NaBloPoMo
November 7

It is torture to have a piece of equipment sitting in the next room, just waiting to be assembled. Due to a few deadlines, I haven’t been able to devote much of my time to sanding the rust off of the board shear parts. However, I stole a few hours to sand a few pieces just to feel like I was getting somewhere.

These three bars connect to the two main base pieces that everything else will attach to. Since they are relatively small (about 3 feet long each), I could figure out the right way to get the rust off, and get them finished in a small window of time. The bar on the left is in its rusty glory. The middle bar has been sanded and wire brushed. The bar on the right has been sanded/wire brushed and then lightly covered in linseed oil. Thanks to the advice of loads of people, I have a lot of options for finishing. But I can’t quite make up my mind. Linseed oil will seal up the rust on the surface, and leaves me the option of painting later if I change my mind.

This is one of the main base pieces that the bars will connect to. It, like its counterpart, is in great shape despite its grungy appearance. Even though I wasn’t supposed to, I spent some time scraping and sanding this piece. There are many layers of paint on it with evidence of some fancy gold detailing on the ridges. After I finish sanding, I think it will be clear if it should be painted or not. One of the paint layers is battleship gray, and even with linseed oil, it may be blah. Time will tell!

Detail of the pre-sanded rust and gunk.