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Redesigned on 10/10/99

Updated 05/18/01

The Music is "Rhapsody On a Theme of Paganini" by Rachmaninoff.

MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS GOING ON IN THE BACKGROUND... Things I am working on in my "spare" time...

This is where we started... I forgot to take a photo of the inside of the bowl... Suffice it to say, the areas around the overflow opening and the pop-up stopper were rusted beyond belief.  Neither does this photo show all the "dings and dangs" in the porcelain from years of abuse.

This is what it looked like from underneath...

TOUGH AS TILE is a "paint on" product which dries to a high-gloss, durable finish. I have been very pleased with the results...

Slap on some Peel Away 7, put the paper in place, and WAIT...

This was one of the reasons I HAD to buy this house... Somebody had to restore her dignity!!!

This is the stuff that did it!!! Dumond Chemical's PEEL AWAY 7 . Check with your local Sherwin Williams store... If they don't carry it, they will special order it for you.

Proof-positive that I got the job done!

After six years, I had only managed to strip the top 7 steps... Now the excitement was building!

This photo is a little dark... but maybe that's not such a bad thing!!!

Pretty sad, huh???  We were blessed when our neighbors gave us this tub. (Thanks so much, Paul and Beverly! We love you guys!!!) It has been stored under a tarp in our backyard for about three years, but it doesn't look that much different from when we got it.

Where are the feet, you ask??? Well, they weren't in any better shape...in fact, one was broken!

There were about eight coats of paint on the feet...so much that the detail had been obscured  many years ago. While I sent the broken foot out to Palatka Welding for repair and reinforcement, I got to work stripping the paint off the other three legs. I have not found a replating shop (brass or otherwise)  anywhere near Palatka, so I knew up front I was going to have to settle for re-painting the feet for the time being...

The first order of business was to clean and etch the fixture with Muriatic Acid. After the surface was clean and prepared, I began applying thin coats of TOUGH AS TILE Epoxy Tub and Tile Finish. (This is a Rhodes American product which  is available at most True Value Hardware stores, Walmarts, Home Depots, and Low's Home Improvement Stores.)

I've saved the best for last... Click here!

Reclaiming the Downstairs Bathroom Sink

MORE PHOTOS TO COME AS I CONTINUE THE WORK ON THIS PROJECT.

Restoring the Staircase

A few hours later, with a little elbow grease to clean up any residual and... PURE MAGIC!!!

Restoring the Clawfoot Tub

MORE PHOTOS TO COME AS I CONTINUE THE WORK ON THIS PROJECT.

Restoring the "New" Hinges for the Front Door

Are you ready to see the results of my efforts???  Click here!

I've been doing a lot of shopping for "pieces and parts" on eBay... These hinges were purchased from an hysterically funny man whose Seller ID is thunderzeus99 .  If you get a chance, you absolutely MUST do business with him...He's a hoot!  (And he is also what I consider to be one of the Best of the 'Bay...

Thunderzeus let me know that there is a rumor going around (as of yet, unconfirmed) that these hinges came from the  guy who did the remodeling of President William Henry Harrison's home.  He kept all the original hinges and fixtures, and they are just now being released on the market. This photo shows the metal restorer doing its job...

And here they are "cleaned up".  Surprise of surprises... Although these hinges are identical in design and weight, the one on the left appears to be cast iron (or pot metal), and the one on the right appears to be bronze!

Please click here to report any missing links. I'm working so fast, I may have overlooked some!

Tin Lizzie's Place 2001