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Greetings from Moscow, Russia!
Got that chest from antiques seller in Moscow suburb.
Judging by the hardware style (inner main lock, wooden mirror frame) it’s a piece from 1915-1919.
The drawer arrangement is quite unique, with a very narrow notebook drawer, and a large drawer with additional lock and plywood bottom.
Somewhy it had 6 latches on the top lid (2 are missing), and three hinges.
The dimensions are approx 20w x 14h x 10d inches.
The back sides of the drawers have pencil markings 32-/drawer number/, like 32-7 and so on.I think it came to Russia with some wartime import during ww1.
What model could it be?
Why does it has such a strange arrangement?
Can I find the missing latches somewhere maybe?Daydiecast,
That is a very interesting drawer layout. I fairly new to Gerstner, but have been doing a bit of research into them for past 5-6 months, haven’t seen one like that yet.
I will be interested to follow your resrotation.Wondering if that wasn’t a custom built chest?
I would suggest that you send those pictures and size by email directly to Scott Campbell, president of Gerstner, he is very knowledgeable and helpful.
You can email them to him at Scott@GerstnerUSA.comI have to agree with Zok. There are so many non-Gerstner things going on with that chest. The layout of the drawers, the lock, the handle and ferrules, the hinges, the lack of tracks for the front panel, ands the cushions that are supposed to keep the front panel from rubbing on the bottom are a few readily visible. Maybe I am just missing something, but I don’t see it as a Gerstner, except for the label on the bottom drawer.
I think you need to talk to Scott Campbell at Gerstner, Scott@gerstnerusa.com, or Ted Johnson, 2toolboxted@gmail.com ,our history guru. https://sites.google.com/site/theguideforwoodmachinistchests/
Thank you for your replies.
The lock is Eagle Lock Co solid brass, and it does fall into the early gerstner style.
The other hardware does that too, according to the chest guide.
The front panel tracks are here, they end up in rectangular steel plates and not the round ones like they do today.
I don’t see any traces of the major rebuilds except some minor fixes with epoxy.So far I’ve stripped the chest off it’s hardware and decaying felt, and removed the old and dirty varnish with acetone.
The body is in a pretty good shape, needs only missing corner repair and a piece of veneer replacing on the back, and some filling here and there.
Cleaned the corners with buffing wheel, they all look good except two ones at the bottom that have a significant rust pitting on them.
Had some hard time removing the deformed plywood bottom from the large drawer since it was repaired with epoxy that holds very good, and I dont want to undo it completely. In a slit for that drawer’s bottom I found a pocketwatch winding pinion stuck there when the drawer got loose – one of the previous owner should be a watch repairer.
No luck on any other history though.
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