Chronodex week 16 and passing along a restored tool

This week i was given the opportunity to sell an excellent Plumb carpenter's hatchet to a Californian. 

for someone who is dedicated to the passing along a quality restored tools to another, these transactions are pretty damn exciting. 

each tool should act as an extension of an individual's purpose or purposeful acts.

the better the tool, then the better the potential for a successful act. 

when i am able to restore a tool, i feel that i can share a bit in the success.

restored plumb carpenters hatchet

 for the desk, i found an old esterbrook ball bearing clip no.30. it just sort of surfaced in a parts bin that may have belonged to one of my grandfathers.

i did have to remove the rust and add a very small amount of silicon to the bearing.

clean and very smooth action.

chronodex 4.25.2014 collage

 found myself making 45 degree notes again.

chronodex 4.25.2014

chronodex 4.27.2014

European mount removing deer head from the ground

Catastrophe hits my 2013 deer head for mounting.

This is the largest deer i had ever took and this beauty deserved a proper mounting.

unfortunately

the freezer storing it failed and i am now on to plan b, a european mount (like my other heads).

i am not going to dwell on the loss but will look forward to the alternative.

to clean the skulls, i bury them to just below the antlers. after burying i cover with a large tote and let the bugs do the rest. when i excavate the skull a quick rinse with hose is about all i need. 

in february the ground is still frozen so i had to hang it up a bit. life got busy and kept putting off burying it. needless to say that by the beginning of april the weather turned nice and I was at the point where i could not put off getting it in the ground. 

i have a dedicated spot to bury the heads and it was currently occupied with another one.

the below image is what a person will see when the tote is pulled off.

just the antlers periscoping above grade.

removing deer head from ground

i was very surprised to see how much skin was still on the top. i blame this on last years heat and drought effects on the insect population. the only other area that needed some attention was some mass in the eye sockets and that just poked out. all in all it just needed a brief scalping. 

what i really like about letting the insects take care of business is that the membranes are picked clean and no damage is done. plus there is no stink from boiling. this is as simple as it gets.

removing deer head from ground, never have i seen so much skin still attached after pulling from the ground

a bit of a shake and the lower jaws and some dust fall off. 

after hosing i will need to do some skinning.

the leather has hardened a bit but in about 20 minutes all traces of skin are gone. 

20 minute scalping and this deer is ready for the next step

the next step is to cover the antlers with an opaque wrap and then hang the head to sun bleach.

after awhile the head will whiten. when all is said and done i will have a white skull and natural colored antlers. what i really like about this process is that it is about the closest "controlled" method to what would happen out in nature. 

there are many ways to do a european mount and this happens to be mine. i have no issues with any other techniques. some people like to peroxide the skull for an ultra white hollywood smile, but that is not my aesthetic. some people take their skull to a professional to have the meat removed with dermestid beetles or buy then and do it themselves. i would actually be willing to do that. what i like the idea of the entire process happening in a drier environment.  

when i buried the 2013 head i actually had to use 2 totes, one for each antler!

Chronodex week 15 and the Easter TWSBI

Maybe it because i rarely dress up

but

when the occasion "arises",  I do enjoy getting a bit formal.

Easter Sunday was just such an occasion.

Instead of hiding out in my trousers pocket, i displayed my TWSBI Mini 580 as some vest flash.

Easter dress and the TWSBI Mini 580

there really wasn't a theme to this weeks chronodex.

some weeks i prefer not to be too planned.

Chronodex 4.14.2014 and the TWSBI Mini 580

 Day 2 of a three day work push

Chronodex 4.15.2014 and the kaweco al sport

chronodex 4.18.2014 and the TWSBI  Mini 580

Chronodex week 14 and the 3 little space (pen) piggies

I am not a big fan of ballpoint pens

although

i do use the iconic fisher bullet space pen. 

there are two types of pens i alway carry on my person: one fountain pen and one fisher refill pen 

(either a Fisher Bullet Space Pen or a Stinger tactical).  the bullet is for when i don't need or can't have that pointed end. the bullet fits perfectly in a fifth pocket. stays out of the way and makes carrying two pens reasonable. when pulled out and posted the pen has a great 50's industrial look.

3 little space piggies

 the pressurized ink refill allows for writing at all angles. the ink dries fast, clean and is very permanent.

although 

ballpoints in general have an uninteresting line and generic character. 

i tend to write at even a more dramatic italic to compensate for the uninteresting line

despite the inferior look of these lines they are the most hardy pens to dust and dirt conditions. if the pen does build up debris on the tip then it is easier to wipe clean with less of a mess than other types of writers.

 the only writing tool better for really dirty surfaces is a pencil

the chronodex for the week didn't start with a shared common 

but

the last three did bet based on the small clear plastic magnifying letter opener as the core. 

chronodex 4.9.2014

 there are days where the chonodex need to be visually connected. there are two main ways to do this, either physically connected or look similar. there was no need to separate the 10th & 11th, they just blurred into one anther anyway. 

chronodex 4.10.2014 avec opener

chronodex 4.11.2014 avec opener

 with the 13th i thought i would show the actually shape of the magnifying opener.

chronodex 4.13.2014 avec opener

Carpenter's hatchet and the rustic crate assembly

Along with the my need to restore tools is the need to present them in some kind of formal way to the new owner.

this form of presentation usually takes the form of some variation of a box.

the final presentation of the box will be rustic and simple. 

this is to reflect my preference to long ago shipping crates, those wooden vessels that were made to safely transport goods to the Great Plains. 

the wood on this crate has come from a salvaged cedar deck. with just a bit of resawing & rough sanding the pieces are ready for cutting.

the individual cut slats are assembled by both gluing and nailing. this crate will be perfect for shipping and surviving the courier. 

restored hatchet crate assembly

i make an effort to use reclaimed wood for these crates.

the use of reclaimed wood will: 

1-find another purpose for the scraps (being responsible to our resources)

2- support the rustic look

3- keep costs down

Best saw for cutting axe or hatchet handles off for rehanging

Actually this post title should read "my go to saw for removing handles from axes and hatchet handles".

because

there really are no perfect saws for this act

but

i do find myself alway grabbing an old coping saw that was my great grandfathers.

although personal preference is the main decision,

 there are some guiding facts that would lead a person to using one type of saw over another:

1.  the wood is generally in rough shape = no need for a fine woodworking saw

2.  there could be long fasteners (nails) that can be protruding past the head & into the handle = this can destroy the teeth of whatever saw you are using

3.  no need for a slow, delicate cut = using a coarse cut blade will make fast work of the job

4.  a small kerf and narrow height make cutting around axe blades easier

the coping saw answers all of these variables very well. 

other benefits includes how easy it is to maneuver, the low cost of blade replacement and speed of blade replacement when sprung.

coping saw blade sprung while removing a hickory sledge handle

the final benefit of using a coping saw is an excuse to dedicate my great grandfathers tool to a 

valued purpose. 

Chronodex week 12-13 and the need for a pocket note book

For well over a decade i have constantly needed to carry paper with me.

before i permanently attached myself to a cover style book, i always had graph paper that was divided into 4s and kept in my back pocket. i kept them in a refolded green hanging file folders. the refolded folder was formed into a sort of book cover with pocket on each flap. one side held blank graph paper the other filled out papers. when the folder started to get thin on the folds i reinforced with brown paper tape and then when it crapped out i simply made another one. 

it actually was a very competent look. it had a refined natural look.

now i use mostly field notes and doane as my pocket note books. 

since i always have a fountain pen on my person, i prefer (hands down) the paper in the doane. 

but 

the edition style covers of the field notes are vastly more entertaining. the paper of the field notes is much less fountain pen friendly.

so what to do? i have a developed a fountain pen vocabulary of which pens go with which note books.

because this is a bit of an obsession, i was not burdened at all by this. in fact, i enjoyed the challenge of defining the characteristics that make the choice.

i ended up having a star and circle chronodex week 12

star and circle chronodex

star and circle chronodex with old 1.1 mechanical pencil. 

star and circle chronodex

the last of the star and circle chronodexs for the week

one-two punch chronodex

in the middle of week 12 i received my latest edition of field notes

and

there is no denying that this last edition, Shelterwood,  cover is by far my FAVORITE.

i still wish it had higher quality paper in it.

filling the field notes coffers

i had corn for lunch so i had cut up the six pack new belgium trippel carrier that was in the recycle bin and made a corn seed themed chronodex before going to work. 

corn chronodex

the youngest had a reading feast at the dining room table. a full course of books left on the table. i simply choose a main course (ham) to fill out my days chronodex. 

childrens book chronodex