New update here: RESTORATION PROJECT: LUCY RICARDO’S BREADBOX Part 2
I found a vintage Nesco breadbox (above) in shabby rusty condition to restore. This one is the same type as you see in the Kitchen set of “I love Lucy”, except it was white and had a “garden girl” decal which is barely visible in its current condition. It will take a bit of work to restore it to anything close to original condition, and I have never done anything like this before so its a learning experience for me.
I also found a set of four square yellow vintage Nesco nesting tins on eBay from the same era and which were missing the decals. So I will clean and paint the breadbox and tins and make my own version of the original “Nosegay” Decal seen on the Nesco set in Lucy Ricardo’s kitchen.
I searched online and found some reference pictures from past auctions to give an idea of what I am aiming for. Here is a picture I found exactly like the one on the show with the decal in good condition and in yellow as well.
The breadbox I found (see top picture) was quite shabby and had a dent on the top right corner rim and rust spots outside and inside. I was actually glad to find one on poor condition because a better one deserves to be preserved for serious collectors and I had no idea if I was up to the task of restoring it. I used a pliers to try to straighten the dent with some success – not pictured.
Various tips for removing rust can be found online. I wanted to avoid volatile cleaning fluids, so I first scrubbed it with S.O.S. Steel Wool Soap Pads and then rubbed half a raw potato dipped in baking soda over all the rust and rinsed off with hot water. Green tomatoes are supposed to be good for removing rust too but I did not have any to hand. Next step was to dry it thoroughly with a hair dryer. Then I used fine sand paper to prepare it for painting. I decided not to paint the base or the inside so wiped some coconut oil on those areas to help prevent more rust. I left it for several days to make sure it the metal was completely dry in the seams to avoid trapping any moisture under the paint.
See next post for an update on my progress. RESTORATION PROJECT: LUCY RICARDO’S BREADBOX Part 2