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AT Restoration: How to Restore an Old Suitcase

In this day and age, with the prevalent use of plastic, suitcases may seem a preposterous object to try to restore. But older ones may still have life in them and can let you travel in style.

If you're Estonian, you might even have an old suitcase from your grandparent/parent's journey to their new home as refugees, in which case, restoring a suitcase has extra historical and familial meaning.

Take a look at Ahti Toplaan's video below to learn “how to sand the wood, how to make veneer repairs, how to rivet, how to varnish the wood, [and] how to refresh the leather.”

Tools he recommends include:

-a Kärcher steam cleaner

BESSEY edge clamps

-a dovetail jig

-a workshop vacuum

-a random orbit sander

-an oscillating spindle sander

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