Weekend Project: The Trunk

My hands are killing me, particularly the right one, so please forgive me any typos!

I started with this nastiness:



I took a simple painters tool and just scraped away at each rivet and the silver bits. Applied lots of pressure with right index finger. I didn't know whether to be grateful or regretful that finger nails make excellent scraping tools.

Multiply by 5. (I know a cube has six sides, but I'm not doing the bottom!)

And a few hours later, we have this:



Notice how the rivets aren't quite evenly spaced? And the bits of rust along the silver trim? It's a pig's ear. I decided to apply some paint remover to the handle. Then I tried some goo gone. I got this far and called it quits.



Then, the usual wash (I used goo gone to get some of the more stubborn spots up. Surprising stuff that goo gone). I applied petroleum jelly with a Q-tip to all the metal rivets and the edges of the metal trim. The idea is that the paint will wipe off once everything is dry. It better.

No, I won't deny you the pay-off, though I thought about waiting until the whole thing is done, but I'll be nice. This is as far as I have got--two sides, first coat.


I'll work on another side or two in about four hours (when it is "dry to the touch") and then put on a second coat.