Archive for the ‘Projects’ Category

Refinishing A Radiator

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

In the two months since I finished stripping the paint from the radiator for my bedroom project, I have had some time to work and reflect. First the reflection: chemical stripping a radiator was tedious, laborious, odious, noxious;  in short, a massive pain.  I chose chemical stripping after determining off-site paint ...

Restoring Wood Windows: Weights and Weatherstripping

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Continuing the restoration of window frames and hardware I talked about in my last post, this entry completes the restoration of the frame portion of the project bedroom windows with new cord on the sash weights and weatherstripping that will keep these 86-year-old windows comfortably draft-free and energy-efficient. Sash Cord and Weights There ...

Restoring Wood Windows: Frame Work

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Old windows get a bad rap. To listen to the way replacement window marketers tell it, old windows are creaky, stubborn, lead-coated draft monsters possessing a single-minded intent to kill your monthly heating & cooling bills. The current U.S. federal tax rebates for energy efficiency are also helping push window ...

A Fully Stripped Radiator

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

A few posts back, I talked about my disappointment with my progress onstripping the paint from the radiator for my bedroom project. With the radiator already partially stripped from a prior session of less-than-satisfying paint removal, I found the chemical strippers I tried either a) didn't work well,  or b) ...

Overdue Extinguisher Upgrade

Monday, December 28th, 2009

From my history resarch, I know that there was a fire in my house a few years after it was built.  One fire is plenty for any house, so I have been making improvements recently to make sure fire safety here is up to snuff. Along with the new firelogs ...