’t take a lot of materials or time to restore them.
A 1920’s Cave a Liqueur, a portable liqueur cabinet, was empty and in poor condition when purchased.. In this case, the box needed basic refinishing, but there was nothing inside. Sometimes, it’s necessary to be on the lookout for pieces that will help bring a box back to its almost new state—in this case a crystal liqueur set. Writing boxes usually need replacement inkwells, pens, etc. While it’s possible to find new replacements, it’s more fun to look for antique pieces to fill a particular box.
While restoration usually begins with reviving the wood of the box’s body, it also takes in exterior decorations made of ivory, tortoiseshell, and mother-of-pearl. These materials are all fragile and should be checked for cracks, abrasions, and chips. Metal ornamentation may be missing, dented or creased, or it may just need polishing. Veneers and inlay are much more difficult to repair and may require professional assistance.
Antique boxes also contain small and sometimes specialized hinges and locks that must also be examined for repair, restoration, or replacement. Finding replacements can be a real challenge since many of these may have been made for a particular box.
But minor conservation can do wonders for an antique box. First, tighten any loose screws and gently tap in any loose nails. Repair loose joints with wood glue. Finally, clean the box with a soft lint-free cloth dampened with Murphy’s Oil Soap solution. Do a small area at a time and use another lint-free cloth to dry it. After letting the box dry thoroughly for 24 hours, give it two coats of Minwax paste wax to protect the exterior. Follow the directions on the can.
Dust the interior of the box with a soft shaving brush. If the wood is bare, as with some inner areas of the box, switch to a solvent-based cleaner. Use a toothbrush or toothpick to clean out any crevices. If this has markedly improved the box’s appearance, then it may be a good time to stop.
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