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Post by JBJ on Aug 26, 2012 8:37:06 GMT 10
Hi Kaybee,
Hope the shellac seals the MDF well.
I remember going on a big catamaran out of one of the Queensland ports a few years back , on a trip out to the reef. It had been fitted out using MDF for all the seating frames & inside trim. It was only a couple of years old, but ALL the edges had turned into a fluffly mess from exposure to moisture. It would have needed a complete strip down & remake to fix it was that bad
Knowing your pretty capable & thorough when you do things, I guess Shellac might seal those edges??? But I've shied away from MDF in all moisture exposure instances because of what I saw on the boat.
Tell me you've eliminated the potential problem by usingyour finish treatment, & I can use MDF on a job I have to do.
JBJ
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Post by kaybee on Aug 26, 2012 10:38:05 GMT 10
G'day Dennis.....I hope so too..... ;D.....I'm following Dales recommendation , he uses it at work on the large patterns they make for large dogwash vans ,train fronts , bus fronts and roof panels ,etc......they seal it with a quick slurp of Shellac and then lay the rest of the timberwork over it. Main reason they use it is that the MDF will stay straight where plywood seems to twist and move around too much....especially if it comes from Bunnings . After they've finished with the moulds at Dales work , they get left outside in the weather.....so we had a look at a few out there and they're hanging in there pretty well, and that is with only a basic Shellac coating. We've put 3 coats on ,plus an extra few on the sides and in the recesses, then 2 coats of primer....a bit of a rub and some more primer on the edges until they felt smooth to touch ,then a light de-nib and a couple of topcoats......so given that the van will live in an enclosed hole except when it's out and about with us.....I'm thinking it should never be exposed to the elements to the extent of that boat.. Only time will tell of course ,but I'm optimistic it'll work out. We were going to cut them from ply , even had it on the machine and that's when Dale made the suggestion. We cut a few test pieces of roughly the widths we'd be working with and the difference in stability was startling. Narrow strips of ply are wobbly little things compared to the same in MDF , plus it's nice stuff to work with ( tho a little dusty ;D).....went out and bought a big dust extraction unit the next day ( and a new bandsaw for my birthday ;D)......should be right if I have to do anything else in it.....but not today,we're onto the aluminium J mould in about 5 minutes.....ciao....
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Post by DC3Td on Aug 26, 2012 13:15:24 GMT 10
Hi Kaybee. "plus it's nice stuff to work with" - I note you are taking precautions on sealing what you`re cutting/using & are probably aware that Formaldehyde Resin a carcogen is used as a binder in MDF. A good reason why i rid all mdf panels/pieces that lined the galley walls/floor from my Td. gordon
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Post by kaybee on Aug 26, 2012 15:16:25 GMT 10
. A good reason why i rid all mdf panels/pieces that lined the galley walls/floor from my Td. gordon Hiya Gordon....you worry too much,plus you're not supposed to eat the stuff ;D......I figure if nearly every kitchen made in the last ? however many years is built using MDF for cabinets and cupboard doors , it can't be too much of a drama to use it in the relatively small bits we're using. I'll let you know if I turn up my toes in the next few days....... ;D ;D ...more importantly , did you like the nifty diamond shaped light ?......
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Post by DC3Td on Aug 26, 2012 16:07:48 GMT 10
Hi Kaybee. "you worry too much,plus you're not supposed to eat the stuff" - and i thought it was good ruffage! Don`t turn your toes up,who`ll finish the reno? As for the light - it`s a corker. And a great idea thinking outside the square regarding the portholes.They`re real snazzy. gordon
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Post by retro64 on Aug 26, 2012 17:17:17 GMT 10
Hi Colin, Kris and dog ;D, We would like to say that we are super impressed with the quality of workmanship, and attention to detail that you have lavished on this van. Everything looks beautiful, well planned and executed. As amateur restorers, we quake with fear at the prospect of bringing a bondy back to beauty . Nevertheless we will one day give it a go and will hold your Hawthorne, along with some other beautiful examples on the forum, as an ideal of what to do. Thanks for the photos of your progress, we look forward to the next installment. Cheers, Elona and Lionel, retro64
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Post by kaybee on Aug 27, 2012 8:44:40 GMT 10
Hi Elona and Lionel , thanks for your interest and kind words.......but we're just amateur restorers too, and have done some of that "quaking" as well ;D....especially after stripping things apart and looking at the big pile of worn out bits on the floor that then need fixin'...... ......just have to close your eyes to the big picture and start working on things an item at a time. About the worst thing you can do is let yourself become daunted by the size of a project.....just have to get stuck into it and work steadily through it all ,remembering that every part you do and finish is one step closer to completion ( leastways, that's what I tell myself ;D).......cheers K&C&the D
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Post by kaybee on Aug 27, 2012 8:45:49 GMT 10
Hi Kaybee. "you worry too much,plus you're not supposed to eat the stuff" - and i thought it was good ruffage! Don`t turn your toes up,who`ll finish the reno? As for the light - it`s a corker. And a great idea thinking outside the square regarding the portholes.They`re real snazzy. gordon Cheers Gordon,thanks.....
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Post by retro64 on Aug 27, 2012 18:47:16 GMT 10
Hi Colin, Kris and dog , Your more than welcome to the kind words, we find that they dont cost anything to the giver, and are generally valued by the reciever . Thankyou for the advice, we will try to remember when we're swimming in splinters and ply ;D. Looking back over this thread has shown us some truely wonderful cars and vans. Yep, we're big fans of your work. Lionel and Elona, retro64
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Post by kaybee on Sept 7, 2012 20:39:16 GMT 10
Evenin' all, thought I'd post a few pics to show where we're up to..... ....all glass and windows finished and installed, glass is 5mm laminated.... ....had some stainless steel folded up to replicate the original number plate mount...... ....didn't like the old number plate light all that much , then I found a NOS FJ lens on Ebay , so when that arrived this morning I sliced and diced a Cambells base to accept the lens and fitted it up to the mount.....much better then the daggy old one..... ....been doing a little alloy polishing and fitting.....also had new stainless visors for the front and side windows folded up to match the originals that were done in Gal.iron...... ......just waiting on the new Hawthorn nameplates and it'll all be finished on the outside.... all the 240 volt wiring is finished , trailer wiring still to go.....probably make a start on the drawbar and spare wheel mounts on Sunday ,and the interior is already happening....so it's all on track so far......cheers.....
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Post by humpyboy on Sept 7, 2012 21:00:37 GMT 10
What does one say? a job well done Col & Kris, she looks a treat and now I now where to find me a NOS taillight lens ;D
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Sept 7, 2012 22:00:01 GMT 10
wow
geoff 'n jude
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Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 7, 2012 22:14:11 GMT 10
Another resto almost done! Good to see it's up to your usual standards. Hardly recognisable from the day it arrived at your place. Love the colours. Congratulations ;D ;D
Ray
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Post by overlanda on Sept 8, 2012 7:47:18 GMT 10
Great job Kris and Col it certainly has come up a treat . it is now in better shape than when it was build, all the polished aluminium and stainless certainly make it stand out . Regards Gerald
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Post by cobber on Sept 8, 2012 8:32:22 GMT 10
This was originally going to be just a clean up in the area's that needed it,have you heard that before ? ,but it sure is hard to know when to stop. this van is only untill Col finishes the Lantern Van,I have started calling the Hawthorn Tilly. Get it, untill/Tilly , much to Col's disgust. ;D ;D ;D Cheers, Kris. (Slightly edited ) Yeah..... right It should make a nice garden ornament for somebody when you sell it Cobber
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Post by kaybee on Sept 8, 2012 19:56:28 GMT 10
It should make a nice garden ornament for somebody when you sell it Cobber .....yes,well it could be a while before that happens , don't even like thinking about the other one...... .....may end up being a 3 van family for a long while yet......
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Post by kaybee on Sept 8, 2012 19:58:34 GMT 10
Great job Kris and Col it certainly has come up a treat . it is now in better shape than when it was build, all the polished aluminium and stainless certainly make it stand out . Regards Gerald ....thanks Gerald, it's surprising what a difference a bit of detail makes, cheers, Col.
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Post by kaybee on Sept 8, 2012 20:08:46 GMT 10
What does one say? a job well done Col & Kris, she looks a treat and now I now where to find me a NOS taillight lens ;D ....won't be much good in an FJ, I had to make some "adjustments" to it.....but there's another one on Ebay for you.....and thanks, cheers, Col. Thanks also to Ray and Geoff and Jude for their posts, sorry I didn't answer you good folks earlier but todays been a bit full up with the book launch for Australian Hotrodder...... ......the launch was an amazing success with probably a couple of hundred hotrodders descending on Joe Pirotta's workshop ( palace ) for a great day ......they even had a big cake made with pictures of the '36 and Drag race pioneer Eddie Thomas's rail on it.......way cool!.....got some pics if anyone wants them posted,cheers, Col.
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Post by humpyboy on Sept 8, 2012 21:00:12 GMT 10
What does one say? a job well done Col & Kris, she looks a treat and now I now where to find me a NOS taillight lens ;D ....won't be much good in an FJ, I had to make some "adjustments" to it.....but there's another one on Ebay for you.....and thanks, cheers, Col. Thanks also to Ray and Geoff and Jude for their posts, sorry I didn't answer you good folks earlier but todays been a bit full up with the book launch for Australian Hotrodder...... ......the launch was an amazing success with probably a couple of hundred hotrodders descending on Joe Pirotta's workshop ( palace ) for a great day ......they even had a big cake made with pictures of the '36 and Drag race pioneer Eddie Thomas's rail on it.......way cool!.....got some pics if anyone wants them posted,cheers, Col. Only gagin bout the lens Col got a couple already floating round in me shed amongst all the other crap things I have in there ;D So where are these pics you talk of? I'm happy to look at them.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 9, 2012 17:11:36 GMT 10
Hi Kaybees,
What a fantastic job you've done on restoring the Hawthorn. I have been watching it with great interest.
Congratulations on a beautifully presented vintage caravan. Just superb - but then we know that's the standard of all your work (as is also reflected in that beautiful '36 Coupe on the cover of the mag - drool, drool)!
Looking at the van, it makes me wonder what its origins are. Is it a van designed and built by Les Gough, or is it one he's sourced from somewhere else and put his badge on (as was his wont in many cases)? Have you seen any indication of the van's background during the restoration?
Don Ricardo
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Post by cobber on Sept 9, 2012 17:25:58 GMT 10
G'day Kaybees, Congratulations on getting YOUR Ol' 36 on the cover of the "Australian Hot Rodder" Book..... they know class when they see it aye? I got a picture of My Ol'36 in the book "My Cool Caravan" and thought I was the ant's pants so I can imagine how proud you must feel (Did you get a free book.....I didn't ) Cobber
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Post by kaybee on Sept 9, 2012 22:13:30 GMT 10
G'day Kaybees, Congratulations on getting YOUR Ol' 36 on the cover of the "Australian Hot Rodder" Book..... they know class when they see it aye? I got a picture of My Ol'36 in the book "My Cool Caravan" and thought I was the ant's pants so I can imagine how proud you must feel (Did you get a free book.....I didn't ) Cobber G'day Cobber, yep.....got the free book, it's the pre-release issue that was in that pic I put on earlier.....got a cake too.... ;D....well,half a cake.....got to share it with 94 year old Eddie Thomas which was a big honour......his dragster and our 36 were featured on the cake....if you squint a bit you can make out the pictures on the cake..... .....here's a couple of pics from the book launch.... .....this is Pirotta's famous Crimson Pirate , built from a pile of cast off "A Model" Ford bits around 1966 , still in mint condition......car graced the cover the first issue of Custom Rodder magazine in Spring '67....... .....and then there's us with Neil Kelly's '35 Ford Coupe , first hit the street in the early '60's ...... ......'41 Willys Coupe , running a Chevy engine.... .....this '32 Ford roadster has a handbuilt alloy body , it's a purpose built race car owned by veteran hotrodder and restorer Ray Sprague......he runs it at hillclimbs and historic races , usually leading a field of sporty type race cars .....it's something to see. Still running a Flathead engine too..... Compare it to this factory steel bodied '32 roadster below...... ....'34 Chev Coupe in a lineup outside the workshops ...1940 Ford Fordor ..... .... "A model " Ford roadster , owned by Roger Spear and on the road since about '67-ish..... ....another "A".....this one in the "jalopy" style of the late '40s, which is fairly popular amongst some of the younger guys...... ....a neat '57 Chevy Hardtop out in the street..... .....my old friend Leo Spessot's '40 Convert , been on the road since about '66....... .....so that's what we did on out first day off since June...... ;D....ciao.....
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Post by kaybee on Sept 9, 2012 22:32:25 GMT 10
Hi Kaybees, What a fantastic job you've done on restoring the Hawthorn. I have been watching it with great interest. Congratulations on a beautifully presented vintage caravan. Just superb - but then we know that's the standard of all your work (as is also reflected in that beautiful '36 Coupe on the cover of the mag - drool, drool)! Looking at the van, it makes me wonder what its origins are. Is it a van designed and built by Les Gough, or is it one he's sourced from somewhere else and put his badge on (as was his wont in many cases)? Have you seen any indication of the van's background during the restoration? Don Ricardo Hi Richard, I have to confess I don't know anything about Les Gough's operations , the few Hawthorn's I've seen have all been different to each other. I suspect he was more of a retailer than a builder on vans , but that's just an impression....could easily be wrong!.....maybe you can do some sleuthing on the subject ;D .....we did a little more on the van today , hauled out the heavy artillery and hooked into the drawbar area....... ...you can see where the drawbar boxing finishes short of the front section of the frame..... something like this can cause concentration of stresses at the point where the box section terminates......so with that in mind we made up a section to bridge the gap and tie it all together neatly.... .....but first of all that rotten jockey wheel had to come off, along with the ships chains and the worn out coupling....... .....delicate removal underway...... ;D .....got it all back to neat and clean , then fitted up a ( shudder ) modern swing away wheel..... ......and then forgot to take the rest of the pics, so we'll get some more in place tomorrow......should also have first views of the new awning we had made last week......ciao for now....Col.
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Post by JBJ on Sept 10, 2012 6:56:02 GMT 10
Hi Col,
Good to see you guys having fun.
Theres a lot of Australian Hot Rod & Drag Racing history in those pix.
Good to see some of the good old cars still alive, & probably in the best condition they ever were.
I spent yesterday at a little outdoor car show near Lismore, & it is good to see some of the older guys ( yes like me) mixing with new cars built in the style I remember, but built by young guys. But I forgot to take my camera, so cant post any pix.
Thanks for posting them.
JBJ
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Post by pmandlm on Sept 10, 2012 21:16:41 GMT 10
Hi Col and Kris.
Great job on the Hawthorn. PM sent
Paul and Liesl
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