First enlightenment, then its Laundry Day

So, when I came home from the first weekend of working at the shop I had a box of old rags and stuff. When I washed them bits of metal shavings came off them and it made me wonder if these were from the last time he used his lathe.. and there was an apron that I washed too, I remember him wearing it. They hung on the line and the faded red rags were waving in the warm Texas breeze. They still smell like the shop. I will take them back for more cleaning.

In the meantime one of my brothers, Louis, is moving some stuff around and setting up some shop space in part of the shop. Sounds good to me! We talked about putting up a plastic wall to keep the sawdust out of the fabric... well eventually!

I am planning out how this will work in my head. The space is taking shape in my imagination. there are things I will need to set up, a shipping area, where do the sewing machines go?  I will need a spray booth out back for the spray adhesive. And the big crazy top hat Im thinking about building out front... wood and concrete a big hat box with a hat on top... that will stop some traffic! Hmmmm maybe I'd better rethink that, nah! What color will the walls be eventually? Maybe I keep the deer antlers to use as hat racks? (I think so) and the old sign will get re painted. In keeping with the Germanic feel of the region, do I use a German form of Lucky Day Hats?
 Glücklichen Tag Hutladen?
Glücklichen Tag Hüte!
Glücklichen Tag Hut Maker...
Der Glücklichen Tag Hutmeister!  If may dad was Der Gunmeister I suppose I can be Der Hutmeister! 


I gotta say Im getting pretty excited about this!

Staking my claim

My Father passed away last november. He was a gunsmith in Harper Texas, he WAS Der Gunmeister. He was kinda famous for what he did, and he was very good at it. My mother lives alone and tho 2 of my 3 brothers live close by, My husband and I have decided within the next 2 years to go live with her and that I would set up shop in my Father's old gunshop.

So with the urging of friends I have embarked on a journey and I am going to document it on this blog, I am re-creating, re-inventing, re-envisioning by fathers dream.

I however am not a gunsmith. I am a hatmaker. I have been doing cut and sew prouct development for 15+ years and 3 years ago when the economy collapsed I began a business that turned into 2 businesses, a pet accessories website, www.BadDogHats.com and a people accessories website www.LuckyDayHats.com.  Both are doing well considering I started from nothing, and growing by double each year so far. So now I will be not only be having my websites, I will also have a retail store. But before that can happen, there is a lot of work to do.

It is as if he decided to stop working sometime in the mid-90s. 1996. and left and closed the shop and just didnt go back. They sold off the guns and most of the equipment and what is left is a big disaster with a lot of potential... This is what I found when I started cleaning:

This is the front if the shop...


This is inside the front door, the retail space

Lots of stuff to clean up and figure out what to do with...

A storage room

 the first work bench. I started here. It was more than a little overwhelming.

 This is the second work bench. Wow. there were magazines and letters around as if he just got up and left and never went back.

 What are these? wooden dowes carved for a special purpose...

this slagpile is where the bluing tanks were...like I said its going to be a big job.
This looked like a cartoon speech bubble to me.


 Mud dauber had built a fine nest a long time ago.

 these random wires were hooked carefully over the top edge of one of the work benches...


the back room, lots of tools left, most of them will be divided up between me and my brothers.

 
and boxes of metal lathe turnings... wht Am I going to do with all that? who knows. But as you can see, there is lots of potential!

As I work on it I plan to continue to blog and post photos of the progress, Ive got big plans for this place and I hope my Dad will be proud, and approve of what I have done with it!