Osborne Restoration

Author: OliverOsborne

  • Late 18th Century Hobgrate

    I met an interested bloke last week who was closing up shop after 100 years of business. I had originally met him to buy some tools but saw this hobgrate while I was there. It came from a nearby cottage that was demolished nearly 80 years ago and he’d had in since. It can now been seen in my shop fully restored.

  • A few new ranges

    It’s been a busy week on the ranges front with two new aquisitions and two that arrived to be restored. The new ranges are the early Guifwife portable range below and a Belle portable and the restorations are the cottage open range below and another Belle portable destined to be returned to the ploughmans living wagon from where it came.

  • Interesting goings on in Minehead

    We were down in Minehad last weekend to catch the end of the steam fayre and watch a Currach being launched. The first few photo’s show the turntable recently installed at the station. It is manually operated by just two men!
    The photo’s below are of the Currach built largely by a team volunteers over the course of five days. It is 28ft long and carries seven men. The ribs are of hazel whilst much of the rest is constructed of spruce that was felled from North hill above the town the week previous. Traditonally the hull would have been formed from animal hide but Keval was used here. There has been a lot of support for the project and a lrge crowd gathered at the harbour to see if she sank or swam!

  • Coalbrookdale hob register grate 1843

    Here we have the grate from a pervious post having just got back from the blasters. The sheer amount of different cast parts on these early greats is amazing, often there are wrought bars and lugs and various rivets and square nuts holding it all together. I sometimes think it’s a shame that once the grate is installed you don’t get to see all the gubbins!

  • Belle portable range in parts

    I just dismantled another Belle portable range ready for restoration and thought some people may be interested to see its various parts. This photo shows everthying minus the oven, trays, oven runners, a couple of hotplates and the hotplate tool. Now to remember how it all goes back together again…

  • Newly aquired

    Here’s a few bits and bobs being loaded up to take the blasters this afternoon. The register grate is cast by the Coalbrookdale company and is dated 27th May 1843. That is just one year after manufactured products had begun to be recorded by a standardised marking. It’s a lovely grate with deep releif castings.

    The other item is a boiler by “Ideal Domestic”. In its former life it single handedly heated a three story Victorian furniture shop in mid Wales. Both these items will be restored and up for sale in the next few months.

  • Lime kiln in Somerset

    I came across this lime kiln sometime ago but was in the area again today so decided to pop by for another visit. There was originally a bank of three but the two on the flanks of the one pictured have collapsed. This one however is in great condition and looks like it could be fired again with some work. What a great project that would be! Hopefully the land owner will one day acknowledge the value of it sure it up before it goes the way of its brothers.

  • Iron and Copper candle sconce

    Here is an Iron and Copper candle sconce I recently made for a customer. It’s based on a design used on a 18th century German candle stick I saw at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. The scroll forms a leaf spring that holds the candle within the ring facillitating the use of any size candle. The back plate is of polished copper. All rivets are of brass. Apologies for the poor photo!

  • More signwriting at Underfall yard

    Rach has been down at Underfall yard again of late finishing the pilot gigs. The most recent gig to be finished is ‘Young Bristol’ named after its sponsers a youth charity based in Bristol, see here for more details on the organisation;

    http://www.youngbristol.com/

    The photo’s here show the level of craftmanship required for the construction of these gigs. To see them up close is something really special and they were built in Bristol by the guys at Underfall yard.

  • Carron Co Hobgrate

    Here is the Carron Co hobgrate for the Shropshire property mid way through restoration. The grate is destined to be coupled with a black marble roundel surround and has two curved ribbed cast iron panels that sit on the hobs. It’s a rare find and will look great once installed with a fire blazing. More on this in the next few weeks.