A Small Shadow Box Project

[J.A.F.E.]

I had this display box from my mother and it was sort of kicking around and I didn't know if I wanted to keep it or what to do with it. I have a small collection of pins that seemed to accumulate over the years so I decided to put the pins in the box and solve two problems. The box had an eggshell grid which was glued in and I was going to cut black suede board for each division and in fact I did cut the pieces and they fit nicely but I just wasn't happy with the look.

The black pieces were appealing because I could mount the pins with the clasp on the back and the fit was tight enough it would just stay in place and was quick and easy.

But the grid imposed a lot of restrictions and I really didn't like the look.

[J.A.F.E.]

The spaces in the grid were mostly small and the pins just looked crowded. Plus the box had seen better days and the finish was a bit worn. So I decided to remove the grid and have a large space and while it was apart I'd freshen up the finish. The glass was held in with small retainer strips (green arrows) so I thought it would be easy to remove. Unfortunately not as easy as I had anticipated.

The grid came out without too much trouble at least.

[J.A.F.E.]

When removing the glass I discovered somewhere along the way it got glued into place in spots and it cracked (yellow oval). I'm not really surprised it was 1.9mm glass which IMO is too thin for a project like this. It's light so doesn't stress the hinges too much but it breaks easy.

No problem on the glass there is a way to fix it.

Since the little sections weren't being used I then had to consider the pin posts. I can't use the backs but the substrate has to be deep enough to accommodate the full depth. I decided to use foam board as the base. I needed two layers to fully engage the pin posts (red arrows and red circle) so I cut three layers and some strips to make the sides of the box interior.

[J.A.F.E.]

The cut foam board parts and what will become the top layer with a rectangle marked out - that will become a decorative detail just to add some interest.

I cut the window out using a bevel cut partly because it looks nicer and partly because it makes the next step easier.

I did make a witness mark between the dropout and the window surround as I needed to keep the orientation.

[J.A.F.E.]

I cut the dropout close enough I really didn't need the orientation but it is good practice. I glued the three layers together and then covered the board in adhesive. It is best to use a fabric glue made specifically for this purpose but I didn't have any and what I did have is close and it's getting old so I needed to use it anyway. it's also best to use a foam roller but again I didn't have one so a cheap brush was called into service.

[J.A.F.E.]

I used a PVA glue (polyvinyl adhesive) that is sold as an archival product by a company called Lineco which is a brand of University Products. They make all kinds of stuff for the bookbinding and museum industries all or most of which are considered acrhival. The bottle is sitting on a marble slab I used in a couple places in the project.

This is why I kept the dropout and the orientation - I used it to make the impression in the fabric. I spread the glue and placed the fabric - black felt in this case - over the boards, placed the dropout back in and weighted it down with the marble to dry.

The last pic shows how the mat came out after drying but for some reason looks gray it is black.

I was going to use black velvet and went to the fabric store but the black velvet they had wouldn't work well on this - it was synthetic and they don't have much stretch. A natural fabric usually has a bit of stretch so you can get an effect like this.

[J.A.F.E.]

So while I was working on this it was time to address the hangars. Flimsy little things and while box is light I just like it secure. So I removed what was there and replaced it with something a little better. The box is hung with two hangars - no wire so it will never need to be straightened. I used some thread locker on the the nuts since getting to them later would be problematic. The hardware pokes through the back a little so I put the foam board back in, pressed to mark the positions and cutout a layer of the foamboard so the foamboard could lay flat.

[J.A.F.E.]

I mentioned the thread locker and part of the reason is the nuts are not really tight the hooks can rotate in case my placement of the hooks wasn't perfect.

[J.A.F.E.]

I covered the sides with the black felt as well, cut them to length and glued them in. I cut one end of each side with a bevel to tuck neatly against it's neighbor. That means I didn't have to be super precise in cutting the length and no gaps in the corners.

[J.A.F.E.]

Now to repair the glass. I cut new. I wanted to go with 4mm but no one around here sells it anymore. Between my local ACE, HomeDepot and Lowes only Lowes sell glass and they sell only 2.2mm. Everyone blames liability but my bet is they got tired of people breaking glass in the store and clerks cutting it wrong. I just bought the closest size lite to what I needed and cut it myself.

Most people don't like cutting glass but IME that's because they don't use the proper methods. For one the glass must be clean before you cut it. Cheap glass comes with some kind of silicon beads between the lites (premium gass uses paper between lites). That's so they can be separated - float glass is so flat two lites will stick together. The beads and dirt can make it difficult to cut. Really it's not cutting it's scoring and snapping and the score has to be consistent from start to finish. A good cutter is also a must. I have old cutters that have cut a lot of glass but one bad cut can ruin a cutter. Never go over a cut even if it's only a tiny amount. That cold make a bad spot on the cutter wheel. Press hard. Not hard enough to break the glass but almost. Have a stable straight edge to use as a guide. I didn't have a good straight edge handy so I used a yard stick taped to the glass so it wouldn't move. Start the cut at the edge and in one motion make the entire score to the other edge. Do not stop. The sound should be consistent all the way and the mark should be a solid line with a consistent look. Use the ball end of the cutter to tap along the score line - that is what the ball is for. Tap immediately after scoring. It is common lore that the cuts can heal and if you wait the the break may not go straight and could ruin the cut. I never tried it so I can't say of it's true or not - there's enough to go wrong without my looking for more. Lube the cutter wheel every time. Pros use kerosene I didn't have any so I used Stoddard solvent in the form of WD40. In fact pros keep the cutters in a container of kerosene with something soft at the bottom so the wheels don't get nicked. I used cut running pliers to break the scores there is one ridge in the center of bottom jaw and two ridges on the top jaw one at each side. The pliers in essence bend the glass along the score and it breaks at the weak point.

But the end result was a rplacement lite of glass.

At some point in this project I gave the outside of the box a coat of amber shellac. That brightened it up a lot.

[J.A.F.E.]

This is the tool I used to set the nails in the glass retaining strips.

I just used tiny little brads and the tool set them in short order. I did predrill the holes. When going into this wood where I'm worried about splits I drill a pilot with a brad with the head cut off. Works with nails too. The advantage is the hole is tight enough the brad will grip but open enough to be safe to drive the fastener.

[J.A.F.E.]

And that brings it all to a close.

The paratroopers wings for the sharp eyed are not mine. They belonged to my father who was a marine when he got them. After his stint in the MC he became an officer in the air force. He was a bad ass and I mean that in awe.

The pins starting to populate the box. I thought I had a lot but now I can see I have to get a few more to fill in the blank spaces.

The box hung in it's new home.

As Porky Pig says That's all Folks!

[goodfellow]

Quite intricate and delicate work. Well done Steve, it looks great.

[john k]

At first thought it was sorta okay, then got caught on the attention to detail.  Lot of work but really good end product.  Too often our collection of (smalls) hide in drawers forever.   Good one.

[coolmercury]

A lot of trouble along the way, but a very good end result.