Albany Mania

I ran across this video by Tim Maloy. I don’t know Tim but it appears that he is a British video producer that works in a number of different subject matters. Well Tim has put together some of the best carriage driving video that I have ever laid eyes on. I suppose being in Great Britain can’t hurt. A front row seat to some of the best driving events in the world.

Royal Windsor Horse Show 09 from Tim Maloy on Vimeo.

So the above video was shot at the Royal Windsor Horse Show 2009. Some of the action shots, especially of the fours are spectacular. If this does not get you excited about carriage driving then I guess nothing will. This is certainly the elite of the sport in competition but it is fun watching the pros at work.



We are currently working on three Albany Cutter projects. I think that is a world record for us. The photo above shows the current status of a full restoration that we are doing on our own sleigh. It is all ready for Dale to begin putting on color. This sweet little Albany will be available for purchase upon completion so keep an eye on it.



Here is a shot of another full restoration in the works for a client in Nevada. As you can see it is painted with the striping and artwork complete. It is next on the docket for Ryanne to trim and upholster. She is wrapping up work on a Portland Door Cutter and will begin work on this project next week.



So here is the third. Our client brought this sleigh in for restoration. I think she had an idea of it all being new and shiny but we walked her down a different path. A conservation so to speak. Original sleighs in this condition are few and far between. It’s not perfect but it really has some remarkable qualities about it in the original state.



This is the biggest reason not to restore this cutter. I can’t recall ever seeing a hand painted manufacturer’s name on a sleigh before. I feel this part of this sleigh is awesome and so important to preserve. The sleigh was built by Birdsall & Muckle, Whitney’s Point, NY.



Our client wants to use this sleigh so it needs to be structurally sound and ready to go. We stripped out the ratty upholstery. The main portion of the body was pretty intact. Bob glassed the entire inner core of the body after replacing the floors. Now the body is rigid, solid and will not move. The sleigh has been cleaned and will be sealed in several coats of clear satin finish.



The final step will be new upholstery. We will be using a wool broadcloth in a conservative color. Going that route with the new upholstery will keep it from overpowering the original patina of the sleigh. I love doing projects like this. The result is a beautiful original work of art with a great patina still intact.

Guess what. It's supposed to rain again today but I'm sure that comes as no surprise.

Have a great day.

Best!
Todd