I Lost It!......

I wasn't going to confess, but now everything is OK so I can. Remember the trip to the mini shop this week? On the way home I was so excited about the Reutter sink that I opened it in the car. It was wrapped tightly in tissue. I pulled it off of the sink and as I did the faucet part went flying! I thought it went under my seat, so I thought"I will just fish for it when I get home". Well, fish I did. I got in positions that I didn't know I could get into trying to find that little 1" piece of metal. Could I find it? Nope. I did find a hole in the bottom of the carpeting that led to who knows where. I went out and searched 3 different times. Nothing. I was not a happy camper.

I came in the house and thought about it for a while. I figured that the chance for replacement faucets were slim to none. Then I had a brain flash. I reasoned that some of the little spindles that I have in my stash, when cut apart and glued back together, would look similar(not as good, but similar).

I went in the dreaded workroom and it was my good fortune to go straight to the spindle drawer. It was actually where it belonged! I took that as a good sign.

I went back out and started figuring out which pieces would fit where. First I put a couple of tiny bronze grommets in the holes where the pipes were in the back of the sink. After the E-6000 dried I took a couple of pieces and fit them into the holes where the grommets were.

Here you see the pieces drying. I did it one step at a time, letting each glued part dry before assembling the next. It still needed a bit of sanding before I painted it. This part would be glued at either end to the pieces sticking out from the sink.

Yesterday morning Walter took my car to get it washed. Before he did I had one last search. Nope. When he got back, he said that the people at the car wash found something in the car, but they didn't know what it was. Bless the car wash people for not throwing it away! I knew immediately what it was. You guessed it. The original faucet!

I went back in the house and tore out the fake one, very carefully. They aren't exactly alike, but the one I made was passable. I instantly knew what I was going to do with it.

When I got out the old Chrysnbon tub to make the box around it I couldn't find the faucets for it.

Sure enough, the ones that I made will work on the edge of the tub. All I did was detach them from the pipes. With a little paint, some bronzing powder and a bit of wire or finding trim I am going to have a fancy faucet for the tub. Can you say "Happy Ending"?

It's not quite the end though. I may as well show you the start of the water tanks for the kitchen and bath while I'm here.

I took out some copper sheeting that I have had for years and didn't know what to do with it. It is now well on it's way to being the tanks. I have no idea what gage it is, so don't ask.

I simply cut the strips to the size that I wanted the tanks and made a bend in either end. One is under and the other is over. That way they hook together and then can be mashed down(technical term) to lock. Then I will cut the ends to match and go from there.

This is as far as I have progressed so far.

I will probably have to cut wooden shapes to fit in the ends for them to hold their shapes. The one in the bath will be more oval to fit the space at the end of the tub. I am thinking some kind of fancy legs should go under this one.

The one in the kitchen will be round. It will sit somewhere in the vicinity of the sink.

One step at a time. I am just glad that the faucet trauma is finished!

See you tomorrow.