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.

Doggie Prison

When we first got our dog, RJ, we would leave him on the screen porch if we had to go out.  The weather was nice then and we didn't quite trust him alone in the house.  Outside would have been OK, but we are not completely fenced and he might follow us out to the road.  So the screen porch was "Doggie Prison".

  

Then Lee discovered that doggie prison was being slowly eaten by said doggie.  Sure, he had chew toys and a wonderful hammock to jump up into and sleep.  He had fresh air and 180 degree views.  We started noticing that the edges of the support posts were developing gnawed sections.  So doggie prison moved to the basement. 

   

Now we trust RJ for long periods in the house.  But we still have the chewed parts.  I ignored them for some time, but yesterday I decided to fix them.

   

I wanted to just sand them mostly smooth and then paint.  This is a "outdoors" room, after all.  Some of the gouges were just too deep.  So then I had to get out the spackle.  Spackle is basically plaster to fill in holes and then get painted over.  It has to dry and then you sand it smooth.  Don't make the mistake of putting on too much and then figure you can sand it off later.  This will be way more work in the long run.

I use a small putty knife to get it out of the container and a large taping knife to smooth it if you have to cover a large area.  I have a hint to pass along.  Instead of sanding, you can usually get a smoother surface and better result if you use a damp sponge.  Plus, you don't end up with a lot of dust everywhere.

 

The hard part is matching paint.  There are fifty bazillion shades of white.  I counted. We have some white paint that is close to the trim color for this house and that is what I used.  I decided to remember this is an outside room and not to stress about it.  Easier said than done.

  

Here is a painting hint.  Don't just cover the spackled part.  Feather it in.  Brush over the repaired section and then go over it lightly and lift the brush quickly at the end of the stroke.  You don't want a line where the new paint starts and ends.  It should be unnoticeable.

   

I like a sponge brush for this kind of job.  They are great for feathering in and when you are done there is no clean up.  For less than a dollar you can just toss it!

You may notice that the animals like to "help" us when we are working in the house.  I expected RJ to feel VERY bad that he had caused me so much extra work.  So I asked him if he felt bad.  This is his feel bad face...or maybe just his bored one.