Sarah's Painting Journal » cigar box

Cigar Box Pochade Hardware

Sarah Lynch — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:41:05 +0000

I spent some more time finishing off my pochade.
I replaced the hinges and clasp and made a brace from a couple of mending strips. I have an old camera tripod which is missing the block that is supposed to screw into the camera. So I made a mounting block out of three pieces of boxwood and glued and screwed them into the botom of the cigar box. I actually used it today for one of my Daily Paintings. I am still on the look out for some accessories. I need a suitable palette and a way of securing it in the box so that I can transport it without the paint getting all over everything. I would also like to find a good way to secure the panel while painting. Watch this space.

Pochade Clasp

Pochade Brace

Pochade Hinges

Pochade Mount

Mounted on a Tripod

Making the pochade

Sarah Lynch — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:01:52 +0000

Well I made some progress today. Whether this will be worth the time I am putting into it remains to be seen. I must have spent two hours this morning seeking out the right hardware. Everything I have read insists that it is essential to replace the existing hardware with something sturdier, so I have found some small brass hinges, a new clasp and a pair of brass “mending strips” to use for a brace. I have also used some box wood from a fruit box (the sort of thing that mandarin oranges come in) to reinforce the back and front where the new hinges and clasps will be attached. The cigar box is made from very thin cedar and I want something for the screws to go into. I cut the reinforcing strips with a box cutter and am gluing them with carpenters glue. So far so good.

Cigar Box Hardware

Cigar Boxes

Sarah Lynch — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:55:59 +0000

I have been thinking for some time that I wanted to replace my antique pochade with something a little less precious. The one I have belonged to my grandfather and is at least 100 years old. I have looked at the commercially available ones and they are mostly too big, too expensive or too fancy. I have read a couple of blog-posts about making them out of cigar boxes and so I want to give it a try.
One of the advantages of working in a tourist town is that although there may be a shortage of many necessities, like a pharmacy or hardware store, we do have a cigar store and my American readers might be shocked to note that it sells Cuban cigars. They sell the fancier wooden boxes for five dollars but they give away the paper-covered ones. It is the wooden one with the recessed lid that I need for my project but I couldn’t resist picking up a couple of the others as well. They are so attractive and I am sure I can use them for something. On the bottom of the pile you can see my current box.

The next step is to replace the hardware with something a little more sturdy. I will try to post again as I progress.