How heavy are solid oak chests?

Most take two people to lift safely. The thick oak boards and forged iron fittings add up. Take the lid off if the hinges allow it. Moving the carcase empty makes stairs easier.

I bought an old chest yesterday and it has a really strong musty smell inside. How do I get rid of it so I can store my winter clothes safely?

Leave the lid open on a dry, breezy day. Fresh air handles stale odours better than chemical sprays, which can stain the raw timber inside the carcase. Try putting a bowl of bicarbonate of soda inside and closing the lid for a week. It draws moisture and trapped smells out of the porous wood without causing any damage.

Can I paint a blanket box?

Yes, but think carefully before covering early oak. A layer of modern gloss paint ruins the historic surface and traps moisture inside the joints. Pine examples from the Victorian period take paint much better. They were often painted originally to look like more expensive woods, so a fresh coat of porous milk paint fits their history.

The hinges on this box look like they might have been moved at some point because there are empty holes nearby. Is that something I should worry about or try to fix?

Empty holes near the hinges are standard. Iron straps snap under the weight of heavy lids, and local carpenters simply moved the replacements along the rail to find solid wood. Leave them exactly as they are. Those old fixing points show the chest has a long working history and tell the story of its repairs. Filling them with modern putty just draws the eye.