Family Heirloom Survived A House Fire

In 2016 my parents home was victim to an electrical fire and I (a teenager at the time) knew true loss for the first time. Some things were saved but most were not. Pretty much a total loss. One thing that survived was my mother’s hope chest. I drug it out today to assess the damage (procrastination at it’s finest!) and honestly I don’t think it’s fubar yet. There are a few crumbly bits around the edges and trim and decorative drawers and the hinge for the lid is rusty. Me and my mom are going to clean it out this week and go through what’s inside. Then I’m going to try to clean it. I want to see what is smoke/ash/soot and what is truly damaged. I can post a few pictures I took tonight if you want them and I know they’re not too great. It’s dark at noon now people.The inside is relatively unscathed. Some singe-like discoloration. After rubbing the lid with a finger full of spit it seems like it’s truly just dirty on top.I want to try to restore it myself. Just for the sake of keeping it and passing it to my children and theirs.Even if the old house is a total gut job, you still like the idea of an old house. Right?So I guess my question is... how do I start!? What can I use to clean it? I don’t know my woods. (It has a cedar-like smell under the smoke) but I do know several pieces of the trim and bottom where legs USED to be are a veneer and manufactured wood situation. And I don’t know how to take care of it. But my interest is peaked and I’ve never had a true “hobby” before so I would really like to start this as a project for myself. I’m also open to making new pieces to replace the old out of real wood. My dad works in construction and has every tool you can think of available to me, but I don’t want his help this time. I want to learn from other people and figure things out on my own.Please feel free to give advice, personal experience, and/or opinions about what I should do, how to go about it, and what you think about the project in general. I’m open to any and all commentary and suggestions. I hope I can post more very soon about my progress.Unless y’all think it’s a lost cause. If people with experience say it’s fubar then I guess it will be. I’m just tired of my dad and boyfriend telling me to throw it out bc i “can’t”. Spite project? via /r/BeginnerWoodWorking https://ift.tt/38nJlkM