![]() ![]() Therefore, as I cannot afford to loose any more money, I ask you to pay the postage. However, I already had two people who live outside USA ask for springs and have lost a bit of money due to postage. NOTE: I had previously said I would send these without charging for shipping as they are small and I thought it would not be a problem. If you are interested in getting some, let me know. As they cost me $12.00 each I would happily sell them for $25/pair or $120 for 10. It occured to me that I should recover some of my investment by selling these springs online. I expect I will be finding a lot of uses in the future for them now that I have a supply. These are cool springs and could be adapted to a wide variety of uses in furniture, since they have a good size and can move a fair amount of material a good distance. In any event, I ordered 100 springs to get 8. I guess I should have asked how much for 1000? Perhaps at some much higher number they would pay me? Not sure. Then I asked how much for 100 springs and they said $1200. Their price was around $800! They mentioned that it would be cheaper if I ordered more than 8, so I asked about how much it would cost for 50. They were very easy to work with and sent back a quote to make the 8 springs I needed for the 4 boxes. So I sent one of the original springs to a company in Maine, Spring Manufacturing Corporation in Tewksbury. Using files I worked it into shape easily. I was able to make the brass stock by hand starting with a piece of rather thick brass stock. That allows the two springs to act, pushing the tray out.Īntique Box Spring System Inside Drawer Opening This moveable floor will then depress a plunger which moves the brass stock down away from the catch. To release the tray you will push down on the floor of the pencil tray inside the box. This catch hooks on a piece of brass stock that is embedded in the floor of the box. There is a simple piece of square brass stock which is under the tray at the back which forms the catch. These springs have enough force and travel to push the tray out of the box over half its length. The system depends on having two special springs working together. We needed a way to open the tray without a visible pull. We are creating a gilt leather writing tray which will hide inside the box and be pushed out from the side. Thus, since we are currently working on the second series of the Treasure Boxes, and designed these with a secret writing surface, it seemed like a good idea to use this method as a way of opening the trays. This system still works perfectly after a century and a half. When this button is pressed it releases a catch inside and two springs act to push the hidden drawer forward from the bottom. There is room for the tools used in sewing and other crafts.Īt the back of the box is a button in the frame. ![]() The trays hold the cut glass jars for the powders and make up materials. This box is in rather poor condition, but includes a mirror under the lid which hides a space behind it for letters. I have posted here a photo of a wonderful ebony dressing box. Since these were portable and often contained letters or money which was valuable, they included catches, moveable panels and springs which would open hidden compartments. As I continued to explore, I found an unusual cavity which had not been opened before (as far as the docents were aware.) Inside that compartment I found a neat $100 bill (in 1930 Monopoly money!) Of course I replaced it and I am sure it is still there today.ĭuring the Victorian period there were lots of things produced which used secret escapements. One day I opened a slant front Chippendale desk and began to remove the usual "secret" compartments. Each day at 8:00 am I was waiting at the door for it to open and each day at 9:00 pm I was the last person to leave when it closed.ĭuring that time I had the pleasure of spending time in each of the 115 rooms studying the furniture at my leisure. I spent three months at Winterthur that year and was allowed to live in my camper on the parking lot, just a few hundred yards from the museum and library. That meant I was allowed to actually open drawers, crawl underneath and generally handle objects (with a great deal of care.) In return, they allowed me a certain "discretion" in my efforts to examine furniture in the collection. I have always had a fascination for secret drawers, secret compartments, secret panels and related tricks of the trade which have been incorporated in historic furniture designs by clever people.ĭuring the Summer Institute at Winterthur in 1978, I went out of my way to do favors for the docents who were working there. Victorian Dressing Box (Button At Back Edge) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |