A craft in the bush rather than a Bush craft

[tombear]

For several years I've been picking up watercolour gear when its turned up in charity shops and carboots, winding myself up to start again after a 30 plus year gap. The fates have been kind and a lot of very rich people around here have been dumping their aborted hobbies and I've been hoovering them up.

One of the things i acquired was a UK made folding easel, made out of metal and so rugged enough to be dragged out into the sticks with me. it was £4.50 or £4.99 so i kind of begrudge the 40 quid they want for a little shelf to go on it to hold all the doings.

Anyroad I mooched around the internet and cribbed some ideas for a DIY one and came up with this.

Just a small cafeteria tray with a slot cut out of it, a couple of reinforcing ply wood blocks glued on underneath with Superalphatic glue and a strip of scrap wood glued and pinned to stop stuff rolling off the back.

I used the good old Permagrits to angle the cut outs in the plywood blocks so the tray sits parallel to the floor although that could be done when the legs are extended by adjusting them.

I then gave it several coats of yacht varnish to make it easy to clean. The slots at the side are to dangle a 3 stacking pot water holder. It all seams strong and stable enough for a bit of painting, when I get around to it.

ATB

Tom

 

[Mesquite]

Clever adaptation there Tom

 

[Alan De Enfield]

Tom

SMLE No 1 Mk3 & a 1907 bayonet
No4 Mk1 & a Mk9 bayonet

Live or neutered ?

 

[Tony]

a nice addition

 

[SCOMAN]

Lovely job would love to be able to pain/draw. SLR in the background?

 

[tombear]

Cheers!

Yup they have all been chopped but old spec

Final military contract BSA No. I Mk III* 1943 I think
1952 Fazackerly No. 4 Mk 2
1966 Lithgow L1A1 SLR NZ contract although a lot of the small internals are Enfield
Hidden behind the board
New spec Mk 4 Bren barrel ( as in for the Mk 3 Bren)
1972 NZ contract Enfield L4A4
1945 Enfield Mk 3 Bren ( all with matching serials except the barrel on the Mk 3 )
1952 UK made M20 Super bazooka

Elsewhere there's a 1956 NZ contract L2A3 Sterling that is so old spec that you can't have any innerts in a mag as it tries to chamber them! the slot machined in the chamber just chews them up.

All the rest got sold before the laws changed but these i wouldn't part with.

As to the painting, I was never that good back in the day but really enjoyed it, ive a 8" plus pile of good quality paper picked up along the way and lots of paint so I can waste a lot relearning. I keep threatening to go on a course to kick start me.

ATB

Tom

 

[Alan De Enfield]

Cheers!

Yup they have all been chopped but old spec

Final military contract BSA No. I Mk III* 1943 I think
1952 Fazackerly No. 4 Mk 2
1966 Lithgow L1A1 SLR NZ contract although a lot of the small internals are Enfield
Hidden behind the board
New spec Mk 4 Bren barrel ( as in for the Mk 3 Bren)
1972 NZ contract Enfield L4A4
1945 Enfield Mk 3 Bren ( all with matching serials except the barrel on the Mk 3 )
1952 UK made M20 Super bazooka

Elsewhere there's a 1956 NZ contract L2A3 Sterling that is so old spec that you can't have any innerts in a mag as it tries to chamber them! the slot machined in the chamber just chews them up.

All the rest got sold before the laws changed but these i wouldn't part with.

As to the painting, I was never that good back in the day but really enjoyed it, ive a 8" plus pile of good quality paper picked up along the way and lots of paint so I can waste a lot relearning. I keep threatening to go on a course to kick start me.

ATB

Tom

Nice to see them displayed, I sometimes wish I could have mine out on the wall but they are all live.

L42A1 Sniper
No4T RAF Sniper
No4 Mk1* (Savage)
No7 Mk1 (BSA) One of only 2000 made for the RAF (the only magazine fed .22RF Lee Enfield)
No5 Mk1 Fazakerley
No1 Mk3* Ishapore.
No4 Mk1* (In 410 shotgun calibre)

I'm particularly proud to own the L42 as it is one of a very few in the country (they were all sold off to the USA after the Falklands)

 

[tombear]

Very nice! Bizarely, although I've handled all sorts of live stuff at the Pattern Room (that was), NFC, Warminster, etc I've never actually fired a gun in my life!

That is a lovely L42! Nice early 37 pat bino case as well ( Once upon a time i could have quoted the LoC that put the buckles on the side to take a brace and the one for the short lived webbing frame that did the same job, now I have to look itup on Karkee Web!

http://www.karkeeweb.com/patterns/1937/1937_pistol_equipment.html

Did they usually come in 37 pat cases still in the 7.62 era? They are a lot more robust than the 58 and 44 pat versions which tended to be a damn tight fit as well. I've a leather case ( not 39 pat, a stand alone piece) for the same model of binos and always wondered why they needed it when there was versions for the various webbing sets.

ATB

Tom

 

[Woody110]

These photos of firearms makes me happy with our uk laws...
I like you use my hands...

 

[Alan De Enfield]

Very nice! Bizarely, although I've handled all sorts of live stuff at the Pattern Room (that was), NFC, Warminster, etc I've never actually fired a gun in my life!

That is a lovely L42! Nice early 37 pat bino case as well ( Once upon a time i could have quoted the LoC that put the buckles on the side to take a brace and the one for the short lived webbing frame that did the same job, now I have to look itup on Karkee Web!

http://www.karkeeweb.com/patterns/1937/1937_pistol_equipment.html

Did they usually come in 37 pat cases still in the 7.62 era? They are a lot more robust than the 58 and 44 pat versions which tended to be a damn tight fit as well. I've a leather case ( not 39 pat, a stand alone piece) for the same model of binos and always wondered why they needed it when there was versions for the various webbing sets.

ATB

Tom

I have a RAF Issue No4T with full CES. The Binos are the same model but came with a leather case marked AM (Air Ministry) and a AM marked watch.