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Beauty lurks under layers of paint

When I read the title of this piece, I thought it was about many of the women I have known and dated.

What a georgeous safe. How cool to be able to restore something like that.

In my family we have an antique library table made by my great-great grandfather, who was a carpenter. He died in 1922, so the table predates that. During the intervening years, as the paint/finish needed re-doing, family members would just slap on another coat of whatever paint was available. The table I knew as a child was dark, almost black, and nobody seemed to have any idea what type of wood was underneath it all. Some years ago, my dad undertook the project of a significant resoration of this relic. He completely disassembled the table and stripped off all the old paint and finish to reveal a beautiful golden oak. So, the table was carefully reassembled replacing some of the worn hardware and casters, and re-stained with stain to bring out the wood's natural color. This article caused me to think of that experience. I have a great respect for talented artisans that can so masterfully restore such beautiful relics of past generations.

This safe was also used by the Publishing Services group in the 1990's who used it to store stamps and money in their print shop. I know, I used to open and close it every day. Until someone stole money from it, the keys worked fine. Now it has that stupid combo lock on it, thanks to a heavy-handed former state employee..

Some people just don't have any taste. It's a crime to paint over such a beautiful surface; be it wood or metal, it's still art.

Good One! And so true. LOL