Antique Truck Restoration Business

Antique Truck Restoration Business SPECIALTY/SERVICES Specialty/Services 27-6-31 If you're looking for a part-time business you can run from the farm, you might want to look into restoring antique trunks, says Stan LaBounty, Fargo, N. Dak., who has been restoring antique trunks part time for the past 10 years. He restores about two trunks per month for customers in a five-state area. Customers generally deliver trunks to him. He advertises very little and gets business mainly by word of mouth. He says his business has prospered because there are a lot of antique shipping trunks around that are in bad shape, and he makes them look good again. "People are amazed at the æbefore and after' difference," says LaBounty, a retired farmer. "An antique trunk isn't worth anything if it's not good enough to be used. On the other hand, a refinished trunk can really brighten up a room. I like to do the ones that aren't usable because they give me more of a challenge. I'll work on a trunk no matter what condition it's in. I haven't seen one yet that I wasn't able to fix." But don't worry that the restored trunk will look too new. "You can't take the antiqueness out of antique trunks. You can always tell where they've been," he says. According to LaBounty, many trunks have to be completely rebuilt. "Often the trunk sat closed up in a basement or attic for years and was used to store old overshoes or clothes. Or the owner got the trunk after his great grandmother died and now he wants it fixed up. "For example, a Minnesota man sent me a trunk that had sat for years in an old granary, where mice had chewed holes in it. It was in terrible shape. When he came to pick it up after I restored it, he couldn't believe it how good it looked. He put it in his bedroom and sent me photos of it. In fact, I get photos quite often after people take their trunks home." He does the exterior first and the interior last. The outside wood is stripped of the old finish by hand. The wood is then sanded and sealed and painted, and a high quality finish is applied. Sometimes he also replaces the leather handles and any metal strips. He relines the interior with whatever the customer wants, usually replacing the original wallpaper with cedar lining. Sometimes he lines the interior of the lid with tapestry fabric showing mountain scenes, gardens, wildlife, etc. If desired, the bottom and sides of the trunk can be lined with tapestry, too. Cost depends on several things such as condition, style, size and how the customer wants the trunk relined. The cost is typically in the $400 to $500 range. LaBounty also buys old trunks, restores them, and sells them. He gets the parts he needs from Brettuns Village Trunk Shop, a nationwide trunk restoring company based in Maine. The company buys, sells, and refinishes trunks for antique dealers, interior decorators, etc., as well as regular folks. They supply parts for trunks and carry their own line of leather trunk handles and straps. And they can tell you everything you need to know about antique trunks, including antique trunk history, information on trunk makers, and even parts, tools, books, and help for do-it-yourselfers. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stan LaBounty, Antique Trunk Restoration, 209 27th Ave. N., Fargo, N. Dak. 58102 (ph 701 237-5359; email: sjlab13@hotmail.com) or Brettuns Village Trunk Shop, Box 772, Auburn, Maine 04212 (ph 207 782-7863; website: www.brettunsvillage.com).

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