projects!
Yesterday after work I was inspired to go enjoy making use of the work bench we managed to clear in the shop during the great shop organization project earlier this month, so I dug in the bag of scrap wood and found a chunk of sassafras that had once been part of a pepper mill that broke years ago. So I took that and removed all the parts that weren't a nålbindning needle, and now I have another useful needle. This project was quick enough that I got it done before we went to the evening Jodo (Japanese staff-based martial art) session.
Tonight's projects were a bit more involved. First we went to the store and bought a hot plate for use in the shop (and resisted buying a robot vacuum cleaner). Then we brought it home and cast another pewter nålbindning needle, just to test the plate (we always seem to need needles--I suspect that some of them are hiding in bags with UFO's). Then we decided that we really ought to make a sand-casting frame in a more appropriate size for that length of needle--it is much too big for the small frame we already had, and it is way smaller than the large frame we used, so lots more sand than necessary is used each time we cast one (this is the third time--I have one I use all the time, and we made another for a friend when she asked for one, but it is bound to come up again). In the course of making the frame it became desirable to use a plane, so while I started sanding the needle lord_kjar opened up the two previously used planes we had bought cheap at a second hand, took out their blades, and fixed them--they had been in pretty bad shape, but now both planes work beautifully.
After that he was inspired to take a chunk of scrap metal to the top of the work bench that came with the house--some previous owner used the workshop (which is, technically, a garage, but we never use it as one--there is a perfectly good car port attached to the shed) for automobile maintenance--we can tell by the blackened state of the top of the wooden bench--lots of oil has been spilled here over the years. However, much of it came up with just the bit of scraping he did, so I will be less reluctant to do wood projects on the bench in the future.
We also took the time to open up the handle of the rotary tool I inherited from my step dad and oil it and get it back into good working shape. (we had changed over the plug on it so that it can be plugged into the wall here now, without using an adapter (it used to have an Australian plug). All in all a very productive evening, after a busy day at work. We have added yet more things to do for the project before I can actually finish writing up the report on the research I have been doing. We are going so over deadline, but, it will be a better report for the extra effort. If only I were getting paid for all of those hours...
Tonight's projects were a bit more involved. First we went to the store and bought a hot plate for use in the shop (and resisted buying a robot vacuum cleaner). Then we brought it home and cast another pewter nålbindning needle, just to test the plate (we always seem to need needles--I suspect that some of them are hiding in bags with UFO's). Then we decided that we really ought to make a sand-casting frame in a more appropriate size for that length of needle--it is much too big for the small frame we already had, and it is way smaller than the large frame we used, so lots more sand than necessary is used each time we cast one (this is the third time--I have one I use all the time, and we made another for a friend when she asked for one, but it is bound to come up again). In the course of making the frame it became desirable to use a plane, so while I started sanding the needle lord_kjar opened up the two previously used planes we had bought cheap at a second hand, took out their blades, and fixed them--they had been in pretty bad shape, but now both planes work beautifully.
After that he was inspired to take a chunk of scrap metal to the top of the work bench that came with the house--some previous owner used the workshop (which is, technically, a garage, but we never use it as one--there is a perfectly good car port attached to the shed) for automobile maintenance--we can tell by the blackened state of the top of the wooden bench--lots of oil has been spilled here over the years. However, much of it came up with just the bit of scraping he did, so I will be less reluctant to do wood projects on the bench in the future.
We also took the time to open up the handle of the rotary tool I inherited from my step dad and oil it and get it back into good working shape. (we had changed over the plug on it so that it can be plugged into the wall here now, without using an adapter (it used to have an Australian plug). All in all a very productive evening, after a busy day at work. We have added yet more things to do for the project before I can actually finish writing up the report on the research I have been doing. We are going so over deadline, but, it will be a better report for the extra effort. If only I were getting paid for all of those hours...