Wednesday

Gear Art (Restoration Hardware Knock-Off)

(you can also read an update to this post HERE)


I have no idea why I felt compelled to do this knock-off interpretation of artifact "art" from Restoration Hardware, especially considering my new-found love of all things gold, curvy and swirly.  Maybe it was the challenge of acquiring old gears and wheels or maybe it's just a great "upcycle".  Either way, I couldn't get it out of my head (for months).  

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The inspiration from Restoration Hardware

When I dropped in on a tractor dealership and asked about vintage gears, they all looked at me like I had 3 heads.  (I still think it's funny that there's a tractor dealership about 2 miles from my house, ah, Kansas!)  Anyway, once I explained why I wanted them, Chris brought me to what he lovingly referred to as the "scrap heap".  In fact, he suggested that I come by at least once a week and start making a lot of art (hmmm, is that lucrative?)  Anyway, I chose a few funky pieces just to get started.   

These weren't vintage as in "rusty", but they were legit.  And really greasy.  I degreased them (in the kitchen sink - it wasn't pretty) using some orange stuff Hubby bought years before.  I have to mention this because there was a fairly major argument over this purchase in 2003.  At this point, he wins the argument and gets a huge apology.  It's all-natural and worked like a charm!  (and I can't believe we held onto the stuff for that long!)

I'd searched Craigslist and eBay for some antique pulleys and gears, but they were even more expensive than RH's versions, so I decided that it just wasn't going to happen.  Then, I dropped in on an estate sale one day and in a corner sat a sad little (big!) pulley for $8!  Game changer!


Once I had all the pieces, it was pretty simple.  I cleaned them all up and painted them Krylon's Oil Rubbed Bronze to get a uniform look (you knew that was coming, right?).  I used L brackets on the back of each one with the Loctite liquid weld.  It worked for some, but for a couple, the liquid weld just popped right off.  I used my trusty E6000 and it worked!  Then, I mounted each of them to a thick piece of trim.




Here's the finished product!





A few of these are really heavy but I think they'll be perfect for a bookcase.
I might add a pretty treadle sewing machine wheel to the collection.

What do you think?



PS. my little guys love these and have already "called" certain gears for their rooms'.  ("One looks like a Lego Mom!")

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These gears were FEATURED here! (Are ya kidding? How awesome is that?!?!)

homemade crafts Photobucket IhookedupwithHoHlamespice Stuff and Nonsense Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle


Sharing this project here:

81 comments:

  1. Now that is just awesome. I LOVE IT. Never seen anything like it before - thanks SO much for sharing!

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  2. holy gearations....that is just AHHH-mazing! you need to link this baby up to a boatload of blog parties, missy. NOW!

    i love it and am totally impressed with you and whatever the heck e6000 may be.

    wow.

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  3. E6000 Rocks! I use it for just about everything! And your gear art is stunning!! Better than the fancy store's stuff!

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  4. Awesomeness! Love Love Love!!! You go, girl!
    xoxo- Andi Z

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  5. @Kammy Wielenga
    Kammy, thanks so much - it was such a funny little project!! (and thanks for hosting!!!) - Lori

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  6. @Amy of The Salvage Collection
    Will do!! I'm so glad you like it! (i have to find something to do when it's too cold to paint furniture, right?) e6000 glue rocks for metal to metal and glass to glass, but I still love my foaming gorilla glue the best! Thanks for the compliment!! - L

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  7. @Lori C
    I spent about 1/2 of my life as "Lori C", so I had to laugh when you commented! Apparently that e6000 is NOT to be taken lightly - ha! Thanks for the compliment and thanks for visiting!! - Lori

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  8. Found you thru HOH... This is just amazingly beautiful! Great job!!!

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  9. @Raising Z Olga, thanks so much! And thanks for visiting! - Lori

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  10. I LOVE that....it is cool looking. Nice job.

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  11. @Pam
    Pam, thanks SO much!! And thanks for visiting!! - Lori

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  12. Fantastic idea~ they look amazing! Would love for you to come share this at Feathered Nest Friday at my blog sometime!

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  13. @Courtney ~ French Country Cottage
    Courtney - thanks! (and I'll def stop by and link up!) Thanks for visiting!

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  14. Wow! I love, love this! I so want to do this in my home. I have eyed the R.H gears too but don't want to spend that kind of money. I think I'll follow your lead and collect some gears and clean them (have to see if there are any tractor shops nearby). Thanks for sharing!

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  15. @Taunnie Taunnie, thanks so much! If only we could diy EVERYTHING in the RH catalog, right? Thanks so much for visiting!! - Lori

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  16. This is awesome! A friend of mine lives on an acreage and bought a metal detector for "treasure hunting" it's pretty fun, and we found some cool stuff (and also not cool stuff - rusty nails!) We were thinking bout doing something like this!

    http://www.envirocraftiness.com/2011/06/treasure-hunting.html

    ~JILL
    www.envirocraftiness.com

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  17. Thats really cool you have inspired me to start looking for gears at the flea markets! Now following:)

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  18. @Jill Jill, thanks! I bet you guys could find some amazing things! I know every time we visit my Aunt's farm, we bring home lots of rusty what-nots! Thanks for stopping by! - Lori

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  19. @Deana@CountryMommaCooks Deana, I'd love to see what you find!! Thanks for stopping by and following! - Lori

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  20. I absolutely love this, great knock off! A few blog friends and I are collectively presenting a new challenge idea that we would love to have you join. If you have a second, check in at http://www.thespacebetweenblog.wordpress.com on Monday, and feel free to email me if you have any questions!
    Karah @ thespacebetweenblog

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  21. such a simple idea
    with amazing results

    i love this gear knock-off
    and am so glad
    you shared it at Fridays Unfolded!

    alison

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  22. Great job...love the gears...and I need to find that 6000 stuff, oh, and liquid weld! You'd think I lived in the country or something....oh, I do...hummm. Thanks for the tut!

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  23. I love this! I think painting it all one color allows you to see the awesome shapes better! Thanks for the inspiration. I'm going to go dig in the junkpile at the ranch...

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  24. @Karah @ thespacebetweenblog
    Karah, thank you! I will show up on Monday ready to go!! - Lori

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  25. @Stuff and Nonsense
    Alison, thanks so much! I appreciate you hosting and stopping by! - Lori

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  26. @kpaints
    Thank you! Yes, I'm new to e6000 too, but it's pretty impressive (stinky, though)! Thanks for visiting! - Lori

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  27. @Karen
    Karen, I'm so glad you love it! You'll have to let me know what you come up with!! Thanks for visiting! - Lori

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  28. Love the Steampunk Style and I have used a few gears and cogs in my own designs. I also love those particular pieces from R.H. as inspiration. An excellent find. I'm always on the look-out for such pieces and some auctions will be coming up in March where I'll hopefully happen upon more! Please stop by and visit The Frugal Tree some time too! I saw your linky at Debbiedoo's by the way.

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  29. These look great! I love the contrast of the dark gears against the white wall. These look amazing. I love it. I found you from DebbieDoos newbie party! I am your newest follower! Feel free to come over and visit me anytime as well! theconsignerdesigner.com

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  30. These look great! Creative repurposing!
    ~ Julie

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  31. Love the gear art...so creative...looks wonderful on the mantle

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  32. Great idea! I was just thumbing thru RH catalog a couple days ago & saw these!

    Found you thru Debbiedoos.

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  33. I love RH for inspiration and your gear art looks awesome! Great job!

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  34. Great gears, great display. Good tutorial. Have you checked out Donna at Funky Junk Interiors. She would love this. I am going to follow your blog. Hope you take a look at mine.

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  35. I have been drooling over Restoration Hardware's gears for a couple of years. My husband is a car fanatic...we have 11 classic cars....and I think I can find enough stuff in his pile of 'treasures' to make these and display them in our bedroom or on our fireplace mantle. Thanks for the how-to inspiration!

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  36. Can not resist gear art. Love what you created. Thanks for the clear how to details in your post. I am going to follow your blog and put a link back to your blog from mine so I don't miss any posts.

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  37. @cmr
    cmr - I've been responding to others' comments in a different way, but I couldn't wait to get back to yours! I'm guessing you can make some really cool art! One of my future posts is about my husband's Shelby Cobra, stay tuned and maybe you can even get your hubby thinking DIY blogs are cool - ha! - L

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  38. OMG. Where have you been all my life? I love gears and what you did is amazing. They were so great looking.
    Your newest follower,
    Lisa

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  39. I love these! I need to start saving extra gears from our garage. Saw this @ Tip Junkie!

    -caroline @ c.w.frosting

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  40. @Erin of Salvaged Whimsy
    Erin, thanks so much and thanks for visiting!! - Lori

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  41. @outjunking Lisa,thank you so much! There's just something about old gears, isn't there??? Thanks for following!! - Lori

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  42. @c.w.frosting
    Caroline - I can't wait to see what you come up with!! Thanks for visiting!!! - Lori

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  43. This is awesome! I love the way it turned out - what a great project!I am totally pinning it! I am stopping by from TT&J -

    Amanda
    everycreativeendeavor.com

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    1. Amanda, thanks so much (and thanks for pinning!) - Lori

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  44. Looks fantastic. Congrats.

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  45. I love this! I am totally going to solicite scrap metal from my cousin's farm to do this project.

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    1. Amanda, thanks! I have to think that you could find some amazing things like this on a farm - you'll have to post some pics of what you come up with! - Lori

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    2. BTW - uffda is hilarious and a term I may totally adopt! :)

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  46. Those are GREAT I LOVE them!!!!

    Pamela @ pbjstories.com

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    1. Pamela, thank so much! (and thanks for visiting!) - Lori

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  47. I am trying to work with some metal for a project and am having a hard time getting it to stay put. What the heck is liquid weld? And E6000?

    These look amazing!!!!!

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    1. Catherine, thanks so much for visiting! I think "liquid weld" is a general term but the brand I used was actually Loctite Epoxy Weld. It's 2 tubes of bonding compound that you mix together and then use for metals. I'm pretty sure I bought it a lowe's. E6000 is a great, strong adhesive for lots of stuff and I bought it at michael's. The packaging for both warn of harmful vapors, but with the small amount I used (and wasn't getting my face right in them) it wasn't too bad. Anyway, I hope you project turns out great! Thanks again - L

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  48. Saw these over at HoH- they look great!!! How/where exactly did you put the brackets?

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    1. Sheila, thanks!!! I attached the L brackets on the back of each gear along the bottom. I tried to put the horizontal part of the bracketlevel with the lowest point on the each gear so that it would sit flush on the wood trim, then I screwed them down. For the heavier ones I used 2 brackets. It's a little hard to see, but the photo above with the newspaper shows where I put each one. Thank for visiting!! - Lori

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  49. I love industrial and antiquey things! I need to find a tractor dealership :)

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  50. Allison - no, YOU are awesome! Thanks so much for the feature! Button has been grabbed and I'm giving the shout out on fb & twitter! Thanks again - L

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  51. Lisa, thanks so much! Come on out to Kansas - I only know of 1 or 2, but I'm guessing we have a million - ha! - Lori

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  52. Industrial heaven! Fabulous project! Thanks for linking up to the 1st Project of the Year Party!

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  53. Is there any way you could post a picture of the back so I could see what the L brackets look like attached? We found a bunch of old pulleys in a shed we tore down and I've been looking for a way to display them (advice: They don't hang well on walls. Holes. GIANT HOLES).

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  54. Never mind, apparently I stopped reading your answers in my haste to GET some answers!

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    Replies
    1. ;) I get it - I'm the SAME way!! If you want, send me your email address (lorilowell at gmail dot com) and I'll send you a close up or two!!

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  55. Crazy over the top in love with this! Never knew gears could look so upscale.

    I had to share it on FJI Facebook and pinned for SNS 116. :)

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150569925286141&set=a.192514281140.164586.175378011140&type=1&theater

    Donna

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    1. Donna, thank you so much!!! I really, really hoped you'd like these! (and thanks for visiting!) - L

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  56. I love stuff like this because it speaks of someone who once owned this old gear on a piece of machinery. It speaks history and people. It speaks livelyhood and remembrance of a simpler time. It makes me think of a childhood where I was raised in the country. I always loved to go into the hardware store with my grandpa and look at all the neat hardware and "stuff" they had in there. It was a great adventure. Don't you think this is why some of us are so drawn to pieces like this?

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    1. Beth, I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment! - Lori

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  57. Just introduced to your blog with this gearogous piece of art! WOW! I absolutely Love It!.....and will be on the hunt for gears!! Thank you for the inspiration!

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    1. Frankie, thanks so much for your kind words and for visiting! I can't wait to see what you find!! - Lori

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  58. I am so not surprised you were featured all over town! This is awesome-what a score-those things can be soo pricey!Come link up at my party-open till Monday night..pretty please?

    http://kim-toomuchtimeonmyhands.blogspot.com/2012/01/get-schooled-saturday-6-and-e-book.html

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  59. Thank you so much for sharing last week on Thingamajig Thursday! Your post was featured at this week's party. Hope to see you again this week!

    Alida
    radcrafter.com

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    1. Alida, thanks so much!! I'm so excited to be featured!! - L

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  60. Now that is impressive! It reafirms my feeling that we can make anything we want given enough imagination! Great job! Violette Noble

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  61. Love, love, love this!

    Can you give an approximate circumference of your gears? My sense of space is completely thrown off in pictures.

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  62. You Know... I love them all together.... Don't separate them.... Just make more for the boy's room... and YES, why not try making them to sell? :)

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  63. Question!
    Love this idea, and I'm going to attempt to do the same :)
    I was wondering what you used to hold the gears? They look like little white blocks but did you buy them from somewhere or did you also make it??

    Thanks!
    -Rachel

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