I've been trying to do more than one pair at a time, but in fact the production line isn't that easy to organise:
Wire-brushing and sanding can't be done with them like this (you need to be able to put a bit of weight on the brush and the sander), so I've only been able to prepare two at a time. They have needed a certain amount of repair work - several of them had missing bolts securing the hinges to the shutters, and since I was doing that, I've also used the angle grinder to cut off the ends of the existing bolts, which have always looked a bit unfinished.
So it has been a matter of painting one side of the shutters on the trestles, then standing them up to paint the other side, and then leave them to let them dry. But they look better with a coat of finish, and should be a bit more durable now:
So far I've done five windows (ten shutters) and there are another four windows to be done. But soon I will have finished the least accessible ones. Climbing the ladder and hooking the shutters on and off is a bit nerve-wracking:
These ones will have to wait until tomorrow to go back up the ladder and onto the windows, as they are still rather sticky.
Three of the four pairs of shutters yet to be done are the original ones: the plus side is that they are nicely made, proper joinery, but against that the oak is getting rather crumbly for lack of maintenance. The other pair are more modern - like those in the picture above, with a zed-shaped bracing frame - and should be good for another ten years at least.
And - as a matter of record - my third grandson was born today......
No comments:
Post a Comment