(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
07-04-14 Friday
INDEPENDENCE DAY Friday July 4th.
Temps I think in the 80s, mostly cloudy all day with some blue sky showing. A few drips felt in the morning, dry after that with thunder towers building south and west of us but never showing up. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Fort Lauderdale Department of Tourism. Come to visit, spend money and return home. Love us enough to visit for a short time again next year.
My original plans for this day was to stay home and do nothing. I then got word that the family was getting together for a cookout. Around noon, I headed over there.
We did little or nothing in actuality, which was not bad. My brother used the forge that he and my nephew made for making swords. He put some grates across the holes (three air feeds if necessary for a long sword) and then laid the charcoal briquets flat on the grates. The air space beneath the grates, two inches max, was all that was necessary. We put food in foil, like trail packs and cooked it on the coals for each individual. Hamburgers, hotdogs, vegetables, It turned out to be really good. I should have added more on mine but thought I had enough. I could have eaten a little more but not another trail pack worth.
Later we toasted marshmallows over the dying coals. Talk about good. It had been years since I toasted marshmallows. I usually like mine on fire and bow it out as soon as it is black all over. This time though, most were nicely browned by slower cooking. I would pull the shell off, leaving the wet insides on the stick, and toast that before I finish it. Talk about good.
My nephew makes chain mail. Right now he is concentrating on jewelry as he can do something, see how the pattern looks, then make something else with a different pattern. He says that a full chain mail tunic would take three months to make and then it would have to sell for more than it is really worth. If he did not like the pattern, he would have to finish it and then try something different. Just not worth the time and effort. With the jewelry, he can explore many styles and patterns and see what he really likes. They don’t sell for a whole lot compared to full chain mail, so people would be willing to buy it and he could have penty of turn over of product, making it worth doing. What I have seen of his stuff is pretty good.
We talked, got pictures, had a good time together. I did do some crochet. I am working on a scarf and am doing a post stitch. I nearly had the third row done, almost finished with this ball of yarn. I After the fourth place where I got an error on the order of the post stitches, I ripped it all out and tried again, this time making sure it is accurate.
For those who don’t know, most crochet stitches go into the spaces created by the posts of the previous rows of stitches. The post stitch catches on the posts of the row below, and that pulls the lower post out slightly. What I was doing was catching the post in front for one stitch, then reaching behind the row and catching the next post from behind and alternating that with the whole row. My problem was that I had several rows where I caught the two posts in front or in back in a row and that really throws off the pattern of the stitch. It is hard to correct as the next stitch would be grabbed backwards.
What I am doing now is the post caught from behind is now getting caught in front and the front is caught from behind. I find it looks like it is a woven pattern. The posts going in front of or behind the horizontal rows.
Later in the day, they fired off some sparkling fireworks out front. One that was supposed to sparkle, popped and scared the “baby” who is like two years old. Just before I was about to go, the older child was throwing his ball into the tree and it got stuck. My brother and I knew that was what he was trying to do, but then he was shocked and disappointed when it got stuck there. We tried shaking the branch but it was not moving. Because a motor cycle was beneath the tree I could not toss anything heavy or hard. When I hit the twigs, the ball fell nicely. I lost one sheet of the paper towel, otherwise it was good.
I hope to do some wood working tomorrow.
I will see what I actually do.
Year 15, Week 24, Day One (week 721)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
07-05-14 Saturday
94 degrees, 99% humidity, clouds everywhere some sun now and then. Wet in the morning, which kills yard sales. Plants love it though. Some thunder Boomers grew to the south and west and never came by us. As really big thunder boomers started building up after 2 and temps went down to 85 by three. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.
The weather was not great in the morning. There were no outside yard sales. We did learn ofs a church yard sale so we went to that. We were there about two weeks ago. That wooden bread box was still there, tempting me. I have no use for it, no place to put it, and don’t know who would want to get it, but it was tempting me anyway. Since there was no other yard sails, we decided to hang there a bit. I first purchased some tiny aluminum loaf pans, a metal funnel, and a brass candle stick holder. That was all a whole dollar. No, I did not need any of them, especially the brass candle stick holder.
There was a number of things I also had no use for that were tempting me anyway. My plan was that if they had another sale, and they were still there, I would get them. It was just like that wooden bread box.
Just before leaving, I gave into temptation I got an enamel coated cast iron pan and a egg poaching pan for a dollar each. I just could not leave them at that price. At the last minute, I could not leave them.
The egg poaching pan has a shallow pan (all thin aluminum). It has a second layer that three egg cups are set in, and then a plate that is placed above the egg level. The steam of the water below gently heats the eggs so they cook. No oil or anything else if you want. I intend to use cooking spray or oil to allow the egg to come out quickly.
The fry pan is cast iron and I love cast iron. It has an enamel coating in and out. It has been well used but the surfaces still look good. I had to take it home anyway. I will have to see if someone in my circle will need a fry pan, either cast iron or enamel coated....
Later in the morning, I went out and grabbed a piece of Yellow pine and made a little cup.
The weather was questionable. Clouds to the south, the sound of thunder to the west. I did not want to get involved in a long drawn out project that I would have to stop on. That was why a little cup would be the idea.
I had cut a square from a small board, then knocked off the corners. I then turned it round using just the tail stock pressure to hold it in place. Once I got the outside edge round, I worked the inside. I had it about where I wanted it to be and found that there was a lot of tear out on the inside, stuff that sanding really does not handle well. I decided to make the outside thinner. I then went too deep on the outside of the bottom so I had to flatten that. While thinning out the center post so it could be removed easily, the post broke. The bottom still needed some work, but I decided not to bother about finishing it off on the lathe.
I turned the piece around and just opening the jaws enough to center the piece on the chuck and locked it in place with the tail stock. I then started correcting a slight wobble of the outside (always happens when you change the grip on the work in any way). I stopped to check what I was doing and saw I had some chips missing from the piece. The walls were now too thin. I then went on to finish the bottom about the way I wanted it. It needed more work but the crack disappointed me.
I have a lot of dremmel work to fix it. I might scallop the rim, making it look good and removing the break. I will decide that some other time. I was happy to just make something.
Because of the humidity, I was soaked when I was done. I was happy though that I actually accomplished something.
I have no idea what the weather will be like tomorrow and what I will be in a mood for, so I will have to see what I will do tomorrow.
Year 15, Week 24, Day Two (week 721)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
07-06-14 Sunday
86 degrees, wetness coming down a lot of the morning. Mostly from quick moving little dots and splotches on the radar. This makes this a good day to go to the Movies or Malls and just enjoy indoor fun. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach department of Tourism.
Because of the weather, which was light but steady drips from the sky, I was not bringing the big lathe out to do a serious project. I set up the folding table and put my dremmel and carving stuff out on it.
Looking at the cup I made yesterday, I decided to do something scalloping style on it. I looked at the spot that was broken and decided that the bottom of one of my paint bottles would be just the right size to cover it. I then drew a line around the bottle so it took in all the breaks. I then drew a line around the outside of the cup near the base at the bottom of the curve I drew.
I tried tracing the curves up and down all the way around and found they did not come out even close to be even. I erased most of my lines with sandpaper, and tried again. This time I located the spot directly opposite my first curve and the break, and drew another matching curve there. I used an emery board, since that was on hand, to bend around between the two curves and get a measurement. I then marked between the two marks on the emery board where the center was, and then re-bending the board I located the center and put a curve there. There was a bit too much space between the curves to put a simple curve of the paint bottle. I decided this would be good and leave the spaces between them fairly flat.
I took my dremmel and ground away wood inside the curves. My curves, which were drawn without accuracy in mind, were cut with no real accuracy in mind. I got it done on all four sides. I ground away the remains of the post on the inside and the bottom, then flattened the surface, cleaned up the inside and outside walls, touched up the bottom.
I showed it to my mom later, and she said it was a candle base. I took a picture with a paint can in the middle, showing what a candle would look like.
This is not a great job in any way, but there is some satisfaction of getting something finished. I even used scraps to make it!
My plans for next week are way up in the air. I will have to handle next weekend by ear, not having any real plans or schedule. The weather will really effect plans a whole lot.
I will see what I actually do next week.
the middle knife was one of the last knives I made of a point style. The point is slightly rounded. The two upper knives are the style I make now. I had made a knife from a file and had a short piece left. I made a knife of the short piece and left the end cut off rather than making it a point, and fell in love with the design. All my knives are now made that way. Points don't stab so deep. I also like how the wedge edge cuts rather than the points.
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