Most of the houses and caves of humans are filled with the same old flat furniture packages from some boring old furniture stores. The art on the wall comes from a high-budget road chain or is quickly thrown along with some paint scratches that have been inspired by the latest fashions on DIY TV shows. It doesn't have to be that way ... for a little extra effort and a reasonable investment, you can have some unique and attractive polished mirror art and aviation-themed furniture around your home. It will be very shiny, will have a real history and it will make you jealous of your friends.
Before dreaming of a dining table made from the wings of an amazing WW2 era fighter jet or mirror propeller that hung on your wall, you need the right tools. Without the right tool you will fall at the first hurdle. I learned this from bitter experience after thinking I could reach the mirror surface in one section, with a simple polishing set installed on venetian vanity mirror the drill! Unless the item is small, it won't happen. There are various tools available regardless of your budget. The more you spend, the longer they will survive (meaning you can make future works) and they will also make light work easy.
Basically, two or three different tools are needed. The first and most important tool you need is an orbital sander with various levels of sandpaper, ranging from 200 or 400 grits to 1000 or even 2000 grits. You can buy a good sander for around £ 45, which is ideal for most small to medium-sized projects. But if you spend more than £ 250, you will have a strong and strong horse that is very suitable for large or many projects.
Some orbital sanders, through the use of attachments also function as a buffer for the compound / polishing stage. This is a good way to save your money, but it might be a good idea to have separate tools for this (again prices range from around £ 50 - £ 300 +) to minimize wear and tear. You will need three buffing heads and various polishing compounds depending on the part you are working on. For example, you will need different compounds for aluminum like you do titanium or steel. I personally recommend the Nuvite Nu-Shine range, because it saves you having to muck around with compound blocks that can be very messy.
Finally you will need a good polishing tool. I highly recommend the Cyclo 'Orbital' 6CE, which even though it costs around £ 350 will not leave scratch marks! This achieves this through two unique polishing heads that mimic the circular motion of your hand. This will save hours without stopping to try to reach the final mirror free result in a row. Finally, the other tools you need are a screwdriver, spanner, saw, etc., and a mini-powered polishing device for nooks and crannies.
Now that you have the right tool, you need to decide what furniture or art you want to make, set a budget and stick to it! Also plan your project thoroughly. For example if you want to make an airplane wing table, how will it stand alone? Will the power point be installed? Do you have a drawer? Will you match the lighting? Examine all methods for making the parts you need, such as the table legs, the best way to install them, etc. Preparation is the key.
When it comes to buying aircraft parts, eBay is your friend. There are thousands of aircraft parts ranging from fully functional jet engines to simple cockpit calls. Many have a wealth of history and stories to tell or there are 'new old parts' that have never been used. When it came to history, for example the WW2 Spitfire wing fell, I generally would not recommend buying it, removing all paint, polishing it and turning it into furniture. It will destroy real history and it must be left as is and hung on your wall. Instead look for venetian wall mirror common objects, such as the Tornado RAF panels that are sufficiently available and cannot be traced to certain aircraft. This makes fantastic wall hangings and is generally available for around £ 150. My latest project is based on the Tornado panel and is a good subject for this article.
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