1942 Canadian syrup crate...do you clean your crates?

[Eric]

Good job... depending on the condition of the crate I try and clean with a damp cloth going with the grain. just water and a mild soap.
Now I've bought crates right out of a barn that are covered in dirt.. If they aren't rare I just hose those off (using low water pressure of course)
in the sun but try not to just soak them because the wood will swell and split the paint... I've seen at bottles show where others even
polyurethane them... I'm on the fence with this... some look good and it will preserve the paint but they sometimes look too shiny and
it darkens the wood to where they look wet all the time... If they were done with a satin or flat finish (don't know if that is available)
they may look better... But I'm sure at times if you have a nice or rare crate and the paint if coming off this may be the only way to
preserve them. Any thoughts on polyurethane or other sealers?

Love that Coca-Cola crate... You did well..

 

[Canadacan]

Thank you for the comment Eric. Yes I'm on the fence as well with the polyurethane preservation method, on a common crates I cant see it hurting...say for instance some people now use them as simple decorator pieces so it enhances the look. I suppose if you use an oil modified poly it may have a yellow tinge and really darken the wood, if you use a water borne poly it will be crystal clear and wont darken the wood as much. Here is a product that has a 'matt' finish or flat....this would work best to preserve with out that awful gloss or semi gloss.
http://varathane.ca/water-based/diamond-wood-finish-matte-finish/273902


On this particular Coca-Cola crate I have, I'll refrain from putting any thing on it...I believe it would lower the value, I guess I would compare it to someone putting polyurethane on a bottle with a paper label.
It would be interesting to see if one could find out what the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta does to preserve rare wood crates or objects.

 

[Eric]

Yes I wonder if sealing them with a matte finish would lower the value.. not that I would sell my crates anyway.. but I would think if you could get a good sealer that doesn't
show or stand out like the shiny finishes it would help preserve and protect the paint/inks... I wouldn't go as far as sealing the insides but the outside I may...
I might have to try and find that matte finish and try it on one of my common crates. Would make it easier to keep clean.
dust/dirt wouldn't settle into the wood as easy. Might be a good project to try and report back with.

I wonder too if they use any products on their crates at the museum... Would be neat to know how they handle things like wood... or even rust on metal like signs, coolers and machines...

 

[Canadacan]

Eric if you do decide to try the matt finish maybe you could do some before and after photos? I was on a road trip last year in southern Ontario and visited an antique mall and one of the booths had dozens of crates, none were soda but they were all finished in polyurethane! Searching the net yesterday and found this article...it's very interesting, not sure why links are not posting as a hyperlink?...but here it is just copy and past it into your search bar.
https://www.thehenryford.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/the-henry-ford-furniture-amp-wooden-objects-conservation.pdf?sfvrsn=2

I still have to clean the other side of my crate and will still do the same method from before, I will post before and after pics when done. The article points out if wet cleaning as a last resort to blot up excess water...that's exactly what I did using paper towel. I'm not going to be using the detergents they recommend though....besides where the heck do you even get that stuff?

 

[CreekWalker]

It looks great!