How to restore an old suitcase with your own hands?

In Soviet times, suitcases were a very popular accessory. But with the advent of modern travel bags, many old suitcases are gathering dust on balconies and mezzanines. If you have free time and desire, any old suitcase can be restored. For this, it is necessary to prepare some devices and think over the design of the future product in advance.

In order to make the restoration process as convenient as possible, it is recommended to purchase everything you need in advance. So, to repair an old suitcase, you need to prepare:

• acrylic enamel;
• wood putty;
• special glue "Cosmofen";
• a small piece of sandpaper;
• masking tape;
• acrylic spray paint;
• stationery knife;
• beads worn on a fishing line;
• a piece of thick fabric;
• the desired pattern, printed on photographic paper of the desired size;
• brushes;
• scissors;
• semi-matt varnish;
• patina.

Besides, you must first prepare the suitcase itself, which is planned to be restored. It must be clean and dry. Also, it should not show significant damage. If the suitcase has holes, it makes no sense to restore it in an unrepaired state.

If the suitcase is in good external and technical condition, then you can restore it at home with your own hands. Before moving on to the most interesting part of the restoration - the decor, you should first prepare the suitcase. Even if the product initially looked good, it got pretty dusty over the years, so it needs to be cleaned properly.

If during visual inspection there is only a little dust, then it is enough to take a soft bristled brush and walk over the entire surface. Particular attention should be paid to individual contaminated areas.

If the dirt is more severe, you can prepare a soapy solution and use a soft sponge or a small piece of felt to wipe off the dirt. It is very important to dry the suitcase thoroughly afterwards. It is better if it dries naturally within a few days. But if you plan to use a hairdryer to dry, then you need to carefully monitor the process.

There are many ways to decorate an old suitcase. They depend on the availability of certain materials, as well as on the individual preference and imagination of a person. As an example, consider one of the most attractive master classes.

Initially, in your head you need to think over a drawing that will be on the surface of the suitcase after all the restoration work is completed. The first thing to do is to glue the beads on the fishing line onto the suitcase. This must be done using a special glue called "Cosmophen". You should work with it with extreme caution, since it is poisonous and poses a potential threat to humans.

When the beads are securely in place, it's time to start making patches. Most likely, on any old suitcase there are several places that will need to be patched up a little. For this, it is recommended to take a previously prepared piece of dense material.

The required number of patches of the required size must be cut from the material. You need to glue them to the suitcase using wood putty. Processing with the same composition will help smooth out the resulting irregularities. The putty dries for a long time. In some cases, you will have to wait 12 to 24 hours. But here it is better not to risk it and let the patches dry properly. Otherwise, in the future, they can simply be knocked down, and all the work will be ruined.

Use acrylic spray paint as the base primer and for painting the suitcase. The color depends on personal desire. It is better to apply the paint in two layers. When both layers are well dry, the paint will not stick, you can proceed to the most important stage of restoration, which consists in transferring a drawing on photographic paper to a suitcase.

Before you finally fix the drawing, you need to properly adjust it in size again. If you are confident that the size of the pattern is ideal for the surface to be treated, you can glue it.

In order to securely fix the drawing, it is necessary to properly coat it with acrylic varnish on the reverse side. The same substance along the contour will need to be applied to the suitcase itself. A few seconds after application, the image can be glued. It is important to make sure that the drawing lays down evenly, all the air bubbles that have formed should be tried to be smoothed out.

Then, after a few seconds, the sheet of photographic paper must be removed, and the first layer of semi-matt varnish should be applied to the resulting print. Then you can walk on it with sandpaper in a gentle mode, and then let it dry a little. The next layers must be applied in the same way. In total, to obtain the maximum effect, you will have to apply 4-5 layers of semi-gloss varnish.

If the border of the picture is not quite neat, you can try to mask it. To do this, take a regular pencil and walk along the contour of the applied drawing.

It is noteworthy that it is best to dry such decor in a horizontal position. Already after the final drying of the ornament, you can visually age the thing. To do this, the acrylic paint must be diluted with water, applied, and then wiped off immediately.

You can familiarize yourself with some of the nuances of the restoration of the suitcase by watching the following video.