fredk Report post Posted July 18, 2019 I think this the first time I've posted up something for you to look at Background to this. Two members of my vintage sports car club got married a few months ago. I only found out on July 2nd (at 04:12 BST!). I like this pair so I thought I'd make them something especially as both are, to put it politely, very, very affluent and don't need a toaster or kettle. However, both compete in vintage car rallies around the world as well at home. This started as 'I know, I'll cover a clip board for them' ~~ then it grew and grew as I added the things that rally navigators need to hand. Vintage (aka Antique) cars do not have very many places to stow the necessaries during a rally. This is one of the pair with one of their cars, an early Buick Now I present to you my Rally Navigator's Work Board. About 4 evenings designing and thinking about it and 7 days to make, maybe just about 10 hours in total. It measures 34 cm wide by 42 cm long. Leather is some 2mm (belly type I think) that I had laying around in my oddments box. Dye is Fiebings. A couple of years ago I over thinned some Tan colour so I added some Dark Brown to it and added some Red dye just for. . . . well, cos I felt like it. And speaking of felt, sandwiched between the front and back leather pieces is 3mm MDF board with a layer of felt on the back. Item holders on the front are sewn to the front leather but all rivets are ready-rivets which go through the MDF board, but not the back piece of leather. The holder for the stopwatch was wet moulded, then a soft leather glued to the inside. The pen/pencil holder is wet moulded. The eraser/sharpener loop is just a strap sewn on. After dyeing it got several coats of thinned Resolene and then about 3 coats of a floor 'polish' which is actually a water-thin acrylic varnish. I find a few coats of this helps water-proof items Without the map in place: Across the top: 4 sail eyelets, you always need somewhere to tie or hook things, in this case I've looped the stopwatch lanyard through them. Below is the pencil/pen holder. Left the eraser/sharpener held by a loop, then the maps clip and on the right the stopwatch pocket. Below it is a bulldog paper clip - tbh I'm not happy with that but I couldn't find anything better. The back of the note book below that slips down through a slot in leather. It covers the top of a pocket deliberately The pocket, unobscured, A few items stuffed in with card to stretch the pocket a wee bit The rear of the board is plain except it has a panel with the couple's names on it sewn on Plenty of mistakes, could have been better I know Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwican Report post Posted July 18, 2019 This is really cool! Great job and totally and completely matches the sport! Great job Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ferg Report post Posted July 18, 2019 Looks great! Clever idea, they will definitely be pleased. Ferg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted July 18, 2019 Thank you for the compliments. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HaloJones Report post Posted July 18, 2019 Love it & I am sure they will too! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WTXKid Report post Posted July 18, 2019 That is so nice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PigasusStudio Report post Posted July 31, 2019 Nicely done, bet they're loving it. :0) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allotment17 Report post Posted July 31, 2019 That is a really thoughtful and useful gift. I am sure it will be very well received. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted July 31, 2019 Thank you once more folks. This was handed over at one of our club events on July 20th. The couple were rather pleased with it. Time will tell, and so will they, if it serves its purpose. There is a club event this coming Sunday, 4th August. I do not know if the couple will be out for it. If they are it is an event in which this board will be useful to them Secretly I'm hoping a few club members might ask about having something similar Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwican Report post Posted July 31, 2019 And so they should ask. It's a great piece of kit Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted August 1, 2019 yeah but, no but, yeah but, no but, yeah but, the ones in my motor club are a tight-fisted lot. They'll spend ten of thousands on a vintage car but wont spend £20 on a new jumper or trews Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LederRudi Report post Posted August 1, 2019 18 hours ago, PigasusStudio said: Nicely done, bet they're loving it. :0) I'll second this! And I like the word "Pigasus"! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeRock Report post Posted August 1, 2019 Nicely done, good idea. I have a question, how readily do the pencils/pens come out? It looks like there's interference in either direction? Or is that just an optical delusion?? Cool Buick..man...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PigasusStudio Report post Posted August 1, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, LederRudi said: And I like the word "Pigasus"! Hehheh, thanks 12 hours ago, fredk said: yeah but, no but, yeah but, no but, yeah but, the ones in my motor club are a tight-fisted lot. They'll spend ten of thousands on a vintage car but wont spend £20 on a new jumper or trews Ah, but a vintage car is often a passion, and a toy, and a general all-around-fun-thing. Jumpers and trews, not so much (even if people at some levels of affluence will pay more for such things than I paid for my non-vintage vehicle). Your Rally Navigator's Work Board could fit into that first lot, especially if you price and craft them as a luxury item. :0) Edited August 1, 2019 by PigasusStudio Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt S Report post Posted August 1, 2019 (edited) 13 hours ago, fredk said: yeah but, no but, yeah but, no but, yeah but, the ones in my motor club are a tight-fisted lot. They'll spend ten of thousands on a vintage car but wont spend £20 on a new jumper or trews Your vintage car club sounds a lot like a target-shooting club. I know of one chap who has a very extensive and valuable collection of Lee Enfields. ("Nice L42" "Thanks, this is the shoddy one, the nice three don't leave the safe" etc.) His wet-weather gear is a set of dayglo overalls a tarmac gang threw away as too disreputable. I find that particularly affluent persons can be some of the most penny-pinching of all. (My granda would say "tighter than a duck's arse", but I'm no so indelicate.) After all -- they didn't get rich by spending money! Edited August 1, 2019 by Matt S Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted August 2, 2019 (edited) 17 hours ago, MikeRock said: Nicely done, good idea. I have a question, how readily do the pencils/pens come out? It looks like there's interference in either direction? Or is that just an optical delusion?? partly optical, the pencil slides in and out easy enough. The eraser/sharpener unit needs sliding down a bit to allow the pen to slide out to the left. Initially there was not going to be anything to the left of the pen holder, then it was just going to be an eraser, a lot smaller of what went in. On the Mark 2 I might slope the pen holder, left side low, right side high. Its also been suggested to put the pens vertically (and allowing them to poke up past the end of the board) where the eraser is and put that next to the stop watch. I'm toying with the idea of having two map clips; either one top & one bottom, one top & one on left side ~ in an open car one needs to hold the maps and papers well or they take off and away. PS. On Thursday 1st Aug I received a nice letter of thanks from the recipients Edited August 2, 2019 by fredk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted January 8, 2022 I'll throw in a late follow-up. Last year my son met up with the board's owners at one of our club events. He was told to pass on a message; that my board is 'world rally winner' board now. The couple had used it in some world vintage car rally which they had won. I patiently await orders to come flooding in from around the world from vintage car rallyists - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrdunn Report post Posted January 8, 2022 2 hours ago, fredk said: I'll throw in a late follow-up. Last year my son met up with the board's owners at one of our club events. He was told to pass on a message; that my board is 'world rally winner' board now. The couple had used it in some world vintage car rally which they had won. I patiently await orders to come flooding in from around the world from vintage car rallyists - Perhaps even some international fame! Nice work by the way. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samalan Report post Posted January 8, 2022 Nice job on that looks very cool. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
