July 1, 2018

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 1, 2017, told her I was 73.
Five years ago today: July 1, 2013, Iron Butterfly video script.
Nine years ago today: July 1, 2009, father's shoe bench out.
Random years ago today: July 1, 2010, that distant screaming.

           What’s going on here? This is a new tray for the inside of the cPod Mk III. Like all towed vehicles, everything inside must be lashed in place, yet accessible. Shown here is a fake “dovetail” box in construction. These are made for strength, not for looks, and pretty much any size you’d want can be made by using a different number of slats. This box is for the battery case, which contains a computer fan that maintains a positive overpressure that prevents any poisonous gasses from entering the sleeping compartment. The cPod is safer than your car. Yes, there is an alarm if the fan fails.

           This technique relates to what I was saying about a dovetail jig. They are only $30 these days, but as bad luck would have it, my battery load tester gave out. The first time it got mildly damp, the meter quit working. I need that tester more so there’s my budget. These ideas rarely occur in isolation, what you see building here is also the concept I have for a better birdhouse. I don’t know why it is, but I’ve n ever liked the idea that a birdhouse has to be a beginner’s slap-together affair. So I’d like to build one that has really fine joinery. But it would not be finished, as I’ve discovered that paint and chemicals are not good for the little ones. I am, however, looking at rusty water as a colorant.

           Speaking of birdies, the northern cardinals have learned to chirp outside my back window when the feeder gets empty. They have further learned to check for extra tidbits when they hear the electric saw. There is a bluejay that can just get at the seeds, but not the bright male specimen from last year. This is a less showy female, for that matter, I haven’t seen the male in something like six months. She’s learned to tilt the feeder until some of the seeds slide to the outside of the tray.
           What’s this, I’m getting feedback? The box pictured above is not very strong, laterally. A swift kick or drop would crack the pieces apart. That would be before I told you about the reinforcement provided by the bicycle spokes. They are inserted into pilot holes after the glue sets up. Never underestimate the robot club.

           On-line, I saw this guy demonstrate a home-brew dado kit. The store-bought brands tend toward the expensive. Something like $60 for the Harbor Freight brand. The danger is the teeth of the blades striking each other. He solved the problem, carefully advising others to not attempt to copy. He used a set of saw blades separated by pads of rubber cut from old bicycle tubes. They separate the blade teeth just enough and stop them from shifting when placed on the arbor. Tightening the screw will cause the rubber to form a strong suction on the surfaces. The guy is brilliant. I happen to have some old saw blades.
           Another tip from the robot club relates back to these glued strips. It is better, all told, to buy several small containers of glue, even if it is on sale by the bucket. And don’t plan on using the last quarter of any glue, I swear they are designed to make you throw it out. The tactic was pioneered by ketchup and mustard companies. Oh say, did you read the news that Canada is going to “retaliate” against Trump’s tariffs by boycotting ketchup. The folks over at Heinz must be shaking in their boots.

           Today is vehicle inspection day and I was not happy with the results. You can return tomorrow for a better report. This monthly inspection is a holdover from the robot club because we found most people never do it. Routine maintenance is something that never becomes routine unless you force it. Here, I’m pointing so scrapes that have appeared, the top photo has characteristic yellow paint, so I’m keeping an eye out for the hit and run artist. This is a small city. The scrape on the mirror is older, I didn’t have a camera at the time.

Picture of the day.
Maybe it's cooler up there?
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           That makes up my mind about moving the water tank. The hot water line broke, exactly where Agt. R and I had fixed it last year. The repair was temporary until the kitchen floor was leveled, but I was kind of hoping temporary meant a year or two. Hey, you want to live in a heritage cabin, you accept [that] every type of convenience was added on later. That means time to go for an afternoon coffee. Thinking that will take a couple of hours, I put new treads on my work shoes. Yep, these would have been tossed out years ago, except they are so comfortable. See if you can make sense out of the upper picture, which is the shoe with around seven clamps holding the new sole in place while the glue dries. Um, Ken, the rubber isn’t trimmed and shaped yet.
           Say, doesn’t that new sole look a lot like those tough rubber treads they put on truck fenders to make them no-skid. Good eye, there, reader, just time to move on. And move on I did. After coffee I went to visit that lady with the big old house near Eagle Lake. For the first time in my life, I rode a four-wheeler ATV. That’s correct, I’ve never been on one. She got me in the buddy seat so I was straddling her hips, then she showed me what to hold on to. I did.

           At that point she took me on the bunny slope, but it was enough for me. Crashing through the bushes in the dark, hoping the headlights would pick up any stray tree branches. It was fun, though I would not pick it as a favorite way to spend my time. I’m not as adventuresome mechanically as I am financially. Then again, back when I was her age, who knows. And son, that is back quite a while.
           Back at the cabin I checked on my second attempt to recharge the hotdog battery. It isn’t taking, so I bought a $21 lawn mower battery to keep up the momentum.

ADDENDUM
           This book on sailing is a treat. I’d postulate it was meant to be a complete boater’s reference up to the time of publishing, that was late 1962. It’s a gem if you love trivia. As a boy scout, I had to read the chapter on knots. I never did the blindfold thing. I learned today knots have only 50-60% of the ropes strength, but splices can hit 95% if done right. All carburetors after 1940 require a flame-out arrestor and there are diagrams of that artificial respiration method that apparently never did work.
           There’s further charts of comparison between hemp and sisal ropes, and why you should not use ropes that have been frozen. On compass deviation and variations, the “CEEC” mnemonic is “crews eat everything chewable”. Flags with names are never flown. There’s a chart of signals not given on regular Morse code courses of how to tell the sender his transmission is not understood. From the size of the chart, I take it this is a common condition. Last was a chapter on Marine law, which I’ll read when I have time to pore over it.
           I was reminded how propellers used to be long and screw shaped. I read that they became today’s shape when an early vessel struck a rock that broke the latter part of their screw propeller off. They were amazed to note the immediate improvement in speed. I wonder if that story is true?

Last Laugh

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