The Windsor Chronicles Blog

            The November 3 Writing arm chair class is in session this week.  As occasionally happens, this class is real heavy on members of the Royal Orders.  In fact, it is the first class we have had in a long time when we did not have a Raising. That means that everyone in the class has been here previously, and has already been Raised to Master Chairmaker.  It’s too bad, as those are fun ceremonies.

            Still the week will have some great moments. Dick Cowan and his son Rich became the 144^th and 145^th Knights of Windsor.  Sirs Dick and Rich are only the third father and son in the Orders.  They are second father and son to be knighted together.

            There were nine knights and a duke in their honor cordon. That means the Assembled Multitude was made up the remaining six students and Sir Lyndon Gallagher’s wife Patsy. With all the knights gathered by the band saw in their royal regalia, the rest of the shop floor was pretty sparse.  This caused one wag to observe that ever since Obama was elected its gotten harder to find peasants.

            After his father’s Long Kiss, Sir Rich puckered up to plant his lips on the enormous red bauble I wear on my left hand. Sir Jim Tenpenny decided the ring should be washed. In the middle of Sir Rich’s Long Kiss Sir Jim poured water on the ring. When he returned, a dismayed Sir Rick saw he had a bottle of Hot Stuff in his hand.

* * * *

            I like when guys bring me gifts. Dick gave me an autographed copy of his book Wildfowler Decoys.  Dick is currently working on a second book about Long Island cork decoys.  He has also been writing a lot for Decoy Magazine. 

* * * *

            While this is not a gift, it sure is interesting.  Sir Dan Santos brought with him an original Nantucket fan back he purchased at auction. Sir Dan was commissioned by Winterthur to make an exact copy of a Charles Chase Nantucket fan back in their collection. Sir Dan went down Delaware to photograph and measure the original.  He also brought his first prototype for us to see

.* * * *            

 I received the following email from Roger Brooks. He was commenting on the post about Sir Ron Tatman going to Iraq.      “What a kick it was to read on your Blog that there is a wood shop now at Camp Liberty, Iraq. Nothing like that when I was over there (as a contractor). Reading the blog reminded me of my feeble woodworking attempts at Camp

            “We nailed the box to a tree next to our row of tents. We distributed the power to AC units we bought from local Iraqi friends to cool our tents.  It’s no fun trying to sleep in 90+ degree heat all night long. The only cooling you can get is by rolling over every fifteen minutes to let evaporation cool the sweat laden side of your body - a discomfort we learned to live with during our first two months in Iraq.

            “As far as tools for woodworking, all we had was a circular saw, handsaw, and a drill. We scrounged or bartered several sheets of plywood and some screen material. These ended up as functional (if not craftsman quality), winter and summer doors for our tents.

            “Winter does bring rain showers, nasty mud, and a few cold nights to ‘ol Baghdad. At least one night it got down to the freezing mark. The solid doors were cut out of the middles of single sheets of plywood. The middles then reattached with hinges (also scrounged) to the frames left by the cutout. This eliminated zipping and unzipping flaps all the time, and did a good job keeping the varmints out (our tents had no integral floors of their own). We made the tent floors out of big aluminum pallets normally used to load equipment onto transport aircraft like the C-130. We do owe the U.S. Air force a debt of gratitude for allowing us to, um, borrow them. They made excellent flat, stable flooring for our digs.” 

* * * *            

Sir Mike Lynch recently emailed me.  Although he didn’t say so, I now know why he didn’t make it to a class last year.

“Hi Mike,

            “I used the web site to reserve a spot in next year’s November settee class. As I told you a while ago, my wife Juliana and I were expecting a new baby. Well, Evan Michael was born last March 19th. So, we have Mark age 6, Sarah age 3, and Evan. Things around here are pretty exciting.

            “Unfortunately, now I have to live to be 100 years old to see the kids through college. I draw inspiration from people like Sam Maloof, who is still making chairs at 89. Jules and my doctor are making sure I take better care of myself in the second half of life.”

* * * *

Commenting on our October 15 eNewsletter Sir Joel Jackson sent me this report.

            “How ironic that you would send a picture of the “cats in a chair.”  I just recently delivered a special order chair to a woman in Midland, Texas. She wanted the seat to be 4 inches deeper than a standard chair. I moved the front legs of a sack back up 2 inches to allow for some of the added cantilever. The reason for the added depth…she wanted her cat to be able to sit behind her while she worked at her computer.

            “I promised to report on the show I did in Houston. It was a tremendous success! I have never seen more people at a show. A constant stream of customers walked by and into my booth. I add Arts and Crafts pieces to my Windsors. I had made a Greene and Greene hall bench in cherry, as well as a couple of Stickley and Limbert tables.  I ended up selling my large tavern table, and hunt board with hutch, two of the G&G benches and a Stickley table. Orders are coming for several more pieces.    

Oddly, I didn’t sell any chairs, but I did get some future potential orders for those, as well. Overall, it was the second most successful show I have done in the 5 years I have been making furniture. Prior to the show the organizers had suggested this might happen.  They said  Houston was ready to get out and enjoy a day of art. We did have a pretty tough month (Hurricane Ike and the credit crunch).

            “The weather was perfect, so out the buyers came. I ran out of business cards mid-afternoon on Sunday (the second day). I had printed an extra 150 (making 500, total). Needless to say we were stunned. My wife was especially pleased since we did not have to load the large table, hunt board/hutch and bench back into the trailer. It just shows that there is still money out there, you just have to be in front of them at the right time.”

            Sir Joel added the following to his report.  Perhaps some readers will be generous and help out with a disabled vet. I have already sent Joel some tools.

            “I have been a member of the Old Tools list for a long time. Over the past few months I have gotten to know a young man who served in Iraq and was seriously injured. His name is Nathaniel Meadows. He was introduced to the List by the owner of Adria saws, who also checked out his legitimacy.

            “Nathaniel was a medic and actually did some of his training here in San Antonio. After his injuries, and his return to the States, he suffered from severe depression. At one point he was suicidal. He remembered many pleasant times in his youth when his grandfather would include him in his woodworking projects. Those memories helped pull him out of his depression.

            “However, Nathaniel has few tools. In talking with him, he cherishes the used tools, and imagines the hands that have used them in the past. The list and I got together and sent him a good number of tools. Because he sounds like a great young man I have continued my communications with him. I prodded him into sending me a “wish list” of tools he doesn’t have, yet. As you can now guess, the list included chairmaking tools.

            “Nathaniel would greatly appreciate any tools any of your reader might want to send him. This kid is SO patriotic and humble.  He doesn’t understand that we owe him so much. He thinks it’s the other way around.”

            If you want to send Nathaniel tools, contact me and I will give you Joel’s address.

* * * *

            Pat Hamilton sent me some sample wooden medallions he had made.  These  may interest you.  Pat recently acquired a laser engraving and a laser cutting machines. He used them to engrave and cut out the medallions.  On mine, he engraved a Windsor chair with my name.  He also made one for Fred Chellis.

            Pat’s idea is to offer woodworkers customized inserts for their furniture. The idea is to replace branding your work.  Instead, you drill a shallow insert with a 2 ½ inch forstner bit and glue in the medallion.  I think it would look nice.

            I suggested to Pat that by adjusting the diameters he could offer customized drink coasters and poker chips. If you want to contact Pat use his web site www.themakersmark.com

* * * *

To receive my eNewsletter of periodic updates, tips, tool reviews, and new sources, that are outside the scope of this blog, join our mailing list by emailing me at mike@thewindsorinstitute.com Help us spread the word about this blog. Tell others.

            My life is undergoing a major change. In fact, it may never again be the same.  To see the change happening, all I have to do is look out the window. I see a large excavator and lots of logging equipment.

            Sue and I are putting on an addition that will double the size of our house.  We need the space, as our family is growing. Many of you who have studied here have met our friend Jim. If not, you have heard me speak about him. Jim has MS and lives in an assisted living facility. He is confined to a wheel chair and has limited use of his arms. 

            We have decided Jim will have a much higher quality of life living with us.  Jim is very intelligent and alert. It’s his body that gave out, not his mind.  However, most of the people in the facility with him have dementia. As a result, he does not have too many stimulating conversations. Living with us, he will be part of our very active lives.  Jim has known our son Michael since he was born and has always been Uncle Jim. They are fast friends. This means Jim will also share in the very active life of a sixteen year-old boy.

            The work started a week ago Monday. The loggers began removing the forest that surrounds our house. The goal is to let in more light, especially in the winter. We are opening the yard on the left a couple of hundred feet to a stone wall.  We are opening it the same distance on the right to reveal the stream. We are also removing woods behind the house so we can see the marsh.  The result is that we will be living in a meadow, rather than in the forest.

            The excavator worked on the hole for the foundation for less than an hour before he dug up an old stump. The next scoop brought up another. He had found the stump dump dug by the excavator who had stumped the site when we were building the house. The stump dump was a long, deep trench. As luck would have it, the trench ran in the exact path of the new driveway.  

            The ground above the stump dump was soft and could not be successfully paved. The excavator had to dig up the whole dump.  Then, he trucked in ledge from a blasting site to fill the trench.  This had to be compacted with a roller to give us a solid bed for the drive. Meanwhile, a huge truck came in and took out load after load of smelly stumps that had been under our lawn for 11 years. So, the first day started out with a nasty surprise and an unexpected cost overrun.

            For two weeks, our beautiful ginger bread cottage in the woods looked like it was in a war zone. We would have made a perfect set for a Hollywood director filming a war movie. I described it to Fred and Don as looking like newsreel footage of Seabees carving a landing strip out of the jungle. On Wednesday Susanna looked out the front door and had a meltdown. She recovered and has accepted that we will be living in a mess until next spring.

            Meanwhile, I have a very large pile of 100 year old white pine saw logs in my yard.  I like to walk around them and count the chair seats.  I’ll never get to use the wood.  The logger clears for free in exchange for the timber. If any of it ever comes back here it will first go to Quebec and then be trucked back to my lumber dealer. If that happens, I won’t recognize it.

            Planning the addition, meeting with builders and bankers has taken lot of my time lately. The builder has now taken over, but I know I am not off the hook. Susanna will make all the decisions, but she always wants me there to translate. She doesn’t understand builder talk, and builders don’t understand her.

* * * *

            This morning was just another boring day at The Windsor Institute. Before you read on, I have to warn you that this entry is X rated, or at least a strong R. I pulled into the parking lot at 8:30 and found myself looking at a horse nibbling on a bush on the side the main building. Second glance, I realized it was a moose. It was not at all bothered by me sitting in the car staring at it.  Angus, our white boxer sat in the passenger seat and quietly watched along with me.

            Meanwhile, the class had seen the visitor and several of the guys came out to take pictures. I called Susanna to tell her what was looking me in the eye.

            After about 15 minutes, the moose casually walked straight at my car. He passed right beside my door. Then, he stopped.  He was not paying attention to me.  Instead, he  seemed interested in Lord Mike Speck’s bright red pick up truck. The moose rubbed its chin on the tonneau cover. I wondered if was lapping the dew that had collected.

            Nope. The moose began to rub up against the tail gate.  He lifted one leg like he was trying to get into the truck.  That didn’t work. So he walked along side the truck, rubbing up against it.  The hood seemed more to his liking.  He got up on two legs and tried to do to the truck what moose do to make baby moose. The part of his anatomy used in that act was very evident. The moose had fallen in love with Lord Mike’s truck.

            If you would like to read the story in our local newspaper go to http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20081008-NEWS-81008014.  The picture is graphic.  Do not show it to children under 18.

            * * * *

            I received an email from Jill Tatman, wife of Lord Ron Tatman. Lots of people who have studied here know Lord Ron and will want to learn the news. “Dear Mike, Susanna, and the Windsor Institute:  Just wanted to keep you informed Ron deployed out on Saturday. He is in Fort Bliss for the next 40 days, and then on to

            He has found out that there is a wood shop at Camp Liberty where he will be stationed. He is hoping that he could find some of the native woods there. Who knows? He may come home with a chair made of olive wood. Please keep him in your prayers and send him an e-mail from time to time. You can use this same address. He will be keeping up with The Institute on the web.

            He went very high tech. We got him a new lap top, Blackberry, Ipod, and a digital camera. Kaila set it up for him and wrote him two pages of instructions. Let’s see if he can follow them. He hasn’t  yet mastered the Blackberry.

            The girls and I may come up to New Hampshire this coming summer so Kaila can go surfing.  It’s not like we don’t have an ocean, but she says it’s better in

Will keep in touch.  Jill”

* * * *

            The Immortal Sir Ken Hall emailed me.  “The news in the blog about Ralph and Caron Quick and their adventures in the movie making business was very interesting.  I performed a Google search this evening and found:

http://www.bigmoviezone.com/filmsearch/movies/index.html?uniq=361

            “It contains info on the movie.”  His Grace Ralph and his wife Caron had cameos in a new movie “We the People.”

            * * * *

To receive my eNewsletter of periodic updates, tips, tool reviews, and new sources, that are outside the scope of this blog, join our mailing list by emailing me at mike@thewindsorinstitute.com Help us spread the word about this blog. Tell others.

            The September 22 c-arm class is in session this week.  I have written before that I think this is the greatest of the Windsor styles.  For me, it is a shibboleth.  When sizing up another chairmaker, I look at his c-arm. If he doesn’t get this chair right, I dismiss his work.  It’s not a chair you can get right on your own.  You have to be taught the chair. That of course assumes that your teacher gets it right.  The other option is to do what I did.  I learned from an antique chair I bought the first year I was making chairs. That was 1971. Anyone who has studied here knows the chair.  It is in a place of honor in the showroom.

            The problem with learning this way is you have to discover most of the fine points. They don’t stand up and announce themselves.  In fact, if they did the chair would be a bad chair.  The details are supposed to be subtle.  I eventually mined the antique chair for all its fine points.  I owned it at least a decade before I discovered the last one.  That detail is the reflection of the back in the spindles. We teach how to proportion the spindles to create this. Without having someone point this out to you, you will make a lot of half baked c-arms before you discover it yourself.   

* * * *

            We added a member to the Royal Orders this week.  Sir Ken Neiswender became the 143rd Knight of Windsor.  Ken is the head of a chairmaking family.  Both his son Mike and his daughter Lizzie have taken classes here with him.  At one point, Lizzie held the record for the youngest girl to take a class. She was 14 at the time. The record was eventually broken and now stands at 12 years old.

            * * * *

            I corresponded through email this past week with a woman who is a direct descendant of  New York City chairmaker Abraham D. Montanye. The Institute owns two original newspaper advertisements placed by Montanye.  I wrote about them in this blog. One of the advertisements was really unique.  You can find it in the archives. The woman stumbled on the blog while researching her great-great grandfather. I sent her copies of the ads for her records.

            That experience got me thinking that most of the old chairmakers must have descendants kicking around. I was surprised that I could not remember meeting any others.  Duhh…. Sir Fred Chellis is a great-great-great grandson of Freeman Samuel Chellis. Freeman made chairs in Newport, NH and Fred still owns some of his work.

            My great-grand father Richard Dunbar emigrated from County Tyrone and settled in Hubbardston, MA. My family tradition is that he worked in a chair factory in Gardner, an adjacent town.  I wrote about  Gardner in my September email newsletter. It is known as  “Chair City.”  The tradition says that Richard brought home unfinished chairs from work and that my grandfather Richard and my great uncle John had to cane a chair every day after school. Their labor was used to help support the family.

            * * * *

            I heard from Milt Scott in Texas. Milt had just been at The Institute. He and his wife Sharon had spent a week with friends up on the coast of  Maine.  They dropped by on the way back to the airport. That day, we had just received a truck load of red oak logs. Fred, Don, Kevin and I had gathered for a Splitting Party.  Milt got to see old Bessy tear logs apart in seconds.  Old Bessy is what I call Kevin’s tractor with the four foot splitter on it. He agreed this is the only sane way for aging chairmakers to split logs.

            Anyway, Milt and Sharon arrived home to Texas just in time for Hurricane Ike.  He wrote, “Just a note to all that we made through Ike ok.  We had a lot of tree damage but no damage to the houses or us.  Days without power, but that is back on now.  Many friends still without power.  We were about 40 miles west of the eye and still had hurricane force winds. We are 100+ miles inland.  Please pray for the people in Galveston and the Houston area. It will be a long road to recovery.”

* * * *

            I had a pleasant conversation with Roy Underhill this week.  Roy, Frank Klaus, and I will be talking about cutting mortise and tenon joints by hand this November in  Berea, KY. The event is the conference being sponsored by “Popular Woodworking.” Lots of my old cronies will be there.  It will be like a reunion.  I was distressed to hear that Berea is in a dry county. However, Roy assures me we won’t be tee totaling. It seems “the pure” is readily available.

            If you have never met Roy you may not know that he is a very  funny guy. He shot a television show here several years ago.  Television is boring.  In between takes, you do a lot of standing and waiting.  Roy amused us with his improvisations.  He would suddenly become a British colonel in India or some other bizarre character.  He reminds me of Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters.  I think being in front of a group of woodworkers with him will be a real hoot.

            I understand there is only way to get into that conference.  That is to buy tickets from a scalper. The other magazines must be gnashing their teeth. All their other conferences were a bust. Who would have thought a conference on using hand tools would sell out?  Who would have thought a conference on using hand tools would sell out in times as tough as these!!? Maybe the other magazines will get the message. We can learn about machines anywhere. Woodworkers want to learn what we do not know, not rehash old information. That is why they read “Popular Woodworking.”

            * * * *

            Sir Jim Stevens demonstrated Windsor chairmaking in 18^th century costume at Chadds Ford Days in the

* * * *

            Last year, I told you about some authors who had interviewed me for the books they were writing.  One of them was published last week.  The title is  IMMERSION TRAVEL USA: THE BEST AND MOST MEANINGFUL VOLUNTEERING, LIVING AND LEARNING EXCURSIONS  by Sheryl Kayne.  She says that the book is “for every age and stage of life, with over 200 opportunities in the USA to not just visit but really get involved.”  The Windsor Institute is one of those places and opportunities.  Pick up a copy. It’s only $13.57 on Amazon.

* * * *

To receive my eNewsletter of periodic updates, tips, tool reviews, and new sources, that are outside the scope of this blog, join our mailing list by emailing me at mike@thewindsorinstitute.com Help us spread the word about this blog. Tell others.

 This the fifth and final part of a very long explanation and description of steam bending.  I could not run the complete text at once, and too much goes on around here to run it over consecutive weeks.  Therefore, I have posted it as I could.  If you are only starting to read my blog, you may want to search for Parts I- IV and start there.   Mike Dunbar. 

Second, when bending, it is common for students pulling a part, towards themselves to actually twist the part forward. 

     We suggest students be conscious of this and counter it by purposefully twisting  the part away from themselves.  If in spite of these efforts a roll up begins, we can minimize it by allowing  the bend to ramp up the side of the block.  When it is cool we drive it back  flat against the back board.

       Once a part has been bent it has to dry before it can be used in a chair.  For single plane bends such as sack back and bow back side chair, we wait until the part is cool.  We then tie the bending with a string and remove it from the form.  The c-arm is bent in two planes and has to dry on its  form.  Crests are bent in a press and have to stay clamped in this device until dry. 

           At The Institute we dry bendings in the furnace room, which we use as a kiln. During the heating season the furnace keeps the temperature around  100 degrees. Because  humidity is very low in the winter, the warm  room will dry  bendings in several days.  In the summer   we maintain the same temperature with a heat lamp. We lower the summer humidity with a dehumidifier.

            At home, you can allow a part to dry on its own, if you have the time to wait.  In the winter you can speed it up by placing a bending on a heating duct, or above a radiator.  In the summer,  a part will dry in about a week if left in the sun.  When I  taught on the road, we would dry summer bendings  by   placing them in the backs of pick up trucks with black bed liners.

        If you want to dry your parts more quickly build a small kiln out of foam core board. In a pinch you can also use the kitchen oven.  Set it to its lowest possible temperature and crack the door to allow the moisture to escape. 

        Anyone who has ever read an article on steam bending  knows that it is necessary  to over bend to allow for spring back.  While everyone knows this,  it is flat wrong.  It seems to be one of those things that having made its way into print, just keeps getting repeated.   When wood is sufficiently dry it compresses further.  We can tell with a glance whether or not a bending is dry.  As it comes off the form, the string is taut.  Once the part is dry, the string droops.   Obviously, the part did not spring back, but moved  in exactly the opposite direction.  When it dries, a c-arm will compress so that the wedges that hold it on its form will loosen and fall away.   A fully-dried crest will fall out of its press.

           In fact, this extra compression presents problems for a chairmaker who  bends a long time before being  ready to put the part in the chair.   The compression set makes  the amount of curve too extreme for the chair.  We have had good luck correcting over compression by filling the sink with hot water and soaking  one side of the bend.   Once it has become wet, we can force the bend back open. We then repeat the process on the other side.   Once you have restored the part  to the desired shape, use it in a chair immediately.  Otherwise, it will compress  again as it dries.           As I pointed out earlier in the series, most of the problems people have  bending chair backs is caused by decay.  However, other things can go wrong  and  result in repeated breaks.  This is an example of a problem with the equipment.  During a class a couple of summers ago one of the other instructors called me out to the bending area.  On the ground were four or five  broken arm and bows.  Over a little less than half its length, each  part was a strange purple-brown color, and each had broken within  this discolored area. However, the other end of each part had bent well.  

        First, we  examined the broken parts then,  the steam box.  I discovered that instead of being level,  one end of the box was significantly lower than the other.  The landscapers had recently replenished the crushed stone in the bending area, and one end of the saw buck that supports the steam box had sunk into the fresh stone.   The Institute’s steam boxes have  vent holes on both ends.  These are drilled through the  lower surface, just before the end caps.  Since these vents are the  only escape, the steam flows evenly through the tube in both directions. This two-way flow  plasticizes the entire chair back uniformly.  

           Because the box was at an angle with one end lower than the other, the steam entering  the tube in the middle rose and exited only out the higher end.   None was flowing down through the lower end.  However, the jet of steam entering the middle of the tube and rising did heat the air in the lower part of the tube without wetting it.  This hot dry air not only failed to plasticize the wood, it began to  toast it.  That explained the discoloration we had observed.  The parts on the ground had all broken in the end that was lowest in the tube.

          As I described earlier, in order to  bend wood it  has to be both hot and wet.  This wood was only hot and wet on one end, and hot and dry on the other.  In fact, it was so dry and so hot,  it had begun to char.  We leveled the steam box and every part after that bent as it should.

         We quickly made replacements  for the students whose parts had broken, and these too, bent without trouble.  I saved one of the discolored parts and hung it on the shop wall.  I tell this story to each class and use it to illustrate my tale.

           During a writing arm class one year we also experienced a series of breaks.  I went out to the bending area to watch and help.  As I assisted a student bending his arm I commented that the wood seemed too cool.  Sure enough, it broke.  Polling the staff and students, I learned that all the breaks were coming from one box. Those from the other box were bending properly.  This ruled out bad wood.         As I studied the box, I  observed that very little steam was coming out the vent holes.  Ordinarily, plumes of water vapor blow down to the ground from each end of the tube.  Assuming the boiler was running dry, I  took it by its handle to shake it.  I expected it to be nearly empty and thus, light in weight.

           All I remember is a moment of surprise at how heavy the boiler was, because as I began to agitate the boiler a geyser of hot water and steam erupted from the filler spout.  Next, I was  running across the lawn  with the skin of my face stinging.   After lots of cold water and aloe I was sufficiently recovered to   look for the cause of the accident.  We use utility cans as our boilers. About six months earlier the old boiler on the problem steam  box had rusted through its bottom.  Unable to immediately find  a replacement boiler of the type we prefer, we had bought another brand. This brand of utility can  had a fine mesh screen at the base of the spout, which was intended to act as a filter.

        Over time,  the steel  screen began to rust  and the tiny holes became more and more constricted. Eventually, this constriction cut down the flow of steam up the spout,  creating back  pressure in the boiler.

            In the filler spout we have a wooden plug with a funnel though its center.  This allows us to maintain the water level in the  boiler without shutting down.  As the water begins to boil the wooden plug becomes  wet and tightens.    When I agitated the can  the plug let go.  The water and steam trapped in  the boiler by the constricted mesh filter  erupted out the filler spout.

          Fortunately,  my face was not directly over  the hole.  Most of the hot spray  passed by  with only some of it landing on my right cheek and neck.  For several days I looked like I had a very oddly shaped sunburn.  However, I  healed quickly.   

Like most accidents, this one could have been avoided if I had exercised plain old, common sense safety.   The lesson — always shut down a steam box before working on it. 

* * * *  

          I know the date is close, but I still have space in the September 22 c-arm class.  If you miss this one, you will have to wait until Aug. 2009. 

* * * *

To receive my eNewsletter of periodic updates, tips, tool reviews, and new sources, that are outside the scope of this blog, join our mailing list by emailing me at mike@thewindsorinstitute.com Help us spread the word about this blog. Tell others.

            I took a break from writing this blog.  Things have been so quiet this summer I assumed everyone had gone fishing.  They didn’t seem to be thinking about chairmaking. 

              I enjoyed the break.  I did not waste my time off.  I am now about ¾ of the way through a sequel to the middle grade novel I wrote last winter.  I am working at getting the first book published.  If I succeed, I am pretty sure you will get to read the sequel, as well. I have enjoyed writing these books. It has been a long time since I had that much fun. If I can launch these two, I plan to write a series of continuing adventures based on the Comet Team.

    * * * * 

              We added a new duke to the Royal Orders during the August 4 sack back class.  His Grace Matt Coughlin became the 20^th Duke of Windsor. His Grace is is on the shop floor as I write.  He has returned this week to repeat the Philly high back, a chair he really likes.

              The sack back class did not need a lot of prompting to get in on the fun at His Grace’s duking. They quickly figured out the Long Kiss and drew it out as long as possible.  The event was digitally well recorded.  His Grace was very happy when I called for thumbs up or thumbs down.

  * * * *  

             We had a very unusual occurrence this summer. We had back to back inductions into the Chairmaker Hall of Fame.  Sir Ken Hall was inducted in July for his innovation Hall’s Mark. This technique makes it much easier to get a chair back on square.  Travis Butler was inducted in August for his innovation Bridge to Terabutlia. The Bridge makes it much easier to drill front leg holes. Both innovations apply to all chairs.  So, everyone taking a class now learns them both.

             The certificates commemorating these innovations have been mailed to the Hall’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, His Grace Wayne Murray. His Grace will sign them and return them to The Institute. One copy will be given to the inductee.  The other will hang in the Hall of Fame where all chairmakers can admire it.

               By the way, Sir Ken joins His Grace Gordon Keller, Sir Croxton Gordon, and the late Sir Richard Nichols as the only Hall of Famers also in the Royal Orders. Travis is scheduled to be knighted in November.

             These two innovations are the first to result in inductions since last year.  In July 2007 His Grace Gordon Keller was inducted. Prior to that, the last induction was in 2004.  These long gaps illustrate how hard it is to be chosen for the Hall of Fame. There is a good reason why we call this august group the “Immortals.”

   * * * *  

                  The staff never ate so well as it did during the August 4 sack back class.  Normally, Fred, Don, and I bring either a sandwich or a frozen dinner to heat in the microwave oven.  Lunch is not an event for us.  Its purpose is to put fuel in the furnace.  For a week of August 4 we ate like kings because Pamela Dockery was a member of that class.

             Pamela is a chef and teaches cooking.  She took the sack back class to make a chair for herself.  However, she took advantage of the opportunity to try out a new group of recipes.  Pamela is working on a line of nutritious meals that can be made on the road with minimal cooking equipment. We were the guinea pigs.

          Every day, we were treated to gourmet meals. Pamela made lots of food, so there was plenty for us to have seconds. (OK, already.  So what if I even had thirds.) You can get an idea of how we ate by visiting her website pameladockeryfood.com.  You will get hungry just looking at the pictures.

  * * * *  

           I  recently received the below email from Sir Mark Ferraro describing the thinking behind his new email address.   “Since it will be impossible for me to even think of obtaining a vanity license plate that incorporates Windsor, chair maker and so forth, I thought I would seize the opportunity to claim my space in the digital world.  I am the sole owner of the email address notashakermaker@gmail.com  

           I have received many comments on the address, not least of which are the many attempts by correspondents to guess what the heck the address means.  There is still a great need to inform the general public about “A duck walks into a chair shop….” and the other virtues of Windsor chairmaking. 

            Kristen (Mark’s daughter) did find a job in New Hampshire.  She is the new Deputy Assistant Associate Undersecretary for Student Experience, reporting to the Director of Student Life at FranklinPierce University at the residential campus in Rindge.  I now have another reason to visit New Hampshire on a regular basis.” 

 * * * *  

            Here is an interesting fact out of  Windsor chairmaking history. When chairmaking was young and chairmakers were still perfecting their skills, they had a lot of trouble with their bendings.  It was very common for their bows to delaminate.  Chairmakers would have to glue these delams back down so they could use the bow. 

            In those days the only glue available was hide glue.  When Windsor chairs chairs were used outside where they were frequently rained on, the water soluble hide glue would fail and the  delams would give way.

             In those days politeness was a universal virtue.  People were very careful to never criticize or embarrass anyone else.  When a Windsor bow would delaminate, everyone would ignore and pretend not to notice the problem.  This time in chairmaking history was known as The Silence of Delams. 

* * * *

To receive my eNewsletter of periodic updates, tips, tool reviews, and new sources, that are outside the scope of this blog, join our mailing list by emailing me at mike@thewindsorinstitute.com Help us spread the word about this blog. Tell others.

Times are so tough; so I thought you could all use a quick pick-me-up. (I’m trying to be clever, so work with me.) I recently received this email from His Grace Ralph Quick, Duke of Windsor. In it, His Grace recounts some very upbeat events that have occurred recently in his life. They should give you a boost. Caron is Ralph’s wife and partner in their chairmaking business. Their dog’s name is Windsor.   

 “Greetings King Mike, 

“A few weeks ago Caron got a phone call from a lady.  The lady told her not to hang up because this was not a prank call. She said she needed 20 Windsor chairs for a movie that was being filmed in Kansas City, and she needed them fast. She said she was not worried about the price. She had checked out our web site and saw that our chairs were reasonably priced.  

“We did not have that many chairs in stock but we did tell her we could get them. We had just completed several chairs for a couple of customers. We told them about the phone call and asked if we could take their chairs to Kansas City as props for a movie.  They agreed to let us use their chairs, but only if we delivered them personally and watched over them to be sure they were not damaged.  

“Caron told the movie lady what our customers requested. The lady said she was happy to have us deliver them. She added that we would be reimbursed for the delivery and for our gas.  We would also be reimbursed for our room and meals at the Fairfield Marriott while the chairs were being used to film the movie. 

“The movie’s title is “We The People.” It will be finished in approx. 6 to 8 months. Then, it will be previewed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington at their IMAX Theater. From there it will go to Williamsburg, and then to Mt. Vernon. After that, it will be shown at all the IMAX Theaters across the country. The movie people said that in about two years, it will be presented on HBO and the History Channel. After that, it will be shown in schools across the country as part of their of history classes.

 “When I saw our chairs in the monitor I realized just what Caron and I are contributing to history. It is really hard to explain. I have seen lots of our chairs together here in the shop, and at shows. However, they never hit me as it did when I saw them on the monitor. It was as if our chairs really were at Independence Hall in 1776 ready for the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  

“All the actors commented just how comfortable the chairs were. We even took several orders for them. The Director, Aimee Larrabee ordered a left handed Writing Arm because I could not sell her the one we had brought with us. Even though it was not used during the filming, she really liked the writing arm and wanted one for herself.  

“The sack back Caron made during her first class in 2003 was in the first scene. Once the shooting was done I had all the key people sign the bottom of it for her. She is really “jazzed” about it that. Her first chair was used in a movie and is autographed by all the actors.  

“As an aside, my first chair was signed by Roy Underhill a couple of years ago while at the Endview Plantation event in Virginia. That was when we got a photo of him along with Fred, Caron and me. I have no idea as to why I asked him to sign the bottom of my chair but if someone wants to buy it, it would cost a gazillion dollars. Ha! Ha!  

“Back to the movie. They said that the credits will read, “The Windsor Chair Shop of Clarksville, Missouri” since the  guy in Lancaster, PA. also uses the name “Windsor Chair Shop”. We have had a lot of people tell us that they had contacted him by mistake, and that he does not bother to tell them that he really is not the one they were looking for. We even met him at a show in Virginia last May, but he would not talk to, or even acknowledge us when we introduced ourselves. He just said, “Yea, I know who you are” and went on about his business. I know he and I were probably married in a past life, and I bet we didn’t like one another then either. Ha! Ha!   

“For some reason the director really took a liking to Caron. She was asked to do a walk on part in the movie. They wanted me to be in the part with her, but my beard caused trouble. It is not authentic. The director told the make up department to do what they had to in order the make my beard disappear. They pulled and twisted my beard so hard and tight that I could feel the hair on my toes being pulled upwards. However, you can’t tell I have a beard. So, in the movie Caron and I are the “Older Colonists” listed in the credits. Our scene occurs when the Town Crier is announcing the news about America breaking away from British rule. The younger colonists are happy and cheering. Being older and having always lived under British rule, Caron and I think independence is a bad idea. We disagree wonderfully, I might add. Ha! Ha!  

“We almost did not go to Kansas City for the movie as that is when all the flooding started here. Several friends of ours, who are also fellow artisans, persuaded us to go. They promised they would keep an eye on everything for us. Caron was quite upset when we returned. The town (Clarksville, MO) had experienced a lot of damage. It was, and still is quite a mess here. It will be some time before it recovers fully. However, everyone here is pulling together and we owe a lot to the people who watched our place while we were gone. 

“The other good news on our front is that of Early American Life magazine is preparing an article about the Connecticut Writing Arm for the October issue. They chose four chairmakers to interview. We were the top choice for the editor writing the article. Caron put together some pretty good text to help him out. So, we can’t wait to see that issue. 

“While in Virginia, EAL used our settee and our sack back for a shot. They took some pictures of a couple of the re-enactors sitting in them in a garden area. I forgot to ask what issue those will be in, but you can bet we’ll send you guys a copy when it comes out.  

“Well, I guess I better finish up here and get back outside to the carriage house. Caron is finishing a settee right now. She doesn’t like me doing any sawing or cutting while she is painting chairs. It doesn’t take her long to paint them, so I know she’ll have something for me to do when I get back out there. These past few days have been really nice and we are finally getting caught up on our schedule.  

“Tell everyone at The Institute we said hello and we that can’t wait to see them all again in April. 

“Take Care,Ralph, Caron & Windsor” 

Now, doesn’t that put a smile on your face? Can you imagine your business appearing in movie credits? Every time that movie is played it will be an advertisement for His Grace and Caron.   It couldn’t happen to better people.  

If you would like to receive periodic updates, tips, tool reviews, and new sources, that are outside the scope of this blog, join our mailing list by emailing me at mike@thewindsorinstitute.com Help us spread the word about this blog. Tell others.

The June 23 c-arm class is in session this week.  I have written before about making my favorite chair.  I recommend those posts to anyone who wants to know more about the C-arm, the most refined and complex of all  Windsor chairs.

The class is noticeablely different from other C-arms.  Out of 19 people in a class required for Knighthood, there were no knightings.  On the other hand, there were twelve in the raising.  The two numbers are related.  Raising twelve students to master chairmaker, means almost two thirds of the class was making their first advanced chair.  All these people are just beginning their chairmaking studies. They are new blood keeping the craft alive and vital.  I expect that over the next two years a lot of them will become knights.

Among this group are Mary and Charles Shevlin, husband and wife; and Phil and Phil Bensing, father and son. Young Phil will begin his senior year in high school this fall. Joe Paterson and Steve Denvir are here from Ontario, and Peter Young flew in from Australia. Peter has been writing about Windsors for an Australian woodworking magazine.  Joe, Steve, and Peter are in the vanguard of accomplishing The Institute’s stated purpose “For hand made Windsor chairs to take over the world.”

* * * *

Fred, Don, and I have already decided to forward a nomination from this class to the Board of Directors of the Chairmaker Hall of Fame.  I will the present Travis Butler’s innovation at the Board’s July meeting.  Travis is also scheduled to become a Knight of Windsor during the November 17 NYC bow back side chair class.  If the Board of Trustees approves his nomination for field trials, and then inducts him, Travis could become a Knight of Windsor and an Immortal the same year.  I think Travis will also be the youngest Immortal.

The Hall of Fame bylaws grant me the privilege of naming an innovation once it has resulted in membership.  I am kicking around two:  “Bultler’s Bridge” or “Bridge to Terabutlia.”  If you don’t get the second one, you don’t have any kids in middle school.

At the July meeting the Board of Trustees will be voting on another nomination that just wrapped up its field trials.  I will report favorably on an innovation suggested by Sir Ken Hall.  I don’t have a name yet.  I am interested in suggestions from you who have used his innovation while in trials.

Assuming affirmative votes for both Sir Ken and Travis, by the end of the year, the number of members of the Royal Orders also counted among the Immortals will increase from three to five. Currently, only the late Sir Richard Nichols, Sir Croxton Gordon and His Grace Gordon Keller, have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

* * * *

During the week I read and approved the galleys for an article that will be published by Popular Woodworking in the October issue.  Last week we shot the photos for another article that will appear in the following issue.  If you like the articles I write, you should subscribe to that magazine. That’s the only place I publish anymore.

Having said that, I did contribute several paragraphs to an article being written by an editor at Early American Life magazine.  The piece is about writing arm Windsors.  It will appear in their October issue.  We will teach our writing arm class November 3.  The week we are teaching any particular style of chair I often write about the problems that chair entails.  It is a natural time, as the chair is on my mind.  I may include my contribution in that week’s posting.

* * * *

You may have seen newscasts about the flooding in Clarksville, MO. Many of you know that this quaint tourist town is home to H. G. Ralph Quick and his wife Caron.  They run a very successful Windsor chairmaking shop there.  People who have been in classes with Ralph and Caron have emailed to ask if I knew how they were doing.

I heard from Ralph this week.  He emailed me the news and some photos of Clarksville. The town is a mess, but so far Ralph and Caron have been spared. Several more days of rain are predicted starting this weekend, and they are nervous.

Caron did leave a brief message on our answering machine.  In the midst of all these troubles, she did have exciting news.  She and Ralph and their chairs are going to be in an IMAX movie.  We are waiting for more details, and I will report them here.

* * * *

After that news, you need a good laugh. To tickle your ribs, here’s another offering from our humor archive called “A Duck Walks into a Chair Shop…”

The Windsor Institute was wrestling with lots of problems caused by Shaker chairmakers making Windsors and selling them on the internet. (See last week’s post.)  All that took a back seat to the recent pigeon problem.  Swarms of pigeons invaded the campus.  They perched on the peak of every roof.  They landed on cars.  They took over the bending area.  Their droppings covered every surface.  Anyone leaving the buildings was instantly targeted by numerous birds swooping and pooping at once.

The staff was desperate. They tried all sorts of pest control experts and exterminators, but the birds were determined to stay. At last, a stranger showed up dressed in a costume made up of many different colored patches.  The stranger spoke first to Fred and Don and told them he could get rid of the pigeons.  The desperate Windsor chairmakers escorted the fellow to the office, where Mike was hiding under his desk.

“This guy says he can get rid of the pigeons,” said Don.  Mike crawled out and eyed the guy with suspicion.  Wearing that funny outfit, he didn’t look like he could be trusted.

“My name is Mr. Piper,” the stranger told Mike. He handed Mike his business card which read “P. Piper, Pest Control.”

 “I can get rid of your pigeon problem,” claimed Mr. Piper.  “To top it off, I’ll do it for free.”

Free?  That got Mike’s attention.  “There is just one catch,” Piper added.  “You must ask me no questions.  If you ask me a question it will cost you two grand.”

Fred, Don, and Mike huddled. “What the heck.  If it doesn’t work, it won’t cost us anything.  And if it does work, we’re golden.”  The three told Mr. Piper to do his best.

“Fine,” the man in the multicolored costume responded.  “But remember, any questions and you owe me $2K.”

The next day Mr. Piper showed up at The Institute.  He was carrying something under a cloth cover. He walked to the middle of the lawn and pulled off the cover.  Under it was a cage containing a blue pigeon.  He opened the cage door and off flew the blue pigeon.  Immediately, the huge flock of pigeons who had taken up residence at The Institute took to the air.  In a huge cloud, they flew off after the blue pigeon.  Meanwhile, like the pigeons Mr. Piper disappeared.

Several days later Piper showed up at The Institute. “I just dropped by to make sure you were satisfied with my work,” he told Mike.

“Yeah. Yeah.  We’re delighted,” Mike answered.  “Can you come up the office?”

Fred, Don, and Mike were again alone with the man in the many colored outfit.  “I have to ask you a question,” Mike said.

Piper held up his hand to stop Mike.  “Remember, no questions. If you do ask me one it will cost you two large.”  Mike reached into his pocket and took out his wallet.  He counted out 20 Ulysses S. Grants and gave them to Mr. Piper.

He asked, “You got a blue Shaker chairmaker?”

* * * *

If you would like to receive periodic updates, tips, tool reviews, and new sources, that are outside the scope of this blog, join our mailing list by emailing me at mike@thewindsorinstitute.com Help us spread the word about this blog. Tell others.

            Anyone who has taken sack back with us is aware of our imaginary rivalry with Shaker chairmakers. Those of you wishing to become Windsor chairmakers attend your school The Windsor Institute.  Those wishing to become Shaker chairmakers attend our rival school, Shakermaker U. We refer to them as the “vile and treacherous Shaker Chairmakers from Shakermaker  U.”  It is part of the fun we have while making chairs. 

            Then, I describe how the Royal Orders gets together regularly for evening celebrations. “Due to copious consumption of a certain amber colored beverage,” these celebrations usually turn a bit rowdy.  When that happens, the knights often think up pranks to play on Shaker chairmakers – pranks that usually cause problems for me. After all, Yankee magazine dubbed me “the Dean of Windsor Chairmakers.”  By that reasoning, Mother Ann Lee is the Dean of Shaker Chairmakers.  When the Royal Orders gets into one of their Animal House modes, she files her complaints with me. Her notes arrive by carrier pigeon, as the Shakers don’t have telephones.

            My story continues.  At a recent get together the Royal Orders got the hare brained idea of dressing up one of their members as a Shaker chairmaker and sneaking him into Shakermaker U. They sent him in with one of those little spy cameras and he managed to take pictures of the dining hall at Shakermaker U.

            I show the class the picture our Royal Orders member took of the dining hall.  Around the long tables, the Shakers have Windsor chairs, not those uncomfortable, back breaking things they make and sell. There is also a close up of one of their Windsors. (The picture is really from the dining room at Hancock  Shaker  Village in  Pittsfield, MA, but it makes the point.) Next, I explain how our Knight was more resourceful than I would have preferred. He managed to sneak into Mother Ann Lee’s office and take a picture of her personal chair. I hold up a picture of her sack back rocker in the collection of the Fruitland Museaum in Harvard, MA.

            In class I explain that the “Greatest public relations coup in the history of humanity was the Shakers convincing the rest of the world that they made good chairs.” I go on to say  that now, we have proof positive that the Shakers do not sit in the chairs they make.  They sell those chairs to the rest of the world and laugh all the way to the bank.

            Finally, at every graduation, dressed in the robes of a Doctor of Windsology, I deliver the Dean’s Speech.  In it, I charge the graduating chairmakers to “go out into the world and accomplish The Institute’s stated purpose – for hand made Windsors to take over the world, and to bring about the downfall of Shaker chairmakers every where.”

            All along both you and I thought it was all a joke.  Well, thanks to Chuck Pezeshki, we can prove those Shakermakers are truly vile and treacherous.  We can prove that they are our sworn enemies and will stop at nothing to defeat Windsor chairmakers. In fact, as Chuck noted in his email, “Those devious chairmakers at Shakermaker U have established a beachhead.”

            He’s right. The invasion has begun. Their heel is on our shore.  Every Windsor chairmaker must step into the breech. Visit this web site:  http://www.stickley.com/OurProducts_Details.cfm?id=2388&Collection=Traditional&cat1=17&view=all
Need I say any more? To the barricades!

* * * *

            The July issue of “Country Living” magazine has a page on Windsors.    While the article includes a brief  history of Windsors, it is hardly in depth.   The purpose is to show readers what a Windsor is.     The most interesting thing on the page is the chairs shown at the bottom.   They are there so reader’s can compare prices of Windsors available today.   You can purchase a factory made Ethan Allen c-arm for $329.    Or, you can buy the budget Windsor at Target.   They sell a pair of bow back side chairs for $70.   I’m sure these are made in Asia like the chairs sold at J. C. Penny.    (See the September 12, 2007 post.)   Finally, you can buy a cast-aluminum contemporary Windsor from Oly Studio for $1,325.   From my point of view, a hand made Windsor for $700 is a pretty good bargain.

* * * *

      Many of you will remember my November 20, 2007 post about planemaker Leon Robbins.  Many of you emailed wishing you had bought a Leon plane while he was alive.  This will interest you.  Leon’s daughter contacted me recently.  She was cleaning out and came across a group of planes made by Leon. She had no way to sell them and asked me if I would help.  I told her I would be happy to display the tools here and anyone buying one could mail her a check.

      Last week, I received a box of 16 planes.  Fourteen were made by Leon.  The other two are antiques – a fillister and a large OG molding plane.  There are some molding planes made by Leon, but most are smooth planes or small scraper planes.

      Leon called his business Crown Plane and marked all his planes with a stamp of a crown and with his initials, LR.  I was interested to discover that he had an earlier stamp. It is a shield with a flying bird.  He then stamped LR in the shield.  I know it was done in two operations, because on one plane he stamped his initials upside down.      

     When I knew Leon, his work was very distinctive.  He used curly maple that he dyed a reddish brown.  These earlier planes are different, and he used a variety of other techniques. Some are banded with exotic woods.  Others are inlaid with ivory stars. My guess is that most of these planes are early work.     

     The planes are on display in The Institute’s kitchen.  His daughter put a price tag on each one. If you are in an upcoming class, or are in the area, drop by (during a class) and see the planes.  Remember, I am doing this as a favor and have my own business to run. So, I can’t get into emailing pictures, giving descriptions, shipping, etc. The planes will go to the walk in traffic. Once they are gone, I’m afraid Leon’s work will only pop up on Ebay.  You’ll find one when you find one and prices will be set by the high bidder.  

* * * *

            The 2009 schedule was included in my June 15 eNewsletter.  It will soon be on the web site.  If you want to see it sooner, drop me an email.  By the way, the members of the Royal Orders have already seen the new chair in 2009.  They always get first shot at a new class.  Royalty has privileges other than flogging peasants.

If you would like to receive periodic updates, tips, tool reviews, and new sources, that are outside the scope of this blog, join our mailing list by emailing me at mike@thewindsorinstitute.com Help us spread the word about this blog. Tell others.

This the fourth part of a very long explanation and description of steam bending.  I cannot run the whole part at once, and too much goes on around here to run it over consecutive weeks.  Therefore, I am posting it as I can.  If you are only starting to read my blog, you may want to search for Parts I, II, and III and start there.   Mike Dunbar. 

If the steam box did not have some relief, the test caps on either end would be blown off as  pressure developed in the tube.   We make a 1/2 inch relief hole in the bottom of each end of the tube.  The steam enters the tube in the middle and travels in both directions, escaping out the vent holes.  This ensures an even distribution in the box.   When our boxes are running at full steam, a plume of water vapor blows down from the ends of the tubes  to the ground.  We can look out the classroom window and tell how things are going in the bending area.  

Because heat rises, the parts do not sit on the bottom of the box.  There, they would also be bathed in cooler condensed water.  Instead, they  rest on a rack made of stainless steel bolts that pierce the tube.  Regular steel bolts would leave dark purple stains on the parts.   

As little as 15 minutes is all that is  required to plasticize  red oak chair parts.  This time can vary somewhat according to the circumstances.  The  wood we use is freshly cut before each class.  That means our  bendings  already  have 25% moisture content and that all we need to do is heat them.  If your wood has been stored for a while and allowed to air dry, it may be around 14%.  You should steam a bit longer, perhaps 20-25 minutes.     

Chairmakers who live in the Rocky Mountain states or at other high elevations,  have another problem.   Water boils at a lower temperature the  higher you are.  I ran into this problem in 1980 and 1981 when I taught  chairmaking classes at BYU in Provo, Utah.   We managed to bend successfully by steaming our parts even longer than usual.  We left them in the box 40- 45 minutes.  Because the wood was  noticeably cooler than at lower elevations, we worked even more quickly.   

Adding fabric softener to the water in the boiler has been suggested in some  woodworking magazines as a way to soften the wood’s fibers and make it bend more easily.  I have tried that trick and have not found that it makes any difference. 

Before removing a piece of wood from the steam box, be sure that  every thing else is prepared and ready.  You only have about 45 seconds to complete the bends before the wood becomes too cool, and you do not want to waste any of that time fumbling.  Always check the form to make sure it is securely clamped to the bench.  Be sure   that the bending strap is easily accessible.  Check that  you have the required number of wedges and pins,  as well as a hammer.  I always go through this mental checklist. For beginners, I recommend  refreshing the bending process in their minds  by first pantomiming it.   

Remove the wood from the box with a pair of tongs.  We use the ones sold in a super market for picking ears of corn out of boiling water.   Before you open the steam box remember what  you learned in  your high school physics class.  Released steam will rise.    To avoid a burn, always open the box  and approach it with the tongs from below.  

Remove the part from the box and mov