• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Building a cabinet for my MEDAL COLLECTION ******* Tuesday 11/15 update in OP

21 posts in this topic

(I originally posted this ATS, but for those that don't go to the other thread, I thought I'd post here as well in hopes of passing along the information and hopefully inspiring)The collection I'm most proud of, are my Presidential Inaugural Medals.They go back to Benjamin Harrison but even further if you count inaugural tokens.That said, they are large. Mostly 70mm but I have one as large as 105mm. I've been storing them in riker boxes stacked under my desk.This has always bothered me since I'm so proud of the collection so far......and they're in boxes.....on the floor. SO:I decided that I wanted an "architect's cabinet/map cabinet/flat cabinet" for my collection to be better housed/displayed.I looked on ebay, pintrest, and etsy at architect's cabinets, and wow....they're expensive. So now I'm building one. - With little-to-no experienceHere is my journey below:I will update new photos and information as I go.Please feel free to show/post anything numismatically related that you have built.Inspire us!These are a couple of the medals in my Inaugural collection. Picture7_zpsbc125844.pngDSC_0150_zpse948bfdc.jpgThis is the inspiration piece I found on Pintrest. (NOT MINE) Screen%20Shot%202016-09-16%20at%2011.13.03%20PM_zpsgirrumtj.pngI thought it best to convert an antique cabinet and build it new drawers.First I needed to find just the right piece!CRAIGSLIST, Here I come!After a few weeks of searching, I found an old(er) dresser in Monrovia, CA, roughly an hour away from me. $80. It's PERFECT!Here it is as soon as I got it back to my place:Screen%20Shot%202016-09-16%20at%2010.47.06%20PM_zpsywtmqryq.pngScreen%20Shot%202016-09-16%20at%2011.24.59%20PM_zpslzvnhbki.pngSo here is a rough sketch of my plan:Screen%20Shot%202016-09-16%20at%2011.25.55%20PM_zpsa4rm5jn8.pngFirst thing to do is remove all the brown paint and old sealant that is on it. I HIGHLY recommend Citri-strip. I DO NOT WORK FOR THEM AND AM NOT SELLING ANYTHING. It just did a damn good job on removal of the layers, and most importantly, I never sanded a thing!Here is after all the layers had been removed:Screen%20Shot%202016-09-16%20at%2011.26.18%20PM_zps2retpryk.pngScreen%20Shot%202016-09-16%20at%2011.26.33%20PM_zpsuvclpv3c.pngI'll do a light sanding and stain the piece after everything is built. So the next step is to start building some drawers. Riker boxes are 1in deep and that is just fine. However, DAMN that would be thin drawers. I settled on 2in drawers with the face of the drawer being 2 1/4. To see how cheep I could be, I decided to make the drawers of super-cheap plywood(sanded and stained OR painted(haven't decided) and put a beautiful pine face on them(stained in the final step of course).

The drawers look VERY thin, but in the end, I think you'll see that the size is great......I hope.Screen%20Shot%202016-09-16%20at%2011.28.22%20PM_zpsqubb8w78.pngScreen%20Shot%202016-09-16%20at%2011.28.42%20PM_zpsvizfxz2f.pngIf you look at the above photo on the left, you'll see that the wood holding up my rail for the drawers is a piece of plywood that I cut to fit into the existing grooves on the inside. Therefore, I may be able to build this without adding a single nail or screw-hole to the dresser. Once I get all the drawers in, Ill set a lock so that the depth to which the close is decided. I don't know if I want the drawers flush with the face or recessed a little. Now that I've built 1 drawer, I have 10 more for the bottom section._______________________________Saturday 9/17: I finished cutting and putting in the second shelf.I'll post again once I have many more shelves and not just every time I add something. That would be a boring thread.Screen%20Shot%202016-09-17%20at%201.12.29%20PM_zpsodpxgdao.png_________________________________Wednesday 9/28Busy week for me. Shot a Verizon/iPhone commercial.

j5920m5lae3f.pngThat was fun, but that meant I haven't worked much on the cabinet, however, here is where I am as of this evening:I have 5 drawers completed. 6 more to go on the bottom of the unit. 4 I think for the top if I want all of them to be the same size. I am toying with the idea if doing something different on top. Not sure yet.IMG_9163_zpsg4fpcl7g.jpgAs for the drawers, I'll cut 3/4in foam to fit my drawers and then arrange the medals how I like and then cut out the foam so that the medals sit recessed. Look at my photo at the top of the thread for reference.IMG_9117_zpscx0txoi1.jpgNow, my next question is what do y'all think I should do with the inside of the drawersA. Leave it as just foam. Still looks good.B. Cut in a fabric over the foam so it's smoother and sleeker.I'm thinking about going with Purple1915-Panama-Pacific-coin-set-in-case_zpsmham91mn.jpg Here's a VERY ROUGH mock up. Keep in mind: the medals will be recessed(not sitting on top), the fabric will be smoothed to remove wrinkles before bonding, and the wood will be a dark stain when complete.9wvjxfp7hew1.jpg______________________________________________Friday Oct. 14thI got another cool job. I'm guest starring on NCIS, so I have been tied up again and my work has been slow.That said, we're getting close to the finish line as far as construction goes. All the drawers are built and their pine faces have been added. I've decided to make a slightly larger drawer for the bottom(since my measurements were off), and I've got to set all the drawers for the top.whw7u4cvp2tk.jpg_________________________________________________Thursday Nov. 10th I've been delayed, AGAIN. but here is the status as of today:I looked EVERYWHERE FOR 30 pieces of matching ANTIQUE hardware..... IMPOSSIBLE. And when I did find something, EXPENSIVE!I settled on chinese knockoffs. at $21 for the 30 pieces. I'm.....content with them.....for now. I ordered 10 at first because at $7, I wanted to see what they looked like at an inexpensive price tag. That is why only 1/3 of the pulls are attached. I will remove the pulls before staining. I just wanted to have my holes drilled and see if I like the look of the pulls.The drawers are all built and set finally!-The final steps are: -fine sand everything, -vacuum/wipe down everything, -stain interior and drawers first, -stain cabinet and pine faces last, -put hardware back on, -upholster/foam in interior of drawers.THEN FINISHEDckyejfahjmdd.pngqw2k1axv4grn.pngu77byv2mqytu.png0ioxghwzhacc.pngVVVVVVVVVVVVVV --------UPDATE , Tuesday November 15thThings are starting to shape up, as its time to make some STAINS!Here is a photo of the operation(I've already stained the cabinet here, but will wait to show you the whole thing in the reveal)Screen%20Shot%202016-11-15%20at%2012.07.14%20PM_zps7r86gfvr.pngI used Pre wood conditioner, then Red Mahogany stain, and will follow up with wipe on poly once I have the desired color.Here is AFTER the first staining pass on the LEFT and after the second pass on the RIGHT. I'll probably do a third coat on the drawer facesScreen%20Shot%202016-11-15%20at%201.11.43%20PM_zpsafoudafz.pngThis is after the pre wood conditioner on the LEFT and after 1 coat of stain on the RIGHT. This is my desired hue for the cabinet.Screen%20Shot%202016-11-15%20at%2012.56.23%20PM_zpsh75i7k74.pngNow for INSIDE the drawers, I decided to start with the medals with ribbons first.I have small plastic hinged boxes for the medals to reside in. This is for 2 reasons: 1 to contain an otherwise dangly(for lack of a better term) medal in a confined space, and 2, an extra layer of protection.I will cut my 1/2 inch foam to fit the box and use their existing pins to hold them in place.Screen%20Shot%202016-11-15%20at%2012.06.04%20PM_zpscvaohiiv.pngScreen%20Shot%202016-11-15%20at%2012.06.18%20PM_zpsmtfkzta2.pngI haven't done it yet, I will cut the foam so that each box sits into it, NOT on top of it.Screen%20Shot%202016-11-15%20at%2012.06.59%20PM_zpsb9bimwom.pngNOTE*** I already had a saw, dremmel, straight edge, protective eyewear, drill, bits and some plywood.Items bought so far:Dresser - $80Citristrip - $10nails - $10Screws - $10Pine - $38Sandpaper - $40Plywood - $42Foam - $24Handles - $26Stain - $5Pre wood conditioner - Already had someWipe on Poly - $13rags - $4gloves - $3TOTAL amount spent to date = $305
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow.....That is going to be extremely cool. You found just the right starter piece.....

It's looks like you're doing a great job so far.

I would skip the casters. You never know if this may end up living on a carpet and then they wouldn't be much use.

Good luck on the rest !

Keep us posted.

 

Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That looks like an awesome collection - and you are building a suitably awesome cabinet to house it!

 

The only thing I would be concerned about would be outgassing from the glue/paint/wood/stain. I'm not an expert on this process, but I think there are sealants and stains that have lower outgassing. You don't want chemicals from your cabinet potentially damaging your medals.

 

Can't wait to see how the finished product looks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking nice so far! This is just what I have plans of doing one day when I have a shop/garage again. I bought a 2 cabinet shelf about 7 yrs ago, walmart special, and they just can't handle the weight of the coins after a few years of collecting. Nice going!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No casters/rollers as it needs not be portable.

 

Good job so far, I would have been concerned about the drawers warping, but cross graining the plywood should alleviate that concern.

 

Post more as you accomplish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No casters/rollers as it needs not be portable.

 

Good job so far, I would have been concerned about the drawers warping, but cross graining the plywood should alleviate that concern.

 

Post more as you accomplish.

This is exactlly my issue with the cabinet I have. But they are full size drawers also. I wouldn't think narrow drawers would have that much of an issue as long as the bottom has some fairly thick wood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow.....That is going to be extremely cool. You found just the right starter piece.....

It's looks like you're doing a great job so far.

I would skip the casters. You never know if this may end up living on a carpet and then they wouldn't be much use.

Good luck on the rest !

Keep us posted.

 

Paul

 

Thanks Paul

Casters, SKIPPED!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks like it's coming along just beautifully.

I'm a little afraid of foam in the drawers. I've seen foam included in coin packaging (think early 70's Canadian boxed dollars, 1967 Canada proof set, Franklin Mint struck world coin sets, etc) and it can often have a detrimental effect on toning.

Foams, glues even some cardboards...these things can have strange powers.

Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I missed the thread ATS so I am very glad you posted it here, too. What a fun project. WAY beyond my skills so I will have a lot of vicarious enjoyment watching you progress.

 

My only concern is to echo what physics-fan3.14 and thebeav said about out-gassing of fumes.

 

Incidentally, what would have been the price of a fully built cabinet, such as the one you posted from Pintrest?

 

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My only concern is to echo what physics-fan3.14 and thebeav said about out-gassing of fumes.

This is the reason that most no longer use wood storage cabinets. It's risky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Check the plastic foam you are using very carefully. Most of these degrade even in dark, closed containers. The result is a dark goo that is difficult to remove from anything.

 

Sometimes a deep nitrogen soak will help draw out the glue, stain and natural wood gasses. Many car repair places have nitrogen gas tanks for inflating tires.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I said before, this is a thoroughly fun thread. I anticipate seeing something beautiful when it's done!

 

And congratulations on the NCIS job. You have to let us (or, actually all I care about is me :) ) know when your episode airs.

 

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites