Antique Carriages

The old hitching post. We added this item to our garden probably ten years ago now. I picked it up on an east coast adventure. If I remember right it came out of Pennsylvania. Thought it was awesome the second we saw it and have enjoyed it ever since. It is one serious chunk of stone as it’s about three feet out of the ground and close to that below ground. The base must be about 18" square. I had to use both hands to pick it up.



The top of the stone has a small hole chiseled through for the ring. The ring and hook are all hand forged. I love how the years in the elements have created the rust stain down the front. This is a really pretty piece of Americana. I have no idea how old it is but I would guess maybe a couple hundred years.



The Kimball Brougham body is now in primer. Bob and Brandon are in the middle of the first sanding process right now. After the first coat of primer there are always small chips and dents to spot fill with thick primer. What you see here are those areas smeared with our catalyzed spot filler.



The guys are in the middle of sanding the body panels. The primer skin is hard and time consuming to break through by hand. So they have sanded the surface with an orbital sander to bust through then they will hand block sand from there with 220 on this first coat.



The tunnel is also being spot filled. On a Brougham like this the front face of the tunnel is very visible so it needs to look great. All of this preparation is what makes for a great paint job. Everyone always say’s “great paint job”. Not that painting is easy but it is as much or more about the preparation as it is about shooting on the paint. Our client was in town over the weekend to select colors. The body will be black with dark forest green lower panels and a matching green chassis. The stripe will be tan and the interior dark green wool broadcloth.



Moving back up to the front burner this week is the Skeleton Gig. In a conversation with our client she was wondering if the term Skeleton Gig is appropriate. She has a good point as the body is still fairly solid in nature compared to a skeleton style body. So Vicki & I are opting to call it a Whiskey Gig from here to eternity.



The body is pretty much complete but the shafts need a little work yet. They need to be shaped back through the back part of the vehicle. I also have a little spring issue to deal with. My space for the side springs is a little short so the shackles do not function as they should. So I will be making a few frame modifications to solve that issue.

We are looking to have this vehicle completed for competition at the Villa Louis Carriage Classic coming up in September.

Link to Villa Louis Carriage Classic

The Carriage Classic at the Villa is an elegant show and always a fun event. We will be there again this year with a display so I hope to see some of you there.

Have a great day.

Best!
Todd