Phaeton Restoration Progress

So ended up making a bit of a late night cruse last evening to pick up a set of harness racks. Very nice J.L. Mott, NY stamped bridle and harness rack sets. Two of each. These items are great finds when they come along. Quite unusual and interesting carriage related Americana.



The work on the Show Phaeton is coming along well. The wheels are primed and sanded and ready for paint.



This is the last wheel of the bunch. Brandon is wrapping up the final sanding on this wheel and that one will be ready to go in the booth.



Bob is working on the seat. It has been sanded and prepared for primer. The existing upholstery is going to stay in place so we have removed the edge webbing and masking of the rest.



The chassis went into paint yesterday. We used our old reliable deep maroon base with clear and it looks fantastic. The wheels will be going into the booth today so we should have a rolling chassis before long.



There are a lot of little nooks and crannies to work on when it comes to painting a chassis. It’s the details that matter when it comes to work like this. It’s impossible to cut any corners and come up with good results.



The body has been painted as well. Such a great little carriage. I’m really looking forward to seeing it back together next week. Stay tuned.

It’s a nice cool day here in the Midwest. I think we are supposed to struggle to break 70 today. My kind of weather!

Have a great day.

Best!
Todd

Columbus Carriage Classic 2009 - A Big Success

I’m still alive. I think I’m fully caught up and rested from the Columbus Carriage Classic 2009. Sorry I fell off the face of blogworld but just too much going on to keep up with it all. The Columbus show was outstanding this year. To my knowledge there were 79 competitors. All things considered, especially the economy, that was a great turnout. The spectator crowds were also very respectable. Probably the best I’ve seen in all the years. Hat’s off to the show committee for a great event.



A friend of mine was at the show shooting a few photos. He has been tossing some my way over the last few days and I really like what I see. Rod Melotte has a unique style of photography which is very vivid and almost historic in nature. How he does this I’m not sure. I am certain he would divulge every secret in detail if you ask him. I think he has a really good camera. Everyone knows that a really good camera is the secret to good photography. Click on any photo to enlarge.



The Columbus Carriage Classic takes place on the lawn at the Columbus Firemen’s Park. The backdrop for the weekend is the historic Firemen's Park Pavilion. This structure was built in the early 1900’s by our local volunteer fire department. The building is now a Columbus landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. The first photo appears to have been shot off the veranda of the pavilion. This shot directly above shows the ring and the pavilion during competition.



Here competitor Bob Long of Watertown Wisconsin circles the ring. Bob, a long time friend and client is driving a Meadowbrook Show Cart built by Colonial Carriage Works. When Bob is not driving carriages he is raising alpacas. You can learn more about his Alpaca farm at www.longviewgrange.com . Seated at Bob's left is Phillip Oden. Phil is a breeder and trainer of Fjord horses. When Phil is not working horses he is working with wood. Phil and his wife Else are highly skilled in the art of traditional Norwegian wood carving. You can see more about their work at www.norskwoodworks.com .



Of the photos I have seen from Rod I think this one is my favorite so far. It shows Howard Kietzke driving his pair to a newly restored Roof Seat Break by Henry Hooker. Howard has also been a long time friend, customer and fellow carriage nut. Howard purchased this vehicle from us I suppose almost 10 years ago now. Howard personally restored this beautiful carriage and the Columbus show was the maiden voyage. I really like the angle of the shot, the background, all very well done. Howard won Best of Show at the 2009 Columbus Carriage Classic with this turnout.

Thanks to Rod for the photos. To learn more about the photography of Rod Melotte visit www.melottephotoimagery.com or visit his blog at www.publicenemiescolumbus.blogspot.com.

Have a great day.

Best!
Todd

Sporting Phaeton Work Progressing

This is the big set-up week for the Columbus Carriage Classic. The tents arrive tomorrow morning with stalls coming in later in the afternoon. We will begin work on setting up the show ring tomorrow morning as well. In a few days the Columbus Fireman’s Park will begin filling up with competitors. The pressure is on…



The guys are working away on the Sporting Phaeton project. We are kind of hoping to move that project through the shop in fairly short order so we can keep progress moving on some other projects as well. We begin this job with removal of the body. It’s a light body with four bolts keeping it in place so not too tough.



The chassis will need to be completely sanded prior to our primer coats. Being that this carriage has never been repainted the original paint will work as a nice base to build from. Be it a little on the thin side the original paint was level and well done so I think we can accomplish quite a bit with one coat of primer.



The striping is thin so we can lightly sand it rather than remove it completely. Often paint stripes can be laid on thick enough that they will shadow through if they are not removed. I don’t think that will be the case here. Our primer coat and final sanding will make them go away.



Brandon works on the first of the wheels. There is a fair amount of peeling and loose paint around the hubs so getting those loose areas removed is where we start. Then like the chassis the wheels need to be sanded prior to the primer coat.




The shafts have had the trim removed and have been sanded. They are ready for primer. I would expect us to get the shafts and the four wheels in primer this week. The chassis and the body will probably not hit that stage until next. We will keep you posted.

Have a great day.

Best!
Todd

Sporting Phaeton Phacelift

What a nice weekend it was in Wisconsin. Warm temperatures, sunny skies for the most part, just a great summer weekend. I am ready for more of those. Especially next weekend for the Columbus Carriage Classic. We hope you are planning to attend.



Over the weekend one of our local area drivers decided it was time to retire their Phaeton. They have successfully shown their Friesians in this pretty carriage for years but it is beginning to show it’s age. They traded this carriage in on a new Lessing Show Phaeton and are looking forward to that debut this coming weekend in Columbus.



The Sporting Phaeton is really quite nicely built and well designed. It is a modern vehicle and I would guess it to be 10 -15 years old. It has held up well over the years but the paint is getting pretty shabby for the show ring.



The upholstery was done in a wool broadcloth and has held up very well. We are intending to leave the upholstery as is and replace the floor mat.



The wheels are about the worst. After years on the show circuit they are scratched, chipped and peeling in many areas. The shafts are looking pretty tough too. So new paint and trim is in order for those.



The chassis is in about the same shape. Nicks, dings and chips in a number of spots. The dash and rear deck lid have remained in very nice condition over the years so we will be able to reinstall those parts without restoration.



So watch us renew this vehicle and bring it back to life. I’m thinking it should happen over the next 2 -3 weeks and we will post progress as we go. This carriage has nice attractive lines and I’m looking forward to seeing how it looks in new paint.

Have a great day.

Best!
Todd