My Retro 1930's BUICK SALES and SERVICE GARAGE

[38Buick 80C]

2 hours ago, MrEarl said:

 

you got it sir, but what are we toasting?

 

58 things...

[Larry Schramm]

Looking great

 

[dship]

Dang! You should be listed as a Master Cabinet Maker.  Outstanding craftsmanship...just outright outstanding.

[39BuickEight]

Instead of telling you how amazing this is yet again, I will just point out one new thing I noticed that makes that much more impressive.

 

Bulliet!

 

Seriously though, I spent 2 hours today cutting firewood.  I thought I accomplished something.  Clearly, I did not.  👍🤙🏻

[MrEarl]

5 hours ago, dship said:

Dang! You should be listed as a Master Cabinet Maker.  Outstanding craftsmanship...just outright outstanding.

Thanks Dave but I am FAR from being a cabinet maker or really even finish carpentry, more like the rough in guy.

 

 

4 hours ago, 39BuickEight said:

Instead of telling you how amazing this is yet again, I will just point out one new thing I noticed that makes that much more impressive.

 

Bulliet!

 

Seriously though, I spent 2 hours today cutting firewood.  I thought I accomplished something.  Clearly, I did not.  👍🤙🏻

 

now there's a man who appreciates pretty good bourbon. Speaking of firewood, you should see the wood shed full of lighter wood I've accumulated lately.  I'll try and remember to take a picture the next wheelbarrow load I take it. Here’s just a small pile…

 

 

6 hours ago, Larry Schramm said:

Looking great

 

 

Thanks again kind sir!

Edited March 21, 2022 by MrEarl
Add pic (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

and bam, just like that, all the beadboard just jumped up on the wall....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JoelsBuicks]

I have to confess that I did look hard at that and concluded it was an AC condensate drain.  If it it isn’t then I’m stumped.  
 

What has impressed me is the determination, process, and ability to create an old, vintage appearance using old and vintage wood that has completely been refurbished.  And, it is understandable why you can’t just nail up old stuff and expect to get the look you want.  

 

To me, it looks like the blood sweat and bent back is paying off.
 

 

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Lamar and Joel !  Two places that would be a slam dunk for a BCA meeting.  

 

  Ben

[MrEarl]

15 hours ago, JoelsBuicks said:

I have to confess that I did look hard at that and concluded it was an AC condensate drain.

 

You got it brotha. It will serve a MrCool 12,000 btu mini split unit in the office and a 36,000 unit directly behind it in the garage area. Because we are getting close to installing the ceiling in the office we will be installing the inside unit soon so the line set can more easily be ran through the attic and down the outside wall to the outside units.

and thanks so much for the appreciation of my efforts. Would love to hear what you've been up to in your your garage.

[MrEarl]

14 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said:

would be a slam dunk for a BCA meeting

 

 

still planning on a Grand Opening partay, some day ......

[MrEarl]

Time to begin work on the rest of the walls above the wainscoting. After all the wallboard had been treated on the backsides with Boracare and allowed time to dry, it was time to plane or sand their surface. Most of the unpainted wallboard ran through the Makita planer with not much trouble. But the more I ran through it I began to realize the Boracare on the bottom of the boards was gumming up the planer base plate making the boards stall. Also when any of them had a lot of pine pitch or resin on the surface or within the wood, the rollers and blades themselves would get gummy. The painted wallboard was another story. The paint had apparently sealed in the resin for all those years and along with the paint on the surface and it being so resinous, it almost immediately gummed up everything. All this was requiring very frequent cleaning of the base plate, rollers and blades, no fun and time consuming!!! I did a closer count of what I actually needed and was finally able to get a sufficient number planed and hand sanded with 120.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The old flooring boards was another story. They had been worn so much in certain areas of their length by years of foot traffic, the planer would skip over those areas completely. Additionally, the areas that did get planed had a LOT of pbb tunnels and trails. SOOO, I decided to just sand them, all 40 of them with the Makita belt sander, starting at 40 then 60 then 80 then 120 grit and finish with a hand sanding block loaded with 120. Each one took between 25-30 minutes. I actually enjoyed it though, watching the beautiful grain of the wood and all the tight knots get exposed and cleaned.

Started out using the little cloth bag to collect the saw dust

 

 

 

but after having to dump it after every other board or so, went with shooting it into a bucket. Pleasantly surprised how well the Makita performed doing that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by MrEarl (see edit history)

[JoelsBuicks]

27 minutes ago, MrEarl said:

Would love to hear what you've been up to in your your garage.

It’s not Buick but it is vintage GM.  I just finished a frame off complete restoration of this ‘70 Chevy C10 for my boy who just turned 16.  Lots of metal replacement in lower cab but no other rust.  Now back to finishing my ‘31 Sr. 60.

 

[JoelsBuicks]

31 minutes ago, MrEarl said:

But the more I ran through it I began to realize the Boracare on the bottom of the boards was gumming up the planer base plate making the boards stall

Do your bottom rollers adjust in height above the planer bed?  My planers have lever adjustments to raise the rollers.  Problem is that will increase end snipe.  
 

That wood grain and character is spectacular. There is no way to find this kind of pine (or Doug fir) at any store or mill.  It’s from an another age of forest management, perhaps even old growth.  The shellac leaves a warm color and seems to help those knots feel at home amongst that fine grain.

 

Thanks again for sharing the progress. 

[MrEarl]

 

WOW @JoelsBuicks, beautiful job on that truck!!!!! And thanks for reminding me of all the work you put into your garage with cutting all those studs, beams, rafters and all out of the power poles. Simply amazing!!!

[MrEarl]

22 minutes ago, JoelsBuicks said:

Do your bottom rollers adjust in height above the planer bed?

Not that I know of Joel. I did use some rubber softener on the rollers and that seemed to help but still just have to learn to deal with all the sap and pitch.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

8 hours ago, MrEarl said:

 

 

still planning on a Grand Opening partay, some day ......

 

 Well, ya best hurry!  I ain't gitten any younger!😁

 

  Ben

[Larry Schramm]

On 3/21/2022 at 10:00 PM, MrEarl said:

 

 

Nice work.  It is great to see that you have hearing protection on to save your hearing.

 

I like my planer and use it all of the time.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

12 minutes ago, Larry Schramm said:

Nice work.  It is great to see that you have hearing protection on to save your hearing.

 

WHAT?   😁  Yeah, definitely need to protect what hearing I have left. I bought this Makita planer several years ago from a guy who had had it for a couple years and never used it. I'm just now using it and will likely sell it after this project. But will never sell the table saw, could never do without it. 

[MrEarl]

1 hour ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said:

 

 Well, ya best hurry!  I ain't gitten any younger!😁

 

  Ben

 

Me neither Ben....I'm hurrying every chance I get buddy. 🙂

Edited March 22, 2022 by MrEarl (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

The wood working tools that I would not ever sell are the table saw, radial arm saw, drill press, planer, joiner, and large sander.  I use them all of the time for different projects that I am working on.

 

Also, you can never have enough wood clamps.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

On 3/20/2022 at 6:29 PM, 39BuickEight said:

Seriously though, I spent 2 hours today cutting firewood.

 You’re more than welcome to come and cart off some of this Billy

 

 
 

 

[39BuickEight]

6 hours ago, MrEarl said:

 You’re more than welcome to come and cart off some of this Billy

 

 
 

 

Since you have so much free time and no other projects to work on, I see 10,000 birdhouses in your future 😆

[MrEarl]

19 hours ago, 39BuickEight said:

Since you have so much free time and no other projects to work on, I see 10,000 birdhouses in your future 😆

 

THANKS, I'll have to remember that Billy, for when that free time starts. As a matter of fact though, I've already built several blue bird houses  from left over cedar from the house build many years ago and attached them to all the power poles leading into the neighborhood.

[MrEarl]

another upper wall in the books.... I used the actual wall board from the old house on this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started using this old 2x10 cut board when we built our house back in '87-'88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by MrEarl (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

Way back somewhere in the pages of this thread I told of finding a great deal on these Abolite porcelain lights that were removed from a churches gymnasium. Got them for something under $20 a piece. Problem was that they had been painted at some point when the gyms ceiling was spray painted. I've always liked these type lights in cobalt blue color but these type lights in that color typically bring a ridiculously high price.

So I decided to strip, sand, prime and rattle can paint them with 2-3 coats of enamel.

Rather dirty after being stored in the barn for several years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

removed the majority of loose paint with a scapper

 

 

then hit with a pressure washer

 

 

sanded with 180 grit

 

 

hosed the off again, let dry then cleaned good with a paint prep

 

 

 

then primed with Zinsser 1 2 3 I really like this 1 2 3 primer. Sprays on well and covers great with no runs.

 

 

 

 

 

[MrEarl]

applied a light coat of

 

 

 

 

 

then two more wet coats

 

 

 

 

was happy to see this Krylon lay down pretty nicely over the primer

 

 

 

 

Set them out in the afternoon sun to dry...

 

 

 

 

ended up taking one can per light.

 

 

 

 

All but a couple of the mogul sockets are good so will need to find replacements for them. I figure I'll have less than $30-35 in each one when done, a site better than the typical $200-300 prices found on eBay and elsewhere.
 

 

 

 

 

 

I did have a couple runs, due mainly to the fact i was spraying in 8-10 mph winds and having to compensate. They are hardly noticeable so since they will be 14+ ft in the air I will leave alone. The first 2-3 I did however will need sanding and respraying. I used the paint prep on a cloth to wipe them down and apparently it absorbed into the primer and the paint wrinkled over it in spots. I've found the secret to rattle can is a VERY light first coat, then another two coats.

 

I think it (Regal blue) is a close match to cobalt blue.

 

 

 

[38Buick 80C]

damn... just stripping the old paint off made them look good with a nice shine, but the blue looks spectacular. nicely done.

[MrEarl]

4 hours ago, 38Buick 80C said:

damn... just stripping the old paint off made them look good with a nice shine, but the blue looks spectacular. nicely done.

Thanks Brian, I'm pleased with how they came out too. Just need to get them put back together, rewired and installed.

 

Last week Elvis picked up a 3" piece of the wall board cut off and took off up the hill,  pitched it around a few times and chewed on it for awhile, he does this all the time with pieces of cut offs. The next morning he was drooling excessively and I put two and two together and came to the realization that the piece of wood he had been chewing on had been treated with Boracare, We took him to the vet, HE HAD BORON TOXICITY!!! but was told the amount he could have ingested was of no great concern and to increase his fluids and he should be OK. He was back to normal by the time we got back home and is doing fine. Keeping the wood scraps picked up more regular now.

[old-tank]

1 hour ago, MrEarl said:

Last week Elvis picked up a 3" piece of the wall board cut off and took off up the hill,  pitched it around a few times and chewed on it for awhile, he does this all the time with pieces of cut offs. The next morning he was drooling excessively and I put two and two together and came to the realization that the piece of wood he had been chewing on had been treated with Boracare, We took him to the vet, HE HAD BORON TOXICITY!!! but was told the amount he could have ingested was of no great concern and to increase his fluids and he should be OK. He was back to normal by the time we got back home and is doing fine. Keeping the wood scraps picked up more regular now.

Probably should be on IV fluids for 24 hours.  Tomorrow might be too late if no better or worse.   Bad stuff.

[dship]

Tell Elvis we're all rooting for him to get better...and I'm sure Cowpie is too...can't leave the cat out of the conversation.

[JoelsBuicks]

Those lights came out looking fantastic.  What is your plan for them?  Are they 300 watt rated?  Will you use the old style incandescent or go with an LED?  Also, these lights won’t showcase that beautiful tin ceiling that I once dubbed a kaleidoscope of corrosion.  Maybe a few well-placed spot lights would work.  I just didn’t want that ceiling concealed by lights.
 

I used some of these style lights in galvanized finish and I converted three of them into hanging lights using a thick black electric cord.  

Edited March 27, 2022 by JoelsBuicks (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

On 3/26/2022 at 5:14 PM, old-tank said:

Probably should be on IV fluids for 24 hours.  Tomorrow might be too late if no better or worse.   Bad stuff.

Thanks Willie . This happened last week, the vet did "mention" doing IV but after looking at the piece of wood and the small corner that was chewed, reading the product label on line etc, and the fact Elvis was already improving, he said just ensure he gets plenty of water over the next few hours. I fed him a few potato chips, he lapped up a bunch of water and wasn't showing any signs within the next hour. He's been doing great the last couple months with his front leg joint problems and we're so happy to see that.

[MrEarl]

21 hours ago, JoelsBuicks said:

What is your plan for them?  Are they 300 watt rated?  Will you use the old style incandescent or go with an LED?

Not 100% sure, but thinking of trying a round of 300 mogul base incandescent to see well the light up the area and what their life is. They are typically a 1000 hour bulb which is short. I actually have a few of these that came in them and the church gave me about a half dozen they no longer needed. Or I could use an adapter and use a medium base and use these 5000 hour bulbs.

 

https://www.lightingsupply.com/halco-ps30fr300-p5.aspx?gclid=CjwKCAjwloCSBhAeEiwA3hVo_QVGo_jPKAVaK8PagxxyRyVVBQqqZI_bn3aVuF7ssU5RPBXAuuTf1xoCd-kQAvD_BwE

 

So will see. I appreciate the benefits of LED's but dang they sure are expensive, ugly and almost blinding when you happen to look directly into them, know what I mean?

 

21 hours ago, JoelsBuicks said:

Also, these lights won’t showcase that beautiful tin ceiling that I once dubbed a kaleidoscope of corrosion.  Maybe a few well-placed spot lights would work.  I just didn’t want that ceiling concealed by lights.

 

I'm with you totally. Hoping the "vent" holes in the top of the globe will emit a bit of light but yeah, i have wiring set up for a couple of flood lights that will spread light out over the "kaleidoscope of corrosion",  your term I've stolen and used when folks are first looking at the ceiling. 😁

Edited March 28, 2022 by MrEarl (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

Got the east and west walls done. This is the flooring I spent a couple days sanding. Wish I had had enough to do my actual floor. Most of these were pretty straight but the ones that weren't were a pita to massage into place. They seemed to always be bowed in the wrong direction to walk in using pry bar or literally hanging from them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anybody ever had a nail do a 180 and end up in their thumb. Happened to my helper. He was holding the board tight against the stud, the nail hit the pine knot and did an about face, straight into his thumb. Scary but after cleaning and wrapping he was back at it.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by MrEarl (see edit history)

[dship]

Fantastic work, looks great, and I really do like those tilt-in picture windows.  BTY, the old grey chair in your picture reminds me of the chairs I'd see in Navy Bases I'd visit as a kid with my dad in the early 50's.

[MrEarl]

2 hours ago, dship said:

Fantastic work, looks great, and I really do like those tilt-in picture windows.  BTY, the old grey chair in your picture reminds me of the chairs I'd see in Navy Bases I'd visit as a kid with my dad in the early 50's.

 Thanks Dave! You'll see that chair sitting in that spot a lot. I can receive my wifi signal from the house right there. That is until the trees leaf out then I'm sol. I'm looking into extenders.

[Ronnie]

The wood looks fantastic! You might want to consider installing a sprinkler system while the ceiling is still open. If that place caught fire it would look like the Atlanta burning scene in Gone With The Wind.  

[Grimy]

I'm waiting to see the Persian rug(s) on that office floor!  That's what was often seen in high-end vintage showrooms....

[MrEarl]

14 hours ago, Ronnie said:

The wood looks fantastic! You might want to consider installing a sprinkler system while the ceiling is still open. If that place caught fire it would look like the Atlanta burning scene in Gone With The Wind.  

 

Thanks for your concern Ronnie. Believe me, that realization crosses my mind every time I make a cut into one of the heart pine boards and smell the aroma of lighter wood. But if you'll look back, it's been discussed quite a bit previously and I'm done discussing it.  IMO it's not that much different than any other shop or garage full of flammables,  if it catches fire it's gonna go, old wood or new, metal fab or whatever.  I'm not adding a sprinkler system and I'm not dwelling on the negativity of it all. I WILL exercise due diligence in fire prevention, plenty of proper and handy extinguishers,  properly installed electrical wiring and fixtures etc and just hope the Lord doesn't see fit to take it all away.

Signed, curmudgeon MrEarl

 

[Ronnie]

1 hour ago, MrEarl said:

But if you'll look back, it's been discussed quite a bit previously and I'm done discussing it.  IMO it's not that much different than any other shop or garage full of flammables,  if it catches fire it's gonna go, old wood or new, metal fab or whatever.  I'm not adding a sprinkler system and I'm not dwelling on the negativity of it all.

I didn't see the previous discussion about fire and I certainly didn't know you were tired of discussing it. Ignore my last post and carry on.