After Hurricane Sandy: Valve Handle Coat Rack

Sometime, events going on around us subconsciously effect where we go creatively.  The first chance I had to get back into the workshop happened to be the week Hurricane Sandy devastated the east coast.

I think that's part of why I couldn't bring myself to blog for a couple of weeks.  Although I didn't personally know anyone affected by the storm, my heart still goes out to all the people who have been.  It didn't seem right to be so comfortable when others were, and still are, struggling just to get through each day.

I found that during my self-imposed blogosphere silence, I really took time to reflect.  I was keenly aware of everything I could do without power.  We've grown so used to convenient, quick, and easy but there is something to be said about the satisfaction of using hand tools.  It forces you to slow down.  I discovered I enjoyed the quietness, the pace and sense of accomplishment.

While the hurricane was on my mind, I also realize that one of the main focuses of the workshop remodel had to do with controlling water.  It makes so much sense to me now, as I was re-organizing my workshop, that I was drawn to my collection of shut off valve handles.  And that's how the inspiration began....

I've had this one green and white fence board for who knows how long.  I just love, love, love, old chipped paint!  It's a sickness, really.  I hoard it until just the right project comes along.  When the fence board was about four feet long, I had attached shelf brackets to the bottom for feet and vintage towel racks (you know the ones that have about four swinging arms) on each side of the top and it served as a craft show display rack for my sister's knitted scarves.

I cut off the ends that had the holes from it's former life and ended up with about a 36" plaque.  I had already sanded and waxed the board so this was going to be a  pretty quick project.

Before working on the front of the coat rack, I mounted two keyhole hangers on the back side.  Keyhole hangers can be found in the same area of the hardware store that you would find "D" rings. I like the keyhole hanger for this project because it will keep the plaque flat against the wall and sturdy.

 I sorted through my collection of valve handles and found five (I like odd numbers) that were similar in size.  The two larger ones had square holes so I was going to need a washer.

I remembered that I had a stash of long dark screws and rubber washers that I used to use to install iron drapery hardware back in my decorating days.

The long screws would be great because they would allow some distance between the board and the handle.

A rubber washer on each side keep the handle in place at the end but I don't really want to have the screw be my post.

My plan for this rack is actually to use as a display piece for aprons at Pomar Junction Vineyard and Winery where I help with the retail merchandising.  A little offset will give me room for a couple of aprons on each handle.



Since I'm working with a "water" theme, I decided copper pipe was the perfect solution.  As I was cleaning out my husband's "pipe crib" during the remodel, I had come across several lengths of copper pipe that he liked to keep around for repairs.  I asked if he would mind if I raided his stash every now and then for a project.  Who knew it would be so soon.

Cutting copper pipe is very easy with this manually operated pipe cutting tool.  Simply place the pipe in the tool and tighten by turning the knob at the end of the tool; right-y tight-y, left-y loose-y.

The top of the tool has a roller and the blade sits tight on the opposite side of the pipe.  Just roll the tool around the pipe; and as you can see, there is a score mark.  When it gets easy to turn, tighten the knob at the bottom and continue rolling and turning until the piece breaks free.

I cut the copper pipe to a length that would still leave enough screw length to go all the way through the thickness of the wood without popping out the back.

If you plan to hang a lot of weight on this rack, it's probably a better idea to drill a nut-size recessed hole from the back and use a nut and bolt rather than a screw.  However, this finished rack feels pretty strong.

In the spirit of not using power tools for this project, I mark the placement of the handles with an awl.  This gives me plenty of pilot hole since I'm using a screw and want it to be as tight as possible.

For this project, even if I wanted to use power tools, hand tightening is better.

A perfect fit, and I love the look!

As tempted as I was to keep this rack for myself to hold my workshop aprons.....

It looks perfect in Pomar Junction's old farmhouse tasting room.

Jewelry Duty: Inspired by Jury Duty?

So, this last week or so I've been slow on posting....As you know, I've been cleaning my workshop.  While I was cleaning, I found a piece from the back of a broken chair that I had started painting awhile back.  I didn't know what I was going to do with it but I had an idea when I had jury duty this week.  Jury duty sort of sounds like jewelry duty....and since I like making jewelry displays; why not!

I always hang on to scraps that have an interesting shape, even if I have no idea what I'm going to do with them.

Then, when I'm painting on a project and have a little leftover paint in the pan, I'll pull out some of those scrap parts and throw some paint on them.  Sometimes, they get several layers of paint before I get an inspiration.  In this case, this old chair back had a layer of green.  Then, a little leftover wash from my  Chair-y Chair-y Quite Contrary post.

After a little sanding, it actually became the inspiration for a lesson on How To Fix A Bad Sanding Job.
Since I haven't written that post yet, here it is:

 Here's what happened:  I use a palm sander.  When you're sanding off paint, it gets clogged up on the sandpaper (at least this is my theory on why this happens).  Anyway, you start getting this unattractive skipping pattern; not good.

The fix is to take a little sandpaper and hand-sand those areas smooth.

You could always go back with more paint if you don't want that much exposed wood.  But, since I didn't know what this project would turn into, I decided to leave it as it was and this is what I was left with.


Then, I just finish it with a little Fiddes Supreme Wax in Rugger Brown.

So, now we're to my week of jury duty.  On day two, I was called to a trial and "excused for cause" so I got to go home early and work in my "sort of cleaned-up" workshop.  After all, I deserve to have a little fun before I have to get back to the cleaning....right?

I always thought this chair back reminded me of one of those framed silhouettes and it really needed to be mounted on something and framed.



I found an old frame that was the right size and a piece of old recycled backer board that was "almost the right size"....yeah!  an excuse to use the table saw:)

 I could paint the backer board but I liked the idea of a pattern so I found this leftover wallpaper from my mother-in-law that I had been holding onto.  The bit of green was just the right color for my chair back.



When I ran out of Cam Tack on my last project, I decided to try this 3M product called Super 77 I found on one of my many trips to OSH.
It worked similar to the Cam Tack and was perfect to adhere the vinyl wallpaper to the backer board.

The frame I found had been shuffled around the workshop for awhile so it was pretty banged up.














A little sanding with a medium grit sanding sponge gave the frame a nice even distressing.

 The rustic brown frame is going to balance the exposed wood on the chair back nicely so I decide to just use the same wax on the frame for a quick finish.

It's a quick brush on....

...and wipe off.

This is so easy;  all I have to do is give it a quick buff with a clean cloth and it's ready to go all shiny and new.

Now, it's time for assembly.

This is where clamps come in handy...what did I ever do without them?












Once I get the silhouette centered and clamped, I screw it on from the back side making sure to use a short enough screw that it won't pop through the front.

Now I need to mount the backer board into the frame.  This is when I wish I were a professional picture framer and knew all their tricks.

After taking the broken glass out of so many old windows, I decided glazing points would be a sturdy way to mount backer board for things like chalkboards and bulletin boards so I decide to use them here as well.

 I'm not even sure if this is how you're supposed to install glazing points because I've never worked in a glass shop either, but it seems to work okay.  I take a large screwdriver and just push the glazing point into the frame.  Then I use a tack hammer and just tap it the rest of the way in.

After that, I hammer the ends down flat.

I approach this like I do an upholstery project; start with one glazing point in the center of each of the four sides.  Then, I add one about an inch or so from each corner.  That's enough for the short ends but then I add more to the long sides between the center and the corner.  This should hold everything together just fine.


If I were a professional framer, I'd have some nice brown paper to glue to the back to make it look pretty, but I'm not, and I don't, so I'll just use a little masking tape to cover all the things that might scratch a wall.

 Next, I want to add the hanging hardware to the back.  While this is normally a last step, for this project I need to do everything that goes on the back first because I'm going to use cup hooks on the front that stick out so I don't want to have to work on the back after I have all those attached.

When I'm making something that's going to hang on the wall and needs to be sturdy, I like to use two D rings.  You buy them according to the weight of whatever you're hanging.  The small one would probably be fine for this project but I only had one small ring so I'm using two large ones instead.

I usually mount the D rings 4-6 inches from the top of the frame.  For a frame this thin, I decide to use only the bottom screw hole so that the D ring can be turned into the frame so that when it's hung on the wall it won't show from the side of the frame.

I need something to hang the jewelry on, so  I use brass cup hooks.  You used to be able to find real brass cup hooks that would age to a nice patina.  The new ones are really shiny and a cheap metal that may or may not really be brass.  You can leave them that way if you like, but I like a more rustic look so I use a little rust activator and get the aging process going.  This could take a couple of days so don't wait until the last minute.

After they've rusted, be sure to spray several coats of sealer on the hooks since you are going to be hanging your jewelry on them.  Although I've never had any problem, if you feel you may have any metal sensitivities, please use your own discretion.

 I'm going to do two rows of hooks offset by half an inch.  I used a ruler lined up along the bottom edge of the top of the chair silhouette and made a mark with an awl an inch apart.


 Then, I lined the ruler along my awl marks and made a new mark a half inch to each side of my bottom mark.

 It's important to pre drill all your holes before trying to screw in the cup hooks.  Choose the right size drill bit and make a mark with blue tape to the depth you want to drill your hole.  If you drill it too deep, it won't be strong enough and if you don't drill it deep enough, you make risk breaking off the cup hook as you're trying to screw it down tight.

The two rows at the top can hold lots of necklaces and I added a row at the bottom that would work well for earrings, rings or bracelets.

And there you have it...ready for jewelry duty!

P.S.  For those people who have said they wish they could spend a day in my head....this one's for you....

So, as I was playing with the title Jewelry Duty/Jury Duty, I had a lightbulb moment...the chair back silhouette looked like the scales of justice without the scales.  I had just the thing!  I've been hanging onto this cut glass dish that I had broken...almost in half.  What perfect scale dishes!  A couple of eye hooks and some old rusty chain and I think it looks like the scales of justice?!?

Okay, so I had to stop myself....although the dishes would be great for rings and bracelets, I wasn't sure I would be able to attach the bowls to the backer board that was already covered in wallpaper and have it be solid enough to hold any weight.  I didn't want to risk messing up my finished project. :(

I've been invited to speak at a ladies luncheon in Salinas tomorrow and I'll be taking this project with me for show and tell.  If it makes it back with me, I will post it for sale on Sunday.

Overall dimension:  17 1/2" x 21 1/2"

$42

I just checked out Funky Junk Interior's Friday Night Link Party.  This weekend it's all about table runners.  I linked this Jewelry Duty post under the Home Decor category but hope to think up some clever table runner to add to the Themed Party before time runs out!  You should check it out for some great ideas.  She has the best blog!....something to aspire to....

Vintage Stair Spindle Projects: Small Side Table

Okay, so if you're at all like me, you go to vintage shows or shops selling architectural pieces and you see bins of turned spindles and legs with old paint and you just have to have them even though you have no idea what you'll do with them....sound familiar?

I know you're out there....well, here's one obvious idea that's a pretty quick simple project.

1.  First, assemble your collection of spindles and find four that match.  I chose four spindles that had at least 4 or 5 inches of square at one end to attach the table skirting.

2.  Trim the chosen four to equal lengths.  Since my spindles were going to be legs, I trimmed the bottom square part of the spindle completely off so it would look like a leg.

3.  I  liked the blue color and decided to keep it; but the spindles needed to be cleaned up.  I sanded them a bit to expose a little of the original white primer and natural wood.  Then I used Fiddes Supreme Wax for a quick easy finish.


4.  I dug through my scrap pile for some table skirting.  Obviously, I chose the legs and skirting on the left.  When I'm photographing, I don't always know what I'll be using to finish my project...after all, I'm just winging it!

5.  When using scrap wood, the length of your boards pretty much determines the size of your table.  I cut two longer pieces and two shorter so that my table would be rectangle.  Considering the length of my scrap, if I had cut four equal pieces I would have ended up with more of a plant stand.

6.  When I'm using salvaged materials for a project and decide to leave some parts their original color (in this case, the legs), I don't try to match the paint.  Instead, I just embrace the differences.  It's makes it look intentional instead of trying to match and miss.  One trick to pulling it all together is to finish all the pieces using the same technique.  With this in mind, I slightly sanded my white skirting boards and waxed them with the same Fiddes Supreme Wax.

7.  Time to pull out one of my favorite tools, the Kreg Jig.  I simply adjust the collar on the drill bit depending on the thickness of the wood.  This will ensure the hole is at the correct depth.

8.  Then just clamp the piece of wood into the jig and drill two holes on each end to attach the skirting to the leg.  I also drill several holes along the top edge to attach the table top from underneath.





9.  If you don't have a Kreg Jig, you can always drill holes in the skirt ends and  legs.  Then dowel and glue the base together.   If you're a project person like me, a Kreg Jig is well worth the investment!

10.  When I attach the skirt to the leg, I use a stir stick or some scrap that's about 1/8"-1/4" thick and set that under my skirt wood as a guide so that the skirting is set back from the edge of the leg and will be consistent on each attachment.  It's much easier than measuring and then trying to keep it there while screwing the joint.  Add a little wood glue to the end before screwing for  a nice strong joint.

11.  Once the base is together,  I can determine the size top I need.  I cut a piece of scrap shelving that happened to be the right width and then used my router to give it a nice finished edge.  If you don't have a router you can simply sand the edge to the desired softness.

12.  I waxed the top with Fiddes Supreme Wax in Rugger Brown to tie my three different colored parts together.

13.  Then, to attach the top to the base, simply add a little wood glue to the top edge of the base and screw the top on from underneath where the holes were pre-drilled in the skirting.

...and there you have it.  A cute little side table made from stair spindles and scrap wood.

...next time....a less obvious project using the same vintage stair spindles...since I have four more:)

Inspired By The Olympics....I've Gone Global

I'll be the first to admit the list of things I love is long...globes are right up there with vintage books and cameras.  I picked this one up at a yard sale; and although it was falling off its frame, I liked the fact it had a frame since I could use the parts for other projects....after all, you can never have too many parts.

This one was made of cardboard so taking it apart was pretty simple.  Loosening it at the seam, one half slid into the other freeing it from the frame.  My first project was pretty obvious; using the northern hemisphere as a lamp shade.




Although it would have been easy to just leave the shade as is, it's always been my personal opinion that adding layers gives a project a richer more finished look.  In this case, I added a coat of Minwax Gel Stain in Walnut to warm up the colors and give the shade a less juvenile look.

A coat of the Gel Stain on the inside of the shade transforms the simple cardboard to a beautiful leather-looking finish and gives the inside of the shade a bit of reflective value.









Now I just need the right lamp.  For those of you who know me, I do a lot of projects with lamps, lamp shades, and various lighting fixture parts so there's usually a few garage sale finds waiting for a project.  After sampling the new shade on every lamp in my workshop, I settled on the little blue ceramic lamp because I liked the size, shape and scale with the shade.  The finish, however, was less than suitable.

 I once heard that anything could be painted if it's properly prepped.  I chose to believe this.  The key is to give the paint "a tooth".  It needs something to grab hold of.  A good cleaning, a little roughing up, a coat of primer and you're good to go.

Here, I've used an iron oxide paint followed by a rust patina and a coat of spray sealer.  Let me know if you're interested and I'll share the details of this finish in a future post.

Being a little OCD, I didn't like the edge of the lamp shade.  There was a little glue residue that didn't take the Gel Stain evenly.  I could have added a decorative trim but decided to give the edge the same metal paint finish as the base for a simpler industrial look.

When reassembling the lamp, I used a recycled harp but decided I still needed the fixture to be a little higher so that the shade hit at just the right spot visually.  I also like everything to have a professionally finished look.  I save all old lighting fixture parts for just this reason.

I found a little round plate and a decorative brass spacer.  After treating both pieces with my rust patina, the plate turned rust and the brass turned a pretty verdigris which coordinated nicely with the shade.  I like to spray all my aged parts with a coat of either matte or semi gloss spray sealer depending on the desired sheen.







To attach the shade, you need a finial.  In this case, I wanted something simple but with a little dimension.  A simple aged brass finial with two rusted discs in graduating sizes were the perfect finishing touch.

When I started this project, I thought I'd be selling it.  But now that it's finished, I sort of like the way it looks sitting on the bureau in the guest room, aka (Michael's room).  Oh well, maybe someday I'll be over it.

Now I just need to dream up something for the southern hemisphere and frame parts...any ideas?