Over the dreaded lock down that the majority of us feel like time dilated and equally melted into one cumulative memory with no real beginning or end…there was a surplus of both time and Call of Duty, and somewhere in that Venn diagram there was a window of inspiration when I struck and old ammunition box during a clear out of the garage.
If you’re looking for the outcome you’ll find the video here…
My parents house has been in 2 generations now, so there’s stuff that never got cleared out and reveals itself occasionally. This crate was tucked way back underneath a quite deep workbench that had been built some time ago. The underneath housed a semiorganised horde of DIY, building materials, hardware metals paints and just about anything you could imaging that would make a fallout 3 style settlement workbench (sorry no Deathclaw Gauntlets or Rock-it Launchers or Bottlecap Mines here).
Every so often, the right combination of time, curiosity, and a sense of duty to fix something old lines up perfectly for me. Sometimes I seek it through car boot sales, eBay gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, or occasionally I’ll get a message from someone asking if I want something (like some furniture that I’m doing them a favour of removing from their sights anyway!).
I’m a DIY stereotype in a lot of senses, and yes I have my shed (that I also built!) stacked with bits of timber, boards, deconstructed pallets and an array of oils and paints that i know are going to come in handy at some point. There’s also customised racking which you might get excited about I’d you’re also the kind of person that has bits of metal, tubs of hardware and odd screws, and load of hand me down tools from the family.
That’s exactly how I ended up restoring a battered, rust-covered ammunition box I found buried at the back of an old garage. It had clearly been forgotten, but it still had potential. And I had plenty of time to find out.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/E0uv1Ivs-Ds
Step 1: Stripping Away the Dirt
Before I could see what I was working with, I had to get through years of caked-on grime. I grabbed some stiff brushes and a bucket of soapy water and got to work. This part was all elbow grease, scrubbing every inch to uncover the original shape hidden beneath the dirt. Wear gloves, eye goggles and a mask if you ever plan to do this because the grime and next steps go everywhere.
Absolutely nothing satisfying so far…
Step 2: Removing the Rust and Old Paint
Once it was clean and dry, I moved on to the real work which was getting rid of the rust and peeling paint. I fitted a wire brush attachment to my drill (Dewalt club for those bothered about that) and started work on the surface. It made a mess and the rust dust and paint chips flying everywhere. I had a mask that wasnt really fit for that kind of filtering but lesson learned on that one and I now have a full face chemical grade mask for these kinds of projects. Blowing your nose or something after these kind of grubby works usually comes out black with soot or sawdust, or metal dirt and grime,…but no longer!
Slowly, the box started to look less like scrap metal and more like a project with potential. You can probably see the optimism as I write this, but still I had no idea what to use it dor, just that I wanted to revive it.
Step 3: Reshaping with Heat and Tools
Some parts were bent or dented out of shape. For that, I brought out the blowtorch and a pair of heavy-duty pliers. Heating the metal helped soften it just enough to make it pliable again, not absolutely torching it because this is a relatively soft metal anyway. I worked slowly, bending it back into form bit by bit.
This stage needed patience. Too much heat and it warps; too little and it won’t budge. There’s a rhythm to it, a kind of focus that blocks out everything else.
Closing the lid gives a satisfying clunk now and could easily be used as a video game SFX I reckon!
Step 4: Priming and Painting
Once the box was cleaned, smoothed, and shaped, it was time to seal the deal. it looked good raw and i was thinking about just adding tool oil or a lacquer but id gone heavy on some areas with the wire brush due to rust and it needed some protection and a mm or 2 of thickness that paint would give it.
I gave it a coat of rust-resistant primer to protect the surface, then finished with a spray of matte blue (which doesn’t quite match the original look but this crate had a blue tone to the paint so can’t imagine it was too far off).
The final result was simple and full of character, which just functions as a storage box now.
Why Bother?
These things are so easily thrown away, but i love to find value in things that can be revived or reworked. I’m no antiques roadshow restoration crew, but I can get a decent finish on most things, or will change my arm at doing it even if it means borrowing a new tool like a blowtorch or a welder and learn how to do it.
It might just be an old ammo box to some, but to me, it became a quiet kind of work that was enjoyable. Theres a quick montage video of the process and a final picture here.
I hope this can inspire to revive and up-cycle more things, because I suppose it’s true that ‘another person’s trash is another person’s treasure’.
Follow up
After sharing the montage video, my brother got in touch to tell me he was working on a house renovation and had found this old military cabinet and I could collect it if I wanted, what a gem (the guy and the cabinet both).
Without going into too much detail on this one, it cleaned up well with wire wool and some WD40. Had to do ALL of the the individual drawers which was a pain and there was internal rust there but largely superficial to the paint. I used some metal wax on the outer layer to give some resistance down the line.
I did consider stripping this and then making military green again, but decided against it because the character this has. I was also afraid that it would just look like an ikea office cabinet then…
This now stores important letters and bills etc. And helps to keep things tidy. Thought it doesn’t fit with the house decor (apparently) so it may be in need of a new home.
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