Field notes cover reinforcement

The different field notebooks covers do not hold up same in the back pocket.

(i need to note that my job is active and being in my back pocket is no treat for a notebook)

for example the linen cover of the "county fair" series is very durable

but

the red blooded straight paper cover fails fast. 

i prefer to leave it natural however once the tears happen on these covers then it will start to tear up the paper innards and then the notebooks potential to hold facts and ideas.

the "county fair" cover held up very well after one tour of duty in my back pocket.

 after two weeks the cover binding was beginning to come apart.

i wanted a way to have a QUICK way to make a bullet proof repair that also had some style to it.

easy answer is double sided carpenters tape. 

the tack on this tape is extreme. 

by having it double sided one can then add any other material on the outside of it for looks.

i roughly cut the tape, remove one side of the protective paper and apply.

the red blooded series cover is failing after 2 week in the back pocket.
needs reinforcing.

next i trim to size and remove the second side.

here we can see how protective this tape is. the synthetic binding material will keep it flexible while preventing future ripping.

i will stress here again, this tape is extremely sticky.

reinforcing field notebook with double sided carpet tape.

this is where anything goes.

this piece of fabric is red and was next to the desk.

in the past i have found that fabric works the best over paper covers when relegated to my back pocket.

reinforcing field notebook cover with double sided carpet tape and a swatch of fabric from an old shirt.

the entire project took 2 minutes

and 

then back to work.

Croquet from saturday

Continuing the summer extreme croquet competition: 

nobles vs mattsons

wifey admiring my croquet shot

keeping the beer out of the line of fire while i take a shot.

where to put the beer when shooting is always the question.

Thought rocket ship pencil holder

Lately i thought it would be entertaining to come up with a new tangent of my thought rockets. i decided to combine this thought with my want to build a model and to have a unique pencil holder for my desk.

originally i thought that i would make layered wood versions of 1950's scifi movie rocket ships that would hold my writing utensils that were in rotation.
i quickly put together a very rough sketch and then went to working on a model of it. this model is a non-working version strictly to decide if the two dimensional proportions would work in the third.
this would also be a good time to work on some slimmed down versions of aesthetics and construction combinations. this model is just to work out some of the initial ideas and is by no means meant to be a working piece. it may seem like a lot of work, but it really is the only way for me to competently develop my ideas.

very rough sketch of a general rocket ship

i am pleased with the first model. i liked the dimensions and there are many ideas i can now start to elaborate on. this piece is clunky, but was never meant to be refined.

after finishing the first model i have decided to keep some of my original thoughts:

1. to keep the option of making the middle pencil holder free moving from the rocket. 

maybe even set up a wooden gear system that can rotate it.

i have been wanting to make wooden gears and would be good practice.

rocket ship pencil holder first model to test dimensions done.

2. need to keep it free standing with a smaller base. the footprint will be contained to a minimum on the desk.

may also start playing with a wall mount and a ceiling mount option. 

how it is positioned could be relative to the ships shape or its role in the movie or its position in the movie's poster or the needs of the room's space it will be kept. quite a few options are there.

rocket ship pencil holder with a smaller foot print to take up less room on desk.

3. i liked being able to see the inner layers of construction. 

there will be plenty of ways to make it elaborate & interesting. 

rocket ship pencil holder first model. there will be plenty of potential to making the inner layers elaborate.

the nose cone here is paper, but in the working models it will be wood or metal.

i will also repeat the metal that i use in different areas  of the ship. 

4. i am definitely set on keeping it wood but will also work with copper, brass and waxed string.

may even move to a more steampunked look. 

the next question i have is when will i make the second version, one closer to the final product.

will i ever continue on with this project?

Pencil shavings

Sharpening a pencil with a brass sharpener can be as rewarding as creating those long thin shavings from a woodworking hand plane. one always focuses on the wood to be removed for functions sake, but there is no denying the challenge of getting the shavings as long as possible

with my competitive nature i find myself wanting to beat my best.

then, i have to remind myself to stop before i end up with a nub of a pencil.

Schramm park fishery

Schramm state park is focused around the states first fishery conservation attempt from the late 1800's.

last day of school for the boys and then off to schramm state park.

took a long hike to wear out the young ones and then relaxed at the old fishery pools. 

our minds melted next to the pools give off that relaxing running water sound. 

Van dyke eberhard faber lead issues and broken momentum

A ridiculous moment at the work bench the other day.

when something so seemingly inconsequential breaks the momentum of a project.

i dropped my dull "van dyke" USA eberhart faber on the cement floor (lead first), fast sharpening so i could keep marking and then when i went to write about 2" of lead just plopped out.

when i looked up close i saw a hairline crack, pulled slightly and it just sort of ripped open.

next if find myself not woodworking but messing around with a broken pencil trying to test my skill at masterfully remove all of the lead without opening the rip anymore. 

the back of the pencil reads:

"hi-density" microtomic graphite.

and 

on yet another facet reads "woodclinched"

Wasp clipper fountain pen re-sac: easy

W.A. Shaeffer Pen Company

w.a.s.p.

clipper fountain pen with a #4 nib.

this pen was my great grandfather's and the sac had petrified.

before i begin, i must express how easy it is to re-sac a lever fountain pen that is already in a respectable condition. i strongly recommend any owner of a fountain pen with a petrified sac to re-sac their pen and get it back in order. after all tools need to be used.

this is a simple outline of the steps i took:

1. never try to work the lever if the sac is petrified. to test how the nib worked, i first took the pen and dipped in ink for a few seconds.

2. the nib seemed to be in good visual and functional order so i went on cleaning. i separated the parts of the pen: removed the hardened sac that was stuck to the walls of the barrel then soaked in water. i was patient with soaking, flushing with water. 

3. when all traces of ink and the old sac were gone from inside the barrel, i let dry and then prepared for the new bladder.

clipper fountain pen with the last remaining petrified sac still on the section.

 4. after the pen parts were dry i removed the final traces of old sac that was adhered to the 

section's sac coupler. after removing the old sac i took a soft core nail buffer to the coupler.

clipper fountain pen with all the petrified sac removed

 5. i have a number of pens to re-sac, so i purchased a couple sizes of sacs and shellac from Richards pens.  Richards pens also has some very good how to's on re-sacing fountain pens. 

there are a few other good options for online stores too. i purchased from Richard's out of appreciation for their tutorials and other generous website information.

the sacs come long so i fitted in the barrel, subtracted jut over another 1/8" and cut it straight.

the bladders are quite flexible and easy to stretch over the section's sac coupler. 

i applied shellac to the coupler, fitted the sac and then put one more fine bead around the outer seam.

clipper fountain pen with a new bladder. above the re-sac section is the amount i had to cut off.

 6. it is recommended to let the shellac cure for 30 minutes, i had to go to work so i let it sit for much longer.

7. before reassembly i used the talc from one of the boys old bicycle tires and powdered the outside of the bladder.

clipper fountain pen assembled and ready for writing.

8. the pen drank the ink very easily and after a few hours of using there are no signs of leakage.

this was a very very simple process.

Long yard tool handle maintenance: sanding, oiling & handle configuration

No matter how many time i tell the boys to pick up their tools when the they are done, sooner rather than latter i will find a tool misplaced.

to my dismay, i found my austrian cultivator standing upright in the tall decorative grass on the upper lot (today i was cutting back all these tall grasses to make room for new growth) .

 the tool seems to had been there since last fall. 

this well crafted handle was in a weathered state that needed immediate attention.

in under 10 minutes i put 2 grits of sandpaper to the handle and saturated it with oil. 

now the wood is getting hydrated and slivering has been removed.

one often neglected piece of knowledge for a properly hung tool is the grain orientation.

this tool has had its handle orieted very well. the top of the handle should show the grain running parallel to one another down the length of the shaft. the more grain lines the better, simple.

a crap, immature wood handle would have dried and warped.

Sticks stacked

We try to keep the useful organized.  this is one of our answers to all the little sticks from around the yard. 

the ones on this ladder shelf holds sticks waiting to be burned at the grill or the rocket stove.

the deer head is there just drying and sun bleaching and will not be burned.

burning bone is an unpleasant smell that does NOT complement hamburgers.

Goldfaber 1221 pencil looks fast

Pencil performance is of absolute importance

and

the finish is one of those qualities that are taken into consideration.

i gave the sv goldfaber #1221a one week run at work, at home and in the shop. I was pleased with this pencil as a consistent smooth marking tool.

what is particularly notable is the nice quality of deep blue finish with gold racing stripes.

can see the gold stripe laid on top of the blue.

i think starting my next pencil review, for the boys, i will establish a test layout that will better separate the different tests i do. i will also include how the pencil works on different workshop materials.

it seems that many people review pencils on different qualities of paper but not necessarily wood or metal (the workshop materials).

the "SV" bonded is faber's break resistant code and did a very good job on cross grain fibrous soft wood. The fine grounding of the graphite creates a consistency that very trackable guide line.

faber-castell's goldfaber 1221 with gold racing stipes.
the design is first laid out with a drafting pencil and then layered with the goldfaber

 as with most of my designs in my back pocket notebook, i establish the foundation with a drafting pencil and then ad layers. below the letters, numbers and all thick lines are made with the goldfaber 1221.

not to be misleading, the U.S. star is from the boys plastic WWII army men set. It fell off of one of their vehicles, probably an airplane.

this goldfaber 1221 is definitely not American and since it does not say Germany then not their either.

Hops training

Thinning out the hop vines and starting the training up the leads.

These cascade hops are on the south side of the house. i use those auger style dog leash stakes at the base and run the line in a V up to the roof line. this creates shade on our south windows and a small archway to get to part of the back yard (and a place for spiders to attack when not paying attention).

i will run 4 vines per lead.

as soon as each vine gets about 3 foot i will trim the leaves off the bottom foot. this will help prevent any mold or havens for unwanted insects at the base. when each vine gets about 5 or 6 feet then i will cut the leaves off another foot up.

hops get wild growing fast so trimming is absolutely necessary.

one perk of this prolific growth is that there are always so many rhizomes that can be harvested for other brewers.

Graduation season

Congratulations ERIN!!

school's colors carnation given to wifey from her niece on h.s. graduation.

526 total miles (to get there and back) and one incredible niece graduating high school later.

Master builder carpenter's hatchet off to the west

Established the final hone on a master builder carpenter's hatchet headed west.

The last steps involved an arkansas stone, fine &extra fine grades of a diamond file and then finally a strop loaded with aluminum oxide.

the eye to hammer poll was exceptionally streamline with this hatchet.

Rhodia pencil

I have a very established way i take notes.

i have always mixed visual design blocks with the linear use of words. together i can work out best with what is on my mind. 

I do not plan to change my note taking systems, but i do feel the need to try some new/different versions of the analog writing tools i use.

I will start with wood pencils.

the final step in note taking on a page is the final marks on the designs made with a wooden pencil. the ebony is my standard, but i have a number of new ones i will be trying.

Rhodia pencil during an a long meeting

today was a Rhodia pencil. this was my first triangularly shaped pencil and was damn comfortable to use. i thought it would pinch up my grip too much but the enhanced control made feel more agile.

sitting on the workbench it had less roll then a round or more faceted pencil.

the lead gave me the line variance i need when making my final marks on designs to giving the letters some character. a medium to very faint growth and decay line was exceptionally easy to make.

i liked the color. the wood, eraser ferrule, and eraser all black. the shaft paint hunter orange (it looks a bit redder in this photo). never get lost on a crowded desk or work bench.

12 of 19 hammers

Progress so sloooooow,

trying to squeeze in hammers every minute between work, spring house work (on the house and in the gardens) and the activities of the boys' last 2 weeks of school.

i am either going to get some work done or spontaneously combust.

it is a 50/50 at this moment.

hammers lined up for the next step in restoring

i keep the hammers lined up in order as i work on them. this keeps the process organized when i must constantly step away to handle other responsibilities. i can come back at any time and know where i left off.

Root knife

A favorite gardening tool, especially gets a work out in the spring.

root knife clean

one of my two main dandelion pulling tools, but is damn effective for many gardening jobs.

the serrated blade is dangerously effective on underground roots and is hooked just enough to for one minimal effort single swipe cut.

this knife is also stainless steel and can really handle the elements with almost no maintenance. 

in fact, out side of some water to clean the blade the only tending to is the handle

(some tung oil here and there).

root knife dirty

13 stars

The 37th thoroughly enjoying the 15th entering the Union!

Germantown hatchet portrait

A hatchet pin up.

dramatically stated, this germantown was and is built to perform.

just looking at it make me want to head outdoors!

Snow in may

Yesterday's weather was only the 5th time in the past 104 years that it has actually snowed in May.

may 3, 1907 = 1.3"

may 1, 1911 = .2"

may 9, 1945 = 2"

may 3, 1967 = 1"

&

may 1, 2013 = 2"

Germantown carpenter's hatchet and the final hone

 germantown carpenter's hatchet just before being shipped off to colorado

concluding the restoration process:

every time i go to pass a restored hatchet or axe to another person i tell them that i will do 

"one more final hone" before shipping or handing off. 

 i could easily of done this "final hone" before, but keeping it until the end allocates me one last session with a tool that i have become quite familiar with. for some reason, my thoughts prosper in the security of this familiar and i do some of my best thinking. i am able to put old thoughts to rest and raise new thoughts to life. and actually there are even times when i am just able to completely relax in the 

motions of the final tuning.

I have just finished the final hone and last polish on a germantown carpenter's hatchet. tomorrow i will be shipping it off to a new home in Colorado.

Arkansas stone

When the oil stone meets the cement.

a little disappointing, but i need to take ownership of this mishap.

i was putting the final hone on an excellent germantown carpenter's hatchet destined for Colorado when   

i forgot how to chew gum and walk at the same time.

with in a second the silence of the expected collision was broken with a SNAP and the scuttling sound of stone along cement.

Another door

Damaged calm, the worst yet

nightmare anxiety right before opening the cracked door

before sleep, i am now expecting to have a nightmare with a door. 

(such thought before sleep is probably implanting the outcome)

a door that shocks my subconscious trip through a closed-eyed  paradise 

to 

"all hell breaks loose".

anxiety heightens as the hand reaches out to open the cracked door,

disrupting panic as the fight begins.