I'm almost ready to paint my blade box, should it be a light color on the in side and dark on the out side? Also the sides are made wiht a recesed panel that I would like to paint two colors ,any sugestions?

I'd say darker colors on the outside edges will minimize the size. Lighter color in the panels will help. Bright blade handles will help with the visual confusion.

You really should listen to an authority like Tom Jorgenson.

However, my own feeling is "Red. Fire-engine red. Only."

Hmmm...about the only thing I'm an authority on is how to pay your taxes late. But I'm pretty good at that.

When we painted ours, the big question was will painting a lighter color on the inside help the audience see inside when they come up to look in. Followed quickly by, SHOULD they be able to easily look inside when they come up... Building our third Blade Box now - and kind of up in the air how we are going to do it. Let me know what works out best for you!

I like Toms ideas, I'll post a picture as soon as I have time to finish it. Thanks for the input.

You could also cover it in Formica (or what passes for it nowadays). This way you could get a nice casketty hammered bronze finish, or what ever look you want. They have hundreds of finishes and the surface will be VERY sturdy, ding-proof and will look good for decades.

I used the hammered bronze on my little Blade Box and it looks solid, confining and real. I'm in the middle of rehabbing mine after 20-some years, and the Formica surface is still good. Pix on my FB page, under 'photos', and in the 'rehab' album if you're interested.

I'm doing a sort of blade box meets sword basket thing. The box will be small, around 20" x 20"x 36". I'm guessing the basic rule of thumb of dark edges and light panels would still apply, right? I'd like the edges to be a dark stained oak and the panels a bright red.

Should that be done via cheque, crossed warrant, cold hard cash or bank transfer?