100 year old C. Roberson Tin Watercolor Paintbox Restoration

Hello Art-family,
I recently rebuilt a paintbox that was originally formed 100 years ago. I filmed the process so I could share on here. Just a fun flip through of the process. I've wanted to do this for a while but hadn't had an opportunity to try it. Thanks for watching.
Happy sketching,
Jared
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[@sirwholland7]

Sanding with one hand and the other one holding the camera!? Now that’s skill... stay safe.

[@lynnedunigan-little908]

I love seeing old things being brought back to life.

[@JaredCullum]

Lynne Dunigan-Little me too :)

[@michaelaceleste4764]

Wish he could restore me lol

[@Veronica-yy2or]

Rescued my grandmothers simple watercolor tin (no structure damage just a little sanding and enamel re-paint). Nothing near the work you did but a very special connection to her. Love that you took us step by step and very impressed with the repairs to hinges and edges. Thank you for another inspiring video.

[@JaredCullum]

I appreciate you watching :)

[@morcocaine]

That's badass man

[@lindyashford7744]

Love the final reveal with the paint ready to go. Lovely too to see a good box restored to functionality instead of being allowed to deteriorate and become someones little bit of antiquity. I love boxes almost as much as paints and hate to see them decay. The box itself was built to last and you have brought it back life. Great! Hope it feels as good as it looks.

[@JaredCullum]

Lindy Ashford thanks for watching :)

[@angiewright-artist8246]

Omg you did an amazing job, I wouldn't have been able to do the metalwork and hinges myself, as I saw it basically falling apart, bravo such a special treasure!!

[@JaredCullum]

Angie Wright-Artist you probably could. It’s actually not that hard or expensive. It’s takes a couple mess ups to get the hang of it but it is actually really simple. :)

[@alistewart3451]

Wow, that is gorgeous! Excellent job. And bonus points from my kitten, who found the whole process as fascinating to watch as I did. ;-)

[@JaredCullum]

Haha :) awesome- thanks for watching

[@mindofwatercolor]

Pretty cool Jared! Even got the original badge on there. I would not have had the patience for this but it was fun to watch.

[@JorjaZanetta]

Amazing!!!!❤️❤️❤️

[@KingFishStudios]

Universal soldier and renaissance man 👍 Always a treat Jared to observe your magic. “Jack of all...?” NO! “Jared of all trades.” Ha!

[@JaredCullum]

hahah :) Thanks and thanks for watching :)

[@essietangle9931]

It took a lot of work but it turned out great, its always good to see the paint all loaded and ready to go. What I liked the very most was seeing the August 2020 for your book!!! Always great to hear family in the background. Take care and stay healthy.

[@JaredCullum]

It was! but it was a nice mental break from the news. A difficult puzzle that kept me occupied this month. :) I'm on the the next project now to distract myself haha

[@brianashmorestudio]

So, so AWESOME!!!! Well done! Love seeing the plate back in place, too. 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@JaredCullum]

I can't believe I was able to get it done. I thought for sure I was going to just make it worse. haha

[@900cubes]

Looks good. I found a old W&N Bijou box a while back that was in bad shape that I was able to restore. It took a lot of work but it was fun.

[@JaredCullum]

I love those! I would love to get one of those one day for the ol' collection. (my friend Brian and I jokingly refer to it as "the palette museum" :)

[@900cubes]

Jared Loves to Draw haha. Yeah I don’t use it much because it’s so small but whenever someone sees it or knows that I have one will offer to buy it ...

[@vincefenton]

I have a Craig Young box I love using, waited months for it but well worth the wait ☺️

[@JaredCullum]

Craig makes a great box. :)

[@vincefenton]

@@JaredCullum he does indeed Jared.

[@EveBolt]

That is absolutely awesome!! I'm so glad you were able to salvage that box, it's gorgeous :D

[@JaredCullum]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@peachbooks3199]

love how it has so many mixing space!! great to see you restore it

[@BetsyRoutmanMarks]

Just fabulous!

[@JaredCullum]

Betsy Marks thank you!

[@maliequizhu6614]

Jared you are so handy! 👍👍👍

[@JaredCullum]

Hah thank you :)

[@EmeralDQueenTV]

WOW!!! Nice job, very impressive restoration.

[@JaredCullum]

Thank you :)

[@naturesketches126]

Wonderful work! 👍👏👍👏👍

[@JaredCullum]

Nature Sketches thank you!

[@doughilborn9447]

Wonderful

[@JaredCullum]

Thank you :)

[@DavidWoodArtist]

Looks great, maybe you could put another little plaque on it saying the restored date and your name. I know if I got something old like that, I'd like to know who owned it before me. Just a thought.

[@JaredCullum]

David Wood Painting and Plein Air that is a very good idea, actually. It wasn’t for me to keep but good for the future to be documented as restored and not original. I had to replace some pieces with brass so it is not 100% Original parts anymore either.

[@2lmdi]

OMG! I'm drooling!

[@JaredCullum]

haha thanks for watching. :)

[@Yorky222]

A super restoration Jared.

[@JaredCullum]

Thank you! :)

[@nattyw495]

Beautiful..well done on upcycling...👩‍🎨🎨✍

[@charmcrumrine8750]

Beautifully done. You really care about it.

[@JaredCullum]

Thanks for watching :)

[@lauraking1331]

Beautiful!

[@JaredCullum]

Thank you :)

[@Tonisfarm2024]

What an awesome find and amazing restoration! Not gonna lie...just a wee bit jealous💗 You did a fantastic job...enjoy!

[@JaredCullum]

Thank you for watching :)

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

The transformation is wonderful! I watched it twice. Also SUPER excited for your graphic novel 😍

[@JaredCullum]

Thank you, Sarah! :)

[@susanyoung1600]

What an awesome find! You are quite a talented guy!

[@JaredCullum]

Thanks Susan!

[@frenchgrama]

Excellent work Jared - I loooove seeing these vintage paintboxes being brought back to life, where in the world did you find it?

[@JaredCullum]

Magdalena French I didn’t! A friend of mine contacted me who had found it through eBay at some point.

[@artisticallyofficial]

Very satisfying to watch.

[@JaredCullum]

thank you!

[@jakascott]

How great to watch it come back to life! Great job you did on it! Do you know any history on it?

[@JaredCullum]

I know that it was made by the C. Roberson company in the early 1900's. It was eventually bought by Winsor Newton and made for a short while before they decided the design was too much fuss to make anymore. Also- as plastic grew more pliable and accessible these were not worth hand-making anymore. Many of them corroded or rusted out. They're very rare to find. There are a few people hand-making these boxes out of brass- like Craig young, Little brass box and some others. They're expensive but the brass will last forever unlike Tin. I've made them from sheet myself and I completely understand why they're so expensive haha They're not hard but it's very time consuming and a lot of work.

[@jakascott]

@@JaredCullum Thanks, I think it was quite a find and your restoration on it is amazing!...Enjoy!

[@steztoyz]

Were the old tin palettes just soldered together with a lead/tin solder, or was there a special solder used? I wouldn't use spray paint. Instead I'd prime it, and then use an oil based lettering enamel like One Shot. And I'd brush it on, rather than spray it. You'll get a thicker, more consistent enamel coating. Plus One Shot has a nice color range.

[@JaredCullum]

Fascinating- thank you. I’ll give that a try next time! I believe so- at least the ones I’ve encountered. I don’t know the exact mix or type they used but I know the reason I had to repair this box was because a person used heat to remove the previous paint and it melt the solder out of it. Thanks for the tip on the one shot. I’ll look into it especially if I can get a smooth coat. I hate when I get orange peel like I did on this initial paint and have to sand it and clear it until it’s right. Drives me crazy. Haha

[@steztoyz]

@@JaredCullum You might want to test a sample first on a piece of scrap tinned steel. After the paint has dried, you might try putting it in the oven at a very low heat, so you don't melt the solder. What this does is to drive out the last of the solvent in the paint, and hardens the enamel surface. But again, test the process out first on a piece of scrap metal.

[@klo3525]

So impressed with your restoration. I have ordered a paint box from la petit palette from a year something ago but still no sign... 🥺🥺

[@JaredCullum]

Peter at La-petite is a friend of mine. He has never not completed an order but they are very time consuming to make. I have a video on making boxes out of brass. It is really really time consuming and mine don't look anything near as nice as La-Petites. I'm sure he wouldnt mind if you reached out and asked what the wait time is, if you haven't. It's a slow process and I can't imagine having multiple to make. I understand why the wait is so long.

[@klo3525]

Jared Loves to Draw yea I know, because of this covid19 going on the postal service has stopped. I just hope this chao virus will be gone soon!

[@zamted]

Pretty cool I like the black better but the unpainted tin would’ve been cool

[@JaredCullum]

I did too. I was thinking about leaving it but it wasn't for me to keep. Also it would have corroded fast. I suppose you could try to clear coat or coat the outside. The epoxy primer i used coats the metal in a corrosion resistant layer so it'll help it last longer. These boxes are extremely rare because most have rusted clean through or are dust by now.

[@Watching_Koi]

What did you use to spray the paint onto the palette? Also, does the paint bead when using the mixing space and how badly does it stain when using phthalo pigments?

[@JaredCullum]

Klass Kote white epoxy paint in loadable spray bottles. It is extremely sturdy and sticks to metal well. Does bead- but I hit it with a high grit sand paper and that helps. It also wears in. I’m sure it would stain awfully but “magic eraser” sponges help a lot with that

[@nelidagarcia7412]

Can you list the materials you used?

[@JaredCullum]

A part from the soldering tools, solder, flux, torch I used Hand seamer/bender Epoxy primer and top coat from Klass Koat Let me know if you have any particular questions or you can email me if you like through my website or social stuff. I did a video on building brass boxes that showed more of the tools I use.

[@elisacavaliere1446]

​@@JaredCullum Hello! I know it has been some time since you made this video, but I just came accross it today while searching for a way to restore an old metal watercolor palette I bought recently. Please, would you mind giving me some quick tips/instructions? I have never done it before and don't know the materials and cautionary tools needed. Since I found this comment of yours, I was wondering if you would be still available to be reached out to, about this topic, if you have some soare time. Thank you in any case, and greetings from Italy

[@JaredCullum]

@@elisacavaliere1446 you can email me for a more detail response if you want [e-mail]. I'll help all I can. Let me know about the project.