December "mini-project"

In work load, not in stature.

I picked up a pair of Youngstown Kitchens metal cabinets today off CL. I'm always looking for a good place to store some junk and I really like the details on the older cabinets in particular.

These were pretty nearby and overall in decent condition (outside of the "Patina"). Right now I'm planning on doing rust repair to the one that needs it, sanding and painting. It will likely go in the apartment I move into in January as a pantry/kitchen storage thing.

The second one will likely stay in it's current shape (structurally rust free) and hold my boxes of engine parts until I can make an engine out of them again.

Cabinet 1:

Rust:

Cabinet 2:

I found them described in a 1957 Sales Catalog as the "Utility Cabinet," and these were originally white! I'm tempted to repaint it the shade of aquamarine I think of when I think of 1957, but I'll probably go with an off white.

Not sure what to do with the door pulls just yet. The chrome is pretty pitted/rusty and not recoverable, and I hate to sand/paint over it but I also don't want to worry about getting cut dirty every time I open the doors. Thoughts?

My timeline on this will start sometime after this week (finals this week!) and needs to be finished by January 6, so this should be a quick, fun little project.

Wrap the handles in the self adhesive chrome that the truck guys use on their rockers. Available at most flaps.

Or bring them to me next time you're near Charlotte. You know, to keep yourself from getting cut.

I have a buddy that has metal cabinets in his kitchen. When he refurbished his kitchen, he pulled them all down and had them painted inside and out with automotive paint. Straight normal white, gloss, but no pearl/metal flake/etc. They are still the coolest cabinets I've seen.

Nice score.

FYI some of these cabinets can be worth huge money. I know an interior designer who's be searching nationwide for mid-century metal cabinets to redo their kitchen, and according to him they're insanely desirable right now.

Hopefully these are valuable, but I'm not banking on it. I would expect the smaller/actual "kitchen cabinet" style ones to be more valuable.

I'm hoping to be able to stumble across or get good enough with metal to make something like this old Graco:

or this Lincoln:

I love the style and it stands out so much compared to much of what's sold today.

In reply to classicJackets:

I would give my left nut for a mid century graco kitchen set like that.