I have been wasting too much time on the computer lately and have forced myself to concentrate on things around the house that need to be done, like finishing up the quilt for my cousin’s baby and also working on an antique secretary I bought from craiglist. We have never seen a secretary in all our travels before so I am quite fascinated by it. It has a drop lid which becomes a desk.

It is quite dinged up as you can see from the photos. It was a steal for $100. These babies usually cost $600-$2000 depending on the condition, second hand. The drop lid had no support so when you opened it, it fell completely downwards, the key was missing to the glass shelf and as a result, the door kept swinging open.

It has certain seen better days. I was going to read up on the internet how to fix it and paint it. I know some people think it is a sacrilege to paint over wood, especially when it looks like it is mahogany. This was not hardwood because as soon as I started sanding it with my Dewalt orbital sander, it left marks on the wood. Also, as I sanded it by hand, it revealed itself to be a lighter colour. Pine perhaps?


So I took it apart, ordered the replacement brass parts from Canada from this super cool store called Lee Valley

My trusty tools. Very basic.

First, I filled up the cracks and holes. That was not easy! The instructions said to use it above 40 deg F (about 4 C) and my garage was below freezing. I had to take it into the kitchen to work on it and it was so hard to squeeze the wood filler out.

Then I used oil based primer. I swear I will never use oil based primer again. They say that it lasts longer but boy it stinks and it is near impossible to clean. I use paint thinner to clean and it is so poisonous. Also, we can’t just pour the leftovers into the drain, no siree, here, you have to take it to a hazardous waste plant to dispose of it. Where it is, I have no idea but it sits in a can at the moment. Water based primer for me next time! Cameron helped me apply it with a roller brush and he had respiratory problems afterwards. He was wheezing very badly which made me kick myself in the butt. I had to take him to a doctor and she gave him an inhaler. I allowed him to help because with all this cold weather, the boys have not been doing very much except play computer games. Matt and I wanted to involve them in something that we did and I thought introducing the boys to tools and woodworking was something cool. (Funnily, Matt was outside, trying to smoke his Texan style ribs in his new grill, with James helping along.)

Matt had to shovel almost 10 inches of snow off our deck so he could set up the BBQ grill there.

Back to the secretary, I have managed to pull apart everything, except for this drawer unit. Man, it is a bitch to sand and prime! I have hit a big snag and will have to go back to Home Depot to buy spray primer. My fingers ache from trying to reach the difficult spots!
That is as far as I have gotten. Stay tuned!