Expert: Anderson's Restorations-Rob Anderson - 3/27/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have inherited a lane cedar chest which I estimate to be about 75 to 85 years old. The top is badly scratched; the bottom is very dark, almost black (dirt?) but the thing that bothers me the most is the cedar smell. The cedar inside appears to be in good condition but the smell is over-whelming when you open the chest and if you place something on top of the chest cover it picks up that odor. I have checked out new cedar chests in stores  and they always have a nice fragrance. Any suggestions?  The inside cover has a wood-burned imprint which says: Lane Alta Vista, Virginia.It has a spring-lock which says: The LANE LOCK Patent Pending. And in the upper left corner inside the lid it states the followig: "features of this article are covered by one or more of the following US patents 1.479.704-1.756.746-1.759.40l, etc, etc. Thank you for your time and I hope you can help.
Bunny Behling

ANSWER: You can clean the chest with mineral spirits using a Scotch-Brite pad. This will remove the dirt and what-not.If the chest has overpowering cedar smell, leave it open for a few days. It may hve been closed for so long it needs to air out. If that dosen't take care of it,you may want to try using some wipe on poly thinned down and use it only in small areas. This will seal up the cedar and cut down on the smell.
ALSO, very important, go the the Lane web site and check your serial number and see if the lock is on recall. They used a lock at one time that if a child were to get in and close the lid they would be locked in. They offer a replacement, if necessary, that can't be locked from the inside. Several children have died from being locked in. Check this and replace the lock even if you don't have small children. Do it for the next owner.
 Rob

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your quick respone. Two more questions: first, not sure what "poly thinned down" is; and second, do I use the mineral spirits on the outside of the chest and/or on the inside on the cedar. I will check on replacing the lock.  It nearly took my head off the first time I opened the chest!

Answer
Poly thinned down is just using whatever material you get and thinning it with the proper thinner so it will flow better. In the cedar case, it will seal the wood less then straight out of the can allowing the cedar to still give of the smell.you can use the mineral spirits on both inside and out. Just leave the lid open so it will dry.You can get replacements for the hinge that holds the lid open if it's weak.
 Rob
 http://www.andersonsrestorations.com