Archive | Restoration

In this final installment, Frank visits the forge to pick up the replica’s of the original hinges and nails that the blacksmith has been working on. After installation, Frank coats the chest with a green milk paint that was similar to the original color. Frank then coats the entire chest with a coat of Linseed […]

In this third part of the series, Frank recreates some original dovetailed trim using the same 19th century hand tools as the original craftsman would have.

In this second part of the series, Frank disassembles and re-glues the chest with hide glue. He’s also preparing and cutting some replacement trim pieces, making a point of using the same period tools and methods as the original craftsman. The third part of the series will be an in-depth discussion of mitered dovetails, with […]

Heritage Restorations founder Kevin Durkin (heritagebarns.com) found an antique blanket chest in an early 1800’s barn in New York, and has tasked Heritage School of Woodworking instructor Frank Strazza with turning a “sow’s ear into a silk purse”. Follow along during the next few weeks as we show footage of this interesting restoration process.