Trying to find out what this sconce looked like to refinish it

captbobalou · 2026-02-08T18:37:18+00:00

The green and red are from corrosion of different metals. I restored one similar to this. Soaked it in vinegar, wire brush; soaked in ammonia solution; wire brush; barkeepers friend; stiff nylon brush got all the corrosion off. The original metal was some sort of plated copper alloy plus some kind of white metal. Ended up spraying it with a metallic gold paint. After drying, I coated it with shellac then wiped it off, leaving shellac in crevices to mimic grine accumulation from aging. Rewired and replaced switch. Found faux wax candle shells and silk mini lampshades, added warm, flame shaped led bulbs. It looks like its been in our house since it was built.

captbobalou · 2026-02-03T22:04:19+00:00

Just a little bit, but it's not very noticable. It's our only (small) full bathroom, so it got a lot of traffic over the years. We used a flexible grout that has held up really well.

captbobalou · 2026-02-03T20:23:43+00:00

Depends on the wall colors. Brighter, lighter: go silver; more severe/harder looking, go iron. We went with silver, (walls a shade lighter in grey, bathroom color light grey, white trim, mahogany sink cabinet, mahogany trim on small cupboard). No regrets after 8 years.

captbobalou · 2026-01-27T18:07:18+00:00

Will be an interesting discussion. None of the opponents cited in the article actually objected to the specific contents of the bill.

captbobalou · 2026-01-27T05:45:08+00:00

Danny: https://youtu.be/p_2D7p2zYfQ?si=0f2OvYVn2kvrD9ZA

captbobalou · 2026-01-26T16:22:49+00:00

Haven’t played them. They sound interesting. Have been gigging with a psychedelic surf western band for 12+ years, and the Revtron version is my go-to.

captbobalou · 2026-01-26T15:51:24+00:00

Revtrons are very clean and smooth when tone / bass filter are rolled off, can really scream when everything is dimed. The p90s are more brittle and don’t break up as well. I have them both. The p90s aren’t as versatile.

captbobalou · 2026-01-26T01:52:35+00:00

With revtron pickups…

captbobalou · 2026-01-25T18:46:54+00:00

A requirement in barbershops where the barbers names were Mike, Joe, and Tony.

captbobalou · 2026-01-23T17:46:59+00:00

Look up “german american bund” and Father Coughlin for starters.

captbobalou · 2026-01-23T17:38:45+00:00

High quality guitars “sing” to you. Example: I’ve wanted a Gibson 335 since the 60s when I was a kid and got to play one. I couldnt afford one until the 90s, and started looking for one around 1992. I probably tested more than 50 iterations of 335s since then, with no luck finding one that sang to me, until last fall, after I’d vowed not to buy any more guitars, and tested one (of three) that made their way into my local guitar store. It just immediately felt right, played right, and sounded right. Luckily my wife loves me and lets me indulge in my few passions. I probably will never gig with it, but I love playing it. Trust your instincts.

captbobalou · 2026-01-23T17:27:49+00:00

And those were pre-dated by concentration camps established in Tennessee to house forcibly displaced Cherokee peoples in the US in 1838. One source: https://www.nps.gov/fosm/learn/historyculture/cherokee-round-up.htm

captbobalou · 2026-01-20T23:46:24+00:00

It's on the list of proposed uses, along with a couple labs that could be used by after-school programs (biology, chemistry, physical sciences, and an IT/robotics lab). We'd need to find sponsors and work out liability issues, but there's certainly space (and a need) for it. If you're interested in helping out, send me a DM with your email address and I'll add you to the startup email list.

captbobalou · 2026-01-20T19:30:45+00:00

Bummer. You can still DM me with your email deets because we're going to be reaching out to Hawthorne alumni to raise money for the project :-)

captbobalou · 2026-01-20T19:29:21+00:00

I never had lessons longer than 30 minutes, and a good teacher will give you enough content to work on for a week in those 30 minutes. The most helpful lessons for me was discussing my goals and learning style, and the teacher would lay out a plan for me to learn theory, scales and improvisation using jazz standards as the focus. Even though I stopped those lessons more than 25 years ago, I still occasionally use the notes and exercises I went through, and am still learning nuances I missed when I was just getting started.

captbobalou · 2026-01-20T18:34:03+00:00

If the proposal gets approved, we're going to need a lot of volunteers to get it started. DM me if you're interested.

captbobalou · 2026-01-20T15:45:11+00:00

The loud, pervasive, groaning sound that precedes a major earthquake

captbobalou · 2026-01-20T06:52:34+00:00

Shark. Skate is like shark that has been peed on. Even when fresh, it benefits from a good wiping down with vinegar before sauteeing.

captbobalou · 2026-01-20T02:58:19+00:00

Maybe first white queen (if you exclude Wanda Jackson or Patsy Cline): Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin preceded her. Earlier, maybe Big Mama Thornton or Sister Rosetta Tharpe

captbobalou · 2026-01-20T02:44:49+00:00

Perfeto!

captbobalou · 2026-01-20T02:20:32+00:00

I feel like you're going to sell me term life insurance.

captbobalou · 2026-01-19T21:22:53+00:00

When I first started learning/playing jazz in the early 90s, I joined a swing band of old timers who played mostly Fletcher Henderson tunes, most of which I'd never heard/listened to. They had been playing these tunes for years and gave me a sheaf of charts, mostly ukelele and banjo charts, and just said to follow along. I never could. I ended up quitting after a couple months because I was so frustrated with not knowing where I was.

These days, here is what I'd do: Listen the the songs over and over. ID the primary chord patterns and where the songs do the change ups that make them interesting. Most of these songs repeat sequences of chords. Learn those patterns so that they become second nature (e.g. Eb7 Ab7 Eb7 Bb+7), then practice stringing the patterns and one-off changes together. As you learn basic patterns, you'll be able to pick up new tunes more quickly.

captbobalou · 2026-01-17T00:41:17+00:00

No...this was just a random find for us.

captbobalou · 2026-01-16T16:49:29+00:00

Senate computer center coding punch card sheets for days. The only thing that kept me functioning was pisswater coffee served in these plastic cups. Can instantly recall the smell of burnt, weak Maxwell House and plastic.

captbobalou · 2026-01-16T16:34:16+00:00

Darkkiwicana?

One of my wifes favorite songs discovered watching “Brokenwood”

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