Tag: blacksmith
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Forest and field
A few images from a photoshoot with QB Bookbinding for a limited edition hand crafted leather notebook project. Find out more about the project, the young craftsman, and check availability to support his work. “Each journal is carefully handcrafted from three materials: paper, leather, and sinew. The paper is given an organic patina by staining…
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Antique tool restoration
Now that this machine is moving well toward operational status it would be nice to have a few tools onboard permanently. The museum forge was donated some rusty old wrenches (aka spanners) and there were several usable ones in the leftovers after the other smiths picked them over. They appear to mainly come from antique…
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Mud flaps for winter
With the wet and snowy season on the way and all the door seals installed, it was time for mud flaps. There once was special brackets available for the 109″ station wagon variant, but all the rest install directly to the front edge of the rear cross-member which keeps them well back of the tires.…
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Blue sky, sunshine, green trees
As work in the forge slows down, the anvil is colder each morning, and the water bucket is freezing over, the days of sunshine and warmth are appreciated. On a Sunday drive a lovely bright spot framed with blackberry bushes turning colour and evergreens against the blue sky was cause for pause. After a while…
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130 and counting
The rivets to repair the front corners of the galvanized roof rail/gutter are still on their way so that task is on hold for now. However, the rains are coming so we tightened as many of the remaining good ones as possible out of the 168 total around the roof. In the absence of a…
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Breaking the seals
A closer inspection of the door seals brings quite a revelation into why there is so much water leaking into the cab. They have all perished quite literally in the original sense of the word–become completely useless for the original intended purpose–mainly due to decades of exposure. The rubber encases thin metal strips that are…
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A riveting task
Along with a handful of pop rivets in the interior galvanized capping, several solid rivets were missing along the back edge of the roof, even three of the four that hold the hinge mounts for the “cat-flap” door. The holes had been partially filled at some point with bathtub caulk which helped keep the water…
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Portable workspace potential
A small antique tanto repair task offered the opportunity to test the suitability of the rover as a portable workshop space for knifemaking. The height of the side benches and roof is just about right for small fittings work at the low vise and stump. Sealing the leaking roof is a priority before storing and…
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Check straps, tow hitch, boots
Series 2a rovers have flexible axle check straps to keep the suspension from overextending. One of these was near the end of its useful life and the other had broken and was replaced by an over-length section of cargo strapping. A proper new pair ensures the suspension will be protected and functioning as intended. The…
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Fuel tank, filler & hasp
The very first item to take care of when parts arrived was a weeping fuel filler tube behind the seats. While working in the area several other cleaning and restoration items were checked off the list and a diy hasp was crafted for the fuel cap. The passenger seat was removed and years of mud…
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Spotted: Daihatsu hijet keitora
On the shores of Lake Cowichan, 4×4 with roof rack, work lights, and fancy rims. Kei-tora (kei trucks) are in a lightweight category under 600cc and are often used a local runabouts and farming or working vehicles in the countryside. They can be distinguished by yellow coloured license plates in Japan. This one was at…
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Overland Views: Zambian Blacksmith
Often simple is the best way. This Zambian blacksmith is using hand-tanned antelope skins over baked clay pots, tied on with bicycle tube rubber for an air supply. His forge is natural clay, and the charcoal is homemade, some of it on-the-fly around the edges of his forge. The large sledgehammer in the lower left…