Gear Acres at Top of the Hill: Morrie

Monday, July 2, 2018

Forgotten Cast Iron Bench Ends

Have you ever bought something and then put it away only to forget about it for years? I have and yesterday I remembered. I remembered not only buying them for 5 bucks but I remembered where I put them. That is truly amazing......the remembering where I put them, not that I got them for a fiver.

The cast iron ends are low so I don't think it makes a bench. Maybe it is a side table? Or a low coffee table? Who knows but when I bought them I just knew I could use them because I love wrought iron and cast iron.

The casting is very similar to the bench that I picked up last week. Once they were painted you would think they were always a set. That's the power of paint. You can take like objects and with the application of a unifying coat of paint on all the pieces, they instantly become a set or a collection.

Morrie said "You should see all the stuff she has hidden in the barn. Humans are a strange lot. They are always painting or stripping something. It's best if I keep my distance and sleep until the human leaves and returns with a bag of food."

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Saturday, June 30, 2018

Before and After Photos of Cast Iron Bench Parts

Today was hotter than the hubs of hell. Oh my goodness, I would work a little then sit in the shade and drink a bottle of water, then work a little more.

My goal was to get the cast iron bench parts clean, prepped, and painted. Tomorrow we will build the frame for the back and then we can cut slats for the seat. Nothing will be bolted into place until Monday when R can go and buy stainless or anodized bolts.

We will probably bolt everything together and then take it apart so I can prime and paint the wood. So I predict a bench reveal on Friday.

The first step today was to clean the pieces. I used a brass bristle brush to loosen dirt and remove surface rust. I then washed each piece with a wet cloth and allowed to dry before I started painting.

I discovered an area where there was some flash, that was a result of the casting. I tried using a file to get rid of it but it didn't even scratch the surface. So I had R use a grinder with a cone shaped bit to grind off the flash while I went and bought us a couple of tacos.

Before with flash.

After with flash gone.

When I left to get food, Morrie was sitting in his Taz chair.

But when I came home he was waiting in the driveway. He knows that when the human leaves in the afternoon, they usually return with a bag of food. Morrie loves fast food.

By this time, the saw horses where I am doing the spray painting, were finally in the shade. The cast iron pieces were too hot to spray paint when they were in the sun. I followed the same procedure as yesterday's spray painting and painted the back or bottoms of the pieces first and then the top.