Cedar chest phase 1

Today I completed phase 1 of the cedar chest project! This included:

• removing the casters (one was broken)
  
• fixing the broken hinge
  
• removing the piece of brass that used to hide the lock mechanism (the lock is no longer there anyway, and some of the tacks holding that piece of metal were missing, so the edge of metal was sticking out)
  
• replacing the old wood handles with new "antique brass" ones, after discovering one of the wood handles was broken
  
• wiping the dust out of the inside
  
• cleaning the outside wood with Murphy's oil soap
  
• gently scrubbing the brass fittings with vinegar and salt,
  
• and lightly sanding the interior to freshen up the cedar smell.

The brass looks so much better, rosy and glowy. But the wood finish still looks a little beat up. And I realized that underneath the handles, the wood is unfinished. So the next phase will involve (1) putting a new coat of wax on the wood and (2) going back over the brass with a toothbrush to get off some more of the tarnish. So far, so good.