Another Fakery

[BirdsThaWord]

Hi all! Haven't been on here in a bit. Kinda lost interest due to another hobby. But, last might I was bored and had something I've been wanting to try. I had some cheap grips (1st pic, right side is a "before") that had goofy skulls printed/painted on them. I sanded them down to the bare/blonde wood. I then took an ink pen and drew in the heavy veins. I then rubbed and splattered instant coffee. Once dried, I lightly traced around the coffee with the ink pen. I sealed it all in with spray can eurethane for a Faux spalted maple look. Put them on my Tisas where I had deep etched the slide for a faux damascus look. I like how it came out and thought I'd share.
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[laserfish]

Love the look!

[Bawanna]

Super nice! Are the grips actually wood? They turned out really nice.
Things are slow around here, interest be damned. Get busy and stir the pot will ya?

[berettabone]

They turned out nice. The open areas look like aged bone......................

[dao]

Great job Bird, looks spalted to me. Good to hear from you! Pull up a chair and set a spell.

[BirdsThaWord]

Thanks guys! Good to drop in. Been toiling in the garage. Mostly cleaning and organizing (mounting racks and shelves, throwing years of useless stuff away) to have space to work on the Vette. Accomplished a few things on it, then got fed up with the lack of room to move around and get at it.
Colonel, yes sir, there was some kind of a blonde wood underneath all of the paint. That paint was thick and loaded up the sandpaper real quick. The wood is very hard. Not sure what kind. The grips were ultra cheap to start, so I thought it would be a soft wood under there.
Thanks dao! I’ll try to visit more often and good hearing from you.
Pulled the tank on the Vette. Got a new steering wheel. Opted for black spokes vs the original silver as I think it flows with the dash a bit better. Restored (sanded and painted) the horn button. Bought a new tank, sending unit and gas cap. Been up under the rear sanding away frame scale. Getting together enough spare dough for a rear wiring harness. Polished the rear sidemarker lights. That’s about it so far. Oh, mushed my thumb real good putting together a creeper. Hope all has been well with you guys!
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[BirdsThaWord]

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[dao]

Oh yeah, that hurt for sure. I can relate. I recently bought a new router and table. Was checking the way the router fit into the base and caught the pad of my ring finger between the sharp edges of the base and router. Tore the pad off, about a quarter inch wide and half an inch long. It bled much like your thumb.

I was in construction for many, many years sheetrocking houses and then going into the Carpenters and later the Lathing, Acoustical, and Drywallers Union. I worked on commercial buildings in Seattle for many years. In all that time I never hurt myself to the point of needing stitches. This didn't either but it was a bad as anything I did on the job. My hands have become soft.

Your vette's looking good! Is yours the last year for chrome bumpers front and back? Are you going to leave the vinyl on the roof? I hope you manage to get a lot done before skeeter season and the hot times!

[BirdsThaWord]

Oh yeah, that hurt for sure. I can relate. I recently bought a new router and table. Was checking the way the router fit into the base and caught the pad of my ring finger between the sharp edges of the base and router. Tore the pad off, about a quarter inch wide and half an inch long. It bled much like your thumb.

I was in construction for many, many years sheetrocking houses and then going into the Carpenters and later the Lathing, Acoustical, and Drywallers Union. I worked on commercial buildings in Seattle for many years. In all that time I never hurt myself to the point of needing stitches. This didn't either but it was a bad as anything I did on the job. My hands have become soft.

Your vette's looking good! Is yours the last year for chrome bumpers front and back? Are you going to leave the vinyl on the roof? I hope you manage to get a lot done before skeeter season and the hot times!

Sounds like you got it good with your finger as well. Hope you heal up quick. Sucks as we use ‘em every day. Yeah, the fingers do soften with age. That’s why I enjoy the calluses, etc when I work on guns and cars as they seem to toughen up a bit. I remember when I was heavy into lifting weights and a girl would grab my hands and comment on my “manly” hands. Oh well, I guess we all must age. Thanks for the comments on the Vette. It’s a 1971, so they made front & rear chrome bumpers for one more year. Had a 1972 that was just a quick flip investment, but looking back I reeeeeeeeally wish I still had it. I’ve invested in a fogger, serious chemicals, and found that mixing cheap lotion with tea tree oil, slathering on all exposed parts, works to keep them to a minimum when out there. But, cooler weather is coming. I’m looking forward to getting a lot done on it with the new, organized space and those little suckers (literally) dwindling down some.

[dao]

Hopefully they don't carry you away. Maybe some Citronella oil and hurricane lamps in a couple of places in your shop? Looking forward to seeing your car when you're mostly satisfied with it!