From Fritz in Afghanistan:
"We finally have a reliable connection for outgoing mail, so I thought I would write a few letters before the mail trucks begin getting bombed. It really sucks out here; all we do is drive around and get blown up. A roadside bomb hit my truck about a month ago, but I walked away with only a concussion. The bomb was 60 pounds of HME, and the blast ripped the back axle clear away from the 'mine-resistant' truck. Every day my hatred for this place deepens. In January it got well below freezing at night, and now the noon temperatures push 140, while the nighttime temps drop to 110. I've been away from running water and electricity for months. We take baby-wipe baths every few days. When any of us get blown up, if we survive, we get to use the sat-phone for 15 minutes. I should be leaving this place in two months or so. I can't wait to get out of here. How are things back in Kentucky? We are literally cut off from the rest of the world here. I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits."
Fritz
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
A VERY pleasant surprise
So, I've been trying to buy American. It isn't easy. Today, I went to the gun show in Lexington, and had a great time. I stopped by a knife booth that carried Kershaw knives. Now, I love Kershaw knives. They are, hands down, the best production knives made. They are manufactured by Kai Cutlery of Japan, which doesn't fit my buy-American resolution, but I love the Kershaw Ken Onion designed "Leek" model. It's clean, efficient, and surgically sharp. Everything I want in a knife. I wanted the plain model, but the seller - from my native Harrodsburg no less! - was out, left only with models sporting various decorations.
I chose the model with an American flag on the handle - something I love dearly - and commented to the seller on the irony of buying a Japanese knife with an American flag logo.
He smiled, turned the knife over, and showed me the "Made in USA" tag on the blade. No kidding. My favorite knife is made right here at home. Kai holds the patents involved, but at least some of the Leeks are made domestically. I got exactly what I wanted and got to support an American manufacturer and a small-business entrepreneur from my hometown.
What a fantastic day!
I chose the model with an American flag on the handle - something I love dearly - and commented to the seller on the irony of buying a Japanese knife with an American flag logo.
He smiled, turned the knife over, and showed me the "Made in USA" tag on the blade. No kidding. My favorite knife is made right here at home. Kai holds the patents involved, but at least some of the Leeks are made domestically. I got exactly what I wanted and got to support an American manufacturer and a small-business entrepreneur from my hometown.
What a fantastic day!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Home-made fly-tying vise
Sure, I could buy a fly-tying vise, but why would I? I'm cheap, and I'm a tinkerer. I'd rather make one. More importantly, I need to find uses for some of the junk my relentless scavenging/salvaging produces. I'll admit it; I'm a hoarder. Other, sensible, folks (including my wife) see junk for what it is: crap that gets in the way and needs to be disposed of. I, however, see a potential tool or widget waiting to be born. To protect my reputation as an eccentric (not a lunatic) I need to put some of my salvaged junk to use every so often. This was an opportunity.
I have about a dozen sets of hemostats I picked up at a gun show for 8 bucks - after a little haggling... I chose one of the short-nosed sets with an exceptionally stout spring. There's my vise. Next, I needed a way to fasten them to the top of my desk in a stable fashion. I scrounged an old footless clamp used to hold an architect's lamp to a table top out of the trash on an afternoon walk last fall. My wife rarely accompanies me on these walks. I can't fathom why. I also salvaged the non-functional lamp. The lamp needed re-wiring, which took me an hour. Rather than use the included-in-the-garbage clamp base, I made one of a block of wood that I screwed to my workbench.
The footless clamp was ideal, except that had no bottom screw-foot, and was not made to hold a hemostat. I made a non-scuff foot by soldering a flat-washer to a short section of brass tubing that will slip over the screw shank. I then had, for all intents and purposes, an aluminum C-Clamp.
Next I filled in the tube in the spine with epoxy and a wood dowel.
The next step involved cutting the loop from one side of the hemostats.
Afterward, I drilled the lamp base to admit both tines of the cut hemostat handle. Notice that I also notched the top of the tube. This gave me three points of contact between hemostat and base, making the attachment quite sturdy.
I epoxied the hemostat to the base and let it cure overnight. I finished the affair off with a coat of black paint to the base and a swatch of adhesive-backed felt to keep the base from scuffing my table top.
I've used it to tie a dozen or so new flies, and I'm pretty satisfied with it. I only hope my flies work as well...
I have about a dozen sets of hemostats I picked up at a gun show for 8 bucks - after a little haggling... I chose one of the short-nosed sets with an exceptionally stout spring. There's my vise. Next, I needed a way to fasten them to the top of my desk in a stable fashion. I scrounged an old footless clamp used to hold an architect's lamp to a table top out of the trash on an afternoon walk last fall. My wife rarely accompanies me on these walks. I can't fathom why. I also salvaged the non-functional lamp. The lamp needed re-wiring, which took me an hour. Rather than use the included-in-the-garbage clamp base, I made one of a block of wood that I screwed to my workbench.
The footless clamp was ideal, except that had no bottom screw-foot, and was not made to hold a hemostat. I made a non-scuff foot by soldering a flat-washer to a short section of brass tubing that will slip over the screw shank. I then had, for all intents and purposes, an aluminum C-Clamp.
Next I filled in the tube in the spine with epoxy and a wood dowel.
The next step involved cutting the loop from one side of the hemostats.
Afterward, I drilled the lamp base to admit both tines of the cut hemostat handle. Notice that I also notched the top of the tube. This gave me three points of contact between hemostat and base, making the attachment quite sturdy.
I epoxied the hemostat to the base and let it cure overnight. I finished the affair off with a coat of black paint to the base and a swatch of adhesive-backed felt to keep the base from scuffing my table top.
I've used it to tie a dozen or so new flies, and I'm pretty satisfied with it. I only hope my flies work as well...
Rifle / Pistol Cleaning Kit.
I've already written a short bit on modifying gun cleaning kits to have a straight wood handle as opposed to the horrible plastic T handle. This next bit is about making a storage tube for the new, streamlined kit. This is simple.
Take a cardboard poster mailing tube (my wife orders the occasional poster for her classroom, so these are in no short supply at my house) and cut it to the length of the longest rod, leaving about 3/4 of an inch extra for the cap and space. The cap on one end is usually stapled securely in place, and the other end taped. Cut from the taped end.
After cutting to length, seal the freshly cut end by running a band of plastic packing tape around the tube, leaving 1/2 inch or so overlapping past the end of the tube.
Cut the overhanging tape into 1/2 strips, then fold them over, sticking them to the inside of the tube. This helps keep the business end of the tube from fraying so quickly.
That's all there is to it. A 1 1/2 inch tube will hold a pistol rod and 3-piece rifle rod, with room left over for brushes, jags, and patch loops. Best of all? It takes up very little room in my range box.
Take a cardboard poster mailing tube (my wife orders the occasional poster for her classroom, so these are in no short supply at my house) and cut it to the length of the longest rod, leaving about 3/4 of an inch extra for the cap and space. The cap on one end is usually stapled securely in place, and the other end taped. Cut from the taped end.
After cutting to length, seal the freshly cut end by running a band of plastic packing tape around the tube, leaving 1/2 inch or so overlapping past the end of the tube.
Cut the overhanging tape into 1/2 strips, then fold them over, sticking them to the inside of the tube. This helps keep the business end of the tube from fraying so quickly.
That's all there is to it. A 1 1/2 inch tube will hold a pistol rod and 3-piece rifle rod, with room left over for brushes, jags, and patch loops. Best of all? It takes up very little room in my range box.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Jim Moyer Knife maker
I like this guy. He reminds me of my Dad. Jim is a knife maker in Idaho City, Idaho, and he turns out some of the prettiest damn knives I've ever seen. His work is art, pure and functional. His video is such a pleasure to see, because it's a rare treat in life to be able to watch a craftsman ply his trade.
The best thing about Jim? There's no b.s. in him. He isn't a "bladesmith," "armourer," or some other such foolishness. He's a knife-maker. He's been a knife-maker most of his life. He's one of those happy men who takes pride in his work, and rightly so.
I could order a knife from him by phone - I love that he doesn't sell many knives on the Internet! and I may do just that after the gun shows this weekend and next. In any case, I want to see him work firsthand. Watching Jim make knives - watching a man of his skill work - is an experience one only gets a handful of times in life.
In short, I'm going to Idaho this summer, just to spend a day or two around his shop. I'll bet I can learn more in two days of watching Jim work than I could learn from reading a hundred books on the subject.
In the meantime, enjoy his video!
The best thing about Jim? There's no b.s. in him. He isn't a "bladesmith," "armourer," or some other such foolishness. He's a knife-maker. He's been a knife-maker most of his life. He's one of those happy men who takes pride in his work, and rightly so.
I could order a knife from him by phone - I love that he doesn't sell many knives on the Internet! and I may do just that after the gun shows this weekend and next. In any case, I want to see him work firsthand. Watching Jim make knives - watching a man of his skill work - is an experience one only gets a handful of times in life.
In short, I'm going to Idaho this summer, just to spend a day or two around his shop. I'll bet I can learn more in two days of watching Jim work than I could learn from reading a hundred books on the subject.
In the meantime, enjoy his video!
Watch this video on VideoSurf or see more Steel (The Twilight Videos or Blade Videos
Saturday, January 30, 2010
If I were President...
Ugh. I should be in politics. There are days I feel like the last man in America with any measure of common sense. Let's fix the economy in three easy steps, ready?
1. Reduce the tax burden on American corporations. If they have more money, they'll expand, hire, and pay dividends to stockholders.
2. Create an American-made friendly marketplace by taxing the hell out of imported goods. This levels the field so the American worker can earn a decent wage and compete with the 12-cents-a-day sweatshop workers in China.
3. Rethink many of our bloated social-welfare programs. I've seen too many healthy people drawing SSI disability. It makes me physically sick. I'm not talking about people so physically or mentally damaged that they are incapable of working, but the losers milking the system.
Welfare, foodstamps, etc. (everything but Social Security and Medicare) should be considered TEMPORARY arrangements, a little help until the individual can get his/her life together and become a productive citizen. My Dad had polio. He couldn't walk without a leg brace and walking sticks. He worked every day of his life (most of it in construction) until he retired at 60. I have zero patience for the belly-achers who do nothing but wait for the first of the month and their government check.
Will my three little steps fix everything? No. But it would be a dandy start.
It's time for us, as Americans, to collectively suck it up and get moving. The alternative is to give away everything those who came before us worked so hard to build and earn. Wow, there are two words I don't hear much these days.
1. Reduce the tax burden on American corporations. If they have more money, they'll expand, hire, and pay dividends to stockholders.
2. Create an American-made friendly marketplace by taxing the hell out of imported goods. This levels the field so the American worker can earn a decent wage and compete with the 12-cents-a-day sweatshop workers in China.
3. Rethink many of our bloated social-welfare programs. I've seen too many healthy people drawing SSI disability. It makes me physically sick. I'm not talking about people so physically or mentally damaged that they are incapable of working, but the losers milking the system.
Welfare, foodstamps, etc. (everything but Social Security and Medicare) should be considered TEMPORARY arrangements, a little help until the individual can get his/her life together and become a productive citizen. My Dad had polio. He couldn't walk without a leg brace and walking sticks. He worked every day of his life (most of it in construction) until he retired at 60. I have zero patience for the belly-achers who do nothing but wait for the first of the month and their government check.
Will my three little steps fix everything? No. But it would be a dandy start.
It's time for us, as Americans, to collectively suck it up and get moving. The alternative is to give away everything those who came before us worked so hard to build and earn. Wow, there are two words I don't hear much these days.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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