Hello peoples,
as we said earlier, we started a project for an ebook on how to age stuff, and for this ebook I started a small project, and this is one of 'em. I made a few pictures already that I wanted to share with you, so you can comment on it, everything except the box is homemade (even the figure on the box).

http://imageshack.us/g/571/pict0096c.jpg/

Hope you like it.

I would think, before staining, it might be good to SLIGHTLY distress the wood. This will allow some stain to pool in the pock marks or chips and look a little more mottled. Then, after finishing, distress a bit more making sure edges are "worn" and finish a little lighter/worn in area where handling was greater -- like opening and closing regularly.

Scratches and gouges can add more "old" and there are several effects to make things look like they have had mildew -- one using gesso as a spatter in an area that with have been exposed to moisture.

I can still do that
This is only the first coating.
I like the look already though. The feel is incredible.
It really feels old.

Do like the pros, Black shoe polish over the gloss finish. Wood Magazine has covered this several times.
If you like the look of gray rather than brown aged wood Micro-Mark has an alcohol based dye that adds a hundred years in a fey minutes.

Yes, and I used a complete different technique, that used nothing but household items and some shoepolish. Nothing that a man can't easily purchase. Oh btw, I don't have access to the wood-working magazine you just published. I'm from Europe. So... I used a few techniques I found online and just tested it, and it seems to accomplish what I want to accomplish:
- an old feel to the wood
- an old look

I think this could pass for an authentic anticque box. It took me quite some work. This is only phase 1. I need to put some more dents and scratches into the finish to make it look just that much more. maybe bang it with a rock on some places. I like the look it has now though, but it isn't finished yet. It's a multi-phase process, and I'm only on phase one.

What interests me about this topic is that we have lots of very interesting fragments of advice being handed out (and I have a few of my own!). Cirrus did post on the idea of compiling this information into a compendium of ideas that could be used by the community. I thought that this was a great idea and offered to host this (profit free) on Alchemy Moon. It is still a project that I would be happy to support. However, it must be said that there has not been any concrete support for the project. I think this is a shame, as it is a book I would like to have myself.
So, respect for Cirrus in continuing the project, and thanks for all the great ideas posted so far - I know I will be experimenting with a few of the techniques put up here.

OOPS! I should have said Popular Woodworking Magazine. Sorry.
Try your public library.

Cirrus, you should consider going to Dragonskull UK and searching the arts and crafts area. Tons of tips and techniques for aging and modifying the 'look' of props fr the bizarrist.

Decopaging has many applications. The use of torn pieces of masking tapethen spplying stain can create a faux leather look for boxes vases and bottles.
A trip to a Michales store or other arts and crafts shops can provisyou with a wealth of ideas and information, You may find the right products for creating the perfect finishes for your props as well


KOtah

Hi Cirrus, many years ago I worked for a summer at the workshops of David Smith, an Ohio cabinet maker who makes reproduction antiques of the American country variety.
For those of you not in the US or have know idea of what American country is here is David website

https://www.davidtsmith.com/newsite/home.asp

Here we did a bit of distressing of mostly painted items, a few beds and some larger furniture. While this was interesting it was not what I would call “making the object look” and “feel old” it was more cosmetic than anything else. Now that said let lets look at a few objects that are old as this will help me illustrate my point. These objects are in my personal collection and are in fact old.
The first object is a old west African mask that can be seen at the link below. Notice the wear on the surface.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa120......e057.jpg

You will see a variance in wear from were the object has been handled through natural process that develop over a period of time. In addition on the back of the mask has a split (not shown) in the wood from caused from the change from its natural climate to a colder region. The above mask also shows various nicks and dents some of these are from use and some from shelf wear. Shelf wear is an important idea to consider when making something look old especially when the object may have sat around in an old box. I common motif in our art is to say this object was recovered from an old box that someone or I found. The main thing I want you to see is the color variance from one point to the other.
Here is another example of a fetish.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa120......0901.jpg

Again look at the natural wear pattern. In both examples the wear on the object is caused from natural handling. Thereby giving the object a normal and natural look.

The next item is one that I crafted based on the above idea of natural wear.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa120......0858.jpg

This slate has a lot of natural looking wear and it also feels old. In fact it is new, however the photos do not do it much justice since a photo can not show feel in texture.

Here is a close up PK case built by Ben Bader with some modifications for working by yours truly.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa120......3722.jpg

The case in the above photo is in the collect of Bob Cassidy and is currently the only one of its type ever made.

Now the case above also has a special finish and looks for the most part like “what if the Victorian era met the wild wild west?” Its a great thing a very well built, I leave it at that.

In the above post you can see some wonderful examples with several different styles of finishes. Some of these finishes are custom and process used to create these objects are a closely guarded trade secret and can not be found online.

I will give you a hint as to one of the techniques that I used to create my objects. Layers of finish, each layer is distress between coats to various levels. This causes a build up of translucent color. While subtle in appearance it does create a proper appearance of not only looking old but it feels old as well as this will help confirm that the object,what ever it is, such as a box that you say is old, really does its job to convince the person that it it really old. After all that is what your trying to do when you say “you have an old box”.

While on the subject of distressing here is something that I saw the other day over at Ben's shop (Ben's the guy that built the PK case shown Above) that looks outstanding for distressing brass, lay the brass in a vinegar vat in a closed bucket up on blocks so the fumes will surrounded it. After 12 to 24 hours the brass will look very old but dull. Now hit it with some brown shoe polish and it will look like it is old, toned and have a few spots. Ben said he found the basic technique on-line somewhere but I just wanted to let you all know that the technique does work very well. The best thing is it does not turn green, You know like when you sneak in to the elephants tent and procure your yearly supply of special aging substance number 26 from the circus that hits town every year. Does wonderful things to bronze. But the green is slightly brighter than the real thing but most will never be able to tell the difference.
So to recap the whole of the process should be as much about natural wear as much as random wear. Too often all the distressing is far too random. This randomness of scratches and dents is good but only to a point. Somewhere in the life of the object it must have naturally formed wear in the correct places or the object will not look real as it should.

The last thing I want to share is experiment with strange ideas for distressing an object, Some of these unusual thoughts will create some outstanding finishes. Remember to keep a written log of these experiments so you can combine a non working method that had good elements to a working method that produced good results. This will help in the long run and enable you to remember your secret recipe for the perfect finish.

Well hope this was helpful and do not forget about shelf wear, I have a bunch to do today, but this is a great topic.

Also the Spiritualist writing slate and the PK case were not quick builds, each takes many hours to create and that is just on the finish alone. I will give you a basic idea of what it took to build the PK case was if I remember correctly about 80 hours from star to finish and my writing slates take 10 to 12 hours each to finish, and that is not drying time as the stuff I use will dry in less than a few minutes. Its the distress time I am taking about.

So its not a quick process but one that will give the maker the results that they want and not some half baked quickly made magic prop that is all too common these days.

BTW I like the box design, make sure you post photos of the finished item love to see how it turned out.

Sir, that was one hell of a post!
We all stand to learn so much from what you have said there.