Restoration of 17th century strong box

Our team of conservators had the opportunity to restore two 17th century strong boxes for an exhibition at the C Hoare & Co bank. The chest are both hand forge from iron sheets and iron straps to provide secure transport for coins during the 17th and 18th century. The full history of the chest are not know but the idea of these chest travelling thousands of miles across kingdoms is fascinating. The highly decorative and locking mechanism is a testament to the traditional blacksmith skills used to create these chest and although the chest have dents and marks across the surface this character just adds to the mystery of the objects. The chests were transported to our workshop where the following works were identified and carried out.

• Carefully dismantle cover and components to access internal locking mechanism   
• Manually clean the surface removing dust and debris from the surface whilst retaining the original paint and finishes
• Apply an acrylic protective coating across the surface to protect the iron surface against condensation and  reassemble
• Hand apply a wax protection coating to protect against moisture and any debris transferred by human touch whilst displayed

The objects have been returned and now form part of the unique experience and history provided by C Hoare & Co and the presence of the chest has been secured for centuries to come.