It's been a few months since the last time I shared the new additions to my blog subscriptions with you all (Don't mind that list in the sidebar. It hasn't been updated in a while, and the actual list is far longer). So, if you're looking for something extra to read, here are my suggestions:
Knitting/Design:
Five Cats from Crazy Knitting and cats. Need I say more?
Pink Lemon Twist More knitting and the occasional kitty. Also, water balloons.
Knitting to Stay Sane 'Nuff said.
Stefanie Japel Knits Because I'm not just an author stalker. I'm a design stalker, too.
Ridiculous Knits The newest addition to my blog reader, this one has some great knits and a whole lot of sarcasm.
Art Nails:
Paint All The Nails! Mostly just inspiration shots.
Nails by Kayla Shevonne Inspiration as well as tutorials--and some downright amazing manicures.
Conservation/Art:
Ohio Archaeology The blog for the Archaeology department of the Ohio Historical Society.
Inside the Conservator's Art Because I'm a freak who thinks piecing together a shattered, crumbling, 3500 year old copper ewer sounds like fun.
Restorient While the project is now finished, this blog chronicles the conservation of two Japanese scrolls by the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin, Ireland (well worth a visit if you're in the area!).
Writing/Authors/Publishing:
Angie's Desk Written by one of the Torquere editors, this blog was pointed out to me by Missouri Dalton (whose writer and personal blogs can be found here and here), this blog features a monthly post of open anthology markets, and great information for writers the rest of the time.
Other:
Texts from Dog Imagine that someone taught Marmaduke to use an iPhone. Yeah, it's kind of like that.
Single Dad Laughing I don't like children. I have no intention of ever having them. But the daily posts on this blog are usually humorous and almost always touching. Share the love, man.
Reasoning with Vampires Tired of Twilight? Dana breaks down both the grammatical mistakes made in this book and why Edward Cullen is creepy and why no teenage girl should ever use Bella Swan as a role model.
Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Friday, May 6, 2011
Oil Can
In the DVD player: Charmed, Season 1
Currently Reading: Dracula
It seems to be Theme Week here at chez KnotMagick. Maybe the Oz theme is coming from the fact that I heard "If I only had a brain" on the radio the other day (did I mention the new car came with satellite radio? Awesome! I love the 1940s station).
I think that for the moment, I've gotten as far with Oliver as I can. The rest requires knowledge and tools that I don't yet possess, like how to nickel plate/chrome something, or how to remove the platen from the carriage. I'm not even sure if this one can be saved. I've heard that there's a way to rejuvenate the rubber that is reasonably simple, but I'm not sure this one is even worth saving. The rubber is so dry it's starting to flake.
The more I work on it, the more I wonder if it's even possible to get it in working order. Well, everything can be fixed, I'm just wondering if it's within my ability and my budget. I'd be happy with a display machine, but I'd be happier with a working one, since my space limitations dictate that nothing that isn't useful can come in.
I did finish with the rust converter today (I think; there will probably be touch ups in the future). I've got some before and after shots so you can see how bad this was. All of the black areas were once rust.
I also took a few little pieces off of the back of the machine, and lo and behold, you could see the original paint color! It's amazing how dark it's gotten, but then again, it is eighty or so years old.
It took me a while, but last night I discovered the wonder that is Yahoo Groups, namely the Typewriters forum. I'd tried groups years ago, and was frustrated by the number emails and the disjointed way the conversations were presented. My first group was extremely active and it was impossible for me to keep track of what was going on. This one is a little more reasonable. It helps that I figured out that there's a page for the group, where you can read things forum style rather than in a bulk email. (See, this is why I like typewriters. They're fairly straightforward most of the time, unless you have to take them apart. Which isn't strictly necessary most of the time.)
Anyway, the people over there directed me to some awesome video tutorials and websites, and that helped a lot--I can't believe how easy it was to remove the carriage! It looks really really complicated when you're looking at the Oliver but nope, just pull it to the left, hit the right tab key, and it slides right off. Once the converter was dry, I just put a couple drops of oil on the little rollers and slid it back on, no problems. Now if only I could get the carriage return to work. I think there's a hook missing, but I'm not sure. That will be my next question for the group at large.
Although, can I just say, this typewriter is probably the dirtiest thing I've ever worked with. I've cleaned 3,000 year old ceramics, and let me tell you, this machine had more dirt and grime on it than an Etruscan tomb. I wiped down some areas seven or eight times and still had streaks of dirt left behind. It's kind of funny though; I'm thinking it was kept in an attic for many years, with the right hand side near a window, since that's where the worst of the rust is.
Currently Reading: Dracula
It seems to be Theme Week here at chez KnotMagick. Maybe the Oz theme is coming from the fact that I heard "If I only had a brain" on the radio the other day (did I mention the new car came with satellite radio? Awesome! I love the 1940s station).I think that for the moment, I've gotten as far with Oliver as I can. The rest requires knowledge and tools that I don't yet possess, like how to nickel plate/chrome something, or how to remove the platen from the carriage. I'm not even sure if this one can be saved. I've heard that there's a way to rejuvenate the rubber that is reasonably simple, but I'm not sure this one is even worth saving. The rubber is so dry it's starting to flake.
The more I work on it, the more I wonder if it's even possible to get it in working order. Well, everything can be fixed, I'm just wondering if it's within my ability and my budget. I'd be happy with a display machine, but I'd be happier with a working one, since my space limitations dictate that nothing that isn't useful can come in.
I did finish with the rust converter today (I think; there will probably be touch ups in the future). I've got some before and after shots so you can see how bad this was. All of the black areas were once rust.I also took a few little pieces off of the back of the machine, and lo and behold, you could see the original paint color! It's amazing how dark it's gotten, but then again, it is eighty or so years old.
It took me a while, but last night I discovered the wonder that is Yahoo Groups, namely the Typewriters forum. I'd tried groups years ago, and was frustrated by the number emails and the disjointed way the conversations were presented. My first group was extremely active and it was impossible for me to keep track of what was going on. This one is a little more reasonable. It helps that I figured out that there's a page for the group, where you can read things forum style rather than in a bulk email. (See, this is why I like typewriters. They're fairly straightforward most of the time, unless you have to take them apart. Which isn't strictly necessary most of the time.)
Anyway, the people over there directed me to some awesome video tutorials and websites, and that helped a lot--I can't believe how easy it was to remove the carriage! It looks really really complicated when you're looking at the Oliver but nope, just pull it to the left, hit the right tab key, and it slides right off. Once the converter was dry, I just put a couple drops of oil on the little rollers and slid it back on, no problems. Now if only I could get the carriage return to work. I think there's a hook missing, but I'm not sure. That will be my next question for the group at large.Although, can I just say, this typewriter is probably the dirtiest thing I've ever worked with. I've cleaned 3,000 year old ceramics, and let me tell you, this machine had more dirt and grime on it than an Etruscan tomb. I wiped down some areas seven or eight times and still had streaks of dirt left behind. It's kind of funny though; I'm thinking it was kept in an attic for many years, with the right hand side near a window, since that's where the worst of the rust is.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
A Good Day for the Tin Man
In the DVD player: When in Rome
Currently Reading: The Golden Fleece and the Heroes before Achilles
We finally had a break in the weather, so this morning I hauled Oliver and Henry outside to apply the rust converter. The '53 is still in the garage, so I made do with a sunny spot on the front porch and spent about three or four hours taking apart the few pieces I was brave enough to attempt (and knew I'd be able to put back properly). He got a good deep cleaning (or as deep as I could get without taking off the carriage--something I have no idea how to do) and I put the converter on as many of the exposed pieces of metal as I could get to. I also took a ton of macro shots, the best of which are now up on Devart.
I put the converter on Henry, too, but it's not as impressive of a result since Royal KMMs are black, anyway.
It should also be noted that this counts as my weight training for the day. I'd forgotten just how heavy those machines are! I think the Oliver is easily 25 pounds, the KMM has to be at least 30. Of course, I'm also a wimp with no upper body strength so that might be a bit of an exaggeration.
Now if only I can get my hands on a Dremel to polish some of it, since re-nickeling is kind of out of the question.
I'm off to upload the next chapter of Fortune's Fight. At some point I'll be scanning and uploading my journals for both Henry and Oliver's restoration efforts.
Currently Reading: The Golden Fleece and the Heroes before Achilles
We finally had a break in the weather, so this morning I hauled Oliver and Henry outside to apply the rust converter. The '53 is still in the garage, so I made do with a sunny spot on the front porch and spent about three or four hours taking apart the few pieces I was brave enough to attempt (and knew I'd be able to put back properly). He got a good deep cleaning (or as deep as I could get without taking off the carriage--something I have no idea how to do) and I put the converter on as many of the exposed pieces of metal as I could get to. I also took a ton of macro shots, the best of which are now up on Devart.
I put the converter on Henry, too, but it's not as impressive of a result since Royal KMMs are black, anyway.It should also be noted that this counts as my weight training for the day. I'd forgotten just how heavy those machines are! I think the Oliver is easily 25 pounds, the KMM has to be at least 30. Of course, I'm also a wimp with no upper body strength so that might be a bit of an exaggeration.
Now if only I can get my hands on a Dremel to polish some of it, since re-nickeling is kind of out of the question.
I'm off to upload the next chapter of Fortune's Fight. At some point I'll be scanning and uploading my journals for both Henry and Oliver's restoration efforts.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Shopping Mojo
Mom and I went to the Scott Antique Market at the Expo Center today, and I somehow managed to satisfy almost all of my nerdy habits--and I did it for less than $50!
On the right, you can see a cone of yarn--roughly 5-10 pounds (I'm awful at guessing weight, especially after I've carried it around all day and it feels more like 20) of cotton yarn, for $10. Perfect for dying!
On the left, right in front of Henry, you can see two comic books. Two issues of New Teen Titans. I haven't opened them up yet to check the date, but I think they're from some time in the '70s. One of them is about Starfire, and the other involves Raven going berserk. I picked them mostly because they centered around my two favorite characters. I was hoping for some NightWing action, but no such luck. Both of those together were $5.
My favorite (and I think you can guess which it is and why) is the new/old typewriter in the middle! It's an Oliver #9 from 1912, and is in this great olive drab color (and I can't believe I just said that. Normally I hate anything that can be considered olive or drab, let alone both together). This machine is interesting because of how the text works. You can see in the photo below, the type actually comes down from the side, rather than up from the center. It was just so cool, I knew I had to make an offer. When the guy said he wanted twenty bucks for it, I jumped on it, no haggling. (He did give me $10 off the original price since it was the last day of the sale.) Another interesting thing is that every key has a either a letter or number, and a symbol on it. And judging by the look of the keys, this beauty has hardly been used in the last 98 years.
There is a lot of rust, however. One of the spool caps appears to be rusted in places, and the other is missing while the spool itself won't go back into it's proper place. The return on the carriage is very sticky, and platen is as hard as a rock. There was more dust on the thing when I picked it up than in most parts of the Sahara. I gave it a first cleaning tonight and found some lovely little surprises under the grime, but the rest will have to wait until tomorrow. For right now my goal is to de-gunk it and go over it with some steel wool, then it will likely hibernate on a shelf as a display item for a few weeks until it warms up and I can apply the rust remover to both it and Henry, someplace where the cat won't get tempted to take a lick when my back is turned (like the garage).
I really want to stay up and get more done, but it is getting late and I must be up early tomorrow for school. I don't even have time to make all of my notes about Oliver right now.
On the right, you can see a cone of yarn--roughly 5-10 pounds (I'm awful at guessing weight, especially after I've carried it around all day and it feels more like 20) of cotton yarn, for $10. Perfect for dying!
On the left, right in front of Henry, you can see two comic books. Two issues of New Teen Titans. I haven't opened them up yet to check the date, but I think they're from some time in the '70s. One of them is about Starfire, and the other involves Raven going berserk. I picked them mostly because they centered around my two favorite characters. I was hoping for some NightWing action, but no such luck. Both of those together were $5.
My favorite (and I think you can guess which it is and why) is the new/old typewriter in the middle! It's an Oliver #9 from 1912, and is in this great olive drab color (and I can't believe I just said that. Normally I hate anything that can be considered olive or drab, let alone both together). This machine is interesting because of how the text works. You can see in the photo below, the type actually comes down from the side, rather than up from the center. It was just so cool, I knew I had to make an offer. When the guy said he wanted twenty bucks for it, I jumped on it, no haggling. (He did give me $10 off the original price since it was the last day of the sale.) Another interesting thing is that every key has a either a letter or number, and a symbol on it. And judging by the look of the keys, this beauty has hardly been used in the last 98 years. There is a lot of rust, however. One of the spool caps appears to be rusted in places, and the other is missing while the spool itself won't go back into it's proper place. The return on the carriage is very sticky, and platen is as hard as a rock. There was more dust on the thing when I picked it up than in most parts of the Sahara. I gave it a first cleaning tonight and found some lovely little surprises under the grime, but the rest will have to wait until tomorrow. For right now my goal is to de-gunk it and go over it with some steel wool, then it will likely hibernate on a shelf as a display item for a few weeks until it warms up and I can apply the rust remover to both it and Henry, someplace where the cat won't get tempted to take a lick when my back is turned (like the garage).
I really want to stay up and get more done, but it is getting late and I must be up early tomorrow for school. I don't even have time to make all of my notes about Oliver right now.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
I have a new obsession.
Meet Henry.Henry is a 1945-46 (to the best of my knowledge, based on his serial number) Royal KMM manual typewriter. I’ve been wanting a manual typewriter (or two, or three) for years and years, but I figured that I didn’t need another hobby and that with the prevalence of computers now I wouldn’t be able to find parts for it, and how would I repair it, because really, what’s the use of owning something like a vintage typewriter (or sewing machine, or etc) if you can’t use it from time to time? I’m not saying it would be an every day household item, but there’s just something about using a typewriter than my shiny MacBook Pro just can’t compete with (sorry, George) (Yes, I name everything). Anyway, the problem was solved when I received this little beauty for Christmas.
While I can’t say that I learned to type on a typewriter (I actually think it was either an IBM or Apple circa 1987, because even in elementary school our computers were ten years out of date), most of my early writing was done on an electric typewriter we borrowed on a long-term basis from my grandparents. We had it from the time I was about five until I was around ten, maybe thirteen, when we got our first computer. It was blue, and electric, and my favorite feature was that it had a backspace key and was correctable. I wrote stories and made cards on it, and I also made magazine and newsletters for friends, family, and the kids that my mom babysat. I loved the sound of the keys, and how interactive it was: being able to set up the paper just so, watching the letters hammer onto the paper. As happy as I was to have a computer, I was sad to see the typewriter go.
Right now it seems that all of Henry’s parts are in working order, but he needs a little oil and some cleaning (I about died when mom told me she’d wiped him down with Lysol wipes. The conservator in me had a minor stroke. I really don't understand her love of bleach wipes). So far I’ve cleaning him up a little, but the sodium bicarbonate in water that was recommended by one of the antique typewriter sites left a white film and it takes a lot of rinsing with a drop of dish detergent in water, plus plain water, to get it off.
If anyone is interested in the process, I will be taking notes and keeping track of everything I do.
So far, Hermes even approves, though he hasn't heard how loud the keys are. He's just in love with the cover (I'm thinking I should make one. Something prettier than grey nylon).
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