I just finished up this project as a gift for my son. It's a "treasure chest" as he is a 2y old who is really into pirates. 12x12x18", small enough that the lid can't hurt little fingers too bad. It's khaya with a padded garnet shellac finish and a coat of black wax. I had tried to use aquacoat for grain filling, but I was disappointed with the results. I did two coats but I think I needed to do at least another coat to get a really level surface. I had most of the hardware leftover from a similar, larger trunk that I built a number of years ago. I had decided the hardware was too small for that trunk but not for this one. After the conclusion of this project, I can confidently say I'm done with hand-mortising brass straps and corners. 
I wanted to try something new for this project, so I experimented with etching the brass nameplate using a film photoresist. I printed out the design on a transparency, put the film on the brass, and exposed it to UV light with the transparency on top. (Sunlight also works for exposure.) Using washing soda, I washed off the areas of the film that were unexposed to UV light, revealing the metal beneath. It took a trial to get the exposure time right... overexposure erases fine detail as you can see in the pic of my first attempt below, and underexposure results in all the film peeling off in the washing soda. Then I put it in ferric chloride to etch it for a couple hours. After etching, the photoresist comes off with lye, leaving a nicely etched brass plate. I cut and ground the piece to the appropriate shape, filled in the etching with Mohawk burn-in stick, and buffed to a shine.
I wanted to try something new for this project, so I experimented with etching the brass nameplate using a film photoresist. I printed out the design on a transparency, put the film on the brass, and exposed it to UV light with the transparency on top. (Sunlight also works for exposure.) Using washing soda, I washed off the areas of the film that were unexposed to UV light, revealing the metal beneath. It took a trial to get the exposure time right... overexposure erases fine detail as you can see in the pic of my first attempt below, and underexposure results in all the film peeling off in the washing soda. Then I put it in ferric chloride to etch it for a couple hours. After etching, the photoresist comes off with lye, leaving a nicely etched brass plate. I cut and ground the piece to the appropriate shape, filled in the etching with Mohawk burn-in stick, and buffed to a shine.
