Garden of freestyle delights - A cracked pot repair

The Find

A while ago I found this pot that was not just cracked, but also had a hole near the top.  

I took it anyway. 

Because free. Because planter. 

Broken unglazed pot

The Fix

In the same way that I fixed this large round pot with large cracks and this glazed green pot with multi-directional cracks, I decided to trust the fix to some 2-part epoxy.  I don't have a special applicator, I just used some small pieces of cardboard to mix the epoxy and then smear it on both sides of the crack.

Broken pot with epoxy applied

After I had applied the epoxy I let it dry and then got ambitious and wanted to scrap off some of the excess.  This caused the disturbed parts to turn white, normally the epoxy will dry clear, so I learned something new there.  Don't disturb the epoxy after it has started to dry!

Broken pot with disturbed epoxy, dried 

Although the cracks wind around quite a bit of the pot, they can still be hidden by turning the cracked side to the back.

Conclusion

I got some lovely hot pink snapdragons and decided they were the right scale of plant to use in this pot.  In order to prevent dirt from spilling out the hole I partially filled the pot with dirt, then placed a broken piece of pottery (found some months ago) on the inside of the pot, then added some more potting soil and the plant.

Snapdragons!

In order to prevent dirt from spilling out the hole I partially filled the pot with dirt, then placed a broken piece of pottery (found some months ago) on the inside of the pot, then added some more potting soil and the plant.

Potting soil and hole-blocking ceramic shard

From the side it looks like the broken pottery insert, although not a perfectly flush fit against the inside of the pot, it is blocking the dirt as intended.

Ceramic shard blocking hole, outside view

After I finished potting up the snapdragons everything looked great!  I didn't mind a bit of the epoxy showing, none of us are perfect.

Snapdragons in a newly repaired pot

Happy freestyling, don't be afraid to scavenge something and make it beautiful.

Patched Pink Patterned Planter

The Find

Thank goodness for people who leave the broken parts with the rest, so that someone could fix it if they wanted. That was the case when I found this large planter with a cool patterned exterior a few weeks ago.

Broken planter, overhead view

Broken planter, side view

I liked the patterns on the outside that reminded me of cuneiform. So even though it was heavy (as large ceramics tend to be), I'm glad I muscled up and carried it home from the neatly arranged trash pile.

The Repair

My friend already had some epoxy on hand.  The brand has worn off the labels, but the epoxy is the kind the is stored in two bottles, you have to mix Part A and Part B together on a mixing surface and apply it within a short amount of time.  So after dry-fitting the broken parts to the main planter I got my gloves on and got to the gluing.  No pictures from the epoxy-application portion because I had to work quickly 

The Results

The epoxy dried clear but still 'wet' looking. The epoxied connections felt quite secure after drying for a few hours.  However, I knew I wasn't going to be attempting to stress the repairs. Whenever I move the planter I pick it up by the main, intact, section. 

Repaired planter with epoxy joints, oblique view

Repaired planter, 3 re-attached pieces, top view

Repaired planter, side view

Conclusion

During a different evening walk I had found a large plastic plant pot in someone's discard pile.  I thought it would be perfect to use as a planter stuck in the corner so the logo wouldn't be visible, or perhaps an insert in a cachepot (although I didn't have one at the time). Really I was just looking for more free dirt-holding containers to use for growing strawberries.  But this it fit perfectly inside this pink pot....

 The pink patterned planter does have a drainage hole in the bottom, but I didn't want dirt pressing directly against the side of the pot and potentially stressing the repaired parts.  **Another** happy coincidence was finding a slightly sad, but large, geranium plant on sale for $2.99.  

Repaired planter with plastic insert and geranium plant

The geranium got repotted into the larger white insert and that got placed inside the newly repaired pink patterned planter.

Geranium in newly repaired planter

Happy Freestyling. Don't be afraid to find your own scavenged beauty.

Fan-tastic (x2)

Why you should look for discarded small table fans

Summer has arrived, and with it the need for better air circulation.  Luckily I've got two little table-top fans for which I paid $0.  Less fortunately, when I tried to use the trusty old square fan (a freestyle find over a decade ago) for the first time this year it wouldn't start spinning, and the other fan that I had pulled out of the trash room had never spun at all.  After some internet research and watching a videos on you tube I was able to restore full functionality to BOTH fans.  Turns out the most common cause of fans not working is that dust and hair get sucked in and gum up the works. So if you plug in the fan, turn it on, and hear a buzzing sound but no spinning blade is happening that means the electrical parts still work, but the mechanical parts are stuck.

Here's a quick photo journey of how I fixed this small tabletop fan, and quick DIY that saved me over $30 since I used the same process to repair two fans.

How to examine your free table fan and decide if it can be repaired, step-by-step instructions

Step 0. Gather supplies, including screwdriver(s), small scissors (fingernail scissors or embroidery scissors), pointy-tip tweezers, WD-40, paper towels

Useful tools: nail scissors and pointy-tip tweezers

Step 1. Plug in and test fan. If there is no movement of the fan blades, but you can hear the electricity buzzing, that is a good sign.  In my case there was no movement of the fan blades when plugged in and turned on, but yes! there was buzzing sound when turned on.

Our test subject, a free tabletop fan

Repairing the free table top fan

Now that I had some indication that the electrical part of the fan was still working, I thought the problem was likely something mechanical that was stuck. Let's continue on to Step 2....

2. Unplug fan and remove cover by unscrewing all the connections around the back.  These are likely small screws, somewhat recessed, that hold the back plastic part of the fan to the front plastic cover part of the fan.

Removing the tiny screw that hold the front cover to the back cover.

Fan with the front cover removed.

3. Use tweezers and a nail scissors to pull off any dust on the center shaft.  Cut any hairs that were wound around the shaft and pull off the pieces.  Use a paintbrush or paper towels to wipe off any dust, including on the back cover and on the fan blades.  Do this for the front cover that you removed (I ran that piece under the sink sprayer and then let it dry thoroughly, but that was probably overkill).

Brushing the dust off of the back cover and fan blades.

View of the center shaft with some detritus wrapped around it, need to remove that gunk!

4. Bring fan into bathtub (or do this outside) and spray WD-40 on the parts that *should* be moving, like the center shaft.  WARNING: If you spray WD-40 inside your bathtub the surface will become EXTREMELY SLIPPERY, make sure you clean it properly before trying to use the tub or shower for bathing.

If you spray WD-40 in the bathtub, it will make the tub REALLY SLIPPERY.  

5. Wait a few minutes for the WD-40 to soak in, slowly rotate the fan blade by hand to make sure the liquid is evenly distributed.

6. Carefully set the fan upright, but facing a wipeable surface like the side of the tub or the back of the toilet seat.  When you turn the fan back on any excess WD-40 will come flying out the front IF the repair was successful.

7. Making sure fingers and hair are clear of the fan, plug fan back in and turn on to test if blades spin properly.

Spinning fan blades indicate a successful repair.

8. Once blades spin properly, do a happy dance of DIY success. Let fan run a few minutes until no more WD-40 is flying out the front.

9. Turn off fan, unplug fan. Wipe any stray WD-40 off the fan blades or other parts it might have leaked on to, and then reconnect front cover using the same tiny screws you removed in step 2.

One of 6 tiny screws that held the cover pieces together.

10. Enjoy new, or newly repaired, fan.

Conclusion

Happy freestyling, and don't be afraid of trying to fix that free fan. With the right screwdriver and a few small supplies it only took about 20 minutes.

The damaged demi-lune, Part 1

When I found a damaged demi-lune table I immediately had visions of a graceful entryway, maybe with a large leaning mirror and flowers in perfect bloom. 
Well, that hasn't quite materialized....  Let's chat about great expectations and furniture painting frustrations.

Here is where it all began. 
A curved table with graceful lines (the photo below is after I had sanded it, but picture it all shiny).

But ahhh, look a little closer and you can see some damage, a large chip out of the back left corner.

Now, I could have stopped right there and given it away, or just decided to cover the chip with a cloth and call it a day.  But where is the learning experience in that?  I decided I would fix the chip AND repaint the table in a lovely shade of blue. 

The first part was fixing the chip, about 4 inches long and 1 inch deep at the edge.

I decided to make a temporary base so that the bottom of the repair would be in line with the rest of the table top.  I did this by attaching a scrap piece of wood (leftover from the slipper chair surgery) with some light glue.  I would later remove the piece of scrap wood, so I didn't want it attached too strongly.

The next step was to build up layers, made of bits of wood shims and glue.  Yes, again I decided to buy some supplies, total cost was under $10.

I broke off pieces of the shim to glue along the angle of the original table top.  You can see from this side view that the original chip was wedge shaped.  My strategy was to get the top piece attached and somewhat flush with the table surface and then fill in underneath.  This may not be woodworking orthodoxy, but that's what happens when you are making it up as you go along.

Eventually I got to a point where I couldn't cram any more gluey tiny shim pieces into the gaps.

At this stage the work with shims was over and I decided to try to start using wood filler to fill in the holes.

Wood filler can dry a little rough, so I had a few rounds of filling and sanding.

Eventually I got to this point, where the top and sides seemed smooth enough.
I was pretty proud of my repair, it was solid and I'd managed to be patient and let the glue dry between layers.

Now, what I could have (and maybe should have) done was the paint the repaired chip black and call it done.  But smokey blue colors haunted my dreams and after reading all about it I thought I'd give non-toxic milk paint a try. 

The mixing and painting was pretty easy, and I have to say I was impressed with the LACK OF SMELL.  Milk paint has no toxic fumes, it is water-based, so I didn't worry about getting headaches or killing brain cells (which is one reason I tend to shy away from painting things).  Also it comes in a powder form, so you don't have to worry about storing awkward cans of unused liquid paint.  yet another bonus is that it dries pretty quickly.

This picture was after 1 or 1.5 coats.  You can see the black spot on the leg where the milk paint had flaked, or chipped, off, a foreshadowing things to come. 

I was so excited to finish this table because the color was lovely, and at first everything looked good....

...as it dried I started to see more and more flaking, and I thought to myself "oh crap.  Even though I sanded all the surfaces I should have bought the bonding agent." 

To be continued.

Found: Fancy striped umbrella, with flap problems

I've found umbrellas before, on sidewalks, next to garbage cans, usually after a rainstorm.  But I'd never one like this before.  Extra large, with two layers, and a really nice handle, why would someone be throwing it away.....





















Oh right, it had a gaping hole in the top layer.  Except really it didn't. What happened was that the fabric had ripped away from the ribs in two spots, creating a flap.  Not very waterproof, but super duper fixable.

All I needed was a needle, thread, scissors, and a scrap of fabric.  I used an old t-shirt, but you could use an old sock, dish rag, or piece of ribbon if you care about it looking nice (1/2 inch or wider should be fine).   I tend to not care about the appearance of my umbrella repairs, because when its rainy I just want the umbrella to work, not win a fashion award.

How to repair this umbrella in about 7 minutes.

Step 1:  thread the needle so that the thread is doubled for the entire length (umbrellas get beat up, so you could use 4 strands of thread).

Step 2: Attach the end of the thread through the hole at the end of the umbrella rib and tie a knot (photo below).  This will anchor whatever you sew to the frame of the umbrella and help it from sliding around too much.

Step 3: Fold your scrap fabric in half so that it goes over the end of the rib point, secure with a few stitches.
Step 4: Pull the umbrella fabric down towards the end of the rib and sew the scrap fabric to the original umbrella fabric.  I tend to leave a little slack so I don't pull the umbrella fabric taut, I don't want to put strain on another part of that layer and cause thread to break somewhere else. 




Step 5: Repeat steps 4 & 5 for as many ribs as needed.
Step 6: Sit back and enjoy your newly mended umbrella (sporting a repair that sort of looks like fangs!).

Alternate fix:  if you only have a needle and thread, but no scrap fabric, you can make very long stitches and secure the original umbrella fabric to the end of the rib through the small hole.  It would be hard to pull the fabric as tight as it was originally, but it would still be a serviceable umbrella.

Don't throw out those good umbrellas, repair and reuse.

Happy freestyling!

Ragtag coffee table makeover - part 2, finished product

The ragtag coffee table repair and makeover continues!

Look at that lovely carving detail on the legs, who could resist? 

Scroll down for the rest of the repair story, and the final product.

After cleaning, the next step was to glue down the top center insert that was coming loose and a bit warped at one corner.  Below you can see the bright white line of glue. I also glued the same piece from the bottom, because why not?

 After glue had dried, and my online order for a palm sander arrived, I started sanding the top.

 I thought it would take 20 minutes.

It took 2 hours.

The combination of veneer and glue and a bit of water sort of gummed up the sandpaper. Not immediately, but I had to switch pieces and rinse it off a few times. 

Oh well, the point of this was to practice and learn. One thing I learned was that it is ok to apply some pressure to the sander so that the sandpaper can do its job.

Here is the top after I decided that I was done with sanding.

 

You can see that I went through the finish, and down to bare wood in some places.  This was mostly along the edges where I knew I would have to sand down the center insert because it had already warped a bit.  You can also see the glue. Note to self, next time use less glue so that you don't have to sand down so much of it.

 

The next day was the start of painting!  I decided to use white high gloss paint, mostly because it was free.  All the blogs say to apply primer, use a roller, maybe some paint extender..... 

Nope. None of that. 

I used a brush I found in a box of miscellaneous junk, and the paint was free.

Here is the top after 2 coats. It looks mottled because you can still see the original finish underneath.

After a few more coats on the top, i did one light coat on the center panel of the fake drawer front.  To whoever decided that a fake drawer was needed on a coffee table...

Thank you! 

You gave me an excuse to buy this lovely drawer pull.

 

So now the fake drawer has its own little bit of bling in addition to the decorative carvings.

 

Voila! 

The ragtag coffee table!

 

Now transformed into something that won't give you splinters and should do a decent job of holding magazines, drinks, and probably a plant or two.  

(Maybe I'll take another picture on a sunny day, but now, this is it!*)

Cost breakdown:

Table: free

Sander: $20 

Sanding paper: $6

Paint & brushes: free

Decorative drawer pull: $14

*Sharp-eyed readers might notice the trellis-print paper covered Ikea table in the back. 

It was briefly a coffee table, but now serves honorably as a plant stand.  

Always fun to reuse things from within your own home.

Happy freestyling!