CLOSED -Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.



We had 2 of these in the workshop where I used to work snug in a bun I was lol

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Hi all, I keep telling Her Ladyship we should have a pot bellied stove in one of the outhouses. Now the Decorating is all but over my next project for 2012 is to build a proper workshop for myself.
At the moment I can't even get in my bit for boxes of tools and stored furniture. As the rear wall is dug into a bank it is really damp. The wall has been tanked but years ago. The plan is to render it with a waterproof slurry and then stud it.

Something needs doing because at this time of year it only takes a matter of days for things to start and rust or warp.

We have no shortage of windfall wood or offcuts from my woodworking so a stove seems the obvious answer.

Machine Mart used to do some basic but cheap ones, OK so they are made in China but they do the job.



My plan for when it's done, Rewired and Heated is to do a little side line in Furniture restoration. There is still a big call down here for Stripped or Shabby Chic.

There are a fair few doing it, but the prices they charge leaves room for competition.

I suppose we are lucky because in our location the recession hasn't bit too badly yet. There are a lot of second homes or people who commute to the city, so there is still a bit of cash around. I have noticed though that at some of the local auctions the prices are dropping, so now may be the time to pick up a few items to work on.

Regards all, Handy

[garlok]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Mines the smaller one from that Handy but the same pattern. Got that from Machine Mart in one of their "VAT Free" nights for 68 quid. With bottled gas at £26 a pop at the time I had paid for the stove in less than 2 months. And like I said the dreaded rust problem is much reduced. I use a lot of 3-in-1 oil on my stuff and try to keep as much as possible of the precision stuff in wooden cabinets and tool chests. After a while the wood seems to soak up enough oil to have an atmosphere which helps protect the tools inside.

Another tip I learned by accident is the one of chapped and split hands which I seemed to be getting on a regular basis. Solvents I suppose cleaning parts. Solution-- compound steam cylinder oil which is a mix of vegetable and mineral oils with some tallow in solution. I found if I was working with parts covered in this oil, the chaps and splits went away. Not suggesting you put it on like cream but it certainly helps in small doses.

regards
Garlok

[Johanino]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Okay just to let you know SC is back from the Fens

But will takes weeks to recover (Ma had the cheek to phone me @ 10.10pm last night cos I was 10 mins late home )

SC

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

All I have to do now is when the trimmings go back in the loft is sort out the Rogues' Gallery and the paintings to go back on the walls.

IFYPFY.

I'm still trying to work out what breed of critter is sitting/lying to the right of the fire; but for the fact that I cannot see any wings, I'd have said it was a short-coated, owl-faced griffin.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

My plan for when it's done, Rewired and Heated is to do a little side line in Furniture restoration. There is still a big call down here for Stripped or Shabby Chic.

There are a fair few doing it, but the prices they charge leaves room for competition.

I suppose we are lucky because in our location the recession hasn't bit too badly yet. There are a lot of second homes or people who commute to the city, so there is still a bit of cash around. I have noticed though that at some of the local auctions the prices are dropping, so now may be the time to pick up a few items to work on.

Have you never considered blacksmithing? I don't mean shoeing horses, but there may still be a market for hand-bashed metalwork, if only as hinges and latches for tatty chic.

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Hi all, Hi Clogs. Yup you could be right my family photos do form a rouges gallery most of them including some of my own have a number across the chest.

The smithy work would be a good idea, unfortunately there are already a couple of really good artisans in the area. There is a small engineering firm that will turn out just about anything from scratch, a great local blacksmith that produced some gates for me last year at a price where I couldn't even buy the steel and then there is one young chap who produces Fire Irons, Candelabra and other object d'art to commission.

My local town is rapidly becoming better known than St Ives for Artists, Poets and Antiques. There is a great Arts and Crafts community here. If I can make the leisure time in 2012 I may even get my paintbrushes out again (oil, acrylic or mixed media on canvas) not the decorating type

I haven't done a canvas for a couple of years. I like to call my work Wall Art as this pishes my brother in law off, he's a well known artist who sells his work for 4 figures.

So lets see what happens after I get a decent workshop sorted out. Something every bloke should have is a shed where he can escape to, even if it's just to get a quiet 5 minutes.

Regards, Handy

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

IFYPFY.

I'm still trying to work out what breed of critter is sitting/lying to the right of the fire; but for the fact that I cannot see any wings, I'd have said it was a short-coated, owl-faced griffin.

That is Bonnie the Border Terrier, who at the present time is badly in need of a trim. She is old now and feels the cold so I'm trying to hold off cutting her coat until the worst winter weather is past.

I can see why you were confused, when she sits up and begs she looks like Chewbacca's little sister

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Hi all, Hi Clogs. Yup you could be right my family photos do form a rouges gallery most of them including some of my own have a number across the chest.

The smithy work would be a good idea, unfortunately there are already a couple of really good artisans in the area. There is a small engineering firm that will turn out just about anything from scratch, a great local blacksmith that produced some gates for me last year at a price where I couldn't even buy the steel and then there is one young chap who produces Fire Irons, Candelabra and other object d'art to commission.

My local town is rapidly becoming better known than St Ives for Artists, Poets and Antiques. There is a great Arts and Crafts community here. If I can make the leisure time in 2012 I may even get my paintbrushes out again (oil, acrylic or mixed media on canvas) not the decorating type

I haven't done a canvas for a couple of years. I like to call my work Wall Art as this pishes my brother in law off, he's a well known artist who sells his work for 4 figures.

So lets see what happens after I get a decent workshop sorted out. Something every bloke should have is a shed where he can escape to, even if it's just to get a quiet 5 minutes.

Regards, Handy

Specially Garloks shed that is one cool place I'd like to see

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Specially Garloks shed that is one cool place I'd like to see

Likewise, I still haven't figured out what he does. Probably invents Death Rays or other Weapons of DCA Destruction.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Handy,

Do you watch restoration man and those sorts of programmes of discovery and lifestyle channels.

Some pretty cool stuff been made out of what I would call junk.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

He is into modelling mainly trains and does exhibitions at shows etc

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Another Fantasy Blown

No all joking apart there is some real skill and dedication that goes into producing some of these models

LINKBuffers Model Railways Shop, James May's Kind Of Model Shop Not plugging them but I have spent several hours at this place looking at some of the displays.

Only about another 4 or 5 years and then I will start putting a Train set together for GS. At the moment although he would enjoy it he's too young to appreciate one properly.

Regards, Handy

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Handy,

Do you watch restoration man and those sorts of programmes of discovery and lifestyle channels.

Some pretty cool stuff been made out of what I would call junk.

Oh yes, I posted this before



The base came from a bedroom cupboard I salvaged from the hall and is solid oak. The top was made from two old braced and ledged doors that came out of the skip when the Hall extension was being built. The back of the dresser top is also oak that was salvaged from the old kitchen. It had been painted but a light sand with the belt sander cleaned it up. One of the shelves still has a hole in it where there was a suffolk latch in its former life.

Now all the building work is over I am having to look further afield for suitable materials. The last good stuff I found was some pieces of tropical hardwood which formed the bottom rails of some pallets. They made great legs for an oak coffee table (piece of old worktop )

Regards, Handy

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman.

Here's my lathe, photographed as I was turning a handle from African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon). The pink tin to the right is a tin which formerly held 'Blue Danube' brand coffee: