Glad I Didn't Trash Him!

Many years ago, I bought United Design's Classic Critters Friesian in Harness, a piece that is larger than their others and was pretty costly (at least, when it comes to my budget.)

It is such a pretty piece! And very, very heavy.

The logo/documentation on the box.

I had him out on display until we moved back to Indiana in 2006.  I packed him up in his original box and stored him in my hobby closet.

Three years ago I was going through the boxes that I had stored, and pulled him out to check on him. To my dismay, he was badly damaged.

I could not believe that that had happened - what a bizarre and unusual way for a piece to break! It looked as though something had been set on him or put pressure on that spot over time. Except that... nothing had. He was in his box with nothing pressing on his back.

I nearly tossed him out then and there, but then decided to wait and see if he could be fixed.

Enter my friend Kay Schlumpf. She was having several of her models repaired by DeeAnn Kjelshus and recommended that I let DeeAnn take a look at it and see if a repair might be possible.

We met up at a Great Lakes Congress show, and I had her take a look. DeeAnn said that this kind of fracture sometimes happens if a pocket of resin remains soft while the rest of the resin hardens. She said that she would have to drill out the damaged area and refill it, then paint it, but that it could be repaired. I sent the piece home with her and crossed my fingers.

DeeAnn sent me pictures of the finished repair work this morning.

 It looks terrific!

 I am so glad that I did not chuck this piece into the garbage but gave it a second chance instead. (In fact, that is now its name - Second Chance.)

Thanks, DeeAnn, and to Kay for the recommendation as well!