Sunday, August 22, 2010

Atomic Leftovers

A few random things I don't have enough to make a whole post about:


  • Last year our Corgi puppy tore up a corner of my Kroehler-style sofa.  Yes, I allowed her to live, barely. I left it that way because I couldn't decide how to deal with the shreds, which were down low in the front corner.  Finally I rolled the dice and used some rubber cement on the wood backing and the back of the fabric.  


Worked OK, now it's hard to notice the damage unless you are looking for it.  At least I no longer have shredded fabric hanging down there.


  • I have a pink bathroom scale, and I like it.



  • I've had an unsolvable problem with the reproduction door lock for our Shasta camper.  I was thrilled when I found this repro piece, but the sliding bolt inside the handle was made of pot metal, which is crap!  It breaks very easily.  I tried JB Weld to epoxy the broken pot metal back together.  Major Fail.  And these original Bargman L-66 locks, or the now unavailable reproduction locks, must be made of unobtanium!  Very expensive when you can find them, and they still are likely to break, leaving you trying to bungee cord your door shut, or tape plastic to it to keep rain and snow out, which then ruins the paint when you remove the tape.  I was not happy this day.



Anyway, last week I got a wonderful email from Vintage Trailer Supply - they reproduced the sliding bolt out of billet aluminum.  Much stronger than pot metal. I ordered one immediately and installed it on Friday.  Fit well and appears to have solved the problem.  Thank you Vintage Trailer Supply!




  • I've had this planter stand, minus a planter, for a while and it needed cleaning and painting.  Originally brass, it was poorly painted gold, which had begun to rust.  So I gave it the steel wool treatment, primed and painted it satin black.  Now I'm scoping the web for a fiberglass planter that might fit.  Wish me luck.  If I don't eventually find a planter, I may get a piece of glass cut and try to use it as a side table.

7 comments:

  1. Congrats on getting the door situation worked out. Frustrating!

    Oooo I have my share of projects I have yet to do...

    Too many to list!

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  2. I like the idea of using the plant stand for a side table. I never met a scale I liked...but yours is pretty cool. I'd probably hang it on the wall though. Nice job on the couch and Shasta door.

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  3. I've found (but haven't purchased) several fiberglass planters on eBay that surprisingly didn't require you to mortgage your home to pay for them. Good luck finding one, and isn't it nice that you were able to find a piece for your wonderful trailer. My cat doesn't seem to understand that there really isn't a nauga and the chair he keeps digging his claws into ISN'T real animal HIDE but I still have several clawmarks in my gorgeous chair. And as far as I know, holes in naugahyde aren't fixable. Thank goodness they're not the size of the pencil point hole my mother found in her naugahyde sofa after we'd gotten done poking holes in it many years ago. My butt is STILL sore after that particular spanking!

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  4. 1950s_atomic_ranch_house - we must share that multi-project disease
    Midcenturymadam - yes, I never stand on that scale, just like to look at it ;-)
    Vintage Christine - I have a pair of hairpin leg stools, one needed recovering so I had it done with dark green vinyl - which only lasted about a week before our cat scratched it up. Next time, fabric for sure.

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  5. I love your scale!
    And if you can't find a planter a side table would be a really great idea.

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  6. Unobtanium! LOLZ!! I like that you have a "pink bathroom scale and like it" I think that is the purest explanation of why we collectors collect stuff...cuz we like it!

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  7. I have the same planter stand & the planter. I got it at an estate sale for $8. The bullet planter that came with it was not fiberglass but a a gray/glittered plastic. The legs also were a rusted brass so I sanded it and left the satin silver color that was underneath. I spray painted the planter white & put a snake plant in it =)

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