RPetry

Adrian, Sector 111 makes a Katana 2 supercharger for the car that boosts it up to ~ 253 bhp and around 161 ft./lbs. torque. That is scary!

Carlos, We bought a new BMW 128i convertible in September. It is my wife's bucket list car. You can see it in the background of the first picture above. The beemer kind of pushed me to buy my long wanted Lotus. Judy wouldn't let me smoke in the car with the top down! We've gotten a bit car crazy recently, between the two of us we currently own 5 vehicles. Any one interested in a clean 5 speed 2006 Tiburon with 40K miles? Just put it up on Autotrader. Our insurance bill is out of hand. Its kind of fun getting old, you tend to get a bit irresponsible! I'll definitely be in Albany this spring, as well as ACR's get together early in March. If I don't get out to Ca. this off season, see you then.

Jeff, Paul Newman is dead. For awhile. I don't think he looks so good. I still have a few years left! Charlie, Funny you should mention that. Just got back from a fun drive. Stopped by 2 maintenance customers on the way home. Booked both for Spring!

Diamond Jim, Ha! Had to buy one now, in 5 yrs. I won't be able to get in or out of it ... Wasn't the Lark a Studebaker? Someday I hope to track it up at Lime Rock in your neck of the woods. Care to be pit crew, 2nd driver, and local hostel proprietor?

Its a dream come true. A one owner, 20K mile '05 Lotus Elise, never tracked, and very well taken care of. Aside from the raised lettering on the rear clamshell, completely stock. It is a little monster, weighs just 2000 lbs, with a 190 bhp Toyota engine. When the 2nd cam kicks in at ~6200 rpm, it just screams. It is the only car I've ever driven that you don't brake, but accelerate going into turns. Hope to take courses and driving lessons at the track next year. Not to race, but to learn how to really drive and maybe participate in time trials. Photos are just after delivery and the title purchased. This was a Saturday afternoon, and could not register it until the following Monday morning. The temptation to throw on another set of license plates and go driving was almost overwhelming!

Until this year, after 10 yrs. of primarily decks, but a number of teak furniture restorations as well as a few large fence jobs, never considered houses. Too high, can break a hip or neck, kill yourself, yada, yada. Broke my cherry on a sweet redwood home a month ago. Started a true restoration on a 34+ yr. old, never cleaned or stained (in 34 yrs.), cedar shake home this week. Tom of ACR fabricated some pressure wand and stain wand extensions that make ground or low ladder work easy. But a small sq. footage of this job needed rigging. Safety rope, self arresting belay, harness, locking caribiners, D-rings, knot knowledge, etc.. This is actually fun. After 20 minutes or so, knowing that your rigging and equipment is right, the work is not all that difficult and you actually enjoy doing something new. The compensation is by far better than decks. I guess the point is to try something different or take on projects formerly considered "out of your league". I'm 58 yrs. old, and kind of have a new enthusiasm for wood restoration.

Thanks Adrian. This job was special, the shakes on the house were a real mess. Had not been cleaned or stained in 34 years. Actually longer, as this was the length of residence of the current owners. The new deck is PT pine and was constructed this summer. HD non kiln dried lumber, took a moisture reading with the pins sunk all the way and the wood was over 20% in nice weather. It has to acclimate and just dry out. It should be ready by May. The PT stain will be a lot brighter than the shakes. I can get the color somewhat close, but there will be a distinct difference in appearance. 2 different woods with one new and the other 34 years plus!

What a shame. 1 yr. old, nicely built cedar deck. Handyman/painter applied Benjamin Moore's Arborcoat acrylic latex "stain", immediately after construction. Not only did it start to fail in 6 months, the cedar was an ugly orange! A bit difficult to strip, the foul finish comes off in what only can be described as mushy spaghetti. Gets all over you, your help, the house, the landscape. And it is not cheap to remove. DIY'ers, do yourself and your deck a favor. Use an oil based exterior wood stain.

The job stripped out well. The mix was very hot due to the foul acrylic used by a painter, so the cedar did fir up. Spent 6 man-hours lightly sanding. There are still a few areas that will need Duraprep stripper in the spring. We'll clean the remainder and probably stain with Ready Seal light brown, my favorite color for good WRC.

Stopped by this house yesterday to replace a few rotted shakes with some old extras we cleaned and stained last month. The house came out well, took a while for the paraffin oil to set up to final color. Wish I had a "before" pic of the garage doors, they were a mess. After lightly stripping some weathered brown solid oil stain off the door, come to find out its redwood. The owner had no idea. The stain is Ready Seal medium red. We'll be prepping and staining the new PT rear deck in the spring.

Adrian, Thanks, I appreciate it. No, YOU ARE THE MAN. Anyone who can play the guitar as well as you, and fly friggin' helicopters, is someone to be admired. You obviously live life to the limit. Good for you! Go figure. We had too much rain, you guys were digging in the sand for water. I hope Texas has a wet winter. Carlos, It is so good to see you on TGS! Being an agnostic heathen, I guess I got lucky! Life has been an interesting road to travel so far, and it is not over yet. I'm a bit tempted to drive out to California before Christmas, as my newly purchased used car needs dry, no snow roads. The SR1 route along the coast would be memorable, as well as a round at Pebble Beach with you and Jake! Ahhh, dreams. I'll have to have an interesting talk with wife Saint Judy. She can't go, there is no room for a passenger and golf clubs! Life has blessed us. I waited 40 years for this car. My best friend freshman year at CSU had a beat up Lotus Elan that we use to take out at night up the Cache La Poudre. Never forgot those drives. Can't duplicate being 18 when your 58, but I'm trying. Marko, Next year's schedule is shaping up to be a good start to the season. We'll see, the economic climate is actually good for mid $ home maintenance. Keep up the "Water Cooler" quotes, the more the better!

Hey Charlie, Yeah, it gets to the point of diminishing return. We've been starting at 11:00 AM or 12:00 noon for the past few weeks as frost, heavy dew, even snow, and low air temps make wood working difficult. With the "fall back" time change, it is too dark by 6:00 PM. I'm at the age and point in life where the volume of work is just about right. Wish I was 25 or 30, there is huge potential in the business. But I did that twice in other businesses, working like a madman, and building a good net income when I was younger. Now its time to relax and smell the roses. Tony, Funny, but me too. I cannot draw a stick figure. Graduated with a degree in Geology. I hate painting drywall and exterior trim. But there is something very satisfying restoring exterior wood. The "art" part is mostly in stripping off some of the difficult finishes encountered. And I can detail with a natural bristle brush with the best of them!

Ron & Jeff, We don't wash. We are not pressure washers. It's an efficient tool that is helpful, but not a primary piece of equipment in what wood restorers do. On many jobs, a hose and a nozzle is sufficient. We are not pressure washers. But we work as hard as you guys, just in a different way. Exterior wood is very different. It is more an art, not sq. foot per hour. It is primarily residential, not condo's or parking lots. It is a very satisfying way to make a living. If you are geared that way. 4 to 5 months off is not too bad. But we'll be chompin' at the bit come April!

Scott, A strong dose of ACR 760 NaOH wood stripper, 4 oz./gal. of ACR 633 "booster", and 2 oz./gal. of Tergitol NP9. With temps in the low 50's, needed a bit over 30 minutes dwell time. This is the first I have seen BM Arborcoat stain. Both the customer and I do not care for the product!

Rick, That is an awful tragedy. Hits very hard when it is especially a friend and a close neighbor. My condolences to you and her loved ones. Life can be too short.

Unusual wood. A lot denser than typical white or WRC. Urethane or polyurethane finish applied 4 yrs. ago, started failing a few years ago. Old time customer, we service the mahogany in the back of the home. Stain is Ready Seal light brown.

Celeste, Yeah, its real nice wood. Why the manufacturers apply poly/urethane to fine wood stinks. I can understand it from a marketing standpoint, ie. it looks great for a few years. Hey, they have been paid. But the home owner is left with a maintenance nightmare.

John, Enjoy the convention, and give my regards to Jake Clark. Thanks again for the ladder jacks and platform, that equipment really helps. The Hampton area home owners crack me up. Most seem to like that weathered "New England" look, so they let their cedar shakes literally rot. Then replace with new. Its not like most don't have the $ to keep their cedar maintained!

Ken, Tom and crew service wood. Caveat, it is getting a bit late in the season, especially North of the Pocono's.

Vinny, Too much to write, I'll give you a call in a day or so. Pics are in the camera, have to download and see how they came out. Brian, It really wasn't that bad with the right safety equipment. On the other hand, I would not put my help up there! Funny, Jack Kramer called yesterday to have lunch, he was down in my area while I was up in Frenchtown. We'll get together after the season and have a few brews.

Douglas, For a "Forum Leader", you have little to contribute. This is a wood thread, not a fire thread. Never mind, better to let it be.

Douglas, I stand corrected. Apparently, in California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and a few other states in order to be licensed you must have both sales tax and performance bonds.

Doug, State licensed, W/C and liability insured is standard and needed. Who needs bonding when stripping/cleaning and staining exterior wood? Silly ...

Beth, It is now Sunday morning. Time for more fun! Here is a photo of true celebrity woodies, although only one of them can be a wood minx.

They are friends of mine. This strange fellow also likes them.