Over the weekend we began the conversion of the wine box I found in the trash. I have to thank my mother-in-law for her help and ideas, she is really good at these projects. Her house is completely customized to her wishes.
Anyway, first step with the DIY wine box bike basket, for any of you interested, is reinforcing the structural integrity because the staples in the box are not meant to last. As she drilled the holes for the screws she said that one staple had already given way. We used some quarter-round wood that she had in the barn, cut down to box-height, and screwed the panels of the box into this stronger wood.We haven't decided yet about how to preserve the wood. My husband votes for natural aging, my mother-in-law and other friends vote for oil finish, and I just don't know what I can do. The appeal of a simple polyurethane is that I do it once, it's preserved and done, and I don't have to deal with smelly finishes over and over in my tiny apartment thoughout the heat of summer. The husband's advice is sound in that the box isn't going to degrade immediately and so I can wait and decide over time.
Sadly this box isn't written all in French, or from a winery in my hometown in California, or (like JPTwins' box) from the winery of my father. However the box was free, and it does have a cyclist on it. So I like it.
Stay tuned! The next post will show how we plan to attach it so that I can remove it easily while still filled to overflowing with good things to eat.
7 comments:
The adaptation of the wine box is top shelf.
Looked up elegant in my American Heritage Dictionary:
elegant adj.
1. Characterized by elegance; refined and tasteful: “chic cyclist”
2. Excellent; splendid: an elegant idea. [Old French….etc.]
About says it all!
Best. Compliment. Ever!
It is amusing to think that this is discussion of a box that was pulled from the neighbor's trash.
Elegance - it's all how you use it!
I just found your blog. I'm outside of boston and glad to see styling cyclists out there. I'm just diving into it after buying a new townie. I've been reading blogs set in Europe and Portland and feeling like I needed some inspiration from my North East Sisters who know first hand knowledge of sharing the road with masshole drivers. I'll be reading often, thanks!
Lady V
Oh how nice to see another winebox be given a second life riding a bike. We can be such adaptable creatures. I retrofitted mine to a seatpost rack that normally gets used for overnight bike-camping trips. The rack makes it easy to switch the box from bike to bike. If only I could share photos somehow...
Anyway, the box's best use was carrying tomato plants back from the farm. Its second best use was in New York as a makeshift tabletop (because mine has a fold-down lid) -- my girlfriend and I stood by our chained-up bikes eating mocchi and tea in the night.
Reinforcing was smart. I found out the hard way that these boxes come apart easily at the seams.
That box is gorgeous! What a wonderful way to recycle. Your neighborhood must be a very tasteful one.
I love this idea! Keep blogging about it so we know how it turns out:) How are you planning to fasten it?
Have you considered finishing it with shellac? It's neat stuff, made from the secretions of a certain insect, and it has a kind of archaic charm.
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