Renovating and repairing an antique wooden sewing box can be an easy project. These do it yourself tips and instructions will tell you what to do and what not to do to restore it to working condition.
"Restoring" a piece of wooden furniture can be defined as "renovating it to its original, useable condition." Whether an item, such as an antique sewing box, needs a little renovating or a lot, most pieces can be made to look like they originally did.
One of the first things you need to do with your wooden sewing box is to assess the damage. Start at the top and look it over carefully. Is it missing any pieces or parts? Does it have a handle, or can you see where it once had a handle, but doesn't now? If it has a handle, does it work properly? Or is the wooden handle cracked or broken? What about the lid- is the lid cracked or otherwise broken? Do the hinges still work properly, or are they broken or rusted? Now check the main body of the antique sewing box- again, do you see any cracks or broken places? Check underneath, as well as inside the box, and look for any other damage. Overall, look at the finish on the wood- Is it in relatively good condition? Or is the surface cracked and faded?
Now that you have assessed its overall condition, keep in mind that you want to do as little as possible to restore the antique sewing box back to its original condition. Sometimes, people start "renovating" by removing all the broken pieces and parts and replacing them with newer items that probably don't match. Then, the dull finish is stripped off, and a shiny, clear polyurethane finish- definitely not a vintage look- is placed on the antique. "Do as little as possible" means that you want to keep it as old-looking and as original as it was when it was first made decades ago. If an antique of any kinds is changed from its original design, it instantly loses some, if not all, of its market value. For example, having scratches in its finish is natural for a wooden antique that has been passed down through the years. If there are a few deep scratches in the wood, instead of refinishing the whole box, you should try to cover them up. Depending on the color of the finish, you'll need to find a scratch cover that matches it. You can try using a crayon, a strong batch of coffee or tea, or a commercial scratch cover.
If your antique sewing box has broken parts, most wooden items can be glued back together successfully. Again, in order to retain the originality of the antique sewing box, it's better to repair broken pieces than to replace them with a newer piece. If it needs replacement hardware, such as metal hinges, for example, you can readily find many parts by doing a search on the Internet. If the metal hardware isn't broken, it's just rusty; the oxide can be gently cleaned off by using a steel wool pad and a non-abrasive metal cleaner. Make sure that you rinse off the cleaner thoroughly and then dry the hardware with a clean, soft cloth.
Finally, once you have restored your sewing box, don't apply furniture polish or other possibly harsh chemicals to its surface. Simple wipe it clean with a soft, clean cloth, and keep it out of direct sunlight, as well as damp places.
