With all our crafty ability, we can sometimes get carried away. Yes, we have the knowledge, tools and ability to rebuild/restore whatever strikes our fancy but we need to be sure it is worth it. An antique chest salvaged from roadside that just needs refinishing and hardware can be a great find. It can also be a nightmare. Have you priced hardware lately? You can rack up a chunk of change in hardware for this prized find and then findout it will be incredibly tedious, many hours worth of refinishing for a chest that may not be worth the price of the hardware. Yes, these things happen.
Another good example is wheelbarrows. No big deal to replace handles right? The replacement handles are not pre-drilled so you need to drill them. Piece of cake...right? They are a bit bigger than the originals also, no big deal. Assembly time comes along, all the holes look great EXCEPT the hardware. Oh darn. Yah, right. OK, you now invest an hour or so saying bad words as you painstakingly make the hardware fit the replacement handles. In the process of this, You note that the actual wheelbarrow body, resin construction, had cast squares for the bolts and a couple of those have broken out. After all, it has been hard used for many years, enough that the handles needed replaced. Yes, a little epoxy over the bolt head will get you by and the wheelbarrow will work as good as new, or almost close. The tire, original, is dry rotted, no idea how long it will continue to hold air. You've now invested in the price of new handles, time and sweat. Only YOU can decide if it was worth it. In some cases, you would be better off to just buy new.
Unfortunately the beauty of being able to do all kinds of restoring/rebuilding is also the downside of that ability. It is easy to get caught up in a project that isn't worth your time and effort. Before you jump on your next goodie, take a step back and ask yourself if it is worth it. If your answer is positive, go for it. If you have some doubts, you might better pass. You can always sell a project to someone who doesn't have your smarts!
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Last update : 22-07-2008 13:41
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