2017: Happy New Year!
There's a new painting crew at Haney Village this winter. They are
motivated board members who want to keep the Montebello project on
track.
President Norma
Harisch and Vice President Dwayne Burdeniuk began production painting
late in November after they realized that, if they kept ahead of the
carpenter, Tobias Joehren, he'd get more carpentry done on the
"buildings" that make up the Montebello project. They wanted Toby to
concentrate on cladding the dioramas with individualized sidings and
trims. They decided to aim to keep more than three buildings ahead of
Toby so that he could efficiently plan his work.
Naturally there had to
be production planning before the production painting. Treasurer Gary
Cruikshank turned up the heat in the temporary workshop. He organized
the siding, sorting it into piles for the group to work on. Miss Puff's
millinery was to have cove siding on its front and shiplap on its sides.
McGuire's General Merchant was originally on a corner lot and had cove
siding on all its walls. The Bank of Hamilton had bevel siding, like the
photo. EA Palmer's Family Butcher and the Observer both had cove
siding. The other buildings were to have a mixture of bevel, board and
batten, and an imitation of "insulbrick" siding.
I organized the paint
supplies and laid out the cans of paint in order with each four litre
pail marked with its corresponding building. Then I gave Gary a master
list. There would be no more changes!
Painting day arrived.
The crew showed up early armed with lunches and dressed in suitable
clothing. They planned to stay the day. They were given nine gallons of
primer and the brushes, rollers, and trays to start the job. They knew
the drill. Prime and dry, flip, prime the other side. Then they were to
apply two coats of period-appropriate, glossy paint.
"Oh," I said, "don't forget to sand between coats of paint so that the glossy paint can adhere."
Haney Heritage Village's contracted heritage designer, Cuyler Page, and I
had painstakingly researched the paint. It had to be just like it was
in 1910 -- but without the lead and varsol cleanup.
We learned that paint
products had come a long way in a hundred years. We sought out expert
advice on sheen, colours, and products. The plan was to do such a good
job that it would outlast this board's involvement with the association.
Then, in a decade or more, the next board could apply a layer of paint
and, eventually, the Montebello Museum would have a patina that could
only be acquired through the years.
Thank you Norma, Dwayne, and Gary for your gifts of time.
PS The painting crews have specialized jobs. There are primers, sanders, second coaters, and top coaters. They include:
Nancy Tait, Ian Tait, Patti Kassa, Dwayne Burdeniuk, Doug Adams, Terry Buker, Pat McCloskey,
Bryan Kassa, Liz Burdeniuk, Pat Turner, Garry Landers, Bill Harisch,
Christina Harisch, Devon Tompkins. and, of course, Norma Harisch.
Photographed above at work are Terry Buker, Doug Adams, and Pat McCloskey.