Things have taken an interesting turn at the Blackburn Shed over the past couple of weeks after we were contacted by local businessman Olly Payne, who owns and runs Blackburn-based Highland Whisky Auctions, but in connection with a more recent venture of his, Paynes Collectibles, which specialises in finding and refurbishing curios of all kinds
Olly first turned to the Shed to see if we could re-wire some aging Anglepoise lamps to make these iconic British-designed pieces suitable for present day use. Along with the well-known desk lamps he also brought in a vintage, brass table lamp in need of some TLC and a curious unit from the aviation world, formerly part of a training simulator for fighter pilots, to be repurposed as a desk or display object. He also made a generous donation to Shed funds to cover the cost of new cabling and fitments.
With the Shed’s resident experienced electrical technician taking the lead, shedders willingly took on the task, re-wiring the Anglepoise lamps with braided three-core cable, fitting new bulbs, fuses and plugs as required and PAT testing the end result. The dodgy shade on the brass table lamp has been fixed and the unit rewired and fitted with an in-line switch. Similarly, the fighter pilot simulator unit was rewired, had all 15 24V/2W bulbs replaced and a 240V/24VDC/60W transformer fitted allowing it to be powered off a domestic circuit.
Since then, even more Paynes Collectibles have turned up at the Shed. Examples include a decorative miniature whisky barrel, a cross section of a helicopter rotor blade and a vintage chrome Jaguar bonnet mascot all destined to be mounted on wooden plinths to turn them into attractive curios people would like to own and display.
A large wooden, multi-drawer, index filing cabinet is also getting the repurposing treatment. The aim is to clean, fill and sand it where needed then paint it, refit the cleaned brass pull handles then reconfigure it into two pieces with varnished wooden tops as a pair of display units, suitable to grace any living room.
Olly has also donated lots of materials such as paints, varnishes, brushes, masks and other protective gear to help our shedders in their endeavours. It looks like the start of a long, mutually beneficial relationship.
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