Balls Or Knobs Then!

[BroadAmbition]

This saga has taken me an age, and I mean months and months to get to this point and cost me over £500:00 to date.  As members will no doubt be aware I am a member of the fund raising team for the Forum.  With that lofty title comes responsibility - Well ok I admit it, that's an exaggeration, I'm not really entrusted with responsibility.  What I should have said is - Expectation.  No use being a member of the fund raising team if one is not contributing coming up with ideas and help raising funds for the forum to keep operating.  I am now at last at a point where very shortly I will be fulfilling my role as a forum fund raiser thereby making the cap fit.  However let's not get in front of ourselves with my news.

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To take you back to the beginning.  For an absolute age or as long as we can remember we have desired a solid oak control knob for the morse control onboard 'B.A' thereby doing away with the red (In our case) resin version.  We searched and searched via the web but with no luck.  Even Robin drew a blank which is unheard of but then saved himself by finding them available for purchase from America, but at some cost, $35 if memory is correct, plus threaded fitting kit another $7 plus shipping as the Yanks call it, plus whatever import tax we get knobbled for too.  So stuff that for a game of rag-n-stick dodging we thought.

I got to thinking, surely we can get them made locally.  More local than I ever imagined as it turned out.  There's a wood turning club here in Finningley village, they meet once a month, so I got in touch, they kindly made me 1 x 40mm solid oak ball.  Over to one of the Lads Week crew who also lives local, onto his lathe for drilling, then borrow a 3/8's UNF tap, trial fitting onboard 'B.A' then the usual varnishing process and Voila -        1 x Solid oak morse control knob - At last!  Looks so much better than a coloured resin version and feels better too

Griff

 

 

[Regulo]

So you've got one shiny ball . . what do you want? I've got two red ones, but I'm not boasting about it ! 

[JennyMorgan]

I just love the sticker that tells you that if you push your phallus, sorry, gear shift forward that the boat will then go FWD (forward). 

[Wyndham]

You should have had a word with that Grendel chap.

I hear he's pretty good with wood things.

[JennyMorgan]

Just now, Regulo said:

So you've got one shiny ball . . what do you want? I've got two red ones, but I'm not boasting about it ! 

Leave 'em out in the sun & they might go brown!

[Guest]

Top job very fitting with the environment on a woody , I made one out of a no 8 pool ball for my narrow boat yrs back so about the same size n much better than the tiny red ball thingy that faded in the sun somewhat I don't do pink balls 

[BroadAmbition]

I just love the sticker that tells you that if you push your phallus, sorry, gear shift forward that the boat will then go FWD (forward). 

That's for when we have crew off Rag-n-Sticks onboard, it's a strange concept to them and helps them no end

Griff

[Wyndham]

It's really just recycled off a MK1 Ford Cortina.

[JennyMorgan]

Worry not, Griff, we can cope with complex, such as when we push the tiller to port & the boat goes to starboard, and no little stickers!

[BroadAmbition]

So. I got to thinking there is an opportunity here to produce / market these control knobs for others to have and to assist with forum funds.  So having doffed my cap, gone on bended knee in front of the forum fund raising team, they kindly gave me the go ahead.

First thing was to purchase some oak, easy enough, then back to the woodturning club where a kind retired gent agreed to turn me the oak knobs to 40mm,  for a price of course.  The order was placed.  As it turned out he was able to provide me with 73 of the blasted things, yes Seventy Three of them.  That was a surprise as I didn't realise he could be so economical with the amount of timber I gave him

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

After collecting order of oak Knobs, it was then round to a mate who has a lathe himself for the drilling process.  He trailed using masking tape but that wasn't too good, then he clicked onto a cycle inner tube on the knob then into the jaws of the vice, it worked a treat, so he then proceeded to drill the whole 73 of them and was quite stir crazy by the time he had finished apparently

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

Now it was over to Bro' who gave me three knobs to take down to 'B.A' Knob #1 had the top tap used, knob#2 had the middle tap used, Knob#3 had the bottom tap used.  It was decided that just using the top tap was the way to go as this gives the best fit.  He then supplied me with two dozen that have been tapped

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

In the meantime I had been busy making up a workstand to hold the knobs in place for finishing.  Lump of softwood, dowel, masking tape for a snug fit

Griff

 

[Regulo]

Come on then . . how much? Or in Yorkie . . HOW MUCH!!!!!!!!

[BroadAmbition]

I had purchased some Ravalak and some Brava varnish along with pure turps, brushes, 240g paper, microfibre cloths, tack rags etc etc but just knew the process of applying six coats of varnish in total was going to be a long tedious slow messy process but it had to be done.

Then fortune smiled on me.  My daughters kitchen, her natural hardwood worktops were tired and needed freshening up, I got the job without asking - Dads do you understand.  It was then another mate introduced me to the 'Osmo' range, which I used on said worktops with proper amazing results.  'PING' - Light-bulb moment, I would use the same products on the Oak control knobs.  If Osmo can stand up to the rigours on a kitchen worktop, it can easily withstand being used on a control knob

The wood protector is the first coat and is applied with a brush

Griff

 

[ScrumpyCheddar]

Well Griff I like your Knob ......

[BroadAmbition]

Come on then . . how much? Or in Yorkie . . HOW MUCH!!!!!!!!

Patience my man, I've been months and months getting this lot sorted, you can ang on for another few more minutes!

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

After curing, it's into de-nibbing followed up with the tack-rag

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

Then it's three applications applied with a lint free soft cloth of the top oil, curing in between applications, de-nibbing and tack rag as per the norm

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

Third and final application.

That's the first batch of twelve completed

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

Plenty more to do however

Griff

 

[ExSurveyor]

It's amazing what kitchen tables get used for,  anybody still eat at them

[BroadAmbition]

So the first batch will be coming down with me to the Broads this Thursday.  Other than me, - every item will be sold through the NBN shop as per the norm.  The team will sort this one out with Paypal links, postage costs etc. in due course and publish a price for purchasing by post in the normal manner.

However if you buy direct from me (monies I'll pass on to the NBN account) then you save on postage and the added paypal fee that the forum shop has to pass on to forumites.

So the price for each unit bough direct paying cash is £25.

Once we have sorted oursens out I'm hoping that a forumite that lives local to the rivers can become a 'Stockist' to pass the items direct to those that want to purchase one when they are out on the rivers

As of yet only 12 are complete.  Now I've got production sorted they will come along 12 at a time.  I want to take some down to Beccles and also try and get some ready for the NBN meet later this month too

Every unit sold is helping forum funds so please support this.  - If you have a 'Woody' I would say they are a compulsory purchase.

If you have a plastic fantastic - they are a definite  upgrade!  And please spread the word.  The more we sell the more the Forum benefits.

Griff

[Guest]

Just now, psychicsurveyor said:

It's amazing what kitchen tables get used for,  anybody still eat at them

He is doing they are oak toffee apple's 

[Gracie]

Don't think I'll ever eat at the kitchen table after this Nice knobs Griff

Grace