Hi guys,
I finally finished my sideboard... the dreaded painted wood and ball catch project.
To those that offered help and advice, thank you so much!
Mounting the ball catches turned out to be a pretty good challenge. The doors have an inner bevel that didn't allow for most templates and no way I could get it aligned to mount the catch on the side instead of the bottom. It turned out to be much less obtrusive than I thought it would be because the new catches were smaller than the originals. I ended up mounting them on the bottom of the door frame (as they were originally) then my husband suggested using modeling clay to get the alignment. First, I set the base of the catch in the place where I wanted it, and pushed the door gently into the closed position. This pushed the clasp right into place and then I screwed them down. Then I inserted the male part of the catch into the base with the screw holes facing the door. Next I smooshed (that being the technical term, of course) a light strip of modeling clay onto the door and closed it gently. The clasp left an impression in the clay of exactly where the screw holes were . All I had to do was mark the holes then drill and set the catch. Worked perfectly the first shot. I was relieved to say the least.
So, for those of you who may have thought that painting an old sideboard was an abomination, I offer for your consideration, these photos of one that was a wreck, that has now become a family heirloom.
Kate O|||||||O