Greetings gentle folk.
The Nascent Galoot
My name is Max Pitt. I'm an Australian, aged 48, married, 4 kids,
work in chemical manufacturing.
I used to be a fanatic sailor and began acquiring a few basic handtools
30 years ago whilst messing about building boats. After being
domesticated and impoverished, this was sublimated into making
household fixtures, furniture and knicknacks.
I use a lot of scavenged and recycled materials. As a fit young
apprentice galoot I made small items of furniture with timber all
ripped, dressed and dimensioned with muscle power from old railway
sleepers and 4" x 8" planks reclaimed from old acid tanks. I now use
easier means of timber conversion and dont feel guilty. Have recently
made my daughter a jewelery box in jacarranda taken from the branch of a
tree my father planted when I was a baby.
The Effects of Lurking
I never thought of myself as a toolie until the last few weeks when:-
1. For no obvious reason, I picked up a lovely mortice gauge in an
antique shop. It was cheap, better than the one I had;.... and a
second one would obviate some re-setting!
2. I contrived a project to try out the gauge, but first had to buy a
new 3/8" mortice chisel;.... despite the fact that I've chopped hundreds
of good 3/8" mortices over the years with an old bevel edged chisel!
2. Finished the project (jarrah magazine rack for the toilet) and was in
the shed sharpening planes when .... I knew I needed a second smoothing
plane to avoid having to interrupt the flow of work to change dull
irons! .... Bought a grotty old #4 1/2 at a junk stall and got it
cutting sweetly after expending a lot of elbow grease dressing out pits
on sole and iron. The marking were interesting, so I checked and found
it was a USA made Stanley; Type 11, 1910 - 1918. My trusty modern
workhorses are now seen in a different light.
A Confession:
I stripped all the original finish off the plane handle with spokeshave
and scraper, and sanded and repolished the knob. OK - I know it's a
cardinal sin, but I didn't like the varnish, and had never had the
chance to be intimate with rosewood before. I've also gotten used to
the feel of my homemade polished sandalwood knobs and grippy, oil
finished eucalypt handles on my other planes.
A Question
What was the the original finish that I desecrated? Seemed too thick to
be shellac based. Possibly a high build nitrocellulose lacquer with
stain incorporated in it. I must have left some remnants of the
original on the knob when I started polishing with alcoholic shellac
solution, and it kept bleeding dirty red-brown stains.
Max Pitt
Who thinks some strange magic is afoot.
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