Steamer trunks evoke heritage with curved tops, tarnished metal fittings, pine slats and canvas. Craftsmen who built steamer trunks used glue made from animal biproducts to adhere to the canvas. This sort of glue retains a gritty texture that stays with the torso until you remove it. Fortunately, the glue is water-soluble and comparatively easy to take care of.
Trunk Anatomy
You have two options for recovery; you can opt to remove and replace the outdated canvas with new, or you can remove the canvas, sand the pliers and blot them. Either way the glue requires elimination. Begin by removing all of the hardware in the inside of the chest including metal or tin slats, metal pliers or pliers, tabs, brads or nails. Use an range of staple pullers, screwdrivers and diagonal pliers to remove everything. If there’s metal trim around the perimeter of the lid that extends around the front of the trunk do not remove it. Insert the tip of a utility knife to the canvas on the inside and cut along the perimeter to release the canvas. Pull it from the trunk in bits if necessary. The issue of glue removal typically copes with canvas on the inside of the trunk, but if the outside of the trunk was coated with canvas or leather the procedure to remove the glue is the same.
What is Better When Wet
Spray two or three pliers at one time with water from a spray bottle to wet the surface of the glue. Permit the water to remain on the glue for three minutes to soften it and begin scratching off the glue with a glue scraper. Some people use a paint scraper, but they lack the sharp edge and 90-degree handle of a glue scraper and do not do the job also. Scrape parallel with the grain of the wood until the glue is removed from two or three pliers at one time. Gently scrape the wood perpendicular to the grain. Cross-grain scratches are tough to remove, and may damage the torso. Continue spraying and scraping individual slats until the glue is removed. Add more water to stubborn spots if necessary. Follow up the glue removal using a wire brush to get into cracks and raised grain patterns, with the brush parallel with the grain. You will likely smell a musty odor, so it’s common with this old type of glue and isn’t toxic, although wearing breathing protection is advised.
Dry and Pick
Dry the trunk immediately after scratching all of the glue. Excessive moisture may warp individual pliers if left over the wood. Use a hair dryer to blow warm air to the trunk, directing it at the surface of the pliers. It might take up to 30 minutes, but ensure that the water or moisture is gone from the trunk. After it’s dry, sand individual slats with 100-grit sandpaper to smooth and remove splinters or chips. From this stage, you can opt to finish the wood with stain and a transparent conclusion, or restore it back to its original condition by installing and cutting new canvas or leather.
Reline or Refinish
Replace the liner — if you’ve decided to go that path — using the first pieces as reference cut new ones. Use spray glue to reattach them accompanied by the replacement of the metallic components. To refinish the inside of the trunk, without the liner, employ an abysmal stain like tung oil to the wood with a soft fabric. Allow it to dry for at least 72 hours and follow up with a more water-resistant clear conclusion. Replace the hardware to get an authentic look. If nails or brads are bent or rusted beyond repair purchase new ones coated with an antique metal finish.