Realife Country Store fixtures – part 2

Continuing work on the Realife Country Store fixtures. Due to the old, warped wood in the kit, I had to cut a few new parts for the counter, including an added bottom, which was not part of the original construction. Adding a bottom gives the piece more stability. I reduced the depth overall by 3/8″ to give myself more floor space. It’s still a usable depth in scale but gives a little breathing room for my small interior. I made some adjustments to the trim for proper proportion to the final look. The trim around the base will be added after I install the flooring and baseboards.

I’m thinking of adding a routed edge to the countertop, so I’ll leave that unattached for now while I brush up on my drill press class notes. Plus, I will need to have some flexibility with the placement along the window and the gate.

I needed to make new parts for the pigeon holes for the post box teller, because die cuts are splintery and uneven. Die cutting doesn’t work well for tiny details, and the wood was fragile beyond that.

First, I cut new strips the size of the originals and marked the location of the notches. I taped the like pieces together and used the scroll saw to make the cuts. Taping the pieces together helps keep the pieces close to being the same.

Just a little clean up, and we’re ready to go.  :D

This is nowhere near perfect, but it is better than what could have been achieved with the original pieces. A laser cut version might better, though I think the pieces would still be fragile.

The original facade for the post box teller was split in the kit, before removing it from the die cut sheet. (The instructions even indicate this piece is prone to breakage and suggest repair.) I was originally going to repair it, until I set the dry fit on the counter just to see. Well, this low window will give our postmaster some back issues, won’t it?

I cut a new facade from 1/8″ thick plywood, making the window in line with the top of the sorting window and leaving the letter slot in its original location. The top and sides are too warped to keep, but they work well enough for a dry fit. I might have gone a little higher than needed with the window, but it’s much better. I’ll probably cut more from the bottom portion to make the window longer and add a shelf.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD
September 23, 2019 | 0 comments

Mail Wagon – part 10

Continuing work on the mail wagon. As you saw last time, I had primed the wagon wheels. On the hubs, I used Rust-Oleum Aluminum Primer, which is light grey. It bonds specifically to aluminum, and an aluminum primer was recommended in the instructions for the doctor’s buggy.

I then used plain flat grey Rust-Oleum primer. As you can see, the wheels are rather fuzzy.

Sanding after priming a first coat always helps smooth the fibers away. Then a second quick spray of the same grey primer and they are now ready for final color when I get there….

Back to the cabin. I made a drawing for the front based on my built walls, not the previously drawing of the sides. My final measurements for the sides ended up being different from how I had drawn them.

Before continuing, I cut the front and back from cardboard to get a feel for the final size. Easier to adjust here than after I started building the front hinged window.

I checked the width against the rear axle assembly, which can be adjusted to fit, but I think the cabin size is good for proportion.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD, Model Cars, Vehicles
September 21, 2019 | 0 comments

Ivy Hollow – potbelly stove, part 4

Continuing work on the potbelly stove. There’s always the kit stovepipe, which has excellent detailing, but I wanted to attempt a straight pipe up through the ceiling, which would be more in line with my inspiration photo. The rub lies in the oval opening at the rear of the stove. I can’t just take a round polystyrene tube and use it out of the package. I also don’t want to alter the kit parts just in case my alterations fail and I need to fall back on the original stovepipe. As a reminder, here is the stove built for Baslow Ranch.

Debora sent me some defunct Chrysnbon kits for parts some time ago, and one of those was the cook stove. Look here at this part. It’s an oval to round adapter.

I cut the top away using the scroll saw and sanded it smooth.

To make the stovepipe that will continue upward, I used 1/2″ polystyrene tubing.

In order to make it easier to hold the stovepipe steady while the plastic cement set, I glued three polystyrene rods inside the pipe adapter.

Once the glue set, I glued on the stovepipe, leaving the full length intact. Once I get to the roof, I’ll cut the top angle and fashion a chimney pipe for the exterior. I cut a thin band of polystyrene and glued it approximately 3 inches from the top of the adapter to make it look like the stovepipe was assembled in two pieces, which it likely would have been.

I roughed up the surface with sandpaper and spray painted it flat black. It will remain unattached until installation.

While I was painting, I finished the floor pad in the same stippled black finish as the stove.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD
September 15, 2019 | 0 comments

Horse Harness – part 1

Maybe that should read, “Putting Jebediah to work, part 1.” As you know, I’m using a Breyer thoroughbred horse for my mail wagon. I found it interesting that at least one pacer (harness racing horse) pulled a mail wagon in real life.

Mail Wagon Horse Mon, Jan 19, 1914 · The Star Press (Muncie, Indiana) · Newspapers.com

After finally getting my hands on the marvelous book Making Model Horse Harness by Anne Funnell, I started reading the material and doing more sleuthing online. Anne’s business is no more, so I am doing my best to scout Rio Rondo for the things I need. They seem to be well-stocked, so I am making a shopping list while I work on a mockup.

I bought this bridle from Texas Tiny at the local mini shows this past spring.

I fitted it to Jebediah to see. Yeah, it was a pain. I can see there will be more swearing in my future as I make said harness. But, it fits perfectly and is very well made. I’m not sure if I will be able to modify this one (the reins are not long enough, there’s no simulated bit and there are no blinders), or if I will have to use this as a guide to make my own with the harness.

I had the idea of doing a test run with ribbon before diving into the leather and custom hardware. This would give me a feel for the parts and lengths/widths of the tack. Michaels is always hit or miss in the supplies department, but it was the closest store while out to lunch. I bought 1/8″ wide white ribbon – the two colors missing from the stock of plain 1/8″ ribbon were brown and black. I colored the white ribbon with a permanent marker and let it dry overnight. I had 1/4″ black ribbon already at home. These aren’t the precise widths I’ll need, but they are a good approximation.

I didn’t get very far, since one part really depends on another, but it was worth a shot. I need to just get the materials and start to work – trial and error. But, this attempt did help me study the drawings in better detail and estimate the amount of leather I will need. I also kept a tally of the various hardware components since the book doesn’t have a detailed listing of items with sizes. The book appears to be a companion to the kits and hardware sold by Anne Funnell, so that is understandable. If you have the kit, you need only the part number – not the size. The kit itself would have likely had a parts list with sizes and lengths noted.

I am reconsidering adding flocking to Jebediah in seeing how much handling needs to be done when attaching and tightening the buckles. I know I can get a good approximation of hair on the body with paint, and the mane and tail will no longer be plastic to help drive the realism.

Categories: Animals and birds, Ivy Hollow RFD
September 14, 2019 | 0 comments

Ivy Hollow – inspiration photo and history

As you recall, when I first started with my idea of building a Rural Free Delivery mail wagon and its post office hub, I found this postcard from 1917 showing a post office with RFD horse wagons picking up the mail. It was precisely the type of building I was after. Stevens, PA is the name of the town on the sign above the door, and there’s a short wiki page on the town. After all this fascination, I ended up buying this postcard. :D

It’s a very interesting piece. The print is almost like a daguerreotype on paper. It has that weird metallic shimmer at a certain angle. Here’s an interesting article on the history of postcards I ran into along the way.

After our lively discussions on the roofing material, which I think we all agree is some type of metal, likely corrugated, I went down a rabbit hole – then explored the whole rabbit warren! It started with a link that Marilyn sent me on historical photos from the Library of Congress (now another research go-to along with Wiki).

To help with my research, I went to newspapers.com and signed up for a membership to peruse old articles. Since Rural Free Delivery was new, along with its aches and pains of growing with the times, there were a number of articles on these pioneering carriers, their professional and personal lives, the service in general and the related news about town.

Sat, Nov 4, 1916 – 8 · The Inquirer (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

During the course of my research, I ended up figuring out who wrote the RFD postcard I bought (postmarked Nov 14, 1917) and to whom it was addressed. The text reads, “I just found a card with the old P. Office so I thought you would like to see where you were still doing the office work. It is rather soiled but the other side is alright. We are well. Hope you’re the same. Mother.”

It is addressed to Mrs. H. E. Harner in Telford, PA. I found a 1907 clipping stating the engagement of Emma Clare (or Claire in another clipping) Lutz to H.E. Harner, who was a pastor. Emma’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Lutz.

Tue, Dec 24, 1907 · Reading Times (Reading, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

It’s hard to find the first and maiden names of wives in old clippings unless it’s an obituary or marriage notice. I found the 1972 obituary of Emma C. Harner, and it identified her parents as Charles S. Lutz and Lydia Mohler. We also finally see her husband’s first name of Harvey. All articles I had researched to this point referred to him only as H.E. Harner.

Sat, Nov 4, 1972 · Pottsville Republican (Pottsville, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

The postcard’s author, Lydia Mohler Lutz, died in 1947 at the age of 93.

Thu, May 1, 1947 · Pottsville Republican (Pottsville, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

Since we know the name of the post office in the photo, I started researching the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area. I stumbled upon a card catalog entry from The Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley. The card in question was labeled, “Stevens Post Office, Stevens, PA; Stevens Post Office with two mail carriers and delivery wagons, n.d., c. 1900.” Well, if that didn’t end up being the exact photo used for the postcard, then it would have to be from the photographer standing right next to the person who took the postcard picture! haaaaaa

I called up the historical society, and Cynthia, the Society’s librarian, looked up the photo and also found another of a mail carrier with his wagon. I was able to get scans of both. The photo subject was indeed the same, though cropped differently. The quality was about the same as the postcard since it was a copy of the photograph and not the original print, but she was able to scan it at a high resolution to bring out even more detail.

I’m pretty sure that roof is corrugated metal, with uniform panels…or uniform panels with raised metal beams interspersed.

The mail wagon appears to be the same as in the postcard photo – route No. 2. She said there was no name written. The carrier for Route No. 2 could be the same man in the post office photo, but I’ll get to his identity in a moment.

I asked Cynthia about the large brick house behind the post office, figuring it might still be standing. She said the house was the home of J. Frank Lutz, once the postmaster of Stevens, who she thought was the publisher of the postcard. She mentioned the house is still standing though it has been renovated. As expected, the post office building is long gone.

With the Lutz name to search, I found a September 2011 newsletter from The Lancaster County Postcard Club. On page four, there is the same image from the 1917 postcard (theirs is indicated as mailed in 1910) as well as an old map from 1899 of Stevens and other photos of the area. While the newsletter writer seemed uncertain whether the person standing in the doorway was in fact J.  Frank Lutz, the two carriers were definitively named as Harrison Z. Enck (route No. 1 – 28.5 miles) on the left and Harry R. Ludwig (route No. 2 – 25 miles) on the right (no names were given for the horses, unfortunately). I tried to obtain more info from the newsletter club, but they have not replied to my inquiries.

I found a photo of J. Frank Lutz dated March 7, 1924, and it could be him in the RFD postcard based on this likeness. On a side note, I had a hard time figuring out the relationship, if any, between Emma Lutz, her mother Lydia Mohler Lutz and J. Frank Lutz. It seems it was common to use the same first names across families and areas, making it difficult to differentiate who was who.

Fri, Mar 7, 1924 · Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

The newsletter writer mentions the building in the back left as a painting and carriage repository that was also the property of Mr. Lutz. As of the 2011 newsletter, it was noted that the shorter of the two buildings shown in the original postcard still stands as a storage shed. I was able to find the same postcard (unused) of the hardware store and adjacent buildings for a reasonable price online.

I typed the current address Cynthia gave me into google maps, and I think I found what remains of the three buildings. Maybe? Brick to siding for the house? The shed building looks very similar, and it is right on the railroad tracks. Seems like the right location.

On page five of the newsletter, there is another photo of the post office they indicate as dated 1907-1909 showing the hardware building and the post office right on the railroad tracks. Look, no window awnings! :D I was able to track that photo back to this website, but the site owner had no other information on it. The Stevens/Reamstown station description on that website mentions the Lutz Hardware Store and Carriage Repository, indicating this railroad station started as a small platform for a dairy farmer and that the building was originally owned by J.S. Heiser before becoming the Lutz Hardware Store.

It’s strange, though, because there are a few differences besides the awnings. There is no sign on the Lutz Hardware building, the post office sign doesn’t seem to mention the town name as it does in the RFD postcard, and the door is also different. The building seems closer to the railroad, or at least the easement, which can’t be seen in the RFD postcard but there is more area and a short post between the building and the utility pole in the RFD postcard. So, it’s hard to tell if this is an earlier or later photo. It seems as though it would be later since it is more likely the railroad easement would encroach on an existing building than more space being added after the railroad was in place. Regardless of the time relation to the RFD postcard, I think it’s pretty awesome to have found a second photo of the same tiny post office.

image from West2K, used with permission

I found this notation stating Mr. Lutz was born November 22, 1872 (died October 19, 1959 – aged 86) and never married. The article doesn’t mention his being a postmaster, but it does mention the hardware store and carriage repository. It seems Mr. Lutz got himself into trouble for postal money order fraud and spent some time in jail around 1941.

Wed, Mar 26, 1941 · Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

I found a book called The Zartman Family by Rufus Calvin Zartman (dated January 1, 1909) showing a brief history on Mr. Enck. It references his job as a rural mail carrier.

There was a lovely write-up about Mr. Enck in a 1925 newspaper titled Traveled 200,000 Miles in 21 Years as a Rural Mail Carrier; he was noted as being 68 years of age at the time the article was written. It mentions his starting the rural route No. 1 in Stevens and says he carried over 600,000 pieces of mail without missing one. The photo in the article is noted as being of his first horse and mail wagon. Hard to tell if it matches the RFD postcard photo.

Sun, Jun 21, 1925 · Sunday News (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

There was conflicting information on the second carrier in the original RFD postcard photo. I found a clipping from 1903 announcing the start of the two rural routes in Stevens, PA – scheduled for March 2, 1903. This clipping mentions the driver of route No. 2 as Harry H. Shirk (not Harry R. Ludwig).

Sat, Feb 21, 1903 · The Inquirer (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

In a May 13, 1922 Letter to the Editor written by Harry R. Ludwig, he mentioned he had been a rural letter carrier for 16 years, which indicated a start around 1906. It’s not clear if the man in the RFD postcard and the other photo is Harry R. Ludwig or Harry H. Shirk. The 1922 letter had a photo of Harry R. Ludwig. Hard to tell without a photo of Harry H. Shirk, which I could not find, but the men in the photos do have a similar build. In my research, I found two different men with the name Harry H. Shirk, and neither was referenced as being a mail carrier so I couldn’t tell which was the right one.

Sat, May 13, 1922 · The News-Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

Considering the rural routes in Stevens, PA began March 2, 1903 and the RFD postcard was mailed in 1917 (and the writer calls this the “old” post office), the photograph had to be taken in the time frame of 1903 to 1917.  Also, the 2011 newsletter references their identical postcard as being mailed in 1910, which would narrow it down to 1903-1910. Articles pertaining to Harry R. Ludwig (written by Mr. Ludwig himself) indicate he began his RFD career in 1906. My guess is the photo was taken right when the RFD routes started in 1903 or soon after, and so it’s likely not Harry R. Ludwig in that photo. But, could he be the man in the other RFD No. 2 photo? The wagon is certainly more worn in that photo than the original RFD postcard. I guess we’ll never know.

In a clipping from May 2, 1921, it was noted that Mr. Ludwig fractured his arm cranking his automobile. I wonder if he ever injured himself using a horse wagon.

Mon, May 2, 1921 · The News-Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

Mr. Ludwig was born November 6, 1879 and died in 1927 at the age of 47.

Sun, Mar 6, 1927 · Sunday News (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

Much of historical research is guesswork, because newspapers and the like can be filled with errors, and finding the retractions and corrections isn’t always easy. But, I had a lot of fun getting this far – all starting with a simple google search that landed on an antique postcard. And, reading old newspapers is a real hoot!

Sat, Mar 18, 1905 · The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com

Do I usually go through this much research during a build? You can ask anyone who has been behind the scenes before to confirm, but the answer is absolutely yes! :D To me, part of the enjoyment is immersing myself in the life and times.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD
September 11, 2019 | 0 comments

Mail Wagon – part 9

Continuing work on the mail wagon. I’m planning a basic box cabin with trimmed details, a hinged front window, and sliding side doors. I’m using 3/64″ thick basswood sheets (3″ x 24″) for the majority of the parts. It’s thinner than 1/16″ and therefore lighter in weight but still durable when trimmed.

I started by drawing a quick sketch using the Rondel kit sides as a starting point, then refining from there based on measurements for average seat height, the seated height of my artist model and general proportions from the various mail wagon examples I’ve reviewed.

The two doors are where I will begin, then I can build the walls to enclose around them. If these don’t work, then my basic construction will change since I’ll make hinged doors instead. I’m using door frames from Northeastern Scale Lumber, cutting them down width-wise. I am sure there must be a place to get the window channel that Houseworks uses to make their windows, but I have yet to discover it.

The door frame material holds the 3/64″ thick basswood perfectly as an insert, and 3/64″ thick trim finishes the frame. The top will have acrylic sheet for the window. As I was working, I decided to make my door a little wider than my drawing for practicality. This will add a modest amount to the length of the wagon, but it seemed necessary for better proportion. Here is one door with the original width of door frame material on the side and the other with the width cut down.

I built the side front and side back walls using the door frame material for the lead edge of the door openings as well as the tops and bottoms, cut down to size width-wise. I used 1/4″ corner trim for the front and back edges to make it easier to join the front and back of the cabin when I get to that stage.

Most of the examples I saw had no side windows, sometimes small slits to peer through, so I’ve left the side walls solid to have more room for the lettering. The cross trim on the side front and side back panels isn’t glued in place yet, since I want it to line up with the door in the end. Leaving it unattached allows for adjustment later.

Each door will slide to the back just short of its door handle.

I think this will work well, so next I will make the front, back and floor.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD, Model Cars, Vehicles
September 8, 2019 | 0 comments

Mail Wagon – part 8

Continuing work on the mail wagon. With the front and rear axle assemblies and wheels made, I can start to build the cabin. I’ve pretty much been researching mail wagons since I started down this path, and there was no standard type of wagon over the years. RFD was such a novel thing, though horse wagons were not, it really was each man for himself. So, I get a lot of room to play.

There were sliding doors and front windows that could be lowered into the front wall.

There were hinged doors.

There were hinged windows and mail slots.

If you look at the original wagons from the postcard, there was no room in front – just the window wall.

There were built in heaters and portable heaters.

One great source is Horse Drawn Mail Vehicles by James H. Bruns (as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases).

Look at this tiny thing that’s barely a box built around a chair and a heater! Where did the mail fit? I’m also pretty sure only one horse was needed. :]

I set up my wheels and axles with Jebediah and one of my artist models. I can probably back Jebediah to the wagon a bit more, but this total span is 17 inches from his nose to the back of the wheels.

The span from the axle centers is 5.5 inches. Having a very narrow space between the wheels for the mail carrier to enter the wagon was not uncommon.

I won’t be using the Rondel kit, but here is that cabin in dry fit for size comparison (obviously not this tall).

This should be a good gauge for overall size, though.

I’ll need to make the cabin as light as possible since the axles are fairly delicate, but I can layer thin wood to get good detailing without adding a lot of weight.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD, Model Cars, Vehicles
September 1, 2019 | 0 comments

Ivy Hollow – screen door, part 7

Completing work on the screen door. My base wall with siding gives me a wall 3/8″ thick, so I need to pad the interior wall further. Being that this is an angled wall, it’s not as simple as it would have been on a straight wall. I have some ideas on disguising the added wall thickness modification, but more on that to come later when I glue the structure together.

I painted the frame Woodland Green to match the doors, and the threshold is stained using Bittersweet Chocolate mixed with Staining Medium by Americana. I’ll do more for the threshold once I get the porch and interior floor completed, but I wanted some color on it while finishing the doors.

I installed working Pennsylvania strap hinges by Olde Mountain Miniatures for the screen door.

I replaced the nails from the package with tiny threaded brads by Classics.

The hinges might be a bit heavy for a screen door, but the more modern ones just didn’t look right for shape or finish. Perhaps these were reused from a broken down shed in the area. The hinges have brass pins, which I touched up with black paint once installed.

For the handles, I used window pulls by Classics, making sure to install them higher than the door knob of the solid door. Though they started as gunmetal, I painted them flat black with a satin finish. The front one has the tiny brads, but I faked the nails on the interior with glue and paint. My door wasn’t thick enough to have back-to-back nails.

I tried to research the history of screen door hardware, but I ran into a lot of sites selling refurbished or reproduction hardware without much commentary on what was used when. The most interesting pieces were the antique spring-loaded hinges in some beautiful designs. I’m going with what I remember from my childhood farm memories – a spring and hook latch. :]

The hook latch and eyelets come from The Ironworks.

Bill sent me length of thin spring awhile back, and I put it in the bits-n-bobs box for a time such as this. I opted not to install this so that opening the screen door will actually pull the spring for two reasons. The spring is likely to stretch out of shape over time, but more to the point, the spring has a tension force greater than the strength of tiny eyelets and some glue. boioioioing!

So, we fake it! I’m actually doing a mix of a typical screen door spring and storm door stop chain. This is probably more modern, but it will add visual interest overall. I cut down the spring and used an X-Acto blade to force the end rings open to make eyelets at each end. I threaded one spring end onto one of the laser cut eyelets.

I made another eyelet at the end of a length of thin black wire, determined where the chain would connect to the door frame, drilled a hole and inserted the wire through. The length gives some added durability just in case the chain gets pulled too hard. I cut a channel for the wire and taped it in place.

The chain hooks into this eyelet as well as one end ring of the spring.

I glued the eyelet into the screen door, being careful not to drill through to the front side.

I love the way it looks, just visible through the screen. :] It will be more prominent when the solid door is open.

And, finally the hook and latch. This also has a handmade eyelet on the door with the laser cut hook and eye. This is not easy to hook, mainly for having to use tweezers to do so, but even a hook latch hanging loose adds some realism.

During final assembly, I added the door hardware to the solid door.

Since the lock rail and the lock box are roughly the same height, I decided to not inset the lock box for fear of making a mess of it. This hardware is so hard to see on the interior as it is, it was hardly worth the risk, but I filed the idea away for another time and another door.

It was a lot of work, but I will definitely make another screen door in the future.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD
August 26, 2019 | 0 comments

Ivy Hollow – screen door, part 6

Continuing work on the screen door. As I’ve mentioned before, I write detailed measurements on my blog so I don’t have to keep a written log somewhere else. Feel free to ignore the fractions.

I needed to build a new door frame to hold both the 5-panel traditional door and the screen door. The original frame from the Houseworks door was broken and had warped in storage, but beyond that, I also needed some added depth to accommodate both doors. With the hardware selected, I could measure the depth added by the door knob and its escutcheon (~7/32″).

I measured the screen door and solid door together (~13/32″). Altogether, this means I need a minimum of 5/8″ (20/32″) in depth on the door frame. I also need to make sure there is enough room allowed so the screen door doesn’t hit the door knob when closed. The most depth I’ve seen on ready-made components is 1/2″ (16/32″). There are ways to mask the depth, which I will get to later.

On with the maths! I measured the solid door alone at 7/32″.

The door with the door knob and escutcheon measures 7/16″ (14/32″).

To make things easier (on me) and more uniform in the end, I’m building the frame in layers instead of just using 5/8″ wide boards. To accommodate the solid door and its exterior door knob and escutcheon, I used 1/2″ x 1/4″ basswood for the top and sides and 1/2″ x 1/8″ basswood for the bottom threshold. Using pin hinges, I drilled the appropriate holes for the solid door. The frame is built close around the door while allowing it to move freely.

I added strips of 1/4″ x 1/16″ basswood to create the stop, which keeps the doors from swinging freely and keeps the drafts out. The threshold trim is 1/4″ x 1/32″ for added realism in proportion.

I measured the screen door at 5/32″.

I built up the next layer using 3/32″ x 1/4″ basswood around the sides and top.

I needed trim to finish the exterior surface and build up the final amount needed for the screen door. This I built in two layers from basswood. The first layer sits on top of the door frame and was made from 1/16″ x 3/8″ basswood around the sides and top.

The second layer is installed under the top trim and around the door frame. It pads the first frame and is made from 3/32″ x 3/32″ basswood.

The final depth of wall needed to accommodate my frame is now just over 1/2″ – very manageable.

The final part of the threshold is 1/4″ x 1/4″ basswood sanded down to be flush with the exterior trim.

Even without the screen, this looks like a real door frame, don’t you think?

Next up, painting the frame and adding hardware.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD
August 24, 2019 | 0 comments

Ivy Hollow – door hardware

While touring the Wade House Stagecoach Hotel in Greenbush, Wisconsin, I took some photos of door hardware that rather appealed to me – a simple door knob and keyhole.

On the other side, there’s an inset lock box with the opposite door knob and keyhole.

I dug through my stash and took out a white door knob, a previously painted keyhole and a washer. I spray painted the keyhole and washer with flat black then finished with a satin sealer. I chose a white knob with a little wear so I wouldn’t have to age it any further.

I also found a package of Houseworks door knob lock boxes. Since there were two, I tried to remove the door knob to see if I could make the door knobs match on either side of the door, but it damaged the casing. So, I was left to spray the lock box and lock plate the same flat black with a satin sealer.

I had to hand paint inside the keyhole since the spray didn’t reach the inside.

Since the lock rail and the lock box are roughly the same height, I am opting to not inset the lock box for fear of making a mess of it. This will be so hard to see on the interior as it is, it’s hardly worth the risk, but I will file the idea away for another time and another door.

I’ll need to build the door frame before I can glue the lock box in place, just in case I need to adjust the placement or use different hardware if this doesn’t look right in the end.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD
August 22, 2019 | 0 comments

Carriage Days and Galloway House

I spent part of my birthday weekend in Wisconsin. When previously touring the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum, we were told about the carriage days event in August, which coincided with my birthday weekend. The event was interesting – the drivers compete for ribbons and come decked out in their finest. It was not easy to capture a good photo of the carriages in motion, and when they were still, they were all grouped together. It was great to see these vintage vehicles in motion, to hear the creak of the wood and leather as they moved over the grass.

The event included a horse-drawn carriage ride around the grounds to the event circle, the historic Wade House Stagecoach Hotel, the blacksmith shop and saw mill. Things were a little disorganized, but it was still a great day to tour and see interesting historical attractions. The hotel tour was a little long, so we skipped around to take photos and left early. It’s definitely worthwhile to visit both the museum and the surrounding property.

After that we headed to Galloway House and Village in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. What a beautiful house!

There were not many people around, so we were able to take our time. I spied this interesting lamp in the parlor.

Just like the Chrysolite lamps I made for the Haunted Heritage bathroom (I left off the reflectors for mine).

There are a lot of surrounding buildings you can tour (self-guided). What was interesting to me were the antique items intended for actual handling by guests, something that is rather rare. Of course, the main attraction for me was their old mail wagon.

It’s in rather rough shape, but it was great to be able to see inside and get close.

The sign on it reads:

This 1921 horse drawn mail buggy was used to deliver mail for 7 years by Mr. Frank Brodzeller.

This was a 38-mile route in rural Lomira, Dodge County, Wisconsin and served 165 families.

In late 1927, after traveling 5,794 miles using 4 different horses, Brodzeller gave way to the automobile and retired his horse and buggy.

After 39 years and 7 months, 400,000 plus miles, 4 horses and 20 automobiles, Brodzeller retired. A safe driving award was given to him along with an excellent service award by a Lomira Citizen group.

Brodzeller then, with a borrowed horse, used this mail buggy once again to deliver his last mail to Lomira Route #1. There were many of his friends waiting for the mail, to bid this final farewell. All relived the early days of 1921.

This buggy was later donated by Brodzeller to the Galloway Carriage House Museum.

There is so much more than these two highlights, and I highly recommend a visit if you like history and antiques even in the slightest.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD
August 21, 2019 | 0 comments

Ivy Hollow – gable bump out finishing

After making a base for the bump out on the gable, I put the building in dry fit to see if the depth was enough.

I added a slab of 1/8″ inch thick plywood over the base.

I popped the gable window in place while adding the siding on the adjacent edge of the gable bump out.

I then added siding to the front. I’ll finish the lower portion once I have the porch ceiling board in place.

As for the gable window, the thickness of the wall with the applied siding left a gap on the interior.

I added strip wood around the inner edge of the window to fill this gap.

I painted all the siding Vintage White by Folk Art (I’ve colorized the roof in the below pic since the white foam core board was rather stark). The windows and doors are Woodland Green by Americana. More on the other windows and doors to come.

Categories: Ivy Hollow RFD
August 16, 2019 | 0 comments