Nescafe,natures own wood stain

Not really sure about this but we may have just joined the natural products movement?

Wood trim restoration tips to do it yourself.

Some 1967 Singer Chamois interior wood trims needed staining a little darker,they were a sort of pinkish shade when hand sanded with 150 grit sand paper.

Now stripped of their old and peeling bur Walnut (long job) veneers, the upper four trims are too light,the darker ones have new dark bur walnut on them and are part finished,having no more supply of bur walnut veneers,can we meet part way?

A trip to the local Mica hardware store showed they had many stains but no Walnut and looking at the cost to a 500ml can of stain in say,Imbuia,I was put off anyway.

A check around Jeans kitchen showed me some natural products.

There was Bisto gravy thickener,Marmite spread and Nescafe instant Coffee granuals,I chose the later and mixed two tea spoons with some water,thats the stain being used above!

The lacquer is a polyacrethane twin pack high gloss,at this stage we are about half way there,when dry, I can use 360 grit wet and dry sanding paper with water and smooth to remove all the faults.The darker panels will fit on the cars dash panel,the lighter ones on the door and side trims.They will have to do for the time.

Many coats later (spray gun with low pressure) the gloss is now coming out of the wood as the grain becomes filled,each wet sanding removes the flaws and adds to the surface gloss.The lighter wood will darken with age as well.The process now moves to a second day and some 400 to 600 and then 800 grit water paper,one reason why classic car restoration costs as much as it does.

Ready to fit,yet another day,the clear gloss lacquer needs to fully cure before the trims are handled.

How hard can this be,does anyone have some bur walnut veneer for me?

R McB

The Stornaway mast building,continued.

I have now glued up the main mast sections,we need a 60x 60mm and some 4150mm long spar,too long from the clear oregon pine in stock,so I did some taper scarphs,240mm long,thats 1 to 8 which is a decent size.

The new mast required a special long bench building,I used 32mm MDF (supawood) its really heavy to set up but does give a nice flat surface.

Only use a phenolic resin glue for masts,we normally have it ex stock should you need any.

Christian has built his Stornaway from plans,we can CNC cut the same boat if required.When it came to the mast and spars set,it was felt outside help on those would better allow progress on the hull build.So we are making the spars.

Hi Roy – sounds like fun! I am all excited this side. I am not sure I would have had space for it at my place! Boat is filling up the garage at the moment.

I have been making some progress myself in the meantime: Sheathed half the hull over the weekend. Hoping to do the rest tonight (family is away for a while – so there is a bit of leeway to get some work done!).

Best regards

Christiaan

Christiaan will be using the International Paints we supplied to finish his boat,this will ensure a very long life when properly applied.

R McB

The Singer Chamois Mark 2 1965 version

Seen here in a winters scene outside a Manns public house somewhere in Britain.The car was owned by Captain Dave Kennedy who supplied the photograph,it was his car.If you click on the picture you should be able to just see the letter C at the end of the front number plate,this was the year 1965 and as the cars came out in September,this winter scene looks correct.This was in fact a near new car then.

The paint is the Rootes Car Co, # 111 and is named Coffee Brown.The normal trim was then the Polar White side flashes,with Ochre interior.(info taken from Imps4ever web site,many thanks)

Coffee Brown / Polar White with Ochre upholstery

In Cape Town Dave was well known as an employee of Fox & Eastman,the local compass adjusters.

Mark II arrived in September 1965. It was much the same -- the Chammy mainly wore its Mk II badges because the other Imps did.

In April 1967 there was a limited edition of Chamois Spring specials.
October 1968 the Mk II designation was discontinued. Along with the rest of the range the Chamois was given a new dashboard layout with full width facia and round dials; new seats and upholstery and different external trim. Both the Chamois and Chamois Sport gained four headlights but lost their pretty veneer trim and had to make do with plastic 'wood' trimming instead.

Marine grade phenolic resorcinol glues

It seems as if we are Cape Towns only regular stockist of Phenolic or Resorcinol Glue,we have stock right now..Pack sizes are normally 2.4kgs,with the 0.4 kgs being the powder hardener mixed at a ratio of 20% per 1kg of resin.This is the same grade on glue as used in our marine and WBP plys,we only ever use this glue for making masts.

We can ship to most places.

kits@comlumber.com Cape Town 021 790 3859

Wood for the sake of wood?

Here we are talking about head linings and wood finishes,do we paint,cover with vinyl or just leave natural,the choice can be decided by time and effort,which in real terms means the required labour and cost.

Thai teak style grab rails are still a stock item,ours use selected plantation teak,which is what these grab rails are made from.We also stock teak air vent rings in teak and can make hatch trims to your order. Click on the picture for more detail.

This boats head liners were fitted fully with the intention of next applying a glued on layer of vinyl in a beige or cream colour.Then a vist by a very nice lady said ' Oh, I thought it was finished,it looks fine to me' the 3.6mm ply panels were then given some coats of clear satin twin pack laquers and that was the end of the job.

The cost to remove the panels and cover then refit in materials,time and labour would have been a weeks work for one guy? plus the added weight just were a sailing boat does not need it would have done the boats performance no good at all,not to forget the cost to the vinyl and contact glue.The secret in this case is the boats large windows,the infussion of light just soaks up the WBP grade commercial plys grain and textures.

R McB

Glorious Britain,Terminal Five,Heathrow Airport

Some parts of what was once Great Britain still stand out from the crowd,what were standard street cars became collector cars and some became very collectable indeed.

The new BA terminal five at Londons Heathrow Airport shopping complex.

Putting the Great back into Britain,maybe it never left,we just need to know where to look? Yes,we really do have a very genuine and original 1967 Morris Mini for sale right now!

Taken over later by British Leyland

The cars the star and its made in Britain.

there can be no argument about this poster.

All pictures by R McBride using a Canon G11 on an auto setting.

The John Cooper badged special display sure makes a great center piece to this shop.

The Donella days

Donella was a Laurent Giles teak built cutter,about 44ft long,built in England and featured in the Douglas Phillips-Birt book Sailing Yacht Design and on page 192, as a black and white plate photograph (Beken and Son) with sail number 655 she was as fine a boat ever cruised.Thats Christian Ekoff in the blue,sitting on the walls and taking his own picture of the visit.Last I heared he was in North Island in New Zealand.

Picture by R Mc Bride,the camera was Canons FT film camera using Kodaks Ektachrome proffesional slide film.

We cruised from Salvador,Bahia,up the river in company with Donella,she was German flaged and had a family of five on board,being the Ekoff family,ex South Africa, as we were on the yacht Brer Terrapin. We found a suitable over night stop,then had a breakfast break at this small inlet.

We were then hosted by the owner farmer with a early morning selection of his own range of alcoholic fruit drinks,that was  great way to start that day! 

The Stornaway 14 continues its building program

Seen here in an almost complete stage,Chris will soon be using the International Paints he has placed an order for and after that looking to step the three part mast kit we made for him.

Chris has delveloped his own cut file for this boat and assuming you buy a set of plans I guess we can hire the files from him and cut more Stornaway 14 dinghies as kits.

R McB

Restored 1967 Morris Mini

This is probably the right size to ship with the race Imp to Scotland,so if anyone in the UK wants a very fine mini that saw a very full rebuild some years back,please ask me soon.

This car has the very desirable wind down windows in stainless frames,also with an opening vent lights,front and rear.

R McB

Christmas holiday 2011 shut down

We have one week to go for the rest of the year,some stocks such as epoxy resins will then not be replaced untill early January 2012,so please place your orders before around next wedensday,or you may be disapointed.

Laminating and construction epoxies,normally ex stock.

We also carry 3M (the best) micro balloons and fumed silica,which when mixed together, make a good paste for general filling and forming epoxy fillets.Also in stock are glass tapes in various widths and graded teak wood flour for making wood fillers and a perfect none slip deck finish.

R McB

021 790-3859 phone and fax line.
Hout Bay
South Africa

Hillman Imp for sale in South Africa

We have another shell ready for a new owner and a rebuild,the standard of finish and engine specification is open to discussion.So anything from the standard 875cc engine with a single Solex carburetor,to the Sport with twin Strombergs and sport camshaft,to a 998cc engine with various carburetor options,even a twin choke Nikki on a down draft manifold.

A spare Mark 1 (1963?)  Hillman Imp engine cover that will see service as a temporary cover on our 1967 Singer Chamois while the original lid is refurbished.

The next car is a later series and its date of first registration was 01 01 1973,so in real terms the car was built in 1972.It has the last series round dash instruments and no door pockets fitted,we can supply those if required.

Roy

021 790-3859 phone and fax line.
Cape Town