Episode #683
March 5, 2022
Refurbishment is a type of maintenance.
It is an act of renewal, but also an opportunity for improvement.
The steps taken to refurbish are:
Demolition.
Redesign/remodel.
Make and fit replacement parts.
Finishing.
Clean up.
Refurbishment can be as simple as a coat of paint or as thorough as a Phoenix reborn.
The Greek mythological Phoenix is a bird that periodically bursts into flames, then rises from the ashes as a reborn creature.
This is an act of total demolition. The bird then redesigns itself in the image of its younger self.
Clean up is handled by the wind.
The refurbishment of a Phoenix encompasses all four elements of matter:
Fire, the consumption of the Phoenix.
Earth, ashes.
Water, the blood of the new Phoenix.
Air, which blows the ashes away.
Even a simple coat of paint includes the basic steps of refurbishment:
Demolition. The sanding down of existing paint.
Redesign/remodel. Opportunity to select a new color or scheme.
Make and fit replacement parts. Filling voids and masking edges.
Finishing. Applying the paint.
Clean up. Unmask, sweep and remove overspray.
Annually, i rewire everything behind my computer desk.
Somehow, over the course of a year, the wires behind my desk become so tangled that the cat can easily unplug a cable as it brushes by.
I believe that wire gnomes visit my office at night.
i demolish everything by unplugging and setting all the cables aside.
Redesign occurs in the process of reassembly. i might decide to use wire management conduits or fasteners in hopes of discouraging the gnomes.
Some of the old wires, power strips and rubber bands get replaced.
i finish with the wiring (from scratch) of all the cables. My preferred order of rewiring is power, communication, then data.
Finally, i put away any tools and recycle left over and now unused cables.
Recently my wife found a used park bench in an estate sale which she bought for just a few dollars.
The bench hardware was rusty and the paint on the cracking wooden slats was weathered almost completely off.
This bench had “good bones.”
The cast iron frame and hardware were strong, had good integrity and were classic.
i removed the wooden slats and set them aside.
The slats would be replaced with clear select pine and finished with marine varnish to give it a natural appearance. The hardware would be painted black.
i used the old slats as templates for sizing and detailing the new pine slats. The new slats were milled, drilled, routed and sanded.
The hardware was sanded by hand.
The hardware was sprayed with three coats of black Rust-Oleum paint. The slats were hand painted with three coats of marine varnish, light sanding in between each coat.
The slats were installed and the finished bench was positioned in my front yard with a view of the valley.
Finally, i deposed of the old slats, painting rags, brushes, cans, etc.
i put away my tools.
Refurbishment is a do-over.
It breathes new life into the Phoenix.
