Candlestick Seats

I hit up Lowes this morning.  I wanted to get the ratchet head to remove the seats from the base.  The Lowes out by Evolve in San Bruno didn't have a huge selection.  I asked the woman if 3/8 was standard, and she said yes (it's not.  1/4 inch is standard).  I got two bits - the 13 mm and the 9/16, a new hose, and a new hose rack.

Got home, installed the new hose rack, coiled up the new hose.  It looks nice.  I doubt this will pop this time.  Either way, I saved the warranty info this time.

I hosed off the seats, then sanded them a little more then hosed them off again.  I thought about putting some grease in the hinges, but decided to wait until after they were painted.  I left them standing to dry, then went to jiu jitsu. 

I returned the two ratchet bits since they were 3/8's, but the Lowes in SF didn't have any 1/4 in 9/16 in.  Doomed, I know.  Defeated by Lowes.  

They were pretty dry when I got back, so I wiped them down to make sure before painting.  I stood the brackets on a piece of cardboard, then sprayed each one individually.  After one coat (it's hard to see how well it coated with the lack of direct lights in the garage), I left them to dry while I showered and washed my gi and ate.

The paint was not tacky after about an hour, so I laid down another coat.  Some of the yellow primer that was originally on there was still showing.  Two coats pretty much killed the bottle of Rustoleam.  Looks like I'll be going to Home Depot tomorrow morning. 

Candlestick Seats

In lieu of insulation, I decided to do up the Candlestick seats!  I had already bought a wire brush and high gloss black Rustoleum spray paint, so I thought I was set.  I started with wiping down the seats with some diaper wipes (yep, we still have tons of those).  I took the seats apart to separate the plastic from the metal but left the vertical parts bolted on to the bases.  Go figure all the bolts came out relatively easily, but the battery on the drill kept dying.  UGH.  Then, the very last bolt was stripped.  Why is it that it's always the last one that's the most difficult?!  I used a hammer and chisel to break the bolt and set the seat free.  9 PM, loud hammering from the garage - I hope no one nearby is asleep.  I would've removed the bases, too, but the bolts were bigger than any of the ratchet heads I had.  My sets went up to 1/2 inch, so I was guessing they were 9/16 or 13mm.  I'll need to hit up Lowes or Home Depot. 

I'm also pretty thankful I changed the light bulb in the garage to an LED.  It really makes a difference.  I can't find my work light, and the last time I remember using it was when a contractor was working in the crawlspace without light. I ran an extension cord and put the light in there for him.  I hate when I notice shit's missing way too late. 

With the seats pretty much completely in pieces, I used the wire brush to scrap off any loose paint and rust.  I was going to rinse them off then sand them down a little more, but when I turned on the hose... PLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! It looks like hanging a rubber hose on a bike rack hook (existing) was a horrible idea.  There were so many kinks that the hose just exploded all over. I guess the project is on hold for now.