Rusty Ornate 1800s Letter Slot Restoration | Random Restoration

Welcome! Today I'll be restoring this rusty old cast iron letter slot made by Reading Hardware in the 1800s and its very rusty interior plate. This is the lovely ornate Windsor design, sometimes called the Reading Windsor. I'm currently on a major hardware restoration spree and hope to have a complete restored Reading Windsor Set for double doors in the very near future - I just need to restore the ornate hinges which will be done in the very near future.
Anyway, to start off todays restoration I needed to remove the rust covered hinge pin and broken spring - I've found coil springs like these to be great in mortise locks, but they don't hold up well on hardware like this letter slot. Antique hardware like this was almost always painted over at some point in the past, and the letter slot was no exception, so it was time for some paint stripping. My gel paint stripper decided to redshift a bit after a few weeks for unknown reasons, but still worked well. Now paint free, it was time for rust removal. I soaked the letter slot, cover and interior plate in rust remover overnight.
Next up I wire wheeled all the parts with a Dremel tool. I prefer a Dremel tool since it's able to easily get into all the nooks and crannies which a larger wire wheel wouldn't be capable of. Now totally clean and wire wheeled I went ahead and made a new hinge pin from a 1/8 inch stainless steel rod. Then it was time for a new spring. I used a bit of a thinner piece of round spring steel this time around, as it holds its shape much better with extensive use compared to thicker spring steel. Now it was time for bluing the spring. I used a cold bluing solution for bluing steel - This offers some rust protection without ruining the spring temper.
Like in previous restorations it was now sanding time. With most rusty restoration projects, a decent amount of sanding was required, but the end results are always worth it! I sanded all three parts up to 800 grit and decided not to polish them. Then the parts were all given a gold tinted clear lacquer to imitate the original finish they had. After lacquering I painted all the backs and edges of the parts black, something that was very commonly done from the factory. Finally it was time for painting the recessed areas black. I used a gloss black spray paint from very far away and built up a few very thin coats with complete coverage. This preserves the texture in the recessed areas very well. Then it was simply time for a very brief reassembly!
Time Stamps:
0:00 Welcome!
0:38 Disassembly
1:07 Paint Stripping
1:49 Wire Wheeling
2:24 Making A New Hinge Pin
4:27 Making A New Spring
5:22 Restoring the Interior Cover
7:58 Restoring the Letter Slot
10:21 Restoring the Slot Cover
11:18 Reassembly
12:11 Before and After
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Thanks for watching the video Rusty Ornate 1800s Letter Slot Restoration | Random Restoration

[@randomrestoration6858]

Welcome! A bit of a quicker project this time 'round, but this gets me one step closer to finishing a complete double door set of hardware in this "Windsor" design - Now I just have to find time to restore the six matching hinges haha. As always, thanks for watching!

[@drunkdunc8738]

The hinges are pivotal to the success of this project 🍻

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey I couldn't have said it better myself hahaha

[@oneshotme]

Looking forward to the hinges LOL

[@oneshotme]

When you finish with the door we want to see what it looks like 😁😁😁

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@oneshotme I have one incredibly rusty project coming up first, and with enough luck the hinges will be the following video haha. It'll be a little while before the full set gets installed, but I'll definitely have to get a shot of it once it's all installed!

[@br6480]

I wish we would go back to letter slots. The beauty and craftsmanship of these pieces are pure art.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Right, such it'd be nice to have some better options than plain finishes! Thank you for watching!

[@gr1mrea9er82]

Ah... the beautiful days before electronic letters and direct mail.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Haha right, unfortunately this wouldn't get much use today! Thank you for watching, Lars!

[@k.george8722]

Better than new! It still amazes me how these companies let the products leave the factory with all the casting defects. Another wonderful restoration.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha right, I've seen some really shocking pieces - I can understand a few very small not noticeable defects but I swear some of these pieces look like the entire mold was hit by a train prior to being cast. I appreciate it! As always thank you for watching, and have a good rest of your weekend!

[@k.george8722]

@@randomrestoration6858 Lol, I can imagine. I am guessing, to save money they kept using the molds. But, even molds wear out eventually and lose the detail. You have found some wonderful, highly detailed pieces. I love to see that they were actually used and try to imagine who owned them and what their lives were like. Weird, huh lol.

[@yfrontsguy]

You really bring out the spirit of the objects!

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Marc!

[@jodylarson5317]

lovely as always! i never get tired of seeing these beautiful pieces brought back to function

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Jody! It's always a lot of fun getting old hardware like this back to a state where they can be put back to use! As always thank you for watching!

[@lkmayhew9390]

That letter slot never looked that good originally. Great job!👌

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey I appreciate the kind words! Thanks again for watching!

[@nickjanssens]

Those of us of a certain age will remember that nearly every house had a very similar letterbox. A very satisfying watch. My new house has a supa dupa wind proof, insulated and incredibly boring letter box. I shall lookout for something with a bit of class.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Haha yeah modern letter slots are surely better for windy days but as you mention are very dull - Good luck on your search for something less boring than what you have now, and thank you very much for watching, Nick!

[@terryrogers1025]

Sweet, I admire your patience youngster. Thanks for the video.

[@_sean_294]

rarely anybody comments about this, but i love the 1 or 2 frame mini-messages you leave on things, like the 'wiggle wiggle wiggle'. :)

[@randomrestoration6858]

I can't resist adding in a few things here and there for those that are willing to pause the video haha. Thanks a lot for watching, and have a nice weekend!

[@ArtisticEndeavors]

Droolworthy - thank you! ✌🏻🎨☕️

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you, Susannah! I was pretty happy with how these turned out, now it's just the long wait until everything finally gets installed haha. As always, thank you for watching!

[@janvanherck1547]

Your letter slot is ready to receive a lot off e-mail now. Job well done.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I'll request from here on out that people print out emails they were about to send me and slip them through my letter slot hahaha. Thanks for watching, and have a good weekend!

[@janvanherck1547]

@@randomrestoration6858 I''ll think about it.(NOT)😆😆

[@yeagerxp]

Nicely done 👍👍👍. Thank you for sharing. Be safe🇨🇦

[@randomrestoration6858]

Much appreciated! It was pretty nice being able to take on a smaller project after the jumbo one from last video haha. Thanks for tuning in!

[@mskayla7747]

Can't wait to see the complete double door set, and see it all installed. 👍

[@randomrestoration6858]

It should be all ready and installed within a year I'd estimate so it may be a bit of a wait haha - It was initially going to be the end of this year but looks like it will be a bit longer now. Thank you for watching!

[@mskayla7747]

@@randomrestoration6858 I enjoy your work, so I don't mind waiting. 🙂

[@1954JDR]

Another beautiful restoration.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you, I appreciate it, James!

[@briansdiecastthailandstoth6747]

Wow fantastic job..............

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey thank you, Brian! It was nice to get a quicker project done after the last project haha. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@mrclaus859]

Wonderful great job. Thanks

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it! Thanks for stopping by, and have a good weekend!

[@nickrodrigues5754]

I like when you install the pieces on a model wood. But very beautiful either way!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot, Nick! I wish I had time right now to have done that with this letter slot, and I would love to make a display for all these pieces, as it's really nice being able to see how these items look "installed." The next video will have a properly displayed piece though, so stay tuned! Thank you for watching, and have a nice weekend!

[@nickrodrigues5754]

@@randomrestoration6858 can’t wait!

[@doriWyo]

Much better!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Haha yeah finally ready to be put back to use! I appreciate it, Dori - As always thanks a lot for watching!

[@sdupre61]

Gorgeous!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Right, it's such a lovely design. I'm just finishing up the matching hinges that go with this letter slot and they're just as stunning as this letter slot. Thanks again!

[@oneshotme]

Yjey look great and you did a masterful job restoring it as well!!!! Enjoyed your video so I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey man I appreciate it! It was a bit of a smaller project than the jumbo one I did last time, but fun nonetheless haha. Thanks a lot for watching, and have a great week!

[@oneshotme]

@@randomrestoration6858 You're very welcome! Keep up the great work!!

[@ziondanny7081]

Lovely result

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey thanks a lot! Have a nice weekend!

[@garyjones2582]

Very nice RR.. You have that down to an art.. turned out beautiful.. Take care my friend...

[@randomrestoration6858]

Much appreciated, Gary! It was really nice being able to work on this smaller project after having spent so long on the previous one haha. Have a great weekend!

[@Tim-57]

Hey RR Looks great. Could be used for a bathroom door. If someone is in there too long, send them a letter🙃 Happy weekend

[@randomrestoration6858]

I'm sure I'd see the letter being angrily tossed back out of the slot hahaha. Thank you, enjoy your weekend too!

[@Tim-57]

@@randomrestoration6858 Haha However it is only a one way "gate" 🙃

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@Tim-57 Oh yeah good point, I guess I may actually be able to claim some sort of victory there hahaha

[@Tim-57]

@@randomrestoration6858 👍🏻😀👍🏻

[@frankierzucekjr]

Phenomenal work buddy. Just beautiful

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks again, Frankie! It was a bit of a quicker project but I can’t wait to get it installed! Thanks again for tuning in!

[@frankierzucekjr]

@@randomrestoration6858 hey no problem, it's a lot of fun to watch. Thank you

[@samanthadean1083]

Can’t wait for the hinge video, as then you’ll be able to show the whole set!!! Gorgeous piece!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️❤️

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot, Samantha! I don't think it'll be the next video, but they should be the following video if all goes well haha. It'll be great to finally have the whole set finished - Then it's just time to install them on the doors! As always, thank you for watching and have a great weekend!

[@vinceianni4026]

Good job mister well done

[@randomrestoration6858]

Much obliged, Vince! Thanks for stopping by, and have a good weekend!

[@RestorationAustralia]

Soper nice. 😊

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey man thanks a lot for stopping by, and thank you for watching!

[@MicroDweller]

I just got a victorian door bell that I'd love to see you restore ! Love your videos and awesome content there mesmerizing!!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey sorry for the late reply, but thanks a lot! I'd love to take on some viewer sent in restorations in the future, but for now I have so many of my own projects to do that I won't be able to for a while. Thank you very much for watching, and have a great weekend!

[@brycecrousore1985]

Kicking off the weekend with a new masterpiece from Mr. Random? Right on!! Thanks for sharing.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Haha you're too kind, Bruce - Thanks for tuning in!

[@terryrogers1025]

That is one sweet restoration, I like the black/ gold contrast. Thanks for the video young man.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Terry! Gold and black is a great combo - I'm still testing out some different colors off camera so with enough luck I'll be able to get a believable imitation copper color at some point haha. Thank you for watching!

[@concat99]

So beautiful! You always do such wonderful work. Thank you for sharing!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Right such a great design, and it’ll be great to get the full set of this design finally finished. It’s only taken 11 months so far haha. I appreciate the kind words!

[@byOldHand]

Beautiful object and great restoration⭐️👍🏻 ⚙️🛠 Thank you for the extra cinematic part 😅

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey man I appreciate it! Hahaha yeah autofocus strikes yet again. Thanks a lot for stopping by!

[@JazzStrat781]

Amazing job as always 👍

[@randomrestoration6858]

Much appreciated, thanks a lot for tuning in!

[@lindalove7193]

Insane!

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Linda!

[@craig7343]

Looks amazing as usual another brilliant job. Always love to see your new posts look forward to see your next one. 👍👍👌

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Craig! It was nice to have such a small project after the extensive work form last project. Thanks a lot for watching, and enjoy your weekend!

[@Aurora-pi6jr]

Gorgeous restoration, the black and gold has a very stunning look. Also at 1:09 I thought that was ketchup before I read the caption haha

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot! Hahaha I was shocked to see that pour out of the can red. I have no idea what happened to it since I'd just used it off camera on a different project probably a couple weeks prior. It looked pretty sweet though, why couldn't red be it's normal color haha. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@maury5118]

Congratulation

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot!

[@oneshotme]

When you finish with the door we want to see what it looks like 😁😁

[@randomrestoration6858]

Gadzooks, a double comment today haha. If all goes to plan it should be about a year or less until this hardware gets properly installed on the double doors, but I hope to show it off at some point in a future video!

[@oneshotme]

@@randomrestoration6858 A year?!?!?! Dang how long does it take LOL I'm joking Looking forward to your next project!!

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@oneshotme Hahaha right, I figured by the end of this year it would be ready for installation but it makes for an exciting (or maybe excruciating) wait!

[@georgeshelton6281]

I thought I was finished with listening and watching this educational video. I already know that this mail slot, originally belonged to an old 1890s apartment town house front door. Something that might have belonge, to a Victorian house. 🏠 🛖 🏚 🏡 🏘 🪴

[@randomrestoration6858]

I'm sure the house had to have been gorgeous back in the day filled with hardware such as this! As always, thank you for watching, George, and have a great week!

[@drunkdunc8738]

It’s more useful for the postman to have numbers rather than letters displayed🤔Great work however, cheers🍻

[@randomrestoration6858]

You never know, maybe they'd like the challenge hahaha. I appreciate it, Thanks for stopping by!

[@user-rk3yr5ke9t]

Cool

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you very much!

[@jackjacke4654]

I loved the classy look these gave a home. But what did they do with packages? Stomp em down and squeeze them threw. : )

[@randomrestoration6858]

Haha hey as long as someone leaves the small trash compactor by the door you can make just about any package fit!

[@larrykelly2838]

Great restoration, I do remember some houses having the mail slots.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank, Larry! Yeah it's really quite rare these days to have a letter slot, and the almost all the ones I have seen in recent history have been taped up to keep drafts out haha. As always thanks a lot for watching!

[@tomswindler64]

I see you couldn’t get a door lock/handle intergradid into the project,maybe next time.is a beautiful design,did they not have letter catchers on inside of door,wooden or maybe metal just curious.you killed it as always 👍👍👍😎😎😎

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha oh trust me, I'll manage to get one in the next video! I haven't come across a catcher for the inside in any of the old catalogs, but I'm sure there had to be some people that would have made custom ones of their own. I appreciate it, thank you for watching, Tom!

[@jstaatzy5606]

As always, another fantastic video! Curious, what door thickness would that work for? It doesn't look like it has a deep enough inset for conventional doors.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot! Good question, this letter slot was only offered with a single depth of the insert and was meant to be universal - The other plate I restored in the video would be installed on the inside of the door to cover up the mortise and you'd definitely still be able to see the gap between the inside plate from the inside haha. Thank you for watching!

[@elliesidler6183]

What rust remover and paint stripper do you use? I’m trying to restore (mostly just clean up a bit) some old mortise locks and faceplates.

[@garyrourke8201]

Very nice. When you "blue" the spring, what exactly is that for? Is it used just to darken the metal, or does it somehow protect the piece from rust? You usually apply it only to small hardware, like springs, screws and bolts.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks, Gary! Good question, cold bluing like this offers some rust protection - It's not as good as other bluing options, but most of the hardware I work on won't be in any sort of harsh conditions which would warrant a more protective finish. It's great for small parts such as the spring in this video and should keep it rust free in its current environment for many years to come I'd imagine. Thanks a lot for watching, and have a great weekend!

[@aaroncastellanos3421]

The gold tinted lacquer is homemade right? Is there a similar product i can buy off the shelf? The black paint is just gloss spray paint correct?

[@j.l.emerson592]

Question: Will there be any exposed wood to be seen once your friend gets the double doors & has ALL that Windsor hardware installed??? 🙃

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahahaha now that's actually a good question, there very well might not be any exposed wood at this rate! Thank you for watching!

[@aboujad5916]

🤩❤👌👍

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot!

[@Austeration]

Brilliant as always 👍 this just never gets old. Are you on Instagram at all ?

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey man thanks a lot! Not currently - I have such a small amount of time right now, but I've considered making an account for the channel in the past and would like to at some point. I reckon a Facebook page would also be nice to make, but I feel like it's best to wait until I have a bit more free so I can have regular posts. As always thank you for stopping by!

[@Austeration]

@@randomrestoration6858 No worries Buddy I just found the private messaging and ability to share private photos very handy. I was going to get your opinion on something but I have no other way of contacting you.

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@Austeration Oh yeah I took my business email down because I ran out of time to respond to offers (like Facebook pages looking to use my videos) which I wasn't really interested in. I'll put it back right now and leave it up for a few days and if you go to the about page of my channel you should be able to find my email. I'd leave it in this comment but I'm sure KZbin would make sure this message is permanently lost hahaha

[@Austeration]

@@randomrestoration6858 I can't find it

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@Austeration Haha it should be in the about tab on my channel towards the bottom - It'll say "For business inquiries" then to the right of it it'll say "View Email Address"

[@markchristopher9515]

As beautiful as I've come to appreciate in your work. You were very "kind" with the power of your rotary tools. I'm wanting to be less aggressive as well. Did that casting seem delicate or require it or was your preparation that thorough? Rust is a known to work with but I struggle with knowing how best to remove various coatings. Do you clean all coatings the same? I need to be more small tool ready.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you, Mark! The main reason for using a small Dremel wire wheel vs a benchtop grinder with a wire wheel attachment is that I can get into all the small nooks and crannies and get it 100% cleaned of any dirt/grease/paint/etc. which wouldn't be possible with a larger wire wheel. It definitely takes way longer to do but the end results are much better I find. For removing coatings I always just use either a gel or an aerosol aircraft paint remover and it works well enough to remove any coating I've used it on, though sometimes it needs a few applications to remove everything. Then I use an industrial degreaser which is supposed to be thinned out but I just use it straight because I can't be bothered to spend time thinning it haha. It works great to remove any dried paint stripper and grime - I find that it even removes a surprising amount of rust in the process. Then I throw everything in my Evapo Rust overnight and it's rust/paint free and can be wire wheeled to clean up any residue from the rust remover. As always, thanks for watching, and have a great rest of your week!

[@markchristopher9515]

@@randomrestoration6858 "Stripper in a Can" and patience. Both are lacking in my life it seems. Well, I've always got my Beakcleaner I suppose.

[@MHPloni-kl5ec]

Nice work but your video editing is tediously slow.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot! Haha yeah sorry 'bout that! I use the worlds worst video editor which runs at a slower and slower framerate when editing as more footage is added into the program which makes it impossible to judge how long to keep many things on screen - I really need to use something different, but haven't made the change yet since I'm so familiar with it. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@MHPloni-kl5ec]

I understand completely. It's a lot of mental work to learn new software. Choose well and all the best!

[@BusterCapInYoAss]

Have you ever been tempted to use a blast cabinet to remove paint/back to bare metal?