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A new writing box!
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A few years ago, a Facebook Group, called the
Wax Seal Society, was formed. The idea behind the group is to connect with like-minded people who enjoy historical penmanship and writing, as well as to create long-distance conversations, via letter, with other members. Basically, it's a pen-pal group for history geeks, with an emphasis on the 18th century. We write letters to each other as if it's the 1770s. Basically, reenacting via the postal service.
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Box Interior
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I've been a member of the group for a couple of years, and have kept my writing supplies on a shelf over my laptop. Several days ago, a friend gifted me an old writing box, build specifically for keeping writing supplies in. The box was sturdy, but needed a little work. This week, I set myself to the task of refurbishing the little lap desk.
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Upper Slope and Compartment Cover Removed
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Looking the box over, it didn't really need a lot of work. The major piece was that one of the pieces that makes up the writing slope was missing. This could be easily fixed with a bit of 1/4" plywood. This, I was able to cut from some scrap that I had around the house.
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Paint Removed
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The plywood, to match the box, would need to be stained. The outer surface of the box had a few light scratches in the finish, so I started to do a light sanding. This is when I discovered that the top and sides were painted, and not stained. This being the case, I decided to sand off all the paint, so that I could stain all the parts the same color.
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Fresh Color!
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As I was sanding, I noticed that there was a thin crack all the way across the bottom of the box. This was easily fixed by filling it with some wood glue from the bottom. Once dried, the bottom was nice and solid.
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Original Upper Slope, Compartment Cover, & New Lower Slope
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After staining the box with a color called "Gunstock", I found some scrap linen to add to the writing surface, and to act as hinges for the slope pieces.. It appears that the original surface was some sort of purple fabric or flock. Since I had some for wargaming models, I decided to add some green flock over the linen that I had added.
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Gluing scrap linen in place
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Oops. The stain is still wet.
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Overall, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. The flocking needs a bit of help, and I'm hoping to find a key that will fit the lock, but it's a great place to keep my letters and writing supplies, and will fit in nicely if I ever decide to take it to any reenacting events.
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Finished Exterior
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Rough Flocking
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A nice spot for supplies!
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