More Banks!

I’ve been lazy over the past few weeks.  I finished two Stuart Woods novels and caught up on some movies.  I particularly enjoyed “The Help”.  My wife got me the new Barnes and Noble Color Nook which I have become infatuated with.   I am about halfway through the Steve Jobs biography on it right now and love this new method of reading.

There are a few banks on Etsy right now.  One already sold about an hour after I listed it.  There will be some more listed by the end of today.  I made a trip to Peach State Lumber yesterday to get more walnut and red oak so I can hit it hard next week and get my inventory back up.  More banks will be showing up over the next few weeks.

Temporarily Out

It’s official. All my Post Office door banks are temporarily sold out. I want to thank all my new and repeat customers for their continued support of handmade in America. The many kind comments I have received about the quality of my work is greatly appreciated.

For those who have sent emails over the past couple of days looking for banks, I have just started on a new batch that should be available after Christmas. After making over 300 banks this year, I decided to take a break for a few weeks after Thanksgiving to recharge my batteries. I had forgotten how good it felt to sit back for days on end and read Stuart Woods novels.

I’ll post an update when more banks are available, so check back here occasionally. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday and a Merry Christmas!

-Dennis-

Shifting Gears

The Foothills Fall Festival was once again a great show with three days of wonderful weather and lots of customers.  A few days after the show, the euphoria wore off and the reality that I had very little product left over set in. I now need to kick it into high gear to get ready for Christmas orders.

I recently got a hold of some interesting Post Office doors.  I’ve seen these style doors a few times over the years, but they are not easily found like the eagles.  I refer to one as a 1911 because it has three patent dates of 1896, 1903, and 1911.  It has a dial pointer, 2 letter combination lock.  The second one is an 1886 dual dial which also uses a two letter combination lock.  This door is a little larger than the standard #1 size door and requires a larger box to hold it.

The 1911 on the left and 1886 on the right.

Laid Back Day!

Every once in a while I get to take a break from making saw dust to work on related tasks that don’t require running a noisy saw and dust collector.  I just crank up my IPod, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy a quiet day.  Today I had to start putting the first of three or more finishing coats on a new group of bank boxes.   I’m anxious to get these finished because I am using Butternut and Quarter sawn oak in a few of the boxes for the first time and they are looking very promising.

Once the boxes had their first coats on, I started the ardent task of cleaning doors for these boxes.  I mixed up a batch of ammonia and Coca-Cola to soak the doors.  After about 30 minutes, I take them out and clean each one with a soft steel brush under running water.  Once dry, they get sprayed with a clear acrylic to keep them from tarnishing again, oil the locks, and tag each one with the combination.

Like Hunting For Easter Eggs

I don’t know why, but 1920 Flying Eagles are getting harder to find.   Finding them for a decent price is even more challenging.  I sold out before Christmas and many of my sources have dried up.  I occasionally see a few on Ebay, but the prices bidders are paying for them is a little insane.  Maybe this is the new norm for the Flying Eagles, but demand and scarcity is driving the price up for these doors.  It’s almost like a Easter egg hunt as I constantly search and haggle with people to get these doors.

I think all the vintage P.O. Box door styles are beautiful.  They are ornate, American made, and represent a significant piece of Americana.  Some are more ornate than others, some have the letters U.S. cast in the door, and some have different size eagles on the front.  The Flying Eagle is the most dramatic in my opinion.  It screams with a large eagle right in your face, and the brass versions look almost like gold when thoroughly cleaned.

I was fortunate to recently acquire a few more and should have some available for sale online by this weekend.  These were apparently in storage for a long time and were very dirty and tarnished.  It use to take me about an hour per door to clean them using Brasso, but I have recently switched to soaking them in a solution of equal parts ammonia and Coca-Cola.  Yep, it sounds weird, but I can soak the doors for about 30 minutes and the tarnish and grime almost falls right off.  I rinse each door off under hot water and do a little light scrubbing with a soft wire brush, and they are done.

This is a couple of the Flying Eagles soaking in a pan.

The one on the left is before, and the one on the right is after soaking and rinsing.