Windmill Garden Ornaments

Windmill Garden Ornaments

These reproduction windmills stood seven feet tall from the base to the apex of the roof. 

Lionel made these two identical windmills this out of plywood tacked onto a timber framework. 

They were originally made as stage props at two venues and one found its way into his parent's lawn as a garden ornament when it was no longer needed and the other to Lionel's back yard.


And no, the (green) vanes on one of them does not rotate any more, as the mechanism that rotated that particular one on stage was not suitable for outdoor use and it was returned after being borrowed for the stage production. 


The other had a 12-volt motor to slowly turn the blades, the mechanism modified and recycled from a Ford truck windscreen wiper-blade motor.

Photo and descriptions courtesy of Lionel Hartley.

Posted with Lionel's permission by The Friends of Lionel Hartley.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Synthesiser and Backing Tracks for Musicians' Jam Sessions

Image
Synthesiser and Backing Tracks for Musicians' Jam Sessions Lionel built this valve-operated synthesiser using parts generously donated by the electronics store "Elequip" in Christchurch in the 1970s. Recycled parts included components from an old telephone exchange, a radio station, a 'plane cockpit and the keyboard from an old piano.  The piano frame, strings and tracking mechanism were all replaced with home-made switches (one for each key) made from strips of brass.  It was made to create the sound track for a stage production in the Christchurch Civic Centre. Because it used 251 radio valves, it required several cooling fans and they made too much noise to enjoy the sound directly and so he wired this to an 8-track Akai tape recorder, recorded the sound and then played it back without the synthesiser. He mastered around forty diverse continuous-loop backing tracks using this home-made synthesiser and licenced them for public performance.  The synthesiser was donat
Read more

Barn Conversion - From Barn to Cottage

Image
  Barn Conversion - From Barn to Cottage   This redwood vertical-slab barn on the street frontage of the Hartley property at Red Range was quite an eye-sore.  By installing two windows at the front and another at the side, re-lining the floor, installing a fireplace with a slow-combustion stove, adding a water-tank and plumbing, installing a kitchen bench, etc., using heritage colours and several coats of paint, Lionel converted this 110-year-old barn into a cozy cottage. The cottage was also converted for a short time as a shop while the Red Range (general) Store was undergoing a heritage restoration and then converted back to a cottage when Lionel had completed the store restoration. The cottage can still been seen on the main road through the village of Red Range. Photos and description courtesy of Lionel. Posted with Lionel's permission by The Friends of Lionel Hartley .
Read more

Jacob's Cubby House (Photos & Construction Video)

Image
 Jacob's Cubby House   Bespoke Custom-made Cubby House designed and built by Lionel for his then-infant grandson Jacob. Solid construction, Decking-timber Verandah, Marine-ply walls, Arched Windows. Metal Roof with ABS Guttering, Chalk-board, Reinforced soft-edge corners. Made to fit on a box-trailer for transportation. Size: 6ft 6in long (200) x 5ft tall (153). Roof 6ft 6in long (200) x 5ft 3in wide (160). Base 6ft 6in long (200) x 3ft 6in wide (105). Construction Video: Photos, video and description courtesy of Lionel Hartley. Published with Lionel's permission by The Friends of Lionel Hartley .
Read more