The Salvager

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MMUK

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Has anyone seen this programme? The guy turns out some half decent "rustic" stuff but I'm worried about his obsession with wax to finish everything. He's not exactly health & safety conscious either :?
 
I've been following him since the start, he's one of the main reasons I thought "I could have a crack at that... " and here I am... sort of.

His style shows you don't need a lot of skill to put together finctional furniture you don't treat like an heirloom, and he's been knocking out stuff like this for many many years, and still has all fingers; but he does state with certain things about wearing goggles and dust masks etc.

(I actually knew him personally many years ago (25) as a Guardian Angel, but didn't put 2 and 2 together until only recently)
 
I find him refreshing, as he achieves some interesting projects and without the gadgetry that some are obsessed with.
I think "Rustic" is his watchword.
Regards Rodders
 
Our tip would refuse some of the cr4p he makes.
Bodging biking berk, stay in France.
 
n0legs":xl0qns13 said:
Our tip would refuse some of the cr4p he makes.
Bodging biking berk, stay in France.

He's not actually in France but in the UK. Somewhere in Kent I believe. Although he did do at least one French series that I'm aware of.
 
Was he the geezer who made a greenhouse from loads of used discarded glazed external doors ?
It looked horrendous but it made me very grateful for the neighbours I have so at least the program had a positive effect :shock:
 
Wow... serious lot of snobs on here much?

He's got a large following of "normal" everyday Diyer types - who would make stuff from pallet wood and the missus would be appreciative of the efforts.

Is an adirondack chair made from palletwood a bodging load of cr.. n0legs or rustic utilitarian furniture, that's cheap, pretty easy to make and a good re-use of wood?

Seriously guys.... zero points for considering the other levels of "people who make things with wood".

It it wasn't for him I wouldn't have made these things below, and more besides. All of those things were made because Rico Daniels said I could, showed me how - and in a way I could relate to far more than Norm and other TV woodworkers. He started the seed and nutured the seedling with advice on FB and such that other people on this forum have helped along after.

None of you lot were born being able to do what you can do, so I politely suggest you get off your pedestals and think again.
 

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+1 rafezetter.

But you're wasting your breath (or your typing finger).

Far too many woody snobs about.
 
I need to make some planters rafe and those ones look quite nice. Do you have any plans for them?
 
Rico's made a few good bits over the years, some awful as well. I thought he had brought a place in France.

There was some chat about discovery making another series but as far as I know it never happened.

Ignore any snobbery, people like what they like and some of us are quite happy to recycle material into other projects without removing every trace of its former life.
 
There's some very cool stuff out there. I'm all for it - recycling, pallet wood, the works.

MG_7611.jpg
 
I wouldn't buy the stuff he makes, but they are entertaining programs and if they encourage people to take up woodwork than that is good.
Did you see him in Oil City confidential, the program about Dr Feelgood.

Pete
 
Colleagues
Horses for courses as they say. But before you all have a go, he used to be a very good contributor to this forum and offered some really good and useful advice on everything that i recall.
 
rafezetter":1xujh2oo said:
Wow... serious lot of snobs on here much?

Is an adirondack chair made from palletwood a bodging load of cr.. n0legs or rustic utilitarian furniture, that's cheap, pretty easy to make and a good re-use of wood?


Steady on now neddy, don't want you getting in a gert big sweat :roll:

Reusing pallet wood is fine by me, I like old doors as a source of timber personally.
But..........
Old Ricobaby takes the pi55.
Who thinks a water tank and a fire extinguisher makes a good tv unit?
A wardrobe made of doors, three that match and the forth different. He wasn't doing too bad on that one except for the mismatched door.
The rustic table was nearly okay except for the axle bolted underneath.
Who could possibly forget the oh so stylish headboard made of old shoes :shock:
Who the f*** would want any of it, and he trained as an artist (artist in pi55 most probably).

But to you dear Rafezetter, what you've made looks good. Why? Because it doesn't look anything like how it started out in life.
Your washing machine bbq actually looks quite stylish.
So calm down on the snob insults.
I know why you're such a miserable bugger with a chip on your shoulder........
Looking across the channel in envy wishing you were Welsh does horrible things to a mans mind :cry: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Next time I'm over visiting the MIL I'll pop in for a cuppa and tell you stories of Wales, leaving you yearning and hopeful that one day you too could be happy.
 
I'm quite surprised at the level of hostility in this thread, about Ricco and what he does. Surely the fact that he is helping to show that wood work is something that is accessable to anyone regardless of their initial financial and skill level is something we should approve of. After all for most of human history things made of wood have been made through need and with whatever was available. Just because you can afford to spend as much on a single specialised plane than some can on their entire tool set, doesn't give you the upper hand, infact I've generally found this basically leads to most falling into the category of "All the gear and no idea". His approach is a means of showing people that they can have a go at it and who knows they might just like it and want to learn more and help keep crafts alive by taking steps to learn them, which must be a good thing surely.
 
+1 rafezetter.

I think his main aim was show people you could create something from nothing, and he has inspired many people, including myself to have a go. He doesn't produce showroom quality furniture but that's the point. I have a lot of respect for those who have the skills and indeed the time to learn them, to make some of the stunning items I see on here regularly, but I'm never going to be able to do that. the likes of Rico show that's it possible to make functional, and in some peoples eye, attractive furniture over a weekend with not a lot of skill. I'm not saying Rico has little skill, I believe he started doing restoration work so think he could produce produce quality joints and flat surfaces, and use something over than tins of wax, but he's chosen a different path.
The point of some his more esoteric projects was show different skill sets and how, with a little imagination anyone could reuse old rubbish and produce something useful, or even just do it for fun, The TV cabinet was a bit fun to demonstrate that anyone could pick up some metalworking skills and make something, who knew you could go and get your project galvanised for not too much money, I didn't.
The Greenhouse was a practical solution for someone who doesn't see the point of chucking things away to replace them with new things, sure he could have brought something plastic from B&Q, or put up a poly tunnel, or even purchased new wood and glass to build it with, but reused something that had been discarded, and made something functional and original and that reflected his personality, to me that's far more important than worrying about offending your sensitive neighbours. Better still it might inspire his neighbours

Compare the Salvager, for example, to Monty Dons Craft program a few moths ago. few people watching Monty's program would have come away thinking 'I can do that', but after watching the Salvager many people do think that, and some actually do go do it.


Rico has a place in France, which was where his last series was filmed but seems to split his time between the UK his French home.
For some reason he has been unable to get backing for any new series, maybe because most the reality shows that involve making stuff now seem to have to have personalities that regularly argue with each other. Seems the likes of us that watch to learn something have to rely on Youtube.
 
If anybody does have contact with Rico, tell him to sort out a YouTube channel and do his stuff on there. Good enough for Frank/Jimmy and all the rest of them - plus he's got an instant audience waiting once he's up and running.
 
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