My Own Standards

In building trunks I closely study extant examples from the eighteenth century.

At my time of life it wouldn’t be possible to develop all the woodworking skills needed, nor would I have the tools. So like many other builders, I use modern “apprentices” to dimension the wood planks for me, and then I join them using hand tools.

Our wood doesn’t reliably act like actual 18th century wood. I can’t rely on it to hold the nails properly, nor depend on it not to warp or not to shrink, no matter how much care I take. For this reason almost all of the trunks I build, no matter their size, are dovetail jointed at the corners. I have judged it more important for the trunk to have this structural integrity and not to fall apart for my customer, especially if the trunk is covered (so the inauthenticity is not visible).

I attempt to procure materials as similar as possible to those that were originally used. This also involves some compromises.

I use the best reproduction hardware I can find. I use cut nails and real unlacquered brass tacks (sadly, not with square iron shanks). I use hinges, handles, and hasp locks from a reliable and experienced builder of them. None of these things is perfect, but it is the best I’ve found so far. It’s pretty good.

Sometimes I choose hardware for its affordability, to provide a lower price point for the customer. This hardware is not historically incorrect, but is either not constructed to the highest standard (such as poor sizing) or is used for a different purpose than would have been typical (such as using a half mortise lock for a small trunk).

I would prefer to use overprinted “printer’s waste” for the linings, as this appears to have been the most typical. This is an ingredient I haven’t yet developed to my satisfaction, though it should be available soon. I currently use reprinted facsimile eighteenth century printed matter (newspapers and pages of books) printed on 75% cotton laid paper, sometimes with “overprints” added by my desktop printer. I also have documented eighteenth century reproduction wallpapers (wallpaper occasionally survives inside trunks), and I have used marbled paper.

The glue I use to glue the wood to itself is aliphatic resin - modern wood glue. As mentioned before, I use it to ensure sturdiness of the carcass (box) I’m covering. But the glue to apply the cover is traditional hide glue reconstituted from flakes, and the glue for the interior is PVA glue - - also used in the century but commonly known then as flour-water paste. (I’m certain there was also a higher quality form. )

The coverings of the trunks may be leather, hide, painted canvas, or paint. (Though in the future I hope to develop enough skill to make a seaman’s trunk, which would be uncovered white oak.) The paint I use is eighteenth century style linseed oil paint from Sweden. Of these coverings, uncured hide with the hair intact is the most difficult to procure. This is unfortunate because hide is the best represented among the surviving trunks from the century.