Writing Slope Dilema

[scrivelry]

Micheal, every suggestion you give in post 558 sounds sensible and workable. I'm not up to that part yet, but I'm giving it thought and knowing that you've had success and where the pitfalls are is an immense help in my planning.

 

I know I am no one to talk, still experiencing technical difficulties with my posting pictures, but do you have any of the later writing slopes you've worked on? The first set were such a pleasure to watch - did every box present the same challenges, or different ones?

 

I've done nothing with mine yet - I hope to get the finish off today, and find some hide glue - I am intrigued by the idea that hide glue, while it can be a PITA, seems re-doable. I have a tiny bit of a conservation background, so the idea of something being un-doable appeals to me - despite this thing I've got clearly not being anything of such historic note that anyone at the Smithsonian would be clucking their tongue at a later date because of how I did it... Just a private pleasure - I think fountain pen users in general might understand that pretty well...

 

You mention Scotch glue - I don' t know what that is. I've run into hide glue you boil yourself, and hide glue that comes in a bottle and must have some preservative - do you know anything about that?

 

Thank you as always for the timely, useful answers!

 

inkily,

 

T

Edited July 24, 2013 by scrivelry

[scrivelry]

The glue I selected is completely useless. I have to scrape and sand it all off and start all over again. Recut the fabric, remeasure everything...Bloody nightmare. This won't be done for another month, at least.

 

Shangas, that sounds disheartening. Is is possible that what Michael said, using that coat of glue as a sealant, would work, or has it gone all lumpy and bumpy on you?

 

In other crafts, I've known people to put badly bahaving projects in a time-out and ignore them for a bit. Sometimes the project behaves a little better knowing there are consequences if it doesn't. ;-) In my case, I frequently find that when I give something that's been giving me fits a rest for a while, it doesn't seem quite as bad when I come back to it.

 

Of course, very occasionally, it seems worse. But then I get to feel better because hey, I wasn't imagining anything...

 

inkily,

 

T

[my63]

Hey Have you been looking at the naughty corner of my desk

I have a number of projects there

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8316/8026253396_35216d0361_z.jpg
IMG_2089 by my0771, on Flickr

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8365/8368639638_0430ea0ce7_z.jpg
IMG_3143_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8360/8401337489_391fc75546_z.jpg
IMG_9550 by my0771, on Flickr

 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2842/9201427447_1b0da10b1f_z.jpg
IMG_4034_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

This is just a sample of my naughty projects I am sure Shangas will find a way around his problems as he has done in the past.

 

The way I look at it if I am not making mistakes then I am not trying hard enough.

 

Thanks

 

Michael

[Shangas]

 

Shangas, that sounds disheartening. Is is possible that what Michael said, using that coat of glue as a sealant, would work, or has it gone all lumpy and bumpy on you?

 

In other crafts, I've known people to put badly bahaving projects in a time-out and ignore them for a bit. Sometimes the project behaves a little better knowing there are consequences if it doesn't. ;-) In my case, I frequently find that when I give something that's been giving me fits a rest for a while, it doesn't seem quite as bad when I come back to it.

 

Of course, very occasionally, it seems worse. But then I get to feel better because hey, I wasn't imagining anything...

 

inkily,

 

T

 

HAH!

 

I WISH it was that easy. It's lumpier than a chocolate chip cookie. It has to be sanded off and reapplied, or else it's gonna be like writing on a rice-cracker.

[Hanoi]

curious, how do you "handmade" old keys to these antique locks? They look simple but serious old school casting technology needs to be understood.

[my63]

Hi Scriverly

RE 561 hide glue and scotch glue are pretty much the same thing the hot glue pot puts me off my dogs would knock it over for sure

 

 

One of this chaps other videos shows how to mix glue but I cant seem to find it.

 

The best way to post pictures is to host them on flickr or photobucket and post the link here.

 

Are you removing the veneer or just the finish on top of the veneer?

 

I buy the boxes that are heading for the scrap heap so I don't have to worry about their history.

 

I am not a professional restorer.

 

Thanks

Michael

[my63]

 

HAH!

 

I WISH it was that easy. It's lumpier than a chocolate chip cookie. It has to be sanded off and reapplied, or else it's gonna be like writing on a rice-cracker.

I know you are probably sick of me saying this but I had this problem on my first box.

There was still hide glue on the box top when I applied the PVA it reacted and bubbled up like a rice pudding.

You solution is spot on scrape it all off warm water and a scrubbing brush get all the old stuff off and start again.

Good luck

Michael

[my63]

curious, how do you "handmade" old keys to these antique locks? They look simple but serious old school casting technology needs to be understood.

Hi Hanoi

These are very simple single lever locks the piece I made last week is the lever assembly.

When I said I needed to make a key I should have said I need to make one of the keys I have fit.

I bought a job lot of old keys which I cut to fit.

There are companies who still make blanks but they are expensive.

I will post pictures when I cut the key.

Regards

Michael

[Shangas]

Dad and I are gonna tackle the crappy glue this weekend, mix up some wallpaper glue instead, and use that. Hopefully, it works!!

[scrivelry]

Are you removing the veneer or just the finish on top of the veneer?

 

I buy the boxes that are heading for the scrap heap so I don't have to worry about their history.

 

I am not a professional restorer.

Oh, I'm not anywhere near a professional restorer myself - my skill extends only to watching same on youtube!

 

Most of my veneer is fine. The basic problems are that there is an inlay of wire perhaps an eighth of an inch from the edge of the top, and veneer has been lost between that and the edge - a fiddly bit to repair, I think - and the veneer on the writing boards around the surface.

 

I am a little concerned that the veneer one gets today may be thinner than what's on this box and wondering if I should take up that veneer around the writing surface to repair the other bits with, and put that all in new after I glue the boards back together. Then it really won't matter if what I put around the writing surface is the same, so long as it all matches itself.

 

The picture problem is on the getting the pictures out of the camera end, not the getting them up on the site end - I may have a problem there, too, but I'm not yet up to that problem.

 

My dog is not a problem but certain family members could be - really, I did not anticipate this when I got this thing, I thought it needed maybe a new finish and that's all. One lives and learns.

[scrivelry]

Dad and I are gonna tackle the crappy glue this weekend, mix up some wallpaper glue instead, and use that. Hopefully, it works!!

Sounds like it ought to. Ahh, these family moments! Given my particular father and my particular self we'd probably be more likely to end up glued to each other and the floor if we tried to help each other. His talents do not lie in DIY of this nature...

 

(I'm not sure mine do either, but I am currently in this up to my neck so they will have to be. )

[my63]

Oh, I'm not anywhere near a professional restorer myself - my skill extends only to watching same on youtube!

 

Most of my veneer is fine. The basic problems are that there is an inlay of wire perhaps an eighth of an inch from the edge of the top, and veneer has been lost between that and the edge - a fiddly bit to repair, I think - and the veneer on the writing boards around the surface.

 

I am a little concerned that the veneer one gets today may be thinner than what's on this box and wondering if I should take up that veneer around the writing surface to repair the other bits with, and put that all in new after I glue the boards back together. Then it really won't matter if what I put around the writing surface is the same, so long as it all matches itself.

 

The picture problem is on the getting the pictures out of the camera end, not the getting them up on the site end - I may have a problem there, too, but I'm not yet up to that problem.

 

My dog is not a problem but certain family members could be - really, I did not anticipate this when I got this thing, I thought it needed maybe a new finish and that's all. One lives and learns.

I would not try to veneer 1/8 inch thin strips of wood 1 to 5 mm square can be used to resolve this problem often called lines.

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7327/9248110956_1459c8dd2b_z.jpg

IMG_4153 by my0771, on Flickr

 

I usually use larger than needed then sand it down to suit.

 

If you could ask the person who made your box they would say that they used the best glue available to them at the time the box was made, it would have been hide glue.

I think that titebond make a hide type glue but I have not used it.

Standard veneers are 0.6mm thick however you can get constructional veneers that are thicker.

 

My computer has a card reader built in so I take the card out of the camera and plug it into the computer much easier than messing about with cables I think.

Regards

Michael

[my63]

I am going to try and finish the NESSR project this week as they are short of funds and there are so many dogs needing help.

 

In fact we have a new NESSR project that arrived yesterday she is called Lucy Lu and is 6 months old I have posted a link below.

 

I know it is off topic but she is really cute.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47080473@N07/9365383677/

 

Thanks

 

Michael

[fuchsiaprincess]

Hi Michael,

 

Anything that involves cute animals isn't off topic

[fuchsiaprincess]

PS - Lucy Lu is absolutely gorgeous!! Wish I could adopt her!

[my63]

PS - Lucy Lu is absolutely gorgeous!! Wish I could adopt her!

Lucy is a great little dog 6 months old and looking for her third home it is quite sad, she will make a fantastic pet for someone.

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/9394096896_af12ee5b11_z.jpg

IMG_4254_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

I have added an extra support here so I have stained the inside to even up the colours.

 

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3690/9391322615_9625867bdb_z.jpg

IMG_4253_1 by my0771, on Flickr

 

The mechanism for holding the upper leave in place when closing the box was missing so I have used hidden magnets to resolve this issue.

 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/9391319679_7b55996b05_z.jpg

IMG_4251 by my0771, on Flickr

 

As you can see the NESSR box is nearing completion I just need to finish the brass works and fix them in place, I am going to French polish the outside to give it some protection and then it should be good for another 100 years.

 

Thanks for looking

 

Michael

[scrivelry]

Gorgeous box and gorgeous doggies - very worthy of such a fabulous charity project!

[Shangas]

Hoping to re-try the gluing of the fabric this weekend. Hopefully it works. Somehow, I don't think it will. But we'll see how it goes.

 

Once the fabric has all been glued and cut and measured and whatever, then we have to do the latches and locks and everything...

[scrivelry]

Hoping to re-try the gluing of the fabric this weekend. Hopefully it works. Somehow, I don't think it will. But we'll see how it goes.

 

Once the fabric has all been glued and cut and measured and whatever, then we have to do the latches and locks and everything...

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! I have a smaller box I bought that was in much better condition, and really the only pressing thing that needs doing is replacing the fabric. I've scraped the old glue off half ot the writing surface, I have a nice wool to put down there, I just have to get the other half scraped and refinish the little surround bit, which is losing shellac, before I try pasting mine down. Whoever did it last time used a relatively open weave section about two inches wide to glue the leaves to the center, and the other fabric gets glued on top - that part is still working so I am not arguing with success.

 

Did you order new locks, or are you managing with the old one?? I'm trying to decide for mine. If the one I'm doing that's a bit more complicated comes out ok I want to do one for my sister...

 

T

[Shangas]

I don't intend to CHANGE the lock, but it may be necessary to remove the lock-plate and reseat it/reposition it, so that the bolts fit in more precisely. The lock itself is undamaged. It just doesn't connect with its other half properly. I suspect it was a fault from when the box was made.