The finish of the “World Traveler” trunk was inspired by the piece itself. I wanted to give this trunk a new life for a young boy of ten years to cherish as a keepsake as he grows up. The final look of this canvas trunk evolved over a matter of a few weeks as I used the various products to create the achieved finish. The trunk had leather straps on the outside that were disintegrating, so I began by removing them and chose not to replace with leather. I replaced the leather handles with more durable metal ones. I had not stained metal before, so this was a first for me. The General Finishes Java Gel adhered extremely well and the High Performance top coat gives it added protection and sheen. The story of the transformation begins with the outside of the piece.
Outside of trunk: I initially laid down Annie Sloan Aubusson Chalk Paint on the canvas of the outside of the trunk. The second step was to apply General Finishes Java Gel to the previously painted canvas areas and wipe back the stain to give the Chalk Paint color an aged look. The third step entailed staining all of the woodwork and metal on the piece with the java gel stain. I did not wipe it back, as I wanted a deep dark brown. Then, all of the woodwork and metal was finished with General Finishes High Performance Top Coat. The next step was to apply clear wax to the canvas areas and wipe back, immediately followed by a wash of AS Provence to created the third tone. The next step was to create the stamp on the top of the piece I achieved this by using Liquitex modeling paste, letting it dry and then painting it with Modern Masters Metal Effects Oxidizing Copper Paint. Annie Sloan clear wax was applied to canvas areas.
Inside of Trunk: I began by painting a layer of AS Aubusson on the entire inside of the trunk. The next step was to apply the map to the inside of the trunk lid with Mod Podge Furniture Satin Waterbase Sealer, Glue and Finish. I used GF Java Gel Stain to age the map and a 50/50 mix of AS Graphite and AS Napoleonic around the map in the lid to blend map and inside of lid. The Graphite/Napoleonic mix was layered inside the trunk as well except for the bottom stripe, that is left AS Aubusson. Then I did a wash of AS Aubusson on all of it. I finished up the inside with a coating of MMME Oxidizing Copper around the edge of the lid and to accent inside the trunk, followed by a layer of GF High Performance topcoat inside the lid and top board inside trunk. The remaining inside of the trunk is waxed with AS clear wax.
