The Carousel Repairs Continue

August 13, 2010

The oval insets soldered back and the lid replaced. There is still lots of work to be done but the main framework of the carousel is back together.

August 31, 2010

Here's the carousel lit. The main framework is all repaired now. I also got my husband to fix the electrical plug and I replaced all of the pink blinker bulbs. VERY happy to have it mostly back together again.

One of the horses with gems and some glass bangle pieces re-applied. This horse is based on a Charles Carmel design in a military style. The model for this particular horse was carved in 1915 and resides in Playland Park, Rye, NY

Another horse with gems and some glass bangle pieces re-applied. This horse is based on a Charles Carmel design. He worked for almost all of the other carousel horse designers borrowing from their techniques. The model for this particular horse was carved in 1911 and resides in Forest Park, Fort Worth, Texas

September 1, 2010

The shield was originally painted in silver with my initials. I decided to solder wire instead and today removed the paint underneath with acetone. So, here it is all cleaned up. :) The horse represents a P.T.C. lead horse--the most finely carved piece on the carousel which would lead the other horses. The company initials would be displayed on the shield.

Close up of the shield with my initials done in wire. I tinned copper wire and used jeweler's tools to shape it. Then soldered the pieces of wire together. This is the horse at the head of the carousel that leads the others. He is my favorite both in design and color as I love pastels. :)

Here is a better shot of the Carmel military horse. You can see the bangles better in this shot. The bangles are glass and WILL break. They and the gems were attached with E-6000 glue. The breakage was totally my fault though as I wanted to see how strong they were. Always use lotion when putting them on/off. All's well and good though because they made a nice addition here on the horses and I ordered more and even ordered several pounds of broken ones specifically for art projects. :) Bangles from: http://www.shopbeachcombers.com/

Close up of the Carmel military horse with bangle pieces added. I think they are a lovely touch and plan to use them in more of my work. They were glued on with E-6000. I have one laying flat below the saddle blanket and two pieces upright on the horse's chest. I like wearing the bangles too!!

Here's a better shot of the other Carmel horse out in the sun. I love the sparkle that the glass bangle pieces adds! Both the gems and bangle pieces were glued on with E-6000 glue. The wire loop detail was soldered in.

My favorite lead horse. I see one of the gems slipped before it dried, so that needs to be taken off and fixed. Maybe he needs a bangle piece added while I'm at it. :) The model for this horse was carved in 1926 and resides in King's Island, King's Mill, OH.

September 2, 2010

The "dark horse". :) He is made from irridized black glass and you can really see the reflective properties of the glass in this photo. Although I love pastels; I'm VERY fond of this particular horse. He was modeled after one of Muller's carvings. Muller was known for his realistic poses, a pompadour style of forelock, and for postitioning the eyes to look back at the rider. The model was carved in 1917 and is at Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH.

Another shot of the Muller "dark horse".

This horse is modeled after a carving by Marcus Illions and is made prmarily from irridized bronze transluscent glass. This photo captures a little of the rainbow effect produced by the flashing on the irridized surface. Illions was born in Russia but trained in England with John Savage. He also trained with Looff and supplied many of the fantasy horses seen at Coney Island. The real model for this horse was carved in 1914 and resides in Wyandot Lake Park in Powell, OH.

This is an afghan hound that I designed for the carousel. I need to get the correct gauge of wire to twist and attach to it. The horses on the carousel can be moved and changed. So, I'll have the option to use this piece and I want to design a poodle as well--maybe some special seasonal things too.

This is a very petite horse but I am really fond of him too. I am a sucker for pastels. :) This horse is a "prancer" having the rear legs planted on a platform. It was made prior to the "jumping mechanism" which was invented in 1907 by John Savage. He is modeled after a horse by German carver Freidrich Heyn--the earliest carousel manufacturer who opened his factory in 1870. Heyn was known for sweet expressions and elaborate manes. The real model for this horse was carved in 1900 and resides in Windmill Island Park, Holland, MI. It was also offered as a child's rocking horse.

These horses are completed. I now have all of the gems back on the other horses and they are drying. Awaitling my "solder sucker" to get the support tubes unplugged and then the rest of the horses can go back on. I'm going to add some colored mirror tiles on the center mirrored support. Although I sealed the mirror pieces, some of the silver backing looks chipped or aged. I think that the tiles will add a pretty touch. It makes me happy to see the carousel almost back to where it was when I made it in 1994.

This is the fantasy horse that I chose for the carousel. It is a mer-horse or hippocampus (combination of horse and fish). Maybe what mermaids (or hot mermen) ride?? They are very rare and fewer than 5 examples by each carver exist. The model for this one resides in a private collection and was carved between 1900-1905.

The white crud rears it stubborn head again. Since I'm working inside, I used Windex instead of straight ammonia. Always liked the looped design on the hindquarters. This is a Looff horse--described as an "amiable mount--never a threat to children". I'm not fond of the bared teeth ones myself--some of them are downright scary!! This handsome fellow wears a German stylized harness accented with lots of jewels and bling. The real model was carved in 1912 and on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA.

Here's the last three horses of the carousel (Looff, P.T.C., Illions), cleaned and ready to have gems applied.

Setting gems with E-6000 and tweezers on the Illions horse.

Adjusting the eye gem on the Looff horse with a toothpick.
I love my bangles!! They are from Beachcombers Bazaar

I decided to put lots of gems on this horse--now to be known as the "bling" horse. LOL This is a P.T.C. with a whipping mane and a tail that was doweled to the rear leg. The real model was carved in 1915 and on the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA.

September 3, 2010

Even though a protectant was sprayed on the cut mirrored pieces back when the carousel was made, over time some of the silver backing has come off.

I decided to camoflauge this problem by gluing on some small colored mirrored tiles. It will also add some bling.

Some more mirrored tiles glued into place.

September 4, 2010
Restoration Complete!!

SO great to have the carousel restored to its former glory! Maybe it's even a little bit better than before. I like to think so anyway being that my skill level has advanced over the past fifteen years. I also am liking the bangle bits and the addition of the colored mirror tiles to the center support.

I'm sure that there are other little things that I'll want to tweak along the way, but now I can move forward and maybe make some additional horses or animals. The horses can be easily changed now. I did put eye setting wax (like used on dolls) to keep them from rattling and to hold them in the exact position that I want. Going to breathe a big sigh of relief and prop my feet up for a while and relax. :)