Blog - Hobbies Fever

What Do You Do with an English Writing Slope (Desk Box)?

In the old days these boxes were meant to be a portable writing desk. If you were in a covered horse carriage – or on a long voyage on a ship, and wanted to get some writing done – you would take out your trusty “slope”, pen, and paper – and start writing/working.

In modern times these pieces are unique and are fragments of history that can still be useful in so many ways. I am personally biased – I own a number of these treasures and this is what I use them for:

1 – Writing – they are still beautiful and can be used to inspire your writing on so many levels. Get your fountain pen and some Pineider paper ready – enjoy!

2 – Storage – they are wonderful for storing your personal items or papers. You have a lucky charm, keep it your box.

3 – Decoration – use as a focal point in home, office, library, living area, and backyard (they are pieces of art/craftsmanship).

4 – Travel – these boxes are still good for traveling – take on vacation, take them to the park, take them to your yard! These were made to have a “traveler’s heart”. Don’t be afraid to use them (just take care them and plan ahead).

These boxes are/were made to be used. They have lasted hundred of years – they will last hundred of years more with some care and love!

The Beautiful Patina of Writing Desks

In this post I will let the Box Photos speak for themselves – see the beauty in the wood.

Antique Writing Desk — Hobbies Fever Shop

The Terrible Tunbridge Jewelry Box Remade - Blog Post — The Terrible Tunbridge Jewelry Box Remade – Blog Post

Antique Mahogany Writing Lap Desk — The Terrible Tunbridge Jewelry Box Remade – Blog Post

Decorating the Leather Portion (Writing Area/Slope) of Your Writing Desk Box

There are many ways to personalize the writing area of your box. If your box already has tooling or embossing on edges of leather writing area – there is no need to do anything. It already has gold/silver/black (etc..) designs which make it standout or “pop” – making look distinguished.

What do you do if your leather slope is plain or undecorated? Well, I have some suggestions:

1 – Hire an artist, or if you (or someone you know) are artistically gifted – paint designs on the edge of your leather writing area. Think “illuminated manuscript” or even a flowering pattern – maybe you like dragons, or something having to do with celestial objects – it really is up to you, and what interests you. What inspires or captivates you – why not have it on your box. (Painting the whole surface involves a great deal more care – the sky is the limit).

2 – Using stickers or something with adhesive – I caution against this, it tends to fade fast, and looks bad when ripped or damaged. The glue that is left behind is also a problem. There are certain stickers that can be put on edges they look elegant but they are few and far between. Remember you are trying to personalize desk and not cause damage (or something you might regret – never take the quick and easy option in this case).

3 – Using cloth or other types of trim on leather – there is a good deal of options here as well. The only down side is the adhesive you use – if it can be done in a semi-permanent way (meaning lasting as long as the slope itself), then go for it.

4 – Adding embossing/engraving/tooling – this has been done since boxes were made – so there are a number of great options. There are kits to do this – so many options – just Google it! If you are old fashioned and don’t want to bother with internet – check with local tannery or leather shop.

Victorian Burr Walnut Writing Slope - Writing Area — Hobbies Fever Shop

The Terrible Tunbridge Box Remade

The family recently went on vacation to Maine. We really enjoyed our time at Bar Harbor and Bangor. The whole New England region is a pleasure to stay around. During our time there we visited a number of Antique shops in region. And I found a diamond “in the rough”.

Bangor had a number of Antique shops and one had my Tunbridge box sitting there needing some love and care. See below for photos:

The exterior of box is what attracted me – it was in very good condition. The interior was what needed work. Literally had to put back together, like a jigsaw puzzle.

Had to take a trip to JoAnn’s for a new velvet interior – and hours of gluing and fitting later, a box was remade.

It is a great improvement without taking the “age” out of it. Check out my stores on Ebay and Etsy!

The Secrets that Antique Lap Desks Hold

Lap Desks were to some degree the laptop computers of their day. When a person traveled to far off places they brought their “desks” with them. While traveling they wanted to protect valuable items such as jewelry or documents. The use of secret Compartments in Lap Desks was created to use an item they would already take with them and adapt it to another purpose – protecting their valuables.

There are a number of secret Compartments types. The most common was a false shelf hiding a number of tiny shelves – commonly two to three. These were small shelves good for tiny objects like jewelry. In many cases lap desks had false tops within desk – you slide a piece of wood over – usually under the inkwell compartment inside desk and underneath is a small storage space.

The mechanisms used for these secret Compartments were ingenious – there were three or four common ways to open these spring loaded sections:

The most common is lifting the sidewall of the compartment you held your inkwell in. This caused the false shelf to pop open revealing 2 or 3 smaller compartments.
The next most common was pushing down on the bottom of inkwell or stamp tray compartment – this would allow the shelf to be released.
In some cases you would have to do both 1. and 2. above together for shelf or secret Compartments to be visible.
There was also “the hole” method – you would have to place something in a small hole in lap desk for mechanism to be released. These holes ranged from pen sized to very small – where you needed a specific tool or object to open. These are more rare.

My love of desks has lead me to many discoveries over the years. Have found stamps, documents, pens, and other objects while working with these “Secret Compartments” – What will you find?

Antique Writing Slope Lap Desk with “Missing Guts”

I’m a sucker for wood inlay! Recently purchased a box from someone who purchased it about twenty years ago from a vendor in Memphis, Tennessee. The box had stunningly beautiful wood inlay of various woods – the time spent to do this must have been staggering. What is a true cost of any box – the time and materials to re-create it! It also had a gorgeous original purple velvet slope, which looked barely used. These kind of boxes, are rare – especially to find one at a good price point. So,what is the problem, you ask? All the interior shelves for storing ink, pens, and such, were gone.

TheBoxBoss has another project. The supplies were all bought from Blick Art (craft wood). Also purchased a nice circular saw from Lowe’s (what the heck – many of my cuts were usually done by hand, why not save time). Also purchased some Ebony wood stain from Raindew (has an Ace Hardware department). See pics below –

Before:

Antique Writing Slope Lap Desk with “Missing Guts” Blog Post — Antique Writing Slope Lap Desk Blog Post

Antique Writing Slope Lap Desk — Thanks Hobbies Fever Shop

Antique Writing Slope with “Missing Guts” - Blog Post — Antique Writing Slope with “Missing Guts” – Blog Post

After:

The Box the “Moths” Got To

When I first spotted this Antique Lap Desk, what caught my eye was its “character” – simple but remarkably beautiful desk box. It had one big issue though, the slope appeared to be eaten by moths a long time ago. Its felt wool surface was pitted with a number of holes, and people don’t usually like that. Went to work on a couple issue with desk – 1) The platforms for lap desk lid needed gluing – multiple ones were loose. 2) One new Platform needed to be created, lost to time, I guess. 3) A new Slope new to be placed.

The materials for repair were mostly found at Blick’s Art supplies (craft wood) and the new slope surface was from JoAnn’s (black leather).

See Before Picture:

After Picture:

The Box that Needed “Work”

As usual, TheBoxBoss is constantly scanning all known places for unique boxes that bring the love of history out in his customers/clients. Found a unique Victorian Rosewood Lap Desk/Slope and the seller said it needed “work”. It was unusually short explanation for such a desk, but the price was right and it looked on the surface that it had a ton of potential.

Well, fast forward about a month and open the box housing this lap desk – Let’s just say there should have been a long explanation of condition of this desk! It hinges were broken, a number of brass fittings missing, its trap door for secret compartments was missing, its slope was gone, one of shelves in compartments was broken, its lock was not on right, etc.. This box did indeed need “work”. And so it began (see before and after photos):

This one was work – even the slope had to be rebuilt (was falling apart). Purchased new antique brass hinges from U.K. (as well as new key cover escutcheon). Sourced a beautiful black leather slope – and literally put this box back together.

After Photos:

Hopefully it can be used for another couple hundred years!

A Beat-Up Box Gets New Life

Recently spotted a beat-up Lap Desk Box on sale on eBay — felt it could get a new life with some tender love and care. Took this project during a winter period (January and February), where sales are usually slow and want to bring back a real treasure. This box had a number of issues – bottom box was literally falling apart. The wood was not glued and/or nailed in some places, and the baize was in very poor condition. The slope used to be a green felt was worn away, and underneath a purple velvet slope was also hiding — not properly removed!

The interior woodwork was cracked, and the slope shelves needed repaired — needed plenty of glue, and an extension in one case, shelf was short compared to space — looks like it cracked a while back and no one repaired.

SEE BEFORE:

SEE AFTER:

You can purchase this restored box in the Hobbies Fever Shop!

How Can I Decorate My Box?

Now that you have an Antique Lap Desk that you cherish, how can you decorate it, or make it your own? Well, over the years, I’ve seen a number of ways to do this. In many cases, there is nothing further to do with a box, they are beautiful works of craftmanship to begin with. In other cases, I would not recommend making any changes based on ruining its re-sell value (or if you are planning to keep it in family for many generations). There are ways of making subtle changes that can add a little “pop” to any box.

Let’s get to it — on we go….

Changing the Baize on the bottom of box. In most cases these are green or black in traditional boxes, but they don’t have to be! They can be of any decorative cloth you feel goes best with your box. These baizes, after all, are there to protect your box and furniture when you place it down. In the past I have seen a number of clever ways to “jazz” up your baize. Remember, if yours is already old and peeling, why not add a bit of your style to the box? It could be plaid flannel, poncho, leather, or even silk — choose a design and run with it. Please remember that the material needs to protect box — but once it fulfills this prerequisite, then it’s up to you on what you can place at the bottom of the box.
Adding material covers for your interior storage compartments. In this case you can use any color and material you see fit. My personal preference is to see natural woods whenever possible, but with some boxes you might want to see how it looks. Let’s say you have a secret compartment – why not use your favorite color in velvet? It makes a sharp statement and really, it’s only for you. It also protects what you put in there. On the larger interior storage compartments you can use a nice leather, or felt that is pleasing to the eye.
Get some colorful tabs to open or close your interior lids (if it was not built in already). In many cases you can use sticker tabs, or create cloth (or whatever material your heart desires) tabs of your own. I prefer triangle tabs in many cases over rectangle ones. Place them where you want instead of the traditional way of placing them on interior of lids (inside writing slope surface area).
Bring it into the modern world — add tech devices. There are so many speakers nowadays, that you can keep things in your box, that in the past would not fit. It is not just for papers and writing — it is for your enjoyment!! Listen to music while you write or paint. Recharge your phone while you take care of a couple notes. Have a mini-clock displayed while you gather your thoughts. You’re in charge, see what you can think of.
Build an additional piece of furniture to hold your box. In some cases antique boxes come with their own stands — but if they don’t, think of the creative license you can take. It can be of any material, any size, and color — again, depends on your creativity and how you see fit.
Make or buy a decorative sleeve. In many cases your box can get dusty constantly or get scratches over time — sleeves can help with these two negatives… and also add a bit of “pizzazz”.
Add art (painting or carving) to some small piece of your box. Please only do this if you are a good artist or your hire someone to do a custom job. In the past I have seen family portraits or small images in boxes that have drawn the eye. Let’s say you love horses… add a small horse to the side of an interior lid, who is going to see it. By the way, I love horses!
Lastly, get a decorative tassel!!! Let your Key have style, it is the first and last thing you look at, why not make it colorful!!

Hopefully I have given you some good ideas — if you have any more email me or send a photo of your decorative features, always love seeing new stuff.