The change of topic in the "Bring my Car" thread leads me to an interesting question...

To bring or not to bring my circa 1918 Seth Thomas mantle clock?

It has been subjected to humidity that rivals tropical climes in MI and MN as well as dessicating dryness, but the salt air is what concerns me......anybody out there that has experience with mechanical clocks on BON?? Will the clockworks sieze up or does normal lubrication protect them sufficiently? And a couple mothballs in the body - sufficient to ward off the termites?

As far as the furniture.....I'm going to go for the plastic patio look in the future:- }

Dara,

I would advise against bringing any antiques. The salt in the air is quite bad, and the humidity, termites, burrowing ants, and other pests only add to the threats to any furnishings of value.

Jake

Dara,
Most antiques I would agree.. especially if you plan to live as close to the water as jake does.. Seth Thomas has made a great number of ship clocks and chronographs since day one.. the works aren't going to have much problem.. We have a bunch of old clocks in my parents house in NJ which has a lot more problems with salt water then does Bonaire (the atlantic comes to visit our side yard about once every two years and we are 4 blocks fromthe ocean.. ).. I would be more concerned with the dust and dirt then the salt. especially if it is a chiming clock...

I would definately leave those old over stuffed love seats at home.. I can just imagine what would settle in those...

Seth counted on salt and humidity but I have never heard of termites living on wooden sailing ships. Toredos below the waterline often but not termites in chronometer cases!!! Not even in the RN.

Dara, We just bought a house in Bonaire a few months ago...we had some things shipped by AMCAR that we new were more expensive in Bonaire than the states or deals we couldn't pass up (we got a whole living room set, white wicker, entertain center, chest of drawers...etc for $500.00 bucks. Anyway...we picked up a lot at Dura (its across from Lisa Gas Station if I remember correctly...anyway, it was hit or miss and we paid extremely reasonable prices....Good Luck!

Dara, you ARE planning on taking those boxes of bright, shiny, pink sequins, aren't ya? :-)

Glen.. Two different issues.. Discussions was centering alot more on salt then bugs.. As far as termited.. maybe they were not envisioned in clock cases but if termites were as bad as we sometimes think then there would be no houses.. they are a problem and must be aggressively dealt with.. but I have a REAL hard time seeing how my old clock would be more attractive to a termite then my wood chairs, my wood storage cabinets, or my wood leg..


,

There is very litte wood used in construction here. Roofing uses treated lumber and there are extermnators that regularly take care of the critters. FYI, Dura home center is sort of winding down his business as is the 77 store.

Michael.. I have a degree of wood in my house... you will note I did not refer to my wood roof or my wood porch for just the reasons you noted.. I have seen what termites can do on Bonaire, or in NJ or many other locations.. to say that you can't bring down a antique clock because of termites ..I view as a littel extreme.. I am just trying to balance things out a bit

I would be cautious about termites on Bonaire...I had a house where my waterbed was on tile and when I moved, I discovered that the little buggers had come up through the grout and started eating the wooden supporting structure.

The current house has a bit of wood in it, but it is all treated and painted...so far, so good.

And lastly, the termites in Bonaire are mild compared to here in Jakarta - hahahha, a month ago they came out from behind a mirror and started eating the paper menu of our local takeout restaurant - BTW, the food is good, so methinks the little buggers are connoisseurs with little brains, cus they only ate the menu and not the phone book.

After reading these last messages I think this is the site I need to be on. I am interested in purchasing a house in Bonaire ( I have one picked our) and am interested in hearing the pros and cons of Bonaire home ownership. Can any body give me any info?

Be wary of bringing wood to Bonaire-- termites take most of it. I believe you will find most lasting furniture is rattan, etc.