Golden Era Things You've Revived Or Repaired For Use

[Shangas]

Today, I took Mr. Singer at his word that these machines he makes can sew through anything. I made a new liner for an old leather bag I bought. When's the last time a 77-year-old handcranked vibrating-shuttle machine ate through four layers of leather and came out working? I'm impressed!

 

[gear-guy]

MY wife yesterday working her sock knitting machine at an antique show!

 

[LizzieMaine]

My washing machine wringer rolls are on the way back from J. J. Short Associates -- total cost for stripping the decayed rubber and recoating and sizing them came to about $250, which is a lot of coin, but amortized out over the expected lifespan of the washing machine it doesn't amount to much. And you can't get usable replacement rolls for my machine at any price -- so it's certainly better than the alternative.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Frankentable

Please pardon me if this post is misplaced. I wanted to share my creation with y'all, but I didn’t think it warrented starting a thread. And it is a bit revived and vintage in that it is made from reclaimed wood…some of it salvaged from old buildings, I believe.

One Saturday last winter Jackie asked if I would please build a small table for our printer. I went out to the shop intending to just throw some wood together and be done before kickoff...but then my OCD kicked in.

I’ve got lots of small scraps of wood stuck everywhere in my shop. They’re the leftovers from twenty-five or more years of furniture projects. I decided to use them…regardless of species…to build Jackie's table. And here's the result. I call it Frankentable. Its got white oak from our television stand, sugar pine from our stereo cabinet, yellow pine from our dining room table and even mahogany breadboard ends from when we restored our Boston Whaler.

AF

 

[Renault]

Atticus, that table is magnificent! Well done.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Got the rollers reinstalled -- an absolute bear of a job due to the reassembly of the tension bar, which is far more complicated than it needs to be -- and have done my first load of washing with them. I'm very pleased with the results -- the new rolls do a fine job of water extraction. The surface of the rubber is a bit slicker than an original would have been, perhaps as a function of its newness, but the density is right, and so far I haven't broken any buttons.

So, I can unreservedly recommend and endorse J. J. Short for this kind of work. If you have rubber rollers in need of rehabilitation, give them a call. Tell them the lady with the washing machine sent you.

 

[Atticus Finch]

When I bought my house back in 1998, it was literally a fishing camp, used only occasionally on the weekends and holidays. And to say it was Spartan would be an understatement. It had no heat other than an open fireplace...no air-conditioning...and its water came from a butt ugly pump house located in the middle of the front yard. When Jackie would visit, she would stand outside the front door singing the theme to “Green Acres”…just to let me know how much she loved my new home.

Not long after I moved in, the county brought water lines to my area. Whooo-hooo! So I disconnected the pump house, connected to the county system and began using the pump for gardening and fish cleaning, only. That worked well for a while, but over time the pump became a problem to maintain and the pump house never got any prettier, so I finally tore the whole thing out. Of course, that left the well head and the electrical service sticking up from the ground.

I thought about just burying it all, but Jackie suggested that we convert what was left into something functional and vintage. So here's the result. I moved the electrical lines to the other side of the yard and installed an outdoor service concealed in bird house looking box. Then I built a pump stand over the well head and connected it to a pitcher pump. It actually works quite nicely and will fill a five gallon bucket as fast as will my garden hose. I think it adds to the looks of the yard and it makes us a little less dependent on the "grid". Now, we'll have at least some water even if the county system fails.

AF

 

[RBH]

AF, that table is beautiful!

 

[Atticus Finch]

AF, that table is beautiful!

Thank you! It was a fun project but it took a long time to complete. I don't have heat in my shop so I couldn't work in there much of the winter. Not much way to make glue joints when the temperature is below freezing.

AF

 

[renaissancemedici]

Dabbling with sewing is as close as reviving a vintage habit as I've ever been. These days it is a lost art in these parts. I don't know anyone my age sewing.

 

[Shangas]

Dabbling with sewing is as close as reviving a vintage habit as I've ever been. These days it is a lost art in these parts. I don't know anyone my age sewing.

I hesitate to ask what that age is? I am thinking of taking up quilting as a hobby so that I can play around with my vintage Singer more often. And make something useful and pretty at the same time that will not be too difficult.

 

[renaissancemedici]

I'm 30

 

[WifeyRobinson]

I recently went to using an old gold double edge safety razor I picked up at an antique store. Better shave, especially now that I use a brush and shaving soap to lather.

Eventually want to start shaving with the straight razors too. I even have one I received tha'ts from the 1890's, but it needs some TLC first.

Currently use both a DE and a straight!!! Love them both if you have any questions!!!

 

[Shangas]

Been using a straight for about four years now. Now, I have actually forgotten how to use other types of razors! I am currently in Asia at a cousin's wedding and had to shave before the event. I used one do those cheap plastic disposable things for the first time since high school. I was more scared of cutting myself on that than 3 inches of cold, hard steel, which is what I usually shave with.

 

[W-D Forties]

Shangas, your 1936 machine is identical to mine! Brilliant machines, I have just resewn a crocodile handbag handle with it!

 

[Mr Oldschool]

Been using a straight for about four years now. Now, I have actually forgotten how to use other types of razors! I am currently in Asia at a cousin's wedding and had to shave before the event. I used one do those cheap plastic disposable things for the first time since high school. I was more scared of cutting myself on that than 3 inches of cold, hard steel, which is what I usually shave with.

And what a predicament to find yourself in! I think I would be more afraid of the plastic disposable, too. Those things are horrible!

 

[Shangas]

Shangas, your 1936 machine is identical to mine! Brilliant machines, I have just resewn a crocodile handbag handle with it!

I love my '36 Singer. I have used it for everything from fixing hems, bags, torn seams...it works like a dream! And it looks cute.

And what a predicament to find yourself in! I think I would be more afraid of the plastic disposable, too. Those things are horrible!

It was indeed a predicament. I hate those things. I have cut myself once using a straight. I could not possibly tell you how many times I have done that with a throwaway razor! A nightmare! And on top of that, my brother uses one of those god-awful five-bladed Gillette law mowers, which I wouldn't dare touch!

 

[Shangas]

A while ago, I bought this little gold-plated pillbox (at least I think that's what it is). The plating is almost all gone. I've always liked little things like this. Small containers, jars, bottles, boxes and stuff.

I was wondering what to do with it, when I realised, it's the perfect size and shape to hold my breath-mints:

Nine 'JILA'-brand breath-mints fit into this box perfectly, as if they were made for each other! I now carry it around in my pocket and pop one into my mouth after each meal.

 

[Mr Oldschool]

:eusa_clap Brilliant, Shangas!

 

[Shangas]

It begs the question though: What were such tiny boxes originally used for? Their capacity is so small. What 'pills' would they have originally held?