New Tools! (and more work, of course)

Earlier this week, I was pondering how to make it easier to strip paint from some of the more intricate moulding.  While thinking about this, I wondered to myself how much it would cost a company to produce some standard-ish blades for stripping different types of details.  Then I had a bit of an epiphany, and said to myself, “Self, you have some nice tools and at least a passing knowledge of working with metal stuff, why don’t you make your own?” 
Doh.  I should have though of this earlier.  I had to get a few things to make this possible.  Namely, I needed some files of my own, some sheet metal stock of appropriate thickness, something to use as handles, and a profile gauge so that I could copy the profiles more easily.  I already had this great new jigsaw with a metal cutting blade that I thought would make easy work of some of this, so I went ahead and got the stuff. 

At home that evening, I used the profile gauge to get a copy of the profile, then headed down to the basement.  My first attempt was passable, but it needed help to be really useful.  Version Two was great, and fit the left third of the profile.  I made a new copy of Version One that worked and fit the right third.  I still have to make something for the middle third, though that may end up just being a finely-pointed tool, because I think making a full profile for that middle third is going to be a bit iffy.  I was happy, though,  I got to use the jigsaw, an old anvil that was left in our basement, and some of my fledgling metalworking knowledge.  It was fun.  I came up and stripped some paint with the tools, just to make sure that they worked as I thought they would.  It was a good evening. 

Yesterday, I got an email from a local woodworking store that had a 15% off coupon for any of their power tools.  I’ve been getting ready to get a Fein MultiMaster to help with the eventual sanding of all of this woodwork, and for use on other projects around the house.  This tool is not cheap.  I wanted to get the “top” kit, as it has all of the various attachments that I would probably be using (including dust extraction, which I plan to use to catch paint dust when we sand the ceiling).  While the kit is expensive, it saves a bunch over buying the accessories separately.  Since it is expensive, I was working to try to get the best deal I could.  It looked like Amazon was going to be it, until I saw that coupon yesterday.  Today, I called the store to see if they had one, and if there was any chance that they could put it aside for me, with the understanding that I’d be buying it during the official sale period (which starts Friday and runs through the weekend).  Well, the guy said that he’d put it away, and that I could pick it up at any reasonable time, even after the weekend.  I asked him if there was any chance that I could pick it up today (I was trying to avoid having to spend time away from the house this weekend, since we’re trying really hard to get finished as fast as we can).  He said yes, and that he could sell it at the sale price.  I emailed Jenny at work, a plan was hatched, and we went out after work to pick it up. 

Let me just tell you:  This thing is completely awesome.  I set it up today with a regular sanding pad and went to town on some of the woodwork, just to see what it could do.  Holy cow, it is fantastic.  I gummed-up the pad with some of the old varnish, though, so it looks like we’re going to want to use the chemical stripper to get most of that off before sanding.  I suspected that would be the case.  This thing was great, though–it’s going to save us a ton of time when sanding time comes, which should hopefully be soon. Jenny heard me sanding like crazy, so she came in and stripped some paint while I was sanding so we’re getting at leasta little further along in that regard. 

My wife is awesome.  🙂 

This Saturday, my Dad is coming down to help us.  We’re going to write an outlet for the freezer currently residing at their house, then we’re going to get to work in the room.  I want to get the rest of the quarter-round up off the ground, and the rest of the tack strips.  Then I’ll be working on more paint stripping.  I have a lofty goal for this weekend, and that is to be done with the majority of the heat gun stripping.  I think it can be done.  We don’t have that much more to do right now.  If that happens, that means that this Wednesday would be the start of the chemical stripper and clean-up, and maybe the start of sanding after Thanksgiving.  That could put us on track to have a finish put onto the woodwork as early as the weekend of December 8th, which would be completely awesome.  If there’s any way to accelerate that, I’ll try.  Still, that would be a major accomplishment.  That means that we could be painting the weekend after, if not earlier.  And that means that we could be back to having a room again at least a week before Christmas, which would be truly fantastic.  Hey, if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.  We’ll see. 

Tomorrow is light-up night in Pittsburgh, so we’ll be going to that.  Saturday is another work day, and hopefully it will be productive.  Sunday is my sister’s birthday party, and then we’ll be working some more. 

I need to take some pictures in there.  It’s come a long way, I think, since I last took pictures. 

Time for sleep. 

jonathan