Repairs to the Wheelchair

Things are moving along with the wheelchair refurbishing. There was a wood repair to do and a bit of gluing.

 

We bought some DAP  natural colored wood filler.  There are quite a few colors on the market, but this wood is so faded from drying out, it couldn't be matched.  I have some stain pens and would try to match, or at least disguise it after it dried.   I filled the gap.  I did it again the next morning.  When there is a deep hole to fill, sometimes the filler sinks in and you need to add a bit more.  That is what happened for me and why you should wait over night before you move to the next step.

 

For me the next step was to try to match the color.  It is hard to do, because I am not sure what the color will be after I put on a few coats of Tung Oil.  It will darken and add some golden highlights to the wood.  It looks like oak to me, but I am no expert.  I used the stain pens and the wiped it.  I sanded and added more.  I dipped my finger in some sanding dust and rubbed it in and sanded a bit more. 

 

The repair is in the far right corner.  There is no magic formula.  I just played around with what I had and hoped for the best.  If you get it the wrong color on the stainable filler, you can sand it down to the filler and start over.  Just don't get any stain on the wood.  That is harder to remove.  After the cane goes back in I may even cover the seat with a pillow, so that repair will be invisible anyway!

I didn't fill all the gaps in the wood.  I do not want to make a new and perfect chair.  I want to repair the damage and protect it, but leave the parts that make this an old chair that has been used over the years.

 

The next repair is to a big split in the wood.  Lee and I got out the Gorilla Glue and some C clamps.  Always use a bit of wood to use between the C clamps and the wood you are gluing. 

 

The clamps can leave a dent in the wood you are trying to fix otherwise.

 

At this point I should mention that you need to read the instructions first.  There is a small print mention about wearing rubber gloves while using Gorilla Glue.  It can stain the skin.  And they mean it.  Read the instructions.

 

It's wearing off and I know it isn't permanent, but still...

Now I have to scrape off the dried glue and do a few more reapairy things and then I can start using the Tung Oil. 

 

There is a lot of metal that needs to have the rust sanded or wire brushed off.  That is next on the list.  While the finish dries between the three coats of Tung Oil I plan to use.

Not so far along as I thought.

Plugging Holes

Once again I am doing work, but not skilled labor by any stretch of the imagination.

   

While Lee adds the four new locations we will need to add the basement onto the whole house vacuum, I am filling in the gaps around pipes to the outside. 

   

I finished cleaning the tops of the walls and pulled down insulation to expose the pipes I needed to fix.  There were also a couple of holes where someone had meant to put a pipe and then never did. 

   

I filed the little ones with foam and then cut out squares of wood to glue and nail over the holes.

  

The plan was to use Gorilla Glue.  The glue had filled the opening so that it was almost impossible to get it out of the bottle.  No problem.  Use a pair of pliers and you are good.  The Gorilla Glue bottle may never recover, but I managed to get the four holes covered.  I did have to add a screw or two to hold everything together while the glue dried.

   

I have now done all I know how to do.  So the rest is on Lee.  That's okay.  I've got a lot of quilting to do.  I have to make a big pile of Flying Geese to use as a border for some of my Stack and Whack four patch squares.  I am making all of them at once and then I will sew them all together.  Quilting by assembly line.

 

    

 

 

This all sounds quick, but I am still a novice and it takes time.  And there are a lot of squares.