Surely someone has done this, we have an old copper boiler in the corner of a room - with the fire to be lit underneath and the chimney, along with the wooden top, I want to convert this into a sink. I just need either a bowl made or to find one that will sit in. Has anyone done anything like this before and if so, what bowl did they inset?
- Thread starter Socksitis
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88v8
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If you want it to fit directly inside, I think you'll have to trawl around bathroom merchants to find one the correct diameter. I dare say coppers came in many sizes.
Two issues with sitting it inside... this first is sealing between the outside of the bowl and the rim of the copper. They have different rates of expansion. If water gets in, that will not be great.
The second is that round bowls with no rim are fundamentally ridiculous, as when one is washing, water runs down the outside.
What one might do, depending on the diameter of the copper, is find a bowl of smaller diameter, make a wooden rim that hangs over the edge of the copper by about an inch, and sit the bowl within the rim. Teak. Jigsaw. Oil the teak.
The question then would be what to do with the circle of teak you cut out.
Ivor
Two issues with sitting it inside... this first is sealing between the outside of the bowl and the rim of the copper. They have different rates of expansion. If water gets in, that will not be great.
The second is that round bowls with no rim are fundamentally ridiculous, as when one is washing, water runs down the outside.
What one might do, depending on the diameter of the copper, is find a bowl of smaller diameter, make a wooden rim that hangs over the edge of the copper by about an inch, and sit the bowl within the rim. Teak. Jigsaw. Oil the teak.
The question then would be what to do with the circle of teak you cut out.
Ivor
I have measured the diameter and it is pretty large. The current copper isn't copper - it has rusted! If I can repair the old door at the bottom and then point the brick work and then find as you suggest Ivor, finding a bowl of the diameter to sit and to overlap at the top. If I were to have a bowl made, say of stainless steel, where would I go? Although that may not be the best solution?
Socksitis said:
For a circular bowl, ideally you'd want someone that does metal spinning. But stainless steel is a pig to work with. Copper would spin a treat... A S/S sink could be welded in sections quite easily, and there are plenty of fabricators around that could do the job - One I would suggest would be F.W. Hall of Norwich - They can do both copper and stainless steel.
How large does this bowl need to be ?
It may be possible that an "off the shelf" one could be adapted.
Sorted! Yes, must post some photo's, we have an old mahogany wash stand that has a bowl with soap dish and tray all built in, with a plug hole, pipe and brass tap all fitted - it fits in the copper boiler a real treat. Trouble is, should i keep the bowl as part of the mahogany wash stand, which is in need of repair, or use the bowl in the copper?
Will try and post photo's next week.
Will try and post photo's next week.
Personally I find the best way to upload them from the phone is to upload the images here
https://ctrlq.org/images/
And then copy + paste the upload links into this forum.
Regards,
Damon
https://ctrlq.org/images/
And then copy + paste the upload links into this forum.
Regards,
Damon
I have come back around to converting this to a sink. It is now known as the carbuncle - not by me! So, I have thoughts. The concrete around the top is broken and it is concrete, this may be an opportunity to replace with something like stone/slate and make the worktop that would have a bowl underset. The taps, I have purchased some beautiful brass globe taps, so in an ideal world I would like some brass pipe and a brass swept bend or elbow. Whilst I can see brass fitting suppliers aplenty on the internet, I cannot see any brass pipe - perhaps it is not the done thing? Has anyone else used globe taps for over a bowl? I have another set, as I liked them so much, to go over the Belfast sink - builders love these sorts of challenges!
Socksitis said:
Well, the good news is brass pipe is available in both polished and plain finishes. The bad news is it is quite expensive (think £25+VAT per metre), and generally only available in imperial sizes. So a 5/8" pipe may not fit your 15mm fittings unless you can open them out to 15.87mm or turn the pipe down on the end... The latter may be a possibility as the size I'm looking at has a wall thickness of 1.2mm.
An alternative would be a pipe sleeving kit: http://www.geyser.co.uk/pipe-sleeve-collar-18diam-130len-antique-brass-plated-brass-p-2493.html
Tadelakt to replace the concrete would probably fit in. You could probably do it yourself, would look quite good I would say.
Here's a pic that our plasterer did in his boat - "limestone effect" he was aiming for, seemed to me to have made a reasonable effort. It is just a mix of sand, lime and pigment. I assume the art is in not mixing the pigment in thoroughly, and then the polishing/oiling/waxing that it gets to make the finish as it dries. I think he used "olive soap" on this
Here's a pic that our plasterer did in his boat - "limestone effect" he was aiming for, seemed to me to have made a reasonable effort. It is just a mix of sand, lime and pigment. I assume the art is in not mixing the pigment in thoroughly, and then the polishing/oiling/waxing that it gets to make the finish as it dries. I think he used "olive soap" on this
steveb said:
Tadelakt is a little more than just sand & lime with a bit of pigment thrown in
. A useful document I came across describes it in a fair bit of detail. http://media.voog.com/0000/0037/2776/files/tadelakt_english.pdfThe plaster is often a mix of sands, marble dust, and hydraulic lime. Applied in a fairly thick layer (up to 5mm) and then compressed with a trowel whilst drying. The final compressing is done with a stone which gives the Tadelakt its distinctive patination. Within 24 hours, an olive oil soap solution is then applied and rubbed in and given a final polish with a sponge or rag wrapped in plastic. A few weeks later, the surface would then be waxed and polished again.
To get a marble effect with veining, one could apply the natural plaster and then paint the veins in with a combination of brushes and feathers before it has completely dried - A good quality water based acrylic paint would be suitable once thinned and mixed to the appropriate shades.
I've been doing a bit of polished plaster work around the house, and am in the middle of doing a utility room - Mixing dry raw pigments has thrown up a few small issues with "colour bombs", and I've taken to grinding the stuff to a paste before mixing it in with the plaster.