Ideas for restoring an SKS Crate

[CanadaCollector]

Hey everyone,

I did a search on this couldnt find much if any info. But I picked up a decent condition SKS crate today for dirt cheap at CT and I want to restore into a nice looking storage container/coffee table for my man cave. So far I have taken off all the metal hardware and removed the braces on the inside where the rifles would sit. I was just curious as to what to best technique would be for removing the layers of ugly green paint of the exterior and removing the cosmoline from the interior? Im sure I cant be the first person to have attempted this?

I've sanded probaby 75% of the paint off the lid so far an the wood looks really nice, its just taking a long time. I was thinking of maybe using paint stripper or one of those hand held steam cleaners?

Just wanted some feedback :

Thanks!

 

[ilike22s]

Sounds like fun. First thing I'd do is keep the gun racks/braces intact, fill it with guns, hinged plate glass top and use it for display/storage. A tastefully muted internal lighting system would also be cool. Make for a great coffee table.

 

[CanadaCollector]

You mean like this?

I was thinking of redoing the paint job or sanding of all the paint and burning the markings back in the giving it a few coats of tung oil. Then possibly adding a glass top and lighting at a later date

 

[ilike22s]

You mean like this?

I was thinking of redoing the paint job or sanding of all the paint and burning the markings back in the giving it a few coats of tung oil. Then possibly adding a glass top and lighting at a later date

Yes! Very nice. I'd not change a thing except the drink. A large glass of Gosling's Black Seal would replace the beer.

 

[hunterinthewoods]

wow!!!! ^^^^^^^

 

[ilike22s]

If I was the PMC at my old mess I'd probably use something like that in the snakepit.

 

[Nabs]

I want one .

 

[fenceline]

I just picked up an SKS crate myself with the thought of doing the same. Damn its heavy, and that is without anything in it.

 

[can14]

Use ammonia in a spray bottle to clean up the grease.

 

[Innercity]

Where can you get these? What do they cost?

PM me i don't come to the milsurp forum often.

 

[CanadaCollector]

Use ammonia in a spray bottle to clean up the grease.

Ammonia eh? I've heard of using simple green or using steam to get the cosmoline out of the wood on the interior. I might try steam to remove the paint...

 

[fenceline]

Where can you get these? What do they cost?

PM me i don't come to the milsurp forum often.

I found mine at a gun store that sells sks rifles. Got mine for a very cheap price. Free! Not perfect shape but pretty good to start a project.

 

[agentcq]

Milarm and P&D sell the crates ($30-50). Some stores will give you the crate if you buy 10x rifles.

For removing heavy paint use Circa Antique paint remover (with gloves and a Scotch pad) on a hot day. That paint will bubble up and that Antique remover should not remove the paint. I have used that stuff on WWII painted shoves, K98 stocks and MG34 Lafette mounts. Do not dry sand! That old paint probably contains lead. When done, used a nice natural oil to protect or a urethane oil if you want to fully water proof the wood (coffee table).

Good luck.

 

[zuke]

Why not just copy the crate with new,clean wood?
That would give you the option to paint/stain it as you please?

 

[Cdn303]

Well, because, that would be the easy thing to do.

In the OP's defence though, I am lucky that I am a carpenter, but not everyone is.

 

[agentcq]

Big difference between the quality of wood.
Cheap soft wood pine laminate? Or 60 year old aged hardwood?

I have a few of these cases. I will keep 1-2 as is and I am actually going to use the wood/hardware to create some other transport cases (MP40/K98 etc.).

 

[camster]

For the paint, stripper is your friend. Circa 1870 is a fantastic product...it may even help with the cosmoline.

I was lucky enough to get a crate from SFRC (they are so cool) that now works as a toybox. I liked the exterior enough as-is...I lined the interior with a dollar-store shower curtain liner, and covered it with an old sheet. Few staples in each to retain them.

As rough n' tumble as the red menace was, they got nothing on my 8 year old. Has held up for over a year so far with no degradation yet. No cosmo on the toys either.

 

[CanadaCollector]

So I managed to completely strip the crate...well more like 95% of the paint. I ended up using a stripper from CT. Forget what it was called. But it was a naptha petroleum based product that was a clear gel like substance and gave off some potent fumes (good thing I had a mask and googles.

I spread it on the entire crate with a scouring pad and let it sit for 15-20 min. The paint blistered and practically fell off. I then took a pressure washer to the exterior to get all the excess stripper off now its drying outside. I'm probably going to sand the remainder of the exterior down to get off the last bits of paint and to smooth the edges. I'm then going to strip the paint off all the metal hardware and repaint it flat black with some rustoleum.

It seems the body of the crate is made of a good strong hardwood and the handles are made of some sort of cheap laminate.

 

[CanadaCollector]

Why not just copy the crate with new,clean wood?
That would give you the option to paint/stain it as you please?

I might do this for my next one as the crate design seems pretty simple. The only thing I have no idea how to do is the dovetail joints for the corners :S