God I love this! It makes me want to see all the episodes in color. Check out all the vibrant colors and the color of their apartment. This is great!
Monthly Archives: August 2011
1950′s Steelcase Desk & Return
Here it is in its rough condition, I have wanted one of these desks with a return forever and it has taken awhile to find one. We actually had to drive to Nevada!
Here it is from the back before resto!
Well another day in the salt mines friends. It took all day to get this Steelcase desk and return done. I am sooo glad to get this project done because my garage is getting too full (I haven’t forgotten about you Frank and your table). Anyways, this desk had to be sanded to give the old paint tooth so the new paint would grab. After sanding the desk it was very important to get all the dust off of this piece so the paint could achieve as flawless as a finish that is possible. I then used a Valspar gloss medium grey. The real art of spray painting any piece is a clean surface and numerous light coats.
I started by refinishing the return first. The pictures below show you the prep and paint.
I taped off the top and the feet to prevent over spray.
After painting the top and bottom it had to catch some rays to dry.
Next the desk had to be prepped and painted.
Here is the desk after light sand and being taped off.
Here is the desk afer numerous light coats of the medium grey spray paint. I now have to wait for it to dry.
I think the medium grey is the closest I have seen to the grey used by Steelcase originally.
The refinish looks great!
The return looks soo cool!!!
This desk will last another 50+ years! It will serve us well.
1956 Forbidden Planet
I just watched this last night on TCM. I had seen it before but I love this movie. Forbidden Planet was the first science fiction film that was set entirely in deep space, away from the planet Earth. It is considered one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s, a precursor of what was to come for the science fiction film genre in the decades that followed. It is funny how the story plays out when these space explores land and start to explore. I love the sounds of space that you hear throughout the movie.
Anyways here is a trailer of the movie.
The Legendary Burt Lancaster
November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994
I have always loved Burt Lancaster and his movies. He had great charisma and a strong screen presence. He was one of Hollywood’s leading men. Mr.Lancaster had been nominated four times for Academy Awards and won once — for his work in Elmer Gantry in 1960. I feel that a lot of his performances were undervalued and overlooked. I think he played the ultimate visual of a strong male figure. He was known for his athleticism and his smile (which he called “The Grin”). Here are a few of my favorite Lancaster movies that I would love for all of you to see!
Elmer Gantry
From Here to Eternity
The Train
The Professionals
1964 National Candy Vending Machine Re-vamp!
Here it is in its boring form....but there is potential.
Well after a long day of work and effort this machine is ready to be brought into the house. This was an easy restoration. I think the color combination I chose works well and I think it looks soooo much better than beige. Anyways I hope you like it too!
Here she is all taped up and primed, just waiting for paint!
Here she is all finished up!
Moved into the house!
Here it is with lights on!
Westclox Resto
Here it is before I started.
Mel and I picked this up at a Flea Market a couple of weeks ago. I thought this would be a quick resto I could do while finishing up the resto on the National vending machine. This was a pretty straight forward resto.
There was no good side to this clock before it was restored.
I had to rewire a new cord because this clock had a plug that terrified me to plug-in. I had to light sand the body of the clock and then primer and paint and here it is!
Now the front feet shine!
The face is clean and looks like new!
1964 National Candy Vending Machine
I can't wait to freshen her up.
Mel and I purchased this awhile ago and just brought it home in the last day or so. I imagine it was in a theater, bowling alley or some other sort of public entertainment place. I am not someone who digs beige. I am a color person. I have some cool plans for this piece. Unlike the National vending machine Mel and I use to have from the 40′s (we just sold, see “Sold Items Archive“) this one has a light. I love the wording on the inside, it is soo 60′s. We also love the pointy legs…….I am a sucker for pointy legs. I hope to get it restored soon.
I really like the thin profile.
I really like the pinstripes and the lettering.
Here is the origin plate
Another Moss Lamp Shade Repair
When the spun fiberglass breaks down they become unstable and collapse. This is largely due to the fact that these shades have very little framing.
This lamp shade we acquired from Frank was in sad shape (no fault of Franks). I thought I would take a stab at fixing it with the tried and true method I used before on other shades. This repair method will never make it look as good as when it was manufactured but it will look a lot better than an unraveling mess they can become. Overall I am happy with the way it turned out.
Here are the tools needed to repair this shade. You will need to mix equal parts glue with equal parts of water.
I use clamps and long pieces of wood to hang the shade on to help keep its shape when applying glue.
Once the pieces of wood are spaced right it helps it keep its shape.
Once the glue is applied use a blow dryer to help the drying time. Try to hang it in a way that lets it keep its shape. I had to hang it upside down to help it keep its form.
Here it is after glue has dried.
Here it is at home atop our new Moss lamp. I think it looks good!
