Sunday, January 7, 2024

In Memory of Robert Nelson

 


 

Obituary of Robert William Nelson

Robert William Nelson, 74, formerly of Mediapolis, passed away Sunday, January 7, 2024, at the Bird House Hospice Home in Iowa City. He was born October 22, 1949, in Burlington to Paul Robert and Ethel Elaine (Trostle) Nelson, the third of seven children.

Bob and Dale J. Pfafflin, the love of his life, were united in marriage on December 18, 1971, at the First United Methodist Church in Mediapolis.

He graduated from Mediapolis High School in 1968, Southeastern Community College in 1970, and Coleman College in San Diego in 1974.

Bob was drafted into the United States Army and served in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star.

He retired from the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown after 34 years as a Systems Analyst.

Bob was a lifetime member of the First United Methodist Church in Mediapolis and served on the Mediapolis Fire Department for many years. His hobbies included the Iowa Hawkeyes, boating, gardening, hunting, fishing, and especially time with family.

Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Dale J. Nelson, North Liberty; two sons, Joshua (Tanya) Nelson, Maple Grove, MN, and Cody (Vanessa) Nelson, Amman, Jordan; eight grandchildren, Olivia, Parker, Brandon, Maddie, Eleanor, Simone, Beatrice, and Andre; three sisters, Vicky Rechkemmer, Burlington, Jan (Wes) Zimmerman, Waterloo, Mary (Russ) Smith, Burlington, and Linda (Scott) Jones, Tampa, FL; and two brothers, Jim Nelson, Colorado Springs, CO, and Tom (Darla) Nelson, Mediapolis; two sisters-in-law, Dana Johnston, Burlington, and Emily Alberda, Charleston, WV; nieces and nephews; great-nieces and great-nephews; and a large circle of  family and friends who will miss him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, mother-in-law Carol Hippe, brother-in-law Mark Pfafflin, and father-in-law Donald Pfafflin.

Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City is assisting the family with arrangements. His body has been donated to the University of Iowa for medical research.

A celebration of Bob’s life will be held in the summer of 2024.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758516, Topeka, KS, or The Bird House, Hospice Home of Johnson County, PO Box 3338, Iowa City, IA 52244-3338. Cards may be sent to Dale J. Nelson, 105 East Tartan Drive, North Liberty, IA 52317

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Tiny Houses and Cabins

 Tiny Houses and Cabins

The Breathe Easy
The Forester

The Wildflower

The Peshcocan

Gerde House

The Wildflower

The Wildflower II


The Prairie Schooner
 
The Prairie Rose

The Ravenlore II


The hOme

The Sneaky Pete

The Ravenlore

The Wildflower

Living it Up

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Japanese Soak Tub

 Making a Japanese Soaking tub

A collage of the happy new owner of the custom Japanese  wooded soaking tub

1. Select Material to be used

Tubs are traditionally made of Hinoki - used for centuries to build Shinto temples. Its American cousin is Port Oxford Cedar, and both woods are prized for their antiseptic properties – sushi chefs use them for chopping boards. Other woods used are teak, oak, maple and other hardwoods.

We chose cedar for this tub because of its work ability, the color, tight knots, aroma, and character.

2. Determine size of tub 

The tub size for this project is 24" wide by 36" long and not to exceed a height of 24"  This is a custom tub to fit a required space in a bath remodel. There will be no step, no seat, and guaranteed not to leak . Below is a drawing of the tub

 

3. Material sized for sides, bottom

 

4. T&G Material for assembly

 We used a router table and bit set for cutting the tongue & groves The bit set comes as a matching set so that all joints are tight. Once warm water is added to the tub, the wood will swell up form a tight seal.


5. Test assemble parts and dry fit

 

6. Sanding the parts

 

7. Assembling the parts

 The finished tub below is without any varnish applied to the exterior or interior. It has concealed fasteners behind the wood pegs and sanded with an 80 grit sandpaper after being glued together.  After the 1st sanding, the corners were round with a router bit then sanded again.

To make sure we were getting a good final surface, we scribbled with a lead pencil lightly then sanded it again to remove all pencil marking.



8. Determine the finishing of the tub


 

Traditional style Japanese soaking tubs rely on tight fitting tongue and grove fitted joints that will swell and eliminate any leaks or weeping of water thru the walls or bottom of the tub. This allows the aroma of wood to relax the bather more.

The owner of this tub opted for a leak proof tub wall and bottom. For this we decided to use Waet fiberglass and resins system. The fiberglass is a 6oz cloth and the resins are by West Resins and Epoxy systems. From beginner to expert, the product is easy to use until one gets to the final coats. It is recommended that wood tub walls be primed with epoxy resin two times so that the cloth and subsequent layers have better bonding to each other. It is suggested that the final topcoat be a clear finish such as a varnish or another clear coat.

Part 2 will explain the finishing steps. Stay tuned....

Price on this tub is $1850.00 *

* Price does not include 6 coats of varnish, West Epoxy System or freight.

 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Projects

Deck


Timber Porch
Closer Look at Timber Porch

A Tiny House by Tiny Green Cabins LLC

New Main Floor Family Room



Large Deck

New Kitchen Cabinets with Quarter Sawn Oak

Goat Barn

Goat Barn with attic trusses
Before Picture

After Picture of Timber Porch