Travelling Trunk

This is one of my favourite pieces. It is an amazing 1930's travelling trunk. It came filled with someones contents from England to their new home in Australia. You can see both the old and new address of this person. 

For its age, and how much travel it has done it is in such great original condition, has such great rope handles and it still even has remnants of the old shipping labels. I have heard of some amazing items coming over in these trunks and I can only wonder what came over in this one...

A trip to the past (part three)

After Hill End we went the Mudgee. It has some beautiful old buildings. Our favourite was the Regent Theater. This theater is still very original and is a great example of Art Deco Theaters. The Regent Theater was opened in 1935 with its debut film 'Passport to Fame' which stared Edward G Robinson and Jean Arthur. It was architecturally designed by Douglas Smith.

It was designed to be able to accommodate live shows and presentations and has a very large stage and dressing rooms on both sides of the stage. 

It has it original hexagonal ticket box in the middle of the foyer and still has it original seating. It also have a 1938 slide projector and slide panel, art deco light fittings, mirror, velvet circular lounge, wall paper and murals. 

Unfortunatley the Theater was closed as it is for sale. Please someone buy it and reopen it so we can visit it!!

The defining item of country kitchens

When you think of country kitchens you cannot help but think of enamel canisters. They are a must for any country style kitchen. 

This is an original 1930s full set of cream and green enamel ware canisters, not reproduction. This is a full set and includes flour, sugar, tea, rice, sago and coffee. They range in size from 12.5cm to 24cm. The whole set is $195.

We also have a 1930s cream and green bread bin. This wonderful bread bin is 32cm high and has its original bakelite knob. It is $95. 

How to test for bakelite using Simichrome Polish

I have been testing some of our jewellery to see if it is bakelite or not. After searching on how to do it, I thought I would do a easy step-by-step post on how to test jewellery yourself.

1 - Purchase Simichrome Polish. I found it difficult to find in Australia. It is a polish used commonly on chrome so I tried Bunnings, Repco, Supercheap Auto ect. but no one stocked it. So, I have now imported several tubes to make it easier for you to buy.

2 - Collect everything you need. Once you have your Simichrome, all you need is a cotton bud and the piece you wish to test.

3 - Squeeze out a small amount of Simichrome onto a cotton bud. For the photo I put on more than needed, you need only a very small amount for the test.

4 - Rub it on the piece you wish to test. Rubbing on the back of a piece is recommended, however, Simichrome is also used by many people to polish Bakelite. 

5 - Watch for a change in colour. If, after 10 - 15 seconds the cotton bud turns from pink to yellow then it has tested positive as Bakelite. It's that simple. 

I repeated the test on another piece (below), and a you can see, it was not Bakelite. 

It is that easy to test. Once you have your tube of Simichrome Polish it should last you a life time as you only use a small amount for each test.

Happy Testing!!!