A Second Life for an Old School Lunch Pail

When my in-laws moved to Florida a few years ago, we helped them downsize their belongings. During that process, I found this old school lunch pail from the 1940s that had belonged to my father-in-law, Allen. I knew I wanted to make something out of it, so I brought it home and set it aside for a future project.

As you can see, it was quite beat up. Much of the paint was peeling off and the exposed metal was rusty in spots. The old leather handle had pretty much disintegrated when I tried to pick it up. So I decided to strip it down to the bare metal and rebuild from there.

I like to use CitriStrip for jobs like this, because it does not have that harsh chemical smell. It can however burn your skin, so be sure to wear rubber gloves. Once I removed all the paint, I cleaned it up with mineral spirits and steel wool, being careful to remove any remaining stripper residue.

I then covered up the hardware with Frog Tape and sprayed on a couple coats of grey primer to seal and protect the metal. Using some very fine steel wool, I carefully sanded down any rough spots in prep for the finish coats.

I then sprayed the entire surface, both inside and out, with a couple coats of white, lightly sanding any rough spots in between coats. After carefully taping along the inside edges and stuffing it with newspaper to protect the interior, I sprayed the exterior with a couple coats of a satin turquoise-blue. To finish it off, I replaced the old leather handle with some bright green ribbon.

I think it works really well as storage for snack plates, napkins, and plastic flatware on the bar cart. Just in time for happy hour! Cheers!