Saturday is Project Day

This weeks project to share with you is another display prop.

 

I picked up this stand for cheap a couple of weeks ago, and it'll make an ideal table-top stand for handbags. I had been using a floor-standing rack, but for various reasons I'd always disliked it. The beauty of this one is that it unscrews quickly and easily so will be tiny to transport. Which is a very big deal for me, as I currently have a tiny car.

  

But I wasn't terribly happy with the look of it-far too colourful and, umm, kiddie. I'm of the mind that good props shouldn't be noticed, and they certainly shouldn't be so colourful as to detract from what they're displaying. So, to get rid of the colour! 

  

I fancy myself a bit handy with a sander, so after confirming that the colour went far too deep to attempt sanding by hand, each peg went into the vice one by one. I then sanded each one by hand to perfect the rounded shape and remove as much of the colour as I could.
 

As you can see I wasn't terribly careful, but I didn't really need to be because the straight length of the pegs will largely be hidden when the stand is in use.

  

I also gave each peg a coating of Dubbin leather conditioner, which significantly improved the timbers colour.

 

Et voila! A much plainer stand. I know some colour is still visible, but its not too bad once in use.

  

I left the red knob on top as is, because it would look worse if the colour wasn't sanded off perfectly. I considered chopping it off completely, but it might come in handy to hang something from.

So although I'm going to use this to sell handbags from, this could be an ideal item for you at home. If you're a person who has lots of handbags and changes them frequently (hello Helga ;) or you just like to have them on display, this kind of stand could work really well for you.