My first cigar box is on the way, and it's a paper-covered wood one. As cool as the label might be, I'd rather have a plain wood box, so I can customize it to my liking...is there a set method of removing these labels, without ruining the wood box?
Thanks!
Rob
Replies
Your wife saved you a great big headache Robert! I know because one of my earliest builds used that exact style of box right down to the labels. Unlike yours mine was scuffed so badly that I felt someone had dragged it behind a car, so off came the labels!
It took three hours of gentle scrubbing with a plastic scouring pad to get it all off, and I was left with a wet plywood box with edges that needed to be carefully sanded to avoid future tear-outs held in place with staples and a top of waterlogged soft Masonite particleboard. The entire box had to be re-glued and clamped, the staples carefully tugged out after drying and plugged with putty and the lid had to thrown away-I equalized the sides to the top and bottom with thin Birch (sliced popsickle sticks) and replaced the lid with moderately braced Door-skin before treating with amber Shellac.
It looked and sounded great but it was a LOT of work!
If you get another one of those boxes (and if your wife lets you keep it) just flip it over and use the thin wood back-it should be just fine. Or customize it if you really want to put the sweat into it-it will work fine either way.
Thanks, Dan....here's what I'm dealing with:
There's paper all over this thing....
Rob
Thats a good looking box, why do you want to remove the label. I would keep that one the way it is and get another without full labels if you want a solid wood look. I found recently that just because they look like wood on the bottom, the covered top sometimes is pasteboard.
Dan
I'll agree with Dan on this. Many of this type box look ti be "all wood" but you will find that when you start cutting the box or drilling holes in it that the only wood will be the back and the rest of the paper covered box is pasteboard. I even came across one that showed wood grain on the top that was actually pasteboard with a paper thin wood veneer on it. Anytime you find a box with that pretty a label, keep it. If you really want to have a bare wood top on a paper covered box you would probably be better off to just cut off the lid and replace it with a home made wood top.
Well, my box came in today...my wifey loves it, says it's too pretty to 'destroy', and now she won't let me cut a hole in it to make a CBG. :(
Looks like I'll need a back-up....
Rob
Since I plan on building more than one of these, I think I'll take your advice, Dan...pick up a plain one somewhere, and keep this one like it is...it is kinda nifty looking. Thanks for convincing me!
Rob
I'd agree with Dan there. People love the paper covered ones. I get more people asking me to build those than the boxes I make myself, even though they sound better!
Hair Dryer works well for the surgeon general lables.