Jump to content

SandSquid

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    158

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by SandSquid

  1. SandSquid

    Work Slabs

    By SandSquid,

    I KNOW the youth camp I'll be teaching at does not have any sort of proper pounding slab, because I saw kids pounding on picnic table tops in years past...
    Tandy currently has both 12"x12" quartz slabs and 12"x12" granite slabs on sale for $27.99
    Last night, while in that funny state between wake and sleep, I dreamed up a box-frame for it that could be filled with a few inches of sand or stone dust and then the slab set down into the frame.
    I still can't get the idea of filling the box with sakrete, flaot the creme up for a nice surface, and then glue down a commercial grade 12" square Vinyl Composition Tile to it....
    It's CHEAP, heavy, solid, and with the VCT tile for work surface, I don't need to worry about damaging the stone top, tools, or have chips flying into little eyes.
    Either way I fill the frame, sakrete or sand and slab, it has side handles let into the frame for carrying, and holes along the back side to hold the stamps and mallet. It's pretty cool looking in my minds-eye.
    Once I get to the maintenance shop I can start working on making a prototype and see if it really works.
    On my way to Tandy I'm going to hit up the memorial place on Broad Ave... the place you can see on the right, near the end of Sam Cooper Blvd. It's in one of the worst sections of town, an area called Binghampton (frequently misspelled "Binghamton"), made Nationally infamous between August and October of 2004 by 13 shootings of cars driving traveling on Sam Cooper Boulevard. I don't even drive through the area without my 1911 .45ACP cocked and locked.
    I'm really looking for _small_ pieces, 12"x12" x2" would be about perfect, but if they have a tombstone or two for a decent price ....
    OK back from the excursion. Stopped by the monument maker on the way to Tandy.
    At first they were like;
    "Sorry, we don't have anything good to give away."
    I said:
    "I'm sorry I think you misunderstood me, I have CASH, and my 501c3 and TN Tax Exempt Cert." and showed them all three.
    "And I want to BUY YOUR SCRAP. And you can write it off on your taxes for _full_retail_value."
    He disappeared into the office and the Business Manager came out and said:
    "You want to my scrap, for cash and I can write it off?"
    "Yes Ma'am!" and I handed her my $65.00 and 501c3 and TN Tax Exempt Cert.
    She said "come with me out back."
    We did some digging to find pieces that were good and flat on the back side
    Came up with 6 pieces all together.
    Three of them look like:

    I have three more waiting for me to go back and pick up that are just like the bottom pink slab. I think she called the "pedestal bases"
    I think I'll like the pre-drilled holes because I can run a power cord up it. or use it to put a gooseneck lamp into, or a dowel in the bottom of my wooden stamp rack to keep it from walking away while pounding.
    I stopped by my friemd and Leather-Working Mentors house and gave him his pick of the litter and he chose one of the two nice rectangular squares and was very happy.
    I was very happy to be able provide him with something in return for his kindness, patience, and generosity and taking me under his wing and showing me the secrets of the Masters.
  2. SandSquid
    Background;
    For the past 3 years my family has been volunteering at a "faith based youth summer camp"Lakeshore UMA . We provide all the equipment, and run the archery range. (We are all NFAA / USA Archery coaches, and current or former State & Regional Champions. etc...) My wife was a school teacher and had summers off, my parent command allowed me to bank all my leave and use it to take every other week off during the summer. Now she has a better paying job but has to work summers, and I'm an unemployed, returning combat Vet, so guess who gets to spend all 12 weeks at summer camp!!!!! Should be great for helping me "reattach to polite society" as well and stop being so hyper-vigilant.
    ~
    So, someone heard I've been pounding on leather and suggested that, when I had time, I could help out in the Craft Hut and teach some kids how to pound leather as well.
    Sounds great in theory, but I barely know what the heck I'm doing!!!! Now, many years ago I has a Sensei who used to always say "teaching is learning twice", but really I want the kids to have an enjoyable experience and be able to give mom or dad a nice looking key fob or wrist band instead of a mangle hunk of leather or show them a smashed thumb, know what I mean? If I'm going to do it, I insist that I do it RIGHT. On top of that I have no idea what the Craft Hut actually has for tools, in years past it has not a point of interest for me. I'll find out this weekend when we get there, but we are about 130 miles from the nearest Tandy store, and being unemployed well... Luckily I have been blessed by WinterBear, Bruce Johnson, Elliot, etc. and I have at least one complete set of the basics so as long as I don't have more than one or two kids at a time we should be good for now. I also just got a barely used arbor press which could be useful for setting snaps, etc.
    And we cannot possibly forget the generosity and tutelage of my mentor, Mr. Luke Hattley!!!

    I'm thinking of getting a pile of the ubiquitous pre-cut wrist bands and key fobs.
    Maybe a pre-cut & punched coin purse, or some buckskin or suede trinket bags,
    But I really want to stay away from having kids use an awl.
×
×
  • Create New...