Vintagezx

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As you will see in this post, I like spiders. Unlike the box elder (sp?) bugs that crawl around on the front of our house when it’s warm, they serve a purpose I can see. The first pic is one of my favorites because of the snack that awaits in the web.

In the house there is no room for spiders (I am the exterminator), but outside I don’t bother them. I just like to watch them work.

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Well, there are no big pieces left.

I have cut everything down to length and am looking at which pieces to glue up to make each of the larger pieces. It’s all easy when I run it through my head, but when you pull out the glue it all seems to come undone.

Because Nate is so interested in getting his night stand done, I decided to pick a few tasks along the way to let him take part in the build. How hard can it be to put some glue on the edge of some boards? Putting it on was easy, but keeping it on the board and not on Nate was the trick. We had glue on all the parts and I turned my back long enough to grab a clamp. Oops…….he knocked over the first board and stuck it glue side first onto his shirt.

Yes, in the last picture of Nate he is picking glue out of his belly button.

Rough glued

Rough Planed (still needs work)

After waiting a full day, I used a power planer ( thanks Todd) and belt sander to plane it down. Still needs a lot of work, but it’s starting to look like something.

More chips to come.

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Lisa and I have in the past few years bought some furniture. For the first few years our taste ran in the “early, mid, late, American garage sale category. It was an eclectic pile of rubbish! When we decided to get our bedroom set, we got the “Good Stuff”………. Basset! Well, they don’t make’ em like they use to. It is not bad stuff, but the use of veneer and plastic is notable. I still love it, but I’m not excited to pay good money for things I don’t see as quality.

When Elli needed “big girl” furniture for her room, I ran across a wooden girls bed that was being tossed and repaired it. With that under my belt I ventured into some overly elaborate book selves to match the girlish theme. It was fun, but a bit daunting. Having had some successes with this and a few other projects, I find myself on that doorstep again. Nate needs a nightstand and eventually a bed.

While talking shop with my grandpa and Dad, I discover that I may have access to some old mahogany. After getting a few pieces and working with them I am sure I can create from solid wood, not veneer or MDF the bedroom set I want for Nate.

The sawdust pile grows!

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While trying to be frugal, I am rediscovering some things I have not done for a long time. One of these is working with wood. With out the right tools, it’s no fun and the end result is less than desirable.

For my birthday my wife bought (let me buy) a Shop Smith. While most have never heard of this tool, the rest of you won’t care what it is….. but it’s something that I have heard about for years from my Dad.

My new antique

It is a wood working tool that combines 5 or 6 tools into a single machine. It is a table saw/drill press/lathe/surface sander, and with a few add ons it can be a jointer/bandsaw/shaper. Pictures don’t do a toy like this justice, though I realize the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Shopsmith 10ER

And so, for just $75 I got a working antique. It was sold by Montgomery Ward in the late 30’s and early 40’s. It was rusty and dirty and when I plugged it in……………nothing happened, and for that I am glad. The wiring had completely disintegrated. After a couple of hours of rewiring it now purrs like a kitten. Now if I want to do something that requires some cutting drilling or turning, I can just step into the garage and get to work.

I’ll keep you posted on the sawdust pile as it grows.

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I couldn’t stand it…. I had to try the beans I had roasted. I have read that 2 to 3 days rest once you have roasted is best. Because both batches were roasted med/dark, and I know what grind to use and the best way to pull shots on my Saeco, I chose to test the roast through espresso. I was not disappointed!

I figured I had incinerated the first batch, but they were actually quite palatable. By comparison to the second batch which was not as dark, it was not as creamy and had less body, but the flavor was good. The second batch was very creamy and smooth. One guess about howgood th flavor is….. I may have never had coffee that was this fresh! Seemed like the crema (sp?) stood forever after I pull the shot. I will have to work on my coffee vocabulary so I use terms that hopefully have meaning to other coffee lovers.

I will be interested to run another batch of the darker roast and try it in my french press in a few days

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Several years ago I did video work for the then owner of Longbottom Coffee. While shooting the roasting and cupping, I realized that I hand probably never had a fresh or good cup of coffee in my life. At that point I had been spoiled and there was no going back

Now about tonight. I did a couple of small mods to my roaster (popcorn popper) and reread the “how to” on Coffee Geek and decided to give it a whirl. I actually had butterflies!

I had read through some of the forums and saw that the variables caused by using the popper were wide open. Things like the cords you use to plug in the popper can change the temperature and roast times. Do you use the proper lid or a glass chimney?

Now I may start to bore those who may read this just to humor me.

First batch of the night.

Beans: Guatemala Antigua La Flor Del Café
75g
Warmed the roaster for about 1 min.
Added the beans and the swirl started immediately.
First crack at 2 min
Temperature at 3 min was 460 deg
Second crack started at 4:15
Ended roast at 5:40
Ending tempter near 498 deg

Well, that didn’t go as planned. It got way to hot, so it roasted to fast. Cooled the beans and decided to do a second run and added an extension cord to the roaster.

Second batch of the evening.

Beans: Guatemala Antigua La Flor Del Café
75g
Warmed the roaster for about 1 min.
Added the beans and the swirl started immediately.

First crack at 3:15 – temperature 415 deg
Second crack at 6:00 – temperature 470 deg
Ended the roast at 7:30 – temperature 478 deg

That seemed a little more like I had expected. After getting the beans cooled I compared the two batches. The first run is a bit darker, while the second is more brown than black.

Now comes he waiting game. I will wait three days before I try them. The only thing I need to figure out now is how I will prepare them. Espresso or French press.

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Well, for about 2 weeks now I have been reading and researching coffee roasting. I have been avoiding the thought of roasting because I don’t need anything else to occupy my time, and I have not budget……. then I went to get some more whole beans. Ouch! $$$$ I find myself drinking lousy shots I pull because I can’t stand to waste the coffee. I also have Mauri and Sherry to blame. I could not resist the link to CoffeeGeek.com they have on their blog.

I was surprised to find an article on roasting with Air Poppers, so now it begins. I’m sure that I an going to ruin my share of beans, and gain a whole new respect for the coffee I get at my favorite coffee shop Chapters.

My hope for this blog is to show my ignorance and victories with those who might want to take the ride with me. And Lisa…… yes I may be obsessed, but my hobbies are getting cheaper! ; )

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My interest in fountain pens started and ended the first time in the mid 80’s. I bought a cheap cartridge pen. It was like writing with a mechanical pencil with no lead in it. I didn’t know it could be better so I gave up. I had not given it another thought until this last summer. During a presentation of a pen to the departing president of the university where I work, I saw something interesting. I saw a twinkle in his eye that is usually reserved for small children on Christmas morning! Having been a small boy myself, it made me wonder how such a mundane object as a pen could create such a stir. These days with the internet you can become an “expert” on a subject in a matter of hours and that opened the doors to the good and the bad in fountain pens. If I had known then what I know now about pens, I would have continued down this path the fist time. So the story begins now….. and I have a lot to learn.

Technology being central in my vocation makes it hard to get really jazzed about something new. I am constantly bombarded by the “New” the “Bigger”, and the “Faster”. New is old to me. Ironically I like old things because it is usually new to me. I have an old and car. (67 Mustang) I ride an old motorcycle. (86 zx900 – If you’ve seen “Top Gun” you know my bike) I can look at the parts and see how it works. In fact I do most of my own repairs, and enjoy the work!

When I started looking at fountain pens, I found a whole history of innovation and change. It’s fun to look at the history of companies that don’t exist anymore except in the products you find in the back of a drawer, an antique shop, or eBay.

Though I am a fan of the modern fountain pen, my budget does not allow for it. Instead I get to delve into the colorful past and hunt in the draws and shops for treasures.

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In the last year I have been reintroduced to fountain pens. In a world of technology , and being an I.T. person, it’s fun to find something that can contribute to my every day life that doesn’t need to be plugged-in.

My plan with this blog is to keep a record of my finds and failures. I love that you can get so much information in such a short time with the web. I hope to add to the available resources that already exists. I am definitely no expert. I just love the fountain pen.

If you see something that I have incorrectly said, done, or shown, let me know so I can correct it.

Hopefully this will be a fun read for all

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