Hi Folks, I've been working on assembling & painting this brand newly build Ledge style gypsy waggon for a client.
It's a long story, and a fascinating job, but basically it is his dream to have it as genuinely nicely fancy & ornate as possible. Many gypsy waggons I've looked at in photos are in my mind very garishly painted & decorated. A few are beautifully-done though.
Tonight I've just finished striping the forecarriage part.
Here are some more photos-before & after of the two axlebeds, and the forecarriage (which the gypsys like to call the 'lock')
This just shows some of the contorting & squeezing needed to get into the tight spaces that some of the lines have to be put.
This is part of the back part which goes over the springs, and under the floor:
(I've also uploaded the pictures to that awful/neat "Book of Faces"...)
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
And the wheels:
And the body so far: (We're not building it as such, just painting & assembling & decorating/lining it.)
Posted by Rick Janzen (Member # 7227) on :
What a beautiful project to have Ian. So nice to see a master at work. Look forward to the finished wagon.
Posted by Miles Cullinane (Member # 980) on :
such clean lines, absolutely beaut!
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Very cool! Thanks for sharing! I look forward to seeing more!
-rampa dan
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
double post -grampa dan
[ November 30, 2011, 11:11 AM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
oops.... triple post
-grampa dan
[ November 30, 2011, 11:12 AM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
Posted by Bob Kaschak (Member # 3146) on :
Fantastic as always.
I so enjoy seeing your work.
Peace, Bob
Posted by Jean Shimp (Member # 198) on :
Can't wait to see the finished product. Looks beautiful so far. Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
I applaud you my friend Posted by Pat Welter (Member # 785) on :
Ian, are we having fun yet???? Absolutely grand and challenging all at the same time...Fantastic.
Posted by Sal Cabrera (Member # 1236) on :
That is a nice project that you are working, lots of hours and detail, hope you are enjoying it. Thanks for sharing!!
Posted by Doug Haffner (Member # 12445) on :
Now that's a fun project! Cannot wait to see more of it come together. Where does one go to find a "gypsy wagon" kit?
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Jeeese! Not only do you have to be a very skilled striper ... but you also have to be a contortionist!
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Thanks! Psyching oneself up to start can be the toughest part!
Doug, a bloke I knew called John Thompson in UK drew up a set of plans in the late 1970s from a very ornate gypsy waggon. They are available for sale-about 7 pages 18" x 2 ft each. This was built/is being built brand new from those drawings.
We're not actually building this ourselves- we're just painting, striping & assembling it all. A bloke up the coast near Dave Drane is building it-he's a ship's carpenter or shipwright by profession, and another bloke in Toowoomba is doing all the carvings. He's a retired architect. The owner has made up timber patterns for getting some ornamental brass parts cast.
[ November 30, 2011, 05:14 PM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
There are over 1300 carvings to attach to the body also, after we've painted that (which is still all in undercoat stage)
The carvings will be probably done in a metallic gold bronze paint.
Inside the body:
The 'cratch' which is like a tailboard at the back (still needs painting here):
and the ladder-this curviness might appeal to Dan! Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
I'd like to know how many miles of stripes there will be pulled when you are done..........AMAZING!!!
Posted by Craig Sjoquist (Member # 4684) on :
Outstanding wow speechless, beautiful work.
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
Stunningly staggering stupendous striping, Stewey......
Posted by Dennis Kiernan (Member # 12202) on :
Looks like it will be a real doozy.
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
A doozy alright, Dennis - I think the body has more chamfers to stripe than the undercarriage has, but at least they're all accessible! (and no, I'm not particularly interested in counting them-like the carvings, I'll just be content when they're finished!) I'll be alternating broadline colours, like I did on the forecarriage.
Posted by bruce ward (Member # 1289) on :
My nerves would be shot but that is very cool!
Posted by Catharine C. Kennedy (Member # 4459) on :
What a delight to see! Absolutely amazing!!!! How many horses will draw it?
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Mainly just one, or at the most, a pair of gypsy cob horses.
Posted by Don Hulsey (Member # 128) on :
Beautiful work Ian.
I would have enjoyed doing the first wheel, but as soon as I finished I would have thought something like,"Damn, now I have to do three more just like it."
Posted by bill riedel (Member # 607) on :
Now we can all see just how fine a craftsman you are. This is a job that will stand out above all the others. It is so good to do a job you really like. Bill
Posted by Dan Beach (Member # 9850) on :
Good grief that is a lot of work! Very cool.
Posted by Joe Cieslowski (Member # 2429) on :
I don't have the right words to describe how beautiful this job is.....I'll just stick with what everyone else has said!!!!
and Thanks for sharing.
Joe,
Makin Chip$ and Havin Fun!
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Outstanding! Very nice, Ian.
Posted by Terry Colley (Member # 1245) on :
Beautiful work, I like the shot of you lining the inside of the lock, Many don't realise just how difficult it is just to get to the line to be painted. I am on a similar job at the moment. looking forward to seeing this finished. Still got some things to send over to you Stewy, will post in the new year Cheers Terry
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
Very cool job! Keep posting pictures!! Thanks
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
Wow, if you weren't already good you sure would be by the end. I can't even begin to imagine the man hours in the whole project! That peacock on the wheels is lovely - did you design it?
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Thanks Folks.
Yes, Kelly, I did design the peacock at the base of the spokes. The client is a keen bird enthusiast, and I usually paint a bit of a scroll down there, so felt it would be most appropriate to combine the two ideas, and come up with an easily paintable stylised peacock-looking scroll! (I did that before the bloke doing the carvings did the peacock in the body sides.) There are about 254 little carved birds to go on the sides of the body panels, when I've finished painting them-ugh that IS tedious-I prefer stripes!
Terry, I think I owe you something too-it'll happen when I come up for air again! (I also owe a couple of others here some panels too-I'm bad at puting things off, sometimes...) I have a few other photos of the strange places or positions you have to plant yourself at, to get to be able to reach all the chamfers, or the sides in one go. Sometimes there is no option but to start from each end, and meet in the middle, though.
It can be really tempting to decide 'No one'll ever see this spot, let's just omit the stripes there', but you can't do that-only others do that!
Don, it could be easy to get daunted by it, but I don't focus on the magnitude of it-that could put you off doing it! You just begin at the beginning, and plod through, with some good music or something. You also don't focus on the end of it & how close or far you are from it-it's just a matter of making this line the same as the previous line, and so on, and make sure you don't accidentally rub your arm past something you did 15 minutes ago. Eventually when you think you've finished, you'll find a spot you missed or a bit of a smudge to fix, but that's life!
Striping those peacocks on the spoke bottoms took almost an hour for the first wheel, 45 mins for the second, and I knocked the 3rd & 4th wheels over in half an hour each- about 2 minutes per peacock, including palleting the brush etc, and also painting a long stripe along the edge of the spoke above the peacock, out toward the felloes. The broad lines on the wheels took about 40 minutes per wheel to do the hubs, inside & outside the felloes, and both sides of the spokes. Fine lines were a bit quicker-except there are more of them-one each side of the broad lines.
The 'lock' which terry calls it, or forecarriage/turntable which I call it, and the axlebeds took-well I don't know. 3 to 4 days. and nights. or something. or maybe five of them.
You learn not to focus on the time it takes, and instead just focus on getting each bit right-the first time! The end will reach you in due course.
I can see slight variations in line thickness that could be improved upon, but the overall effect hasn't been compromised, so I'll pass it-just!
[ December 01, 2011, 06:33 PM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
He does do magnificent work, and he's a nice bloke, too. He's a retired draughtsman (or you might spell it draftsman).
Posted by Cal Trauter (Member # 10938) on :
Wow, fantastic thanks for sharing
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
Absolutely Awesome! Patience is a Virtue for sure, which I'm sure you have plenty of.. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by Duncan Wilkie (Member # 132) on :
It's a treat to see people at the top of their game. Well done fellas, this is going to be truly outstanding!
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Thanks for the compliments. We assembled the parts yesterday. Here are some photos, and a couple more 'contorted' striping photos for Terry!
(P.S. The body paintwork will have to wait till after Christmas)
Posted by Dennis Raap (Member # 3632) on :
Looks great I can't imagine the hours you are going to have in to the project.
Posted by David Fisher (Member # 107) on :
Ian, you are a master of understatement. Any chance of dropping by? I'd love to see this and the kids are still as horse-mad as ever
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Thanks Dave-the owner borrowed all those parts back today, to dry-fit them under the body so far & fit brakes. So, for a fortnight at least, we have a bit of room in the shed! Early next year we'll have it back-I'll let you know, anyhow.
Then I still have to paint the whole body...
Posted by Deri Russell (Member # 119) on :
Holy Camoly!!! Beautiful work Ian! Posted by Mike Faig (Member # 6104) on :
Dang! That's cool.
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
Ian, the project you made for me on the L'ville panel swap is hanging directly in front of my computer - it gives me inspiration every day. You are a master of your craft and I hope the gypsies are just as proud of you as we are.......
Posted by chris depuy (Member # 11823) on :
All I can say is wow.......I do have a question if I may. I have never used a "Broadliner brush like the one you did the wheels with but wanted to try one..... What size is the one you are using???????
Posted by chris depuy (Member # 11823) on :
All I can say is wow.......I do have a question if I may. I have never used a "Broadliner" brush like the one you did the wheels with but wanted to try one..... What size is the one you are using???????
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Thanks for the compliments, Folks-it's a huge job-and I'll be looking forward to seeing the finmished result at the end of it too!
Chris, sorry, but I don't know what size broadliner I used. (Maybe a #2 ?) I have a stack of them, and just took one that looked about right. You can't always read the numbers after a couple of years' use, and I know for a fact that a few of the Mack brushes I used or have, have incorrect numbers on them.
For instance, I have a 000 Mack that makes a far fatter line than an 0 Mack, and couple of Excaliburs also like that. I think I have a #2 that is finer than an 0 as well, so I just look,clean the vaseline out, splay the bristles to see how wide it might go if I needed it to, and start to use it. If I guessed incorrectly, it gets cleaned and I get another one, wider or narrower as the case needs.
Hope that helps.
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
Ian this goes without words, very moving, very emotional; you are a passionate, skilled artist!
What an honor it is to know you. Thanks for putting up with me painting that big ham!! Your talent and discipline just knock me over.
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
(Oops double post-see below)
[ December 09, 2011, 03:47 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Thanks, Deb. (I'm not really that good, according to me )
Chris, I just looked at the brushes, and the Mack broadliner I used on the spokes has 00 on it, but another Mack one with 00 that I have is possibly 1/3 wider, so I guess they might have had a mixup of handles in the binding stages...
Posted by chris depuy (Member # 11823) on :
Again GREAT WORK! Very inspiring!! Thanks for the answer. Just ordered one.....
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Incredible work Ian!! Keep the photos coming - very interested to see the progression!!
Posted by david drane (Member # 507) on :
Ian, you really do blow my socks off with the patience you have to put into your projects. I have seen many of your projects over the east coast of Australia in museums and other places and it is a real honour to know you as a friend and a real artisan. It was great catching up with you over a coffee last week and I look forward to seeing how your projects finish up.
Posted by Henry Barker (Member # 174) on :
Beautiful job Ian! I love all the old living wagons, I bought this old Brayshaw wagon in the early 80's, I couldn't bring it over to Sweden, so its been parked up at friends in Wales for many years, its all been painted since this picture was taken, and is kept warm inside with woodburner. I watched a show on a UK channel last week called Fairground Attractions showing a huge meet in Dorset on 600 acres, largest preservation meet in UK with all sorts of rides, they got talking to a guy called Joby Carter, who runs a family business,and restores old rides and then coincidentally while reading an online artists magazine saw he did signwriting courses too, small world, and great to see people so much into preservation.
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Very interesting, Henry, (does it have a truck or bus engine in the front, or was it a tow-along trailer type?) and thanks, Dave-it was great to see you again after a couple of years!
Here's the latest pic: "Together at last!"
[ December 13, 2011, 04:50 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
Posted by Erik Winkler (Member # 9040) on :
Please I beg you, make some video's when you do the striping thing! I would love to see the sweat, hear the cursing and realize that you also are doing your best. The little painted peacock's are so lovely!
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