JoshPrime Makes Stuff

Hey Reader, Not all projects can be successful. I remember this blog started with a failed attempt to make a pumpkin shaped puppet (that really I think I can do better this time, but thats a blog post for another day). Recently, I have been on a 90s kick. I can remember an employee I had once sharing feedback with me that it was hard to relate in conversations with me because I talked about the 80s so much. I told him he was a child and that I was, in fact, talking about the 90s. Suffice to say, this 90s obsession has been happening for a while now. I really wanted to make some Hi-C Ecto Cooler. If you are not as obsessed with "the eighties" as me: 1. What is wrong with you? and 2. Here is an explanation of Hi-C Ecto cooler . Ecto Cooler was a drink produced by Hi-C in a brand deal promoting the The Real Ghostbusters TV series from 1986. It was actually just a repurposing of their Citrus Cooler flavor, but this time dyed a funky green color like the character of Slimer fr...

Hey reader, It has been a long time since we talked about the drive in movie theater . I finished painting it and got the bed in place, installed the fencing, but that was about it. I finally got some more stuff to put in that room, and that means getting some shelving in the closet. I have been really hesitant to start working on the closets. Not only are the walls not perfectly smooth in there - gasp - but closet organization stuff is kind of absurdly expensive. However, I can't put it off forever. The closets throughout the house have the absolute bare minimum. This one has a shelf and a rod hook so I could hang clothes. I don't really have a need to hang clothes in there, and I have a lot of games and other silly stuff I want to throw in that closet. It is going to need to be like Hermione's growing purse because it is going to be FULL.  I spent easily a month looking at the Container Store, Pinterest, and a million other places for closet organization ideas. All ...

Hey Reader! When I was getting the piano to me, there was an incident in which one of the four casters snapped. I figured this was a good opportunity to update the casters, and replace them with rubber ones that wouldn't ruin my floor. I went out to my local home improvement store with the broken caster in hand and found myself faced with a lot of math questions. Casters are weight tested and you need to make sure that you have casters that can accommodate the weight of the thing you are attaching them to. The casters in sizes similar to the one I already had were rated to about 90 pounds. I was faced with some questions that seem silly now. Question 1: Is that 90 pounds per caster for a total of 360 pounds (90 times 4). I quickly answered that one with, yes - obviously. Question 2: How much does my piano weigh? Average piano weight is 400-500 pounds, and the harp is 150-200. Since my harp is gone, I could expect the piano to be about 200-350 pounds. To be safe, I decided to ...

Ok Reader, I know I said I would talk about the big hole in my piano. It all started because of this fret bar. I don't even know if that is the real name of it - not that it matters since I am ripping it out. It sticks out too far and would interfere with the shelving I am trying to build. I do think it is beautiful in it's own way and I wish I could figure a way to incorporate it, but maybe on my next piano conversion! There are a few youtube videos that show this being glued in place and coming off easily. I      did not have that experience. Turns out, that mine is screwed into the back of the piano and not all the screws are in a position to be removed without completely disassembling other parts of the piano that I am not trying to deal with. I got a tube of fresh bladed for my rotary tool and set out to get the thing out. I started with a Spackle trowel because it was wide, but eventually needed to use screwdrivers to get it loose. It was really in there! Di...

Hey Reader! I am not quite sure how to break up this piano project because I am feeling a little scattered. Anything is going to be more interesting than 11 months of wall smoothing so I guess I can do whatever I want. I want to paint the piano to match the bench, so the first step is to sand it. Honestly, the electric sander made this an incredibly easy job. I am using a paint primer combo and doing 2 coats of the dark color and 2 coats of the light color. With all that new paint, sanding feels like an extra step - but it will make the paint adhere much better. Getting into some of the carvings is a challenge and I sanded by hand in those areas. The electric sander definitely did a better job, but the smooth areas are also the areas that are going to be treated roughest so I guess it is better to have them done right. It took me a few days to get the dark color on right. The picture below isn't quite the best way to protray how this went down. The top, the decorative bit...