Classycanopies

Hi, Welcome to the Diary of the Restoration of the 1880 French Pram

I thought it was time I sorted out this pram in view of the fact that my friend Lesley will be pushing it around the arena at Onslow in about 7 weeks time!

First of all I took some photographs so I would remember what went where!

Then we set about taking off the hood which is not normally a difficult job, just unscrew the nuts at each side of the hood and remove the hood from the body.   But what do you do when there aren’t any slots in the screws to put the screwdriver?    Hmmmm…

 A grinder comes in very handy here, especially for making slots in screws!   This made the job much easier, but not until I had ferreted around under the lining to see if I could locate the other end of the screw!

At last, that was done.  The next job was to take the body off the chassis.   This was a breeze as all the nuts were practically finger-tight and came off with no trouble.  The same with the nuts holding the handle on – well one of them anyway.   The other one decided to turn with the bolt and after unscrewing the nut for what seemed like 25 minutes I decided to have a look inside the lining and find out what was going on.  The grips came in handy again thus enabling me to unscrew the nut from the bolt and remove the handle completely.

I hadn’t intended to renew the upholstery but after doing so much damage trying to find screwheads I decided to remove the whole lot and re-upholster.   The fabric appeared to be calico which had been painted with either black paint or tar.  It was very brittle and could be punctured with the slightest pressure, so it was possibly a wise decision to renew it all. 

The padding inside is woodwool which is used to upholster chairs, so if I decide to use it again it shouldn’t be too difficult to find.   However, I think I may opt for something a little softer.

I have had quite a struggle with this pram since I last posted on this restoration.   The first colour I picked was too light, more of an African Violet colour than the Victorian blue I had in mind.

So I went shopping again and brought back a deeper, more purpley blue which is far more authentic.  Here are the wheels all ready for the tyres  and the chassis,

Then I started on the design for the side panel of the body.  I had already traced the design before starting to paint so I drew over the back of the greaseproof paper with a chalk pencil and transferred the design onto the body panels.   It worked really well, but I didn't realise how much room there was for error, and I was making quite a few of those!!    I was very unhappy with my efforts at this stage and wondered what I had let myself in for.   I was trying to emulate the work done by a Frenchman all those years ago and I just didn't have the talent, anyway he cheated by printing the design onto paper and glueing it onto the side of the pram!

As you can see, all the shapes and colours would need outlining and I am not what one would call proficient in the art of coachlining so I was close to having a panic attack when I just picked up the brush and ................................

started again.........!!

This time, my plans were a little more realistic and possibly less stressful.    I bought some gel pens, a flexible curve and a couple of stencils and set to work using the outline of the original design with a few ideas of my own.  I think it looks fairly authentic and will pass muster when we get to Onslow!    At least Lesley's outfit will match the pram if nothing else!

I have finished the hood too, which is also a relief because I couldn't use the original hooding as a pattern as it just came to pieces when I took it off and there were too many holes in the lining to be able to use it.  Anyway, I had some navy vinyl lining which was just the job and I persevered until I had got a fit I was happy with.  I still have to paint the hoodarms, but they won't take long. 

I was looking through my laces for something which would be in character for the period and found a couple of metres of an old gold Victorian style very heavy Guipure type lace which was absolutely perfect for the job.   See what you think!

The next job should be fairly simple - I just know I'll wish I hadn't said that!!     To assemble all the bits and pieces and see what it looks like.  This is the exciting, but nerve-racking bit.

Well, the upholstery is done, I was a bit wary of using vinyl lining because it punctures quite easily and I thought it would be a problem to stretch and tack into place, but as it turned out it worked quite well.

I used some of the original padding, the woodwool, on the ends to achieve the correct shaping and a sheet of foam to pad out the sides and the side rails.

I found some very nice black woven tape to finish off the trimming and attached it with bronze upholstery pins

I replaced the original mattress pads just because they are intact and belong to the pram, there is also a piece of French newspaper with a report of Kitchener at the front! which I have placed in the footwell.   From the date on one of the letters in the newspaper the pram was around in 1915.

Here it is, ready to attach to the chassis, I need some screws and knobs to secure the hood to the body.  Mental note:  musn't forget to paint the hoodarms!

You might think the lace inside the hood is a bit over the top but in those days pram curtains were used, sometimes with a bobble trim, and the use of actual lace was not uncommon.

Three days to go!!      And she's finished  :-))      My friend Fi suggested I call her Antoinette as she is the fourth French pram owned and restored by one of our pram group.  Fi has Monique and Dominique, Jackie has Jacqueline and so I agreed to call her Antionette!

Norman and I put her together last night and we were really pleased with the result, the only downside being that we couldn't find the handle, the white ceramic pieces and the bar holding them onto the arms.   They had been carefully put away when we dismantled the pram to make sure they weren't damaged and for the life us of we couldn't remember where they were!     As we switched off the bedside light, a light came on in Norman's head and he shot out of bed, difficult for one with a bad back you may think, and went straight to the place where he had put them, so luckily we were able to sleep last night.

This morning, I went shopping  for the little odds and ends we needed to finish the jobs, like half inch washers for the wheels, bolts to hold the body to the chassis and split pins to make sure the wheels don't come off - essential little things which make a big difference!   I also found some brass olives which came in very well for the decorative trim on the handle.

I never did get round to painting the hoodarms, I thought it would look more like a "new" antique if I did that, so I cleaned them as best I could and polished them.   They are the original arms and have weathered many storms, no doubt.

Well here she is, in all her newly acquired livery, all ready for the Show on Sunday and Monday, what do you think of her?

The photos above were taken without a flash to give you a true idea of the colours and the photos with the brighter blue colour were taken with a flash.

Measurements:

Wheels                          -         4 x 19 inches

Height to top of hood   -         52 inches

Height to handle           -         37 inches

Total length                  -         43 inches

Width of body              -         16 inches

Total Width                  -         20.5 inches

I hope you have enjoyed taking this journey with me, it has been quite a challenge but it has given me a great deal of satisfaction to see what can be done with an old delapidated pram which looked as though it would fall to pieces at the slightest movement.

I would love to hear your comments if you have a couple of minutes to sign my Guestbook, and thank you for visiting.