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Praetorium Honoris

Monday, May 15, 2023

Pot Pouri with a contest (of sorts)

 Just a short post today, as I've mentioned, we're off to College Station today until Friday to assist MBD and The Rev in prepping their new home for move in.  I believe this week's focus is on painting and refinishing but could be mistaken.

Also, congratulations to The Rev for graduation from the seminary.  He is now OFFICIALLY "The Rev". Call Sign to be italicized because...Well because I said so.

 On a similar note, one of my best friends from working in the school district days is retiring soon.  When I retired, they gave me a pen and pencil set which was, well let's just say "Spesh-ULL" So I decided I'd make her one myself.  I'm using Olive Wood for the Pen and Pencil and Bloodwood for the case.  Why, you may ask? Well, the Olive Wood was harvested from Bethlehem. No, Beans, not Pennsylvania, Israel.  Why Bloodwood? Well you know the other end of that Bethlehem story. Although, proceeding into retirement isn't quite the same reward as ascension into Heaven, it still is a pretty good reward.  

But, I think she'll be thrilled by the gift.  

In any case, I decided I'd better practice a bit and hone my turning skills before I went all in on the actual gift.  But first...

I decided to straighten up my shop.  Took about a week and a couple of bazillion trips to the dump.

But...


One might notice the nearly finished (only one more coat of sealant needed) project in the background.  Mrs. J wanted two and I adhered to her wishes.

Second one's on the left

Now, where was I?  Oh yeah...Shop straightened up, I finished that and started turning the pen blanks.  Once done with that step, I started putting the finish on them.  I decided after watching a boat load of videos to try a CA Glue finish.  I'd done it once before, but got, at different times, both my finger and a polishing rag stuck to the wood be pen.  One was painful to get off, the other was just a finger.

But in the spirit of  "Never Give Up...Never Surrender", I tried again.

One layer on

The 8 coats of CA (6 thin and 2 medium thick) later, I though it looked pretty good, so I continued on and broke out the plastic polish.

Finished Blanks

Now the pen blanks looked really fantastic (IMHO) and I got excited about the project, and learned a very important lesson.  I took the blanks off the mandrel (the axle the pen blanks spin on during turning) and did the final sanding of the ends to remove any excess glue/finish.

Then broke out the pen press and started inserting all the internal parts.  And Voila!


Decided this needed to go to Mrs. J for all the help, guidance and love she's given me all the years.

Also, because I made one pretty big mistake.

I think, but could be mistaken, that Sarge has offered up a large reward to the first commenter who posts the correct answer of what that mistake is.

Anyone?

On a couple of minor notes.  Spring has been extremely windy (Booo!) but decently rainy.


That's in one night.  While 2" isn't much in Sarge or Bean's part of the world, it's a significant percentage of our annual average rainfall.  So...

Thank you, Lord!

So, took the Mom's in my group (Mrs. J and LJW) out to lunch yesterday at a local winery.  Very nice meal.  Good Wine.  Fun Conversation.  At one point, I was asked to go bring something in from the car.  Right next to our parking spot, a group was loading up to go home.  Walking by their car, I noticed an older gentleman standing there as his son was helping his wife into the car.  I also happened to notice that his car had a USAF sticker on the rear as well as an F-4 sticker.  I asked him if he'd been a pilot.  He said yes.  Seems he'd started flying fighters in the P-80 progressed through the F-86 and F-100 and his last flying slot was in the F-4.  I related my flying career and the intersection thereof in the F-4.  We talked for about 20 minutes swapping flying stories til his son said they needed to leave.  He left me with a final story.  Apparently, when the Thunderbirds converted to the F-4, they did it at George.  He served as their IP and when qualified, they invited him to fly along in a few shows. We talked about each of the airplanes he'd flown and he asked about the Eagle.  It was cool to relay stories to someone who could identify with them (for both of us.) It really made my day to meet him.

Went grocery shopping the other day. (Yes, Beans, cooking meals and doing the grocery shopping is my job.  Mrs. J's job is planning large and expensive vacations for her customers.  I'm good with the arrangement especially when the commission check comes in.)  In any case, I was pontificating over what we should have for Mother's Day Eve (we had plans for the actual day) just her and I.  Rounded the Corner in the HEB meat department and found the perfect idea.

Yes, my friends that is a boneless ribeye sliced almost all the way through down the middle leaving it about 1" thick on both sides.  That one was priced at $31.  Went over to the normal steak area in the meat department.  This one was cheaper than two of the same weight bought separately.  Done Deal!  Cooked it on the Barbecue (Charcoal, Tuna, not gas) to what I deamed perfection.  Served it with my "Perfectly Baked Potatoes", a Caprese Salad,  a bottle of Australian Shiraz and it turned into a sweet evening.

So, as I said at the beginning, off to College Station we go, an ample store of Ben-Gay is packed.  We'll be back on Friday and we'll try to check in regularly, but.

Peace Out, Y'all!





44 comments:

  1. It looks like the wood parts are backwards, like the front one is on the back. But I’m not a pen expert.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure why it decided that should be anonymous, but oh well.

      Delete
    2. Anon (aka abear)
      Unfortunately, no, that's not it. Although I've got to figure that out. The pen kit comes with guide bushings that help you know when you've turned the blank enough that it will match up to the decorative hardware in the rest of the kit. I thought I'd reached that point cause I could feel next to no difference between the bushing and the blank when I rubbed my finger's across them. Seems I was wrong. I think I'll add one more step to my pre-turning checklist to check the bushings and the bands for same width. Live and learn.
      Thanks.

      Delete
    3. a bear,
      I had noticed that a few months ago when I'd comment using the Brave browser. It's designed to keep you anonymous. I'd then switch back to Firefox and my Callsign would reappear. That doesn't seem to work anymore, so I thing Google re-engineered Blogger to default to anonymous in all browsers. It's easy enough to fix, just hit the edit button in the 'comment as' section and enter a name. Unfortunately, it either doesn't save for future use or I haven't figured out how to do that yet. (More likely the latter, but...Google is evil.)

      Delete
  2. What timing, skipping breakfast this morning because of business and there's a boneless ribeye staring me in the face......(stomach rumbles). As to the pen I got nothing juvat. Safe travels!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nylon,
      Sorry about that, Friend!

      But....It was delicious! (if that helps)

      Thanks.

      Delete
  3. I thought the pen was missing a pocket clip. But the bulbous pen is a thing, too, I guess. I've seen those around. Reminds me of those Big Chief tablets and the big pencils in first grade. My first mechanical pencil was in a kit I bought for Drafting 101. I was hooked. I've had one in my pocket since. I used some sanding sealer a few times as finish. Grain just popped. For something you handle, I've wondered about an oil finish. It would probably leech out and stain paper. And then there is Deft. That stuff is stout. Gives me a headache just thinking about it. Beautiful finish, and brain damage for a few hours after...

    I got 2.6" the other night. It was really spotty in how much fell. The thunder sounded flat. No echo or roll to it. It was so weird, I couldn't go back to sleep, until it started to sound like normal. I've heard that a few times before, but it sure is odd. Disconcerting.

    Ben-Gay? How long?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon,
      Gonna bet the fort you go by the name "Cletus".
      Bingo and we have a winner. No pocket clip. See Sarge for your reward, although I overheard him mentioning something with "reward" and "in Heaven" in the same sentence.
      Re: Bulbous. I will endeavor to improve on that aspect, although the cell phone camera picture doesn't do it justice. It's slimmer than it appears in that picture. If you look at the second picture and the right hand section, there's no more than a millimeter between the bushings and the blank, yet in the final picture it looks like both ends are about 2mm too wide. Hence, my thought above to compare the bushings in the kit to the hardware. Live and learn.
      The flat sound means the storm was right over us. Sound travels at ~700 MPH at sea level (close enough for our elevation), so if it's overhead, the thunderclap itself and the echos are virtually simultaneous. Further away it's more of a rumbling sound as various parts of the sound wave reflect off different points and your hear them at different times. Course, simultaneous could also be substituted for disconcerting.
      Re: the last. Funny!

      Delete
    2. Man, I'm hot snot today. STxAR for the win!!! If I sound anything like Cletus, that is a compliment to me. I have several plastic pens that I successful broke.... no clip. They fall out when I bend over to work. Irritates he hades outta me.

      the thunder deal.... When I was a but a young man, I was under the carport during a big boomer up in Lubbock county, looking for dangly spinning things hanging under the cloud. The instant bright light, snap, ozone and bang saw me running in place about a foot off the ground... The thunder sounded like a canon shot... I could hear it roll away like big slow moving round... Of course, nothing up there to get in the way, or absorb anything. The other night sounded like a big, bass drum in a deadened room. Just the whoomp. Very strange to me.... still makes me wonder. There was a few seconds between flash and bang...

      But I will trust your Fighter Pitot checking abilities and history... And continue to observe. (as to being anonymous, I think Goog changed something. If you don't allow cookies, it won't remember you when you visit. Maybe it was a governmental edict... so they can be like Brandon)

      Thanks for that attaboy. Now if I can find a quarter I'll have 25¢...

      Delete
    3. Crap, I forgot to ask for a set of keys to the fort..... :(

      Delete
    4. I found myself teleported from the far edge of the back porch to 5' inside the house one day when God decided to drop a MOATB right on my head. One of those where everything in the house shakes for a second or two and you feel your insides quiver (which is a sensation my dad described to me from his days in the Louisiana NatGuard when working an 8" howitzer.)

      Thunderstorms and Lighting, we like to watch them and hear them from afar, not when the fire is registered right upon us.

      Delete
    5. One warm, dark, and rainy night my Kitten was dozing on a bookcase in an open window watching the cars splashing past. Then there was a FLASHBANG that lit the room, and the image of a launched cat in midflight to the center of the living room trailing a tail that could have swept a chimney. Next image was her head and shoulders under the sofa trying to squeeze her fat butt in behind her. Stayed under there quite a while, too.

      Delete
    6. STxAR,
      Well done, fooled me, (Don’t hurt yourself patting your back. Mrs. J does that quite oftem)
      As to thunder. Best I can recall, there’s not a lot of terrain up in you neck of the (non) woods. So, my theory is intact.
      I agree Google changed something

      Delete
    7. Oops forgot. Sarge is sending the keys via pony express, soon as we can find a rider. Hold your breath if you’d like.

      Delete
  4. I admire your woodworking skills. The pen is an excellent example. I was thinking that one for Missus ORPO would be a great gift.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glenn,
      Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. I'm getting closer to the rejoin of desired finished project and actual finished project. Not there yet, but getting closer.

      Delete
  5. Anon,
    Gonna bet the fort you go by the name "Cletus".
    Bingo and we have a winner. No pocket clip. See Sarge for your reward, although I overheard him mentioning something with "reward" and "in Heaven" in the same sentence.
    Re: Bulbous. I will endeavor to improve on that aspect, although the cell phone camera picture doesn't do it justice. It's slimmer than it appears in that picture. If you look at the second picture and the right hand section, there's no more than a millimeter between the bushings and the blank, yet in the final picture it looks like both ends are about 2mm too wide. Hence, my thought above to compare the bushings in the kit to the hardware. Live and learn.
    The flat sound means the storm was right over us. Sound travels at ~700 MPH at sea level (close enough for our elevation), so if it's overhead, the thunderclap itself and the echos are virtually simultaneous. Further away it's more of a rumbling sound as various parts of the sound wave reflect off different points and your hear them at different times. Course, simultaneous could also be substituted for disconcerting.
    Re: the last. Funny!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm really beginning to hate Blogger! It's interface sucks!

      Delete
    2. Yeah, that happened to me yesterday at both here and at Virtual Mirage.

      Delete
    3. Beans,
      You been visiting on-line Vegas sites, again?

      Delete
  6. Nice looking pen, you have a knack for that stuff!

    Reward? Not sure I understand the meaning of that word. Also, virtue is its own reward. (Some folks say I'm frugal, others insist the word is "cheap," me? Potato, potahto.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "You win the Fabulous No-prize!"

      Delete
    2. Sarge,
      Thanks, made it to CStat. Spent a couple of hours looking at what’s needed and what’s wanted. Then paring down the list with “not in my skill set”, too dangerous and takes too long. Got a manageable list of things we can take care of starting tomorrow. Nice house, good bones. We’ll see where we are on Friday!

      Delete
    3. A Bear,
      Nice one,

      Delete
  7. The lack of the clip makes the pen ideal for a desktop base.
    Searching for "Wooden Pen Stands" and switching to Images produces an amazing variety of desktop stands made from wood scraps.
    Penn State Industries sells a kit that provides a brass top and base to fit your finished turning, and if you use the same wood, the result would be striking.
    I was picturing the small brass cup-like receptacle that you would have found in most banks.
    I could not find a supplier, nor the name of the little receptacle thingie.
    Very nice work and a slight matching error still leaves you with a useful product that has great beauty.
    (Hmm. Maybe my wife keeps me around for the useful part and that compensates for my lack of beauty!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was supposed to stick this in my comment.
      https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSTANDYBR.html

      Delete
    2. It's not a penurinal? I tried searching for that, and it didn't give me anything I wanted to looking into further..... So ...Maybe a colloquial term.

      Delete
    3. JIP,
      Excellent idea and that kit looks perfect. Thanks

      Delete
    4. The lack of a clip would make it perfect to be carried in a polished leather sheath (no cheap plastic pocket protector). Might make quite a classy impression. Pulling the elegant sheath of the pocket, then extracting the beautiful pen from it.

      Delete
    5. Don,
      Hmmm, interesting suggestion. But that would men learning leathercraft, and I’m not sure I can master that in the time remaining. But, an interesting suggestion, thanks!

      Delete
  8. Nice planters. Need to make something for Mrs. Andrew for around the front door. Need to get off my fundiment and just do something...

    Enjoy your travel to College Station. Don't strain or break anything, but do have a fun time.

    As to CA glue? Always, always have a bottle of nail polish remover ready. Back when I was working at the local crime lab, one crime scene tech managed to glue herself to the inside door handle just out of reach of said nail polish remover. And then the following week managed to glue her fingers shut while said nail polish remover was outside of the lab portion of the crime lab. Funny it was. Until she came in the following week smelling of gack and funk and dead things because she had to climb into a car where someone baked themselves to death. Stinky doesn't describe it. All clothes items including shoes went bye-bye as the smell would not and could not be removed no matter how many washes.

    Cool that you have the community of hand wavers to hang with. The P-80/T-33 was a nice plane according to my dad. Would be neat to have one with cargo pods as a daily flyer, no?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beans, quick comment. The planter was very easy and pretty inexpensive. I'll get you the plan's site whenI get home this weekend.

      Delete
  9. Crusty Old TV Tech here. The insulating foam on the back wall of that shop looks like the walls I saw in East Berlin, in 1984...lots of battle damage. Been sending lathe shrapnel that way, maybe :-)

    Oh yes, SE Tex has had some boomin over the past 3-4 days too. We got 4-5 inches over 2 days, back yard is a swamp (again...sometimes I wonder if "notswamp" is just a temporary state as the back yard seeks to return to its natural state!). Dog has to find a special dry spot to squeeze and avoid getting dunked, gotta avoid that spot when the water recedes enough to mow (in maybe 2-3 months?).

    Love that former pilot encounter. Great when you can do "There I WAS!" with someone who speaks the lingo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. COTT, It was a really great encounter. When I inquired about the stickers, his face lit up. When I told him I had flown F-4's, the Brotherhood of Pilots had an impromptu meeting. It was fantastic.
      As I was returning to the winery, his son was coming out and stopped me to say thanks. He commented how much his Dad had enjoyed it. I told him I'd enjoyed it even more.

      Delete
  10. It's a left handed pen and Mrs. J is a righty? hahahah. Good on you using charcoal. If CA keeps going the way it is, they'll ban gas BBQs like they've banned gas hookups for new homes. Apparently clean natural gas is causing climate change. Yeah, we are talking propane versus natural gas, but you never know what those wacky California politicians will think of next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tuna,
      I’m not sure if gas imparts a flavor, but I never really got into it. Had a bottled gas BBQ for a while and it was convenient, but not flavorful. Charcoal however…
      I’m coming to believe that the real culprit for climate change is the carbo dioxide emitted by politicians ( particularly those that adorn their name with a D) while yakking about the subject, regardless of their state of origin.

      Delete
  11. Dang it - Tuna beat me to the Left Handed Spanner comment (but I see it was answered by STxAR above).

    The pens look fantastic. And many congratulations to The Rev (even more if he has a paying gig!).

    My Father in Law The Master Sergeant who really taught me to grill was a charcoal only man until his health prevented him from doing so. Felt gas imparted a flavor to the meat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THBB,
      Thanks, gettin’ there on the pen turning. I disagree slightly. Gas imparts a taste to barbecued meat. Charcoal imparts a flavor. I prefer the latter by a longshot.

      Delete
  12. Yep, that pen set will have an 'impact'... And good on ya for finishing the projects and the steak for the lovely lady!

    ReplyDelete
  13. When my father was a young lad growing up in Oklahoma, he and his father were standing inside the doorway of the house during a thunderstorm. He said to his father, "I wonder what it would be like if lightning struck that tree in the front yard?". Just a few seconds later, he got the answer to that question. He never forgot the answer.

    Don't you just love it when the lightning is so close that the flash and the boom are simultaneous?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FF,
      Not when I’m in an airplane anyway. Happened once, didn’t enjoy it. Fortunately, the damage was minimal, a small hole in the wing. Fortunately it missed the wing fuel tank. Rather be lucky than good.

      Delete
  14. That’s not blood all over the workshop table I’m hoping. No one else mentioned that ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. D4,
      While I have spilled blood in the shop, fortunately, that is NOT blood. Nor have I lost that amount in it. Thankfully.
      I did have a similar thought about that picture though.
      Thanks

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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