TWTWTW
Overall, a relatively uneventful weekend. I had been invited to be 'color' at Muddy Viking, an extreme 5K, but on Saturday morning, I was too tired to get out of bed so I slept in, instead. Chores were done. Then off to my mother's house because there was a blacksmith meeting on Sunday.
It's been decided what we're giving our wives for Christmas, and this week's session was to make one of the tools we were going to need to make the item. This is not unusual when you're dealing with blacksmiths. If they don't have the right tongs for project, they make/modify a set first. Tools complete and the practice piece was acceptable. About two years ago, I picked up a metal casting kit on Freecycle when I thought I'd make a go a being a blacksmith by myself. I brought the kit to the meeting for the senior blacksmiths to look over. It's a home-made kit, using charcoal instead of propane, and still generates enough heat to melt aluminum! It's in working order, all tools and parts are there, if I get some foundry sand and charcoal I could start melting tomorrow. It's going to wait a bit while I read up on what I'm supposed to be doing. One drop of sweat on liquid aluminum (1200*) and the water will convert to steam explosively and destroy the mold (and possibly the blacksmith!)
Earlier in the year, I demo'ed for the NYSDB at an event at Amherst Museum. I'm now considered a museum volunteer and invited to banquet for volunteers. Not yet sure if I'll go, possible conflict and I don't know which I want to go to.
My puppets have overflowed their supply closet. So, I dragged everything out and inventoried it and packed it away with itemized lists. (For the storage area, see Harry's closet under the stairs in the first movie). I now have everything listed with cross-reference by puppet play. Things are packed in there like a tetris game, I don't know what I'll do the next time it overflows.
I have recently started a quest. I'm not going to publicly reveal what it is yet, due to the nature of it, one person a month will be told and I want to see how fast word gets around. However, I've barely started and already I've received a dividend of sorts, another sort of thank-you on a par with the volunteer banquet. Two "Thanks for Everything" gestures in one weekend! It's been a good week!
It's been decided what we're giving our wives for Christmas, and this week's session was to make one of the tools we were going to need to make the item. This is not unusual when you're dealing with blacksmiths. If they don't have the right tongs for project, they make/modify a set first. Tools complete and the practice piece was acceptable. About two years ago, I picked up a metal casting kit on Freecycle when I thought I'd make a go a being a blacksmith by myself. I brought the kit to the meeting for the senior blacksmiths to look over. It's a home-made kit, using charcoal instead of propane, and still generates enough heat to melt aluminum! It's in working order, all tools and parts are there, if I get some foundry sand and charcoal I could start melting tomorrow. It's going to wait a bit while I read up on what I'm supposed to be doing. One drop of sweat on liquid aluminum (1200*) and the water will convert to steam explosively and destroy the mold (and possibly the blacksmith!)
Earlier in the year, I demo'ed for the NYSDB at an event at Amherst Museum. I'm now considered a museum volunteer and invited to banquet for volunteers. Not yet sure if I'll go, possible conflict and I don't know which I want to go to.
My puppets have overflowed their supply closet. So, I dragged everything out and inventoried it and packed it away with itemized lists. (For the storage area, see Harry's closet under the stairs in the first movie). I now have everything listed with cross-reference by puppet play. Things are packed in there like a tetris game, I don't know what I'll do the next time it overflows.
I have recently started a quest. I'm not going to publicly reveal what it is yet, due to the nature of it, one person a month will be told and I want to see how fast word gets around. However, I've barely started and already I've received a dividend of sorts, another sort of thank-you on a par with the volunteer banquet. Two "Thanks for Everything" gestures in one weekend! It's been a good week!