So back in 2011 when we got the Boles, the first thing that bugged us was this:
No, the Mira Mar badge was awesome. But the door handle didn't lock, and so the previous owners put this sloppy hasp and a padlock on the door, and it looked terrible. So we went online to see if we could replace the handle, which, upon close inspection, we learned was a Bargman L-66.
Upon opening up the handle, we learned that the "latch cam" (number 16 on the cutaway drawing) was completely missing. So we decided to make a new one. I'm a jeweler and metalsmith, and Fred was able to describe exactly what we needed from the drawing, so I carved what Fred measured, from a hard carving wax.
Then we set it up for a lost wax casting.
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| This is the bronze piece right after casting. It needed the plaster cleaned off, the sprues cut off, then a bit of sanding and filing to make it smooth and fit the section. |
And so it may be that we have the only Bargman L-66 handle in existence with a handmade bronze latch cam that no one will ever see. It works great! And then Fred took the very ugly hasp off, and repaired the aluminum skin with bondo.So the door scene is pretty well set.
But before we went camping for the first time, once the handle was accomplished, we needed a good screen door for mosquito country.
Fred pulled the wood screen door apart, re-glued all the parts, refinished it, then put new screen in it. Beauty.
Here's how it went together:
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| pulled apart to add glue into the pegged joints |
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| More pegs, more holes, more glue... |
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| setting up small hydraulic press as a way to clamp the parts together |
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| Waiting for glue to dry even bores cats... |
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| Hot summer night is a good time to spray the door. What finish did you use Fred? Remind me to put that in here. |
This is how we prepare for a trip. Get the lock working and the screen door refinished. Then, I think we left the next day for our first trip to Montana, the Red Ants Pants Music Festival in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, 2014.
No, the Mira Mar badge was awesome. But the door handle didn't lock, and so the previous owners put this sloppy hasp and a padlock on the door, and it looked terrible. So we went online to see if we could replace the handle, which, upon close inspection, we learned was a Bargman L-66.
Upon opening up the handle, we learned that the "latch cam" (number 16 on the cutaway drawing) was completely missing. So we decided to make a new one. I'm a jeweler and metalsmith, and Fred was able to describe exactly what we needed from the drawing, so I carved what Fred measured, from a hard carving wax.
And so it may be that we have the only Bargman L-66 handle in existence with a handmade bronze latch cam that no one will ever see. It works great! And then Fred took the very ugly hasp off, and repaired the aluminum skin with bondo.So the door scene is pretty well set.
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