| Apr 04 |
A Springtime bike ride in VancouverPosted by: naomi @ 7:17 pm in diy refinishing, moving things |
It’s been grey, bleary and cold this past week in Vancouver, so when the sun peeked out for a brief moment today, we took our newly fixed up bikes out for a spin on the Stanley Park Seawall. With over 8.8 km (5.5 miles) of oceanfront trails, it was the perfect place to take them for a mid-afternoon ride.
6 Comments | Permalink
bicycle, brooks, restoration, stanley park, vancouver
| Apr 02 |
New summer time fixup – Mole Richardson lightPosted by: ryan @ 7:06 pm in diy refinishing, vintage finds |
The dreary weather we’ve been getting these past few weeks has been preventing us from doing any restoration on some of the outstanding projects on our plates. Not to be deterred, I pulled out something I bought last fall, a vintage Mole Richardson Fresnel light during one of the rare clear days last week.
1 Comment | Permalink
1950s, antiques, furniture, lighting, vintage
| Mar 07 |
Dutch bike progress updatePosted by: ryan @ 10:16 pm in diy refinishing, moving things |
Here’s Naomi’s bike ready to ride for Spring. It’s not completely fixed the way we want it yet, but so far we’re happy with the way it looks and rides.
Continue reading »
| Mar 04 |
CCM bike progress updatePosted by: ryan @ 12:05 am in diy refinishing, moving things |
Many months have passed and I’ve finally put most of the bike back together. One thing I haven’t the chance to do is clean and install the chain guard and fenders. There’s lots of work still yet to be done!
8 Comments | Permalink
1930's, antiques, bicycle, CCM, restoration
| Feb 16 |
The bike in peicesPosted by: ryan @ 11:49 pm in diy refinishing, moving things |
I finally got a chance to pull the old CCM Rambler apart. After wiping it down, it’s in better shape then I first thought. The first thing that I did was pull the wheels off to see what I could salvage. Continue reading »
16 Comments | Permalink
1930's, bicycle, brooks, CCM, restoration, vintage
| Nov 08 |
Refinishing an Asbestos SAD Iron – Part 2Posted by: naomi @ 12:11 am in diy refinishing, home decor |
I finally got around to finishing this project. Every day it sat there, untouched, staring at me until I couldn’t take it anymore. My first attempt at coloring the letters gold failed miserably because the pen ran dry about halfway through and then leaked huge globs of gold liquid all over the iron.
| Sep 17 |
Restoring a Ichizuka Telinar 105mm f/4.5 lensPosted by: ryan @ 10:47 pm in cameras & lenses, diy refinishing |
A few weeks ago I picked up an interesting vintage camera lens designed by the Ichizuka Optical Company. This lens, the Telinar 105mm F/4.5, originates from Japan, dating back to the mid 50’s & 60’s. Very little is known about this lens and its manufacturer. The only information I could find online was on the Camerapedia website. Drawn by its aluminum build, quirky shape, m42 mount and $20 price tag I was curious to see what sort of images it could produce.
5 Comments | Permalink
1950s, 1960s, 35mm, 5D, camera, canon, m42, restoration, slr, vancouver, vintage lenses, whistler
| Sep 09 |
Refinishing a balloon back chair – Part 2.5Posted by: naomi @ 10:58 pm in diy refinishing, vintage finds |
You can read Part 1 here.
You can read Part 2 here.
So yeah, about the chair.
Long story short, it was accidentally kicked over and the top half broke off. I went through a series of emotions like when you break up with someone – denial, anger, sadness, acceptance. Fortunately, it was a fairly clean break so we’re going to attempt to glue it back together and hopefully it will be better (and stronger) than before.
3 Comments | Permalink
antiques, furniture, paint, restoration, reupholster, sanding, spray paint
| Aug 30 |
Refinishing a balloon back chair – Part 2Posted by: naomi @ 6:54 pm in diy refinishing, vintage finds |
We finally found some time to work on the chair. FYI I did end up getting a little paint happy and overdid it a bit, so the lesson we can all learn from this is – less is more. There wasn’t really anywhere to work on the chair without making a mess so we just decided to do it on the lawn and propped it up on some makeshift blocks (they were actually engine oil bottles).
2 Comments | Permalink
antiques, furniture, paint, restoration, reupholster, sanding, spray paint
| Aug 15 |
Refinishing a balloon back chair – Part 1Posted by: naomi @ 9:46 pm in diy refinishing, vintage finds |
As you can see, it’s been a productive weekend. I found this balloon back chair for $40 at a hole in the wall vintage/antiques store on the way to Seattle. Those who believe antiques should be preserved and kept ‘as-is’ you’ve been warned. More pictures, less words – keep reading to see me destroy this baby and then put it back together.
2 Comments | Permalink
antiques, fairhaven, furniture, restoration, reupholster, seattle
| Jul 27 |
Vintage Finds: 1950’s desk & chairPosted by: ryan @ 8:19 pm in diy refinishing, home decor |
A few weeks ago, I took my mother shopping and we came across a place called Hansen House – an antique importer over on Clark Drive which was closing down. Everything in the store was 75% off and it was the last day before closing so we decided to check it out. There were a lot of ‘Asian themed’ furniture but nothing caught my eye until I came across a desk covered with a pile of stuff at the back of the store.
5 Comments | Permalink
art deco, furniture, restoration, vancouver, vintage
| Jul 27 |
Restoring an old lens: Jupiter-11 135mm F/4Posted by: ryan @ 12:11 am in cameras & lenses, diy refinishing |
During the summer months I photograph dozens of weddings. It’s a demanding job that requires a camera which focuses quickly and lenses that are sharp and vibrant. For any job I’ll use a Canon 5D with an assortment of L series lenses. When I’m not shooting weddings or commercial gigs, I like to experiment with old and unique lenses on my SLR.
5 Comments | Permalink
canon, restoration, vintage, vintage lenses, zenit
| Jul 21 |
Refinishing an Asbestos SAD Iron – Part 1Posted by: naomi @ 11:32 pm in diy refinishing, home decor |
Long before upright steamers, dry cleaning, variable heat settings and non-stick finishes, there was . . . the Asbestos SAD Iron. Back in April, on a trip to Seattle, I found one for $5 at a run down antique shop in the middle of some farmland while passing through Fairhaven.
When I saw it, I wasn’t sure what it was – plus it was missing the handle. I think after it’s done it would make a pretty cool doorstop or something to throw at bad guys if I ever come across one and have it handy. It was covered in rust and pretty nasty when I brought it home.
