Well done guys; you are talking a foreign language to me whilst discussing remote controls. I still can't get to grips with the three remotes we have; if I press a wrong button I lose the plot and it drives me round the bend; I also keep picking up the wrong remote? Now if they were steam powered I might be in with a chance.
Many thanks Ed for adding the information on ornamental turning by Holtzapffel. Yes indeed Holtzapffel have never been surpassed when it comes to ornamental turning and their lathes command huge prices these days with a "Rose engine" (Rolls Royce of ornamental lathes) being sold for over half a million pounds years ago. The design on the plates which used to print bank notes was done using a Rose engine.
I've owned all five reprints of the Holtzapffel books for about twenty years these costing a total of £105 which in those days was a great deal of money to us; I'll never part with them. The patterns produced by the various cutting frames are exquisite.
When I start using the Jubilee I'll post my feeble efforts; one thing though is for certain; woodturning is a most enjoyable hobby in its own right whether producing utility or ornamental items. I always enjoy a session on the lathe.
Now back to the plot; I feel like putting my three remotes in the same place as Lawrence's mobile phone?
After an early morning appointment I made a start on stripping the original cabinet finish using scrapers. I had just nicely got into the job when Bron came into the workshop to inform me the Little Greene paint we had ordered was now in the store awaiting collection. The picture below shows what £114 of Little Greene oil based paint looks like.
With a dry morning forecast we set off in the usual downpour and collected the paint; as it was pouring down I went into the store leaving Bron in the car. In the store I asked the young lady if they ever threw old wallpaper pattern books away because such books would be useful to Bron for her card making hobby?
Yes they did throw these pattern books away and would be delighted to give us some as it saved them disposing of them; they would ring once some were available. We had just nicely arrived home and settled in when the phone rang; if we cared to visit the store again ten pattern books were now waiting for us. It was a waste of time making another start in the workshop so near to dinner time. After dinner we set off once again but now the afternoon rain forecast was sunshine. We visited Morrison's on the way to the store where I bought a box of chocolates. The ladies in the store were most helpful and one even carried a number of the pattern books to our car; we handed over the chocolates and were assured more books would be coming our way shortly.
Back home again I finally got into the workshop to resume stripping the cabinet. I used a plain cabinet scraper on the flat sections but fortunately Gary (Radio Fixer) came to my rescue when I needed to strip the hollow curved front section. Gary quite a while ago very generously sent me as a gift a selection of good quality assorted cabinet scrapers including curved scrapers. One of these curved scrapers made light work of this difficult hollow curved section. Many thanks Gary; much appreciated.
It took very little effort to strip the original finish using the scrapers then I sanded at 400G and finished off with 1200G abrasive paper.
I had left the cabinet in the big woodworking vice overnight to let the newly glued joint set; it worked perfectly. Now I need to make and install a grille bar to replace the missing bar but in no time at all this cabinet is progressing very well.
Many thanks Colin; does this mean I can attend The Oil Barons Ball with JR?
Good idea Lawrence; the only problem is that I feel too scared to open a tin because it cost so much. No the set is definitely dead but I'll re-cap it and take it from there once the cabinet is finished. I'm considering spraying the cabinet in auto acrylic lacquer but will have to decide on the colour to use; I could French polish it first to see what it looks like. The new grille bar might prove to be a problem as it's always difficult matching timber?
The Little Greene paint is very highly regarded by top professionals and all the reviews are exemplary. This paint will gloss the outside doors and window frames giving two coats and if it performs as expected it will actually work out very cheaply indeed. I never skimp on materials; after all I'm saving a fortune on labour. The rest of the exterior timber is treated with Sikkens Filter 7 and the rough timber with Creoseal.
Once I've gathered all the materials and weather permitting I enjoy painting and decorating; I know I'm sad because most people dislike such activities with a passion. Once the exterior is painted the bungalow looks wonderful and using top class paint means it looks wonderful until I re-paint again a few years later. I keep on top of the painting and it has paid off in that our softwood window frames are still in excellent condition and are now exactly 50 years old.
As with exterior painting I take the view that I can either regard such jobs as a chore hence dislike doing them and putting them off until I'm forced to do them then resent the time spent on them or I can regard them as a project and take an interest in them doing the best job I can possibly do. I'm not a sheep so I don't pop over to B&Q and buy a huge can of white undercoat and gloss and simply slap this on.
I take a genuine interest and research first to see what is available and these days it's so easy to browse the web for ideas and reviews regarding products and materials. Sikkens Rubbol gloss paint ranked with the best available but then Sikkens dropped the colour range leaving me exposed to inferior paints. Undeterred I then started to ask about paint and to browse the web for an equal or better alternative paint.
Joe very kindly suggested Farrow & Ball and sure enough F&B was renowned for paint quality but because I want oil based paint F&B have recently dropped oil based and now manufacture water based due to EU regulations. I spent hours browsing the web but one name kept popping up "little Greene" I had never heard of LG paint before but more research revealed LG to be about the best paint available and still available in oil base.
I'm taking things rather personal because it appears each time I want things these days I keep closing stores and companies down just because I'm interested in purchasing goods? I would have happily bought F&B paint without hesitation but because I showed interest F&B now only sell water based paint. The number of times this has happened over the years is making buying materials a lot more difficult. Scrap yards and second hand machine stores have all closed whom I used to deal with. It proved to be a nightmare when I needed a bit of good quality plywood when I restored my Ekco TV; even the plywood these days is pure rubbish; at a local timber yard one sheet of plywood actually delaminated as it came off the saw and on it goes.
I could do as Lawrence suggests and simply replace all the wooden windows with plastic saving me all this grief and wasted time but I'm a sucker for punishment and the harder things become the more I dig in. I doubt I'll ever change in fact I don't want to.
Rufforth Auto Jumble is imminent once again; time to clean and check the car ready for the trip on Saturday; I need some paint stripper and this is usually on sale at Rufforth but not the weak stuff; the stripper being sold at Rufforth is industrial quality and the stallholder always gives a verbal warning as to how powerful it is; at around £20 for 5L it is also very cheap. I'll be on the lookout for a few lathe bits like a live centre and a four pronged drive centre to fit the Jubilee also for the Jubilee I'd like to pick up a faceplate but this will have to be with a Boxford thread of 1.5" x 8TPI? The Jubilee has been upgraded with a brand new mandrel.
I've rambled on enough so time I did something useful whilst it is warm and dry outside.