Typewriter Desk

This is my latest project. I have been working on this typewriter desk for the last few months. I found it at the Deseret Industries on 7th South in Salt Lake City. I was able to swindle this little desk away for $20. 

The thing I love about this desk is how mechanical it is. There are drawers, pull out tables, lift tops, and a drop down typewriter platform.

Initially it was made to store your typewriter. You attach your typewriter to the platform that drops down into the desk. Because early typewriters were very tall you needed a large space to be able to store them.  

Because of deep gouging to the surface and really rough areas of this piece I started with 100 grit sandpaper and worked my way up to 220 grit.   

I bought a detail sander that truly was priceless. It enabled me to avoid hand sanding every corner where the orbital wouldn't fit, and there were a ton on this piece (a few are shown below). There was still a ton of hand sanding, and that by far is my least favorite part of refinishing. 

Because of the way the platform slides down at a 45 degree angle when stored and pulled up level when in use there was a lot of damage and wear to these rails. I ended up removing all the rails and rebuilt them. While they were off I also took the opportunity to use my random orbit sander instead of hand sanding. 

Applying stain is my favorite part of any project. It is amazing to me how you can bring wood back to life. I am always excited and nervous to see how different wood takes the stain. The stain I used on the majority of this piece was kona brown by Rustoleum.

I am very pleased with the final result. This piece is actually very similar to the wardrobe I did a few years ago. The three wood panels across the top match the wardrobe almost exactly. Before I sanded the stain, dirt, and years of wear off those panels I did not realize it was the same marbled-knotty-wood.

Wardrobe

This was a wardrobe that took me about 9 months starting in the winter of 2009. This was also found at the Deseret Industries on 7th South in Salt Lake. When I first found it the sticker price was $200 dollars. We were newly married and I couldn't justify spending $200 on an old piece of furniture. I couldn't stop thinking about the wardrobe and the following week I went back to see if it was still there, and it was. I spoke to the manager and haggled her down to $150. It was still a lot of money for an old hammered piece of furniture, but it was well worth it. The woods are amazing. The piece weighs a ton as it is solid oak, veneered with amazing woods. I don't know what kind of woods they are. I have never seen woods that look so marbled, and have such a sheen to them. 

Don't mind the royal blue carpet...

These are the only original pictures I have of the piece. These pictures were actually taken on my cell phone so that I could show my dad and ask his opinion. This is as it sat on the D.I. Floor.

 A lot of the veneer was chipped and broken along the edges. I ended up using wood filler to fill it, and it took the stain nicely.

This was in my dad's garage during the tear down and repair process.

This was during the stain process. When I went to stain the corner posts they were such a hard, closed grain wood that they would not take any stain. To get around this I would just wipe on the oil based stain thick and not wipe it off. I ended up doing on the framing and moldings black. 

I believe the old hardware is pewter. 

I spent a ton of time on this piece, as I sanded, stained, and cleared all parts, even the inside of the drawers. 

The three top drawers, the center crest, and a small detail piece on the bottom center are all this amazing wood.

The inside is half drawers and half hanging wardrobe. The hanging mechanism actually slides out so you can access all your clothes.

1941 RCA Victrola

I love old things. I love how intricate and mechanical old things are. Ever since I was a kid I have loved to tear things apart, see how they work, and put them back together. I love to collect old things, I have a collection of old typewriters, desk fans, and a lot of old furniture. I have been meaning to start a blog showing all my restoration projects I have done over the past few years. There have been many amazing pieces I have been able to restore including an antique wardrobe, an antique claw foot drop leaf table, nightstands, and a dresser. I have also restored a 1986 Yamaha Riva scooter, and a 1961 Coleman Lantern.

This is a 1941 RCA Victrola. I picked this up today from the Deseret Industries on 7th South in Salt Lake. The ask price was $50 and I talked the store manager down to $25. The wood on this piece is gorgeous. From what I have read on them they are made out of mahogany. The wood is in really good condition, other then there is one piece of wood broken out on the front door that I will have to fill. My original intentions were to refinish it, gut the insides and build my own stereo in it, but when I cut the power cord off an old vacuum and wired it up the lights all lit up on it. I can't get the radio to work, but I think I am going to put some work into it and see if I can get it running. 

Notice that the light behind the tuning dials is lit up.

The insides. I love the old Magic Loop Antenna. In the top left you can see the main unit, there are 9 vacuum tubes in this radio that when you turn it on they all light up and glow, really cool stuff. There are 2 vacuum tubes missing, which I think is why it is not working. I am going to do some research into how vacuum tubes work and get some replacements here in town if they aren't too pricey.

 1941 Anniversary Model

 This logo is under the lid to access the turntable. Because I love this logo so much I think I am just going to keep the underside of the lid original. It has some scuffs on the edges but overall it was protected and the finish is really nice.

The dials are amazing. I love that there are international tuning frequencies listed.