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112yr old cigar box - suggestions

Had a 112 yr old cigar box given to me that I want to turn into a CBG.

So... Its beat up some but the repairs will be simple, which leads me to ask how much cleanup on the box should I do??? Should I preserve it with a coat of lacquer (very light spray on) or leave it as is. Not sure how rare the box is or the value either which it might be better to not to mettle with, dunno, asking for suggestions there to.

I was thinking of making it mainly a wall hanger mostly. Minimal cutting on the box then building the neck and distressing it to look as old as possible. Open to ideas.... Thx in advance.

Left side

Lid top

Inside top lid

Right side

Bottom

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on June 11, 2016 at 4:22am

Just a thought: this box when new was essentially...worthless. It is only "potentially" worth something to a decorator, or a crafter...or a luthier. And only if you put it up for sale; otherwise, it is just an old box. Turning it into a guitar, at its ancient age, is the right thing to do. This will cause it to live. Turning it into a piece of "rustic decorator kitsch" is not the right thing to do. Do not make a wall hanger. Make a frickin' instrument, that you'd be proud to play. Or that someone else would.

Giving it a rusticated neck makes sense. The paddle idea would work, as would a broom handle. Or even a downed tree limb. Or an old fence post.

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Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on June 11, 2016 at 6:53am

vinegar & steel wool can work great , but with oak . it can turn black on you . so depending what you use for the neck , and your soak time , will give you different results .

3 scoops of instant coffee in about a half cup of water makes s nice stain too .

paint ,. sandpaper , fire , etc all help .

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Permalink Reply by Kigar on June 11, 2016 at 1:48pm

Old coffee takes the "new" off pretty good, it is not very dark but looks older than regular stain of the same color. I rubbed coffee grounds on a piece of wood, it darkened a fair amount and quite unevenly. Play with scraps if you have any!

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Permalink Reply by King Rubbish on June 11, 2016 at 9:27pm

I've used wood stains and the steel wool/vinegar mix in the past, but on my last build I tried just slathering on some black paint. Wipe off the excess and let dry then lightly sand to taste. Was really pleased with the results, I'll definitely be using this method more in future.

I agree with Kigar, experiment with all these ideas on some scrap wood and see what results you get.

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Permalink Reply by BP - RabidSalad - on June 12, 2016 at 3:25am

Great suggestions, many Thx.

I was going to use some wood that is really different, kinda speckled. I have no clue what it is and I only have a few sticks of it so will hang onto it for other builds. I do have a few bits of oak so I'm going to use that instead, sacrifice one stick to the cause... :) Might run a wire brush over it to bring out the grain a tad... The box is pretty beat up so I want to make the neck look as old.

Thx again guyz... appreciate the comments