Body Repairs Complete!

FINALLY!  After countless hours repairing, patching, fussing and SANDING, the carriage body is safe and sound at last, under its first coat of sanding primer.

Now I know the vehicle is going to be gorgeous in black, with a yellow gear.  It looks shiny here because the primer is still wet.  There will be at least three more coats of primer, with light sanding in between, then it's back to hours of wet sanding to prepare the surface for paint.  I am glad this carriage is so little!

I couldn't be more pleased with how all evidence of nicks, dings, chipped molding and cracks absolutely evaporated under this first coat of primer.

 Since I first began this job I absolutely DREADED working on the inside surfaces.  SO many corners to pick stuff out of!  I nearly opted to just give it an obligatory coat of primer and paint, but when you view the inside surfaces, every edge and every surface of the wood is FINISHED.  And nearly as much of the inside shows as on the outside.  There were just too many scars in the panels, and the grain of the oak framing was too prominent to do a sloppy job, especially after all this effort!  So everything on the inside that shows, got a treatment with filler.  In this case, since the blemishes and grain are all shallow enough, I used automotive spot putty/glazing compound, as I haven't found a wood filler that I like as well.  But even putting on the putty as thin as I could, I set myself up for hours of work, sanding it all back off!

These are the types of nicks and blemishes that showed up on the inside surfaces of the panels...scars from boots and baggage.  The putty has been sanded off the panel, but has not yet been sanded off the oak sill at the bottom.

Despite the many extra hours of sanding, the effort really paid off.  The heavy grained oak corner pillars already look smooth as glass.  The side panels at the front are just slightly convex on the inside, adding so much to the overall finish, and all the scars have been "healed".  It was so worth the effort!

When next we meet, I will have completed priming and sanding.  Then I will be setting up a clean painting area in the shop for applying the enamel coats, both to the body, AND to the seat that never got quite finished this summer!