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My wife finds old things in bad condition for low prices and I restore them to nice condition. This gives me something to do, it makes my wife happy, and the resulting pieces have considerably more value than they did before I got them. This is a win-win situation. I have just completed a 1923 vintage ice box made of oak. It looks exactly like the one I remember in my mother’s kitchen back in the 1940’s. Here is a picture of it when I brought it home. We had to pay $75 for this raggedy looking thing.
It had been painted white, and then some industrious soul had decided to refinish it, but was not up to the task. Unfortunately they had used sandpaper, which is a no-no on antiques because it destroys any patina that might have been on the piece. But now I had no choice but to follow what had been started.
One of my favorite tools for working heavy objects like this ice box is a hydraulic lift table that I got from an auto supply house. It really saves my back!
Here is a picture of the back of the icebox.
I used a cabinet scraper to remove most of the paint. I reserved the sandpaper for a final cleanup of the surface. Notice the dental tool in the picture. I use that to remove any paint that remains in a hole or crack.
Once the old finish had been completely removed, I gave all the wood surfaces as many coats of Boiled Linseed Oil as the wood could absorb. Then I waited a couple of days for that linseed oil to cure. It was my original plan to return the color of the surfaces back to original. I could see the original color under the hardware. But after I had put on one light coat of walnut stain and followed that with one coat of garnet shellac my wife saw it and said that was exactly the color she wanted it to be. And so dear friends, that is exactly the color it is. It is, after all, for her, so she can have it any color she likes. Not to mention that it saved me a lot of work. :>)
I used 2 coats of clear shellac to insulate the clear lacquer I would finish the piece with from the Boiled Linseed Oil. Shellac does not care what you put over it, but the Boiled Linseed Oil would have rejected the lacquer, and the lacquer would have peeled off later. I sprayed 4 heavy coats of lacquer onto all the wood surfaces and then let it dry for 24 hours. Then I sanded all of it with 400 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper to remove any dust particles. Then I sprayed 4 more coats of lacquer on.
Here are 2 of the doors wearing their lacquer finish.
And here is the case wearing the final coat of wet lacquer.
Now everything gets another light sanding with 400 paper. This removes any dust particles that have settled into the finish.
I then rub every wood surface with #0000 steel wool. This prepares the finish for its final coat of wax.
The waxed surfaces have a beautiful soft glow about them.
Here is the finished piece, complete with all of its original hardware. If you ever decide to do one of these ice boxes, remember that the original hardware makes the box much more valuable than if you replaced it with better looking replacement hardware. People prefer original stuff.
View of the left side.
View of the right side. One of the panels on this side was missing. I had to replace it. Can you tell which one?
This is the ice compartment inside the box.
A tin plate covers the hole.
Then the ice sits on top of this contraption, which holds the ice off the bottom surface.
Under the ice compartment there is this telescoping copper tube which channels the melted ice water down under the box.
There is a pivoting board at the bottom which hides the pan that catches the water. I remember my mother forgetting to empty the pan. There would be water on the kitchen floor, and the pan would be filled to overflowing, and more would spill as she removed it.
Label on door. Ice boxes tend to “sweat.”
Unfortunately the manufacturer’s name is missing from the label on the large door. If anyone knows the name of the manufacturer I would really appreciate an email telling me. UPDATE - December 17, 2005I have now been notified by several emails that the manufacturer of this Ice Box was the Leonard Refrigerator Company. It is absolutely wonderful how people respond to such a request.
It appears from this plate, which is affixed to the door frame, that this ice box was made in 1923, and it was number 37 in the production run. I hope you enjoyed seeing this antique restored. November, 2005 | |
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