Has anybody ever restored a tin trunk?

[waywardangler]

What is inside your trunk?  Plain wood or paper or ?  Bleaching should have killed all the mold and mildew.  If the bad sponge does not work I think you need to mask the inside odor.  If you shellac the inside that should seal it.  Whether or not it stops the odor is the question.  I have heard of using grass clippings, red cedar shavings, crumpled up newspaper, and of course, Waywards' Whacky Tebakkey Trunk-cure (aka cured tobacco leaves). 

[hosman321]

It was covered in paper, glued on. I got most of it off by sanding but quite frankly...I got exhausted and didn't get every bit of paper out. I also saved the decal on the upper lid and the fabric that is underneath it. That's probably what is still smelly. I just can't bring myself to rip it out because it does de-value it a bit and (in my opinion) takes away a bit of it's past. I need to find a way to clean it. Getting it moist makes the glue melt and the fabric peels off the wood. I'll read more about how to clean that part. I'm hoping the bad air sponge helps. If not, I'll try Wayward's Whacky Tebakkey Trunk Cure.
The antique shop lady said banana peels. Eventually, the dang smell will be gone. Even if it's replaced by 10 other smells!

[wendy177]

Hi I have been told the best way to rid your trunk of bad smells is to leave it sit in the hot sun  (bring it in at night) for several days. This has worked with my trunk I am working on, I have also heard Place an open bag of kitty litter in trunk and close.  Check it in about a week.  The cheap brands usually work the best.  Have not tried that one.  As far as finishes I contacted these guys for help this is what I got in reply :Dollars to donuts says there's a partially-full can of polyurethane or varnish out in your garage or barn, and that's what you're planning on dousing on your trunk.  This sickens us.  These types of finish will clog up every open pore on that trunk.  At Brettuns Village, we learned the hard way, over 15 years ago, that these finishes do much more harm than good to an old trunk.  Simple test - how many antique trunks have you ever seen that were still in good shape and had been varnished originally?  Not many.  The ones that were made with goopy finishes like that just flat aren't around anymore.  Now, on the other hand - the trunks that are still around and in good shape mostly used a simple finish coat.  Curious?  It's a top secret formula, protected by the offspring of the old trunk makers.  Can't tell you what it is. The concoction is pretty easy to whip together.  Here's the basic mixture:  one part tung oil, one part mineral spirits.  A couple of notes - 1) we use real tung oil, pure form, uncut.  You can find this through some refinishing supply houses or at some hardware stores.  Most tung oil sold in stores these days has already been cut with mineral spirits - check the label (Homer Formby brand works great and has already been thinned for your convenience).  Pure tung oil is very thick and takes days to dry.  Cutting it in half with mineral spirits can cut the drying time down to just a few hours.  2)  The second half of the mixture - mineral spirits - is exactly what you want to use.  Don't substitute paint thinner.  Buy mineral spirits and use it.  That's that.  Oops, one more note - 3) to this mixture you can add some stain to give the trunk wood the desired hue/tone/color/shade.  A little bit will do it.  We usually add some golden oak stain.  Make sure this is solvent-based stain - not water based - or it'll all end up at the bottom of your mixing can.  OK, one last note - 4) a coffee can magically turns out to be a great size for this - mix up about a quarter can of tung oil, a quarter can of mineral spirits, and a few tablespoons of stain.  About a half a coffee can - always turns out to be about the right amount to do one trunk.  An important note - tung oil dries harder than varinish or polyurethane - it DOES NOT remain oily and anyone who tells you it does needs to stop eating those mushrooms that grow out of the goat poop.  We use tung oil because that's what trunk makers in the 1800s used. 

[wendy177]

One more thing The glue under your fabric is mucelage, made from old horses, and this also causes a very nasty smell. Just remember  It took 100 years to build up that smell - you can't get rid of it in an afternoon.
Good luck

[talesofthesevenseas]

I wonder if the sun/kitty litter technique would also work with baking soda? I remember hanging a non-washable costume out in the sun on the advice of a friend when it got cigarette smell in it after an event. The sun technique worked well for that. I bet it would help.

[regularjoe2]

Diatomaceous earth is the best 'organic cure' for smells in trunks .

One of the problems with molds/mildews/fungus/rot is that it has a microscopic structure , which can even penetrate into wood .
With metal-clad trunks , this means that the micro-critters can be encapsulated in the happy & dark space between the tin & wood , which makes abatement problematic , time-consuming & adds a bit of labor/supplies to the project .
More or less , the abatement is a 'fumigation' process which requires the trunk being sealed-up inside of large plasic bags (preferably outside) for a day or so , while the volitile/aromatic chemicals do their work .

As wendy177 stated , mucelage glue (& fabrics/papers) is also an issue , and very small insects too .

I'm guessing that you're planning on putting a finish on the interior of your trunk ; if you do , you can add a fungicide to the water/acrylic-based paint/varnish you use , which is a long-term prophylaxis .
The big deal here , besides doing micro-genocide , is to fully dry out your trunk before (& after) finishing its' interior .... this process can be aided (on the cheap) by using a small heat source , like a 40watt light bulb in a safe light fixture (no plastic drop-lights) , inside of the trunk - this will cause some odors , so again , do it in a well-vented space .

Some restoration specialists use a UV lamp , closed up in the trunk , to kill microbes (prior to finishing) .

Bottom line is that these types of items are usually closed-up (dark,damp&stagnant) for most of the time ....living in the NW , you know how this feels...

I keep a small sachet of cedar shavings , with a drop or two of food-grade cinnamon oil , inside of closed-up trunks like these (usually inside of an old cotton sock) , with another small bag of diatomaceous earth .

[hosman321]

Thanks for the input everyone. I plan on leaving the inside bare, no sealant or paint or anything. I read that it's better that way.
I covered the inside in baking soda and let it sit for 24 hours. Then I brushed it all out. Drastically cut down on the smell. Still smells a little bit musty but not nearly as bad as before. Maybe I'll do that one more time for 24-48 hours and then leave a bad air sponge in there for a few months. I'll just store stuff in there that will be ok with the bad air sponge like glass items/bottles that can be easily cleaned. Maybe I'll be able to save the decal without ripping it out.
The sun treatment is pretty much out the window.
Us Washingtonians know that sunshine is rare on the menu. And when we do get it, you gotta watch the skies all day to make sure you don't get a sudden downpour of rain out of nowhere. I have been dragging it inside, then outside, inside, then outside for the past few days. Gets a bit old, especially since I have to do it alone and it's huge and akward. I need to find some wheels to put back on this thing, I can see where they used to be but that doesn't help me much. A garage would be a beautiful thing right now. We're looking at houses right now. The supervisor at my husband's job that has been making our life miserable may be getting fired for everything he's done. So, we may get to finally buy another house and get out of this 910 square foot box!

[fancypants]

Sounds like you've got your hands full , hosman321 .

I will suggest that you place the baking soda in a glass/plastic/ceramic tray/footed dish , etc. - rather than spread it loose .

Baking soda is both highly alkaline & chemically reactive (and tough to fully clean up , when in loose powder form) .

Just sayin' ......

Hope you folks find the home of your dreams !
Morg. rates are at a 50 year low here (Pac.NW) now !

[hosman321]

Dangit, guess I won't spread it loose again. Oops!   I'll be sure to take a damp cloth and wipe out the inside good. I tried to put it in a bowl and leave it in there overnight and it didn't make a difference. So, I spread it thinking it'd be better but thanks for the correction!

Houses are dirt cheap around here now. Our problem is that we owe $160,000 on our house and it is now worth $100,000. Which is the same problem everyone in the country is having right now, they owe far more than their home is worth. So, we could never sell it. We definitely don't want to be landlords and deal with renting it out. We're probably going to have to do a short sale, where you tell the bank that you are going to leave and let the house go into foreclosure. They don't want to deal with the hassle, so they agree to let you sell the house for less than it is worth. But I doubt they will agree to sell it for $100,000. So, the only other option the lenders and real estate agents are giving us is this: Find your next home, buy it and then just leave this one behind to go into foreclosure. It will hurt our credit for 18 months but at least we can buy the house of our dreams for dirt cheap and leave this one in the dust. 

[talesofthesevenseas]

I think you can just set a BOX of baking soda in the trunk, like you would in a refrigerator to remove smells, and then toss it out afterwards. That wouldn't hurt the trunk, right?

I should have been more clear.   Sorry Hosman!