Abbott and Costello sculpture continued

Nothing like listening to Native American flute on the headphones while sculpting these two guys. All while my kids are playing Bobby Rydell albums in the background.

Smaug!

Lou Costello Sculpture

Sculpting a tiny Lou Costello head is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought.

Merry Christmas from the Edge of Reason

 

I know deep down that she's not real. I choose not to dwell "deep down". That's where the pain lives. 

   As we speak me and my glass of Makers are trying to sculpt a tiny Lou Costello bust. I can not explain why. At this point in my life why do I need a tiny Costello head. Maybe it's just the challenge. I'm having a hard time of it. Also my wife got me a bottle of Makers 46 for Christmas in support of my new hobby, drinking bourbon. I've developed a love for the original Makers Mark. This stuff is a bit stronger, you get kind of a nostril clearing before each taste. Still it has the super drinkability of the original, which tastes like they bottled Merle Haggards voice. I'm pretty sure I'll stick to original Makers once I finish this bottle. I'm not much of a drinker so this should last me a month or two.

Walter!!

Fantastic shot of my Buff Orpington rooster. He is pure gloriousness.

The Longbow

I have my first longbow pretty much finished. I shot it over the weekend and it,to my surprise, did not shatter in my face. I don't have a target so I was shooting at one of my wife's lawn chairs. The arrows fishtailed or more correctly porpoised wildly and missed the mark by a good four feet. After adjusting where I gripped the bow(the arrow rests on my hand) and where I nocked the arrow things went a little better. I need to get the correct arrows and a real target to really fine tune the bow. I did finally put one into the chair though. Huge learning curve going from a girly store bought bow to one born out of the forest and crafted with my own paws. In the picture above I have the next bow I'm working on. It's maple with a hickory backing. I just started getting it to bend.

Building the Longbow

This is the oak longbow that I'm building. It's pretty much at the fine tuning stage now. I built this tillering board last night. It's a jig used to make sure each limb is bending correctly.  I'm sure that the only way to learn if it's bending correctly is to have a few break on you. Then you can get a feel for right bend.  Anyway....I can wait to shoot this! I need to order some bow strings soon.

Me and Gimley

 Self portrait of me and my Lord of the Rings ceramic mug.

Giant Viking War Hammer: Finished!

All that is left on this one is the leather strap. You can find the details at my store Toys for Vikings.

Giant Hammer

 So....I'm making this huge hammer. For the sole reason that it had to be made....I believe I was called to do this. This obsession of mine with these weapons started many years ago the first time I saw the movie Yojimbo. In the movie one of the bad guys carried a huge wooden hammer. It just seemed to me an absurd choice of weapon. That's the part I loved. It was so wrong that it was beautiful in its wrongness. Anyway, this beast is almost finished! I'll be listing it in my store at some point. My next project will be a long bow. I'm looking around for a decent affordable stave. Most likely yew. Building a bow has been on my list for quite some time as well. Stay tuned.

Oak War Hammers

 As a result of my continuing quest of the "Old Ways" I made this matched set of battle hammers. Made of solid oak. These are not props! They are made to pound your enemies (real or otherwise) flat. They are 18 inches long with two 1/2 dowels attaching the handle to the head.  They can be found here.

Bulldog and Tortoise playing soccer

Two of many pets have a bit of a laugh.

The Last Pigeon

I sit perched atop the tallest tree
I feel so alive!
this is MY kingdom
this primordial forest
he got the rest of my flock
the red tail
he seems weak to me
cowardly
he's up there somewhere
I care not
too nice a day
my pride swells
his shadow crosses the landscape
I take flight
I feel invincible as we close in

Viking Battle Hammer

I started making Viking battle hammers. For the up coming Pagan wars. I mean, to take my "Old Ways Movement" on the road to the New England art market scene next summer. I have some really maniacal design ideas for heavy war implements. Dangerous more to the user than the usey.  Stuff that when someone sees it their first thought is.... "What the fuck?" This one is for sale at Toys For Vikings.

Thomas Mertzig Rest In Peace

Yesterday I found out that one of my favorite customers had passed away. Mr Mertzig had this kind of manly grace about him and you just couldn't help but like and respect him. I always got a kick out of the skull with the wings hanging over his front door. Although in poor health and hooked up to oxygen and in his mid seventy's to me I never thought of him as a frail old man. He was more like a retired superhero or some kind of former bad ass. Anyway, when I was finished with my work in the basement I went upstairs and didn't see the usual oxygen hoses running everywhere. I couldn't bring myself to ask his wife about him so I just finished up my business and left. Later I did a search on line and found his obituary. He died about a month and a half ago. In his bio I found out that he was in the Army Special Forces in Vietnam. A twenty year veteran on the Army Parachute Team. So I was right! He was a super hero/bad ass....I wish I got to know him better.....Rest in Peace Mr Mertzig

Gatling Gun: The Saga Continues

Remembering The Gatling Gun

Freedom!

No comment needed.

Spark plug tube removal tool

I had an oil leak on my 98 Vulcan. It was coming out of the channel where the left spark plug is. I found that once you start getting up in mileage, the cam chain stretches and starts to wear a hole in that channel. So after making this tool I was able to remove the tube (after removing the spark plug). I found that the tube had been worn through but it had been repaired with some kind of epoxy. The chain also appeared to be tight and not rubbing against anything. The threads to the tube were covered with some type of silicone thread sealer. There were two O rings that make the seal( I assume) so I cleaned the threads and put it back together. So far....no more leak. Also, it took two people to remove the tube because one person had to hold the tool pressing it into the lip of the tube squarely. The other person tapped the end of the tool lightly with a hammer, loosening the tube. 

Materials List for tool:

black iron pipe

2- 1/2 x 3/4 bushings

1- 3/4 coupling

1- 4 inch nipple

1- 6 inch nipple

note: I had to file the flat sides of the bushing down about a 1/16th of an inch to get it to fit into the tube.

*** There is a picture of the spark plug tube leaking oil in a previous post***

Thor's Hammer

 
These mystical hammers are for sale in my shop. Total Baddassery!

Old School Compound Bow vs Apple

I dusted off my Uncle John's 30 plus year old Bear Polar Ltd compound bow. I set up the apple and camera and went upstairs and got the bow (which rests beside my bed). I hit the apple with the first try. To all you real archers out there....I am aware that you should be able to put all your arrows in a three inch circle at twenty yards anyway but this still made me smile.

The Creature From The Black Lagoon Sculpture

My first attempt with WED clay. I want to make a mold then cast it in resin or some such like. This water based clay isn't meant to be the finished product. So I need to get the mold process going pretty soon. This is strictly for personal use. The fine people at Universal Studios own the rights to The Creature....and all the other A-List monsters!

The Creature From The Black Lagoon

This is one of my many projects that I'm working on and will not finish (due to mind issues). It's Universal Studios Creature From The Black Lagoon. At this point I'm still blocking in the basic shape. Once I'm happy with the overall mass I'll start adding the details. When I'm almost done with all the beautiful finishing touches, I'll very slowly slide it to the edge of the table and drop it down on to the floor. Then I'll go upstairs and pour myself a glass of whisky and find something else to do.

My 1998 Kawasaki Vulcan: Now What?

I'm not sure if this oil leak at the spark plug is a major or minor problem. I'll worry more about it after I fix my electrical problem.  Hidalgo has developed quite an appetite for batteries. The first battery died at 9:30 at night, and hour and a half from home. The new battery died in my driveway after a long ride. Seeing how there is a new stator (generator of electricity for the bike) I'm hoping it can only be the voltage regulator that's bad.  I wanted to replace it all along, but when I ordered one off of E-Bay it was the wrong one. So I sent it back and took a shot with the old one. Oh well, that's what happens when you get cheap. Anyway, a new one should be here in a couple of days.

Laconia Motorcycles

Laconia New Hampshire: Bike Week

Conquistador Your Stallion Stands....

Hidalgo awaits......

A Hearty Good Morning From Akira

My bantam rooster, crowing at me this morning.

Black Fly

crawling up the van window
a black fly
I think for a minute
then I let him live
a crack of the window presents freedom
he chooses to stay?
we ride together this amazing morn
I'm washed with happiness
he looks proud
momentary friendship or maybe eternal
climbing up to the edge of the open window
he finds his perch
watching me through the breeze
what a strange creature I must seem
then he is gone

Chickens!!

So....anyways.....earlier this spring my wife and kids got 10 chickens and 1 turkey chick. This should make my life easier. My little bantam rooster Akira is going to have his hands full with all these full sized chickens. Who knows how the turkey is going to fit into this mix. Throw in an English bulldog and a huge tortoise (and a smaller dog and another smaller tortoise).  Fun times ahead. Hopefully I'll at least get some eggs.

Vulcan Update

 My brother and I rode our motorbikes out to Peterborough today, about an hour away. Nice country back roads along a river and through farm country. The Vulcan, that I've named Hidalgo, performed much better than I expected. It was a fantastic and much needed break from reality. As far as the repairs are going, one of the last things on my list to do is to change the K&N air filter. I changed the plugs a couple of days ago. At some point I'll change the final gear oil. Also, I've decided that windshields are for girls so I took the bracket for that off and threw it in the woods behind my house. I ordered some black hard luggage bags for the sides off of E-Bay. They look a little scuffed up which suits me fine.

UFO Video

I filmed this off my back deck last night.

Night Ride

So....last night I walk into the house from my first real ride on The Vulcan. I'm covered with a very large variety of dead and not so dead insects. Surprisingly I'm not bothered in the least. A warm spring New Hampshire night on a back country road. Riding through a thick soup of little flying creatures of the night. There's something very spiritual riding through this forested countryside in total darkness. Killing insects with your body. I mean... with no exaggeration I was hit by thousands upon thousands of insects. At one point I put my arms out at my side and closed my eyes and tried to will more to join me, to become one with my soul really. It was wonderful. I could feel moths crawling on my face and into the side of my helmet. Trying to crawl into my mind. Things were colliding with my face and giving me their life. I saw a waddling porcupine on the side of the road and at one point a deer ran across the road in front of me. Riding at night when no one else is on the road is truly a magical experience.

Movie Night

This is our makeshift "drive-in" showing Abbott and Costello on a 60 year old 8mm projector. My wife's inside watching cooking shows on the 50" HD while we are out here on the perimeter.....of what's normal. Just outside the line looking in....feeling sorry for the non believers.

OLD SCHOOL FILM MAKING

My lifelong pursuit of the "old ways" has finally brought me back to home movies. I had a super 8 camera and projector as a kid. It was a hobby that I loved.  The rekindling of this passion was brought on by the purchase of a 50" HDTV. This TV has ruined all my favorite shows and movies. HD sucks! My new favorite show was The Walking Dead but since we got the new TV, the show is unwatchable to me. The look of the show went from a high quality "movie film look" to a "local cable access soap opera look". HD takes all the magic out of TV and movies. Anyway, the above photo is the beginning of my rebellion against this century and all its bullshit technology. That big 16mm projector in the center was built in the 40s and is a true work of art. It still works! No one on the planet can make such beauty anymore. I paid $10 at a yard sale for it. I ordered some 8mm black and white film and I can wait to start shooting some movies. Stay tuned.

Took The Beast out for a ride today!

I took the Beast out for a road test today. It felt good to be riding once again. I'm going to run a couple of tankfuls of gas with some "Seafoam" carb cleaner in it before I admit to myself that I need to pull the carb off. Runs pretty good but doesn't seem perfect to me.

Vulcan Update

While searching for a reason for a blown main fuse I found a connector on the clutch "kill switch" with a jumper wire jammed into it. I pulled the jumper out to try figure out the reasoning behind it. When I turned on the ignition switch, the neutral light stayed on throughout the gears and it wouldn't start. I took the switch off of the handle and ohmed out the terminals. I don't know exactly what is being switched but I got no continuity between any of the terminals, even with the switch depressed. So, not wanting to buy a new switch unless I had to, I took it apart and cleaned up all the little copper contacts. I put it back together and ohmed the terminals again and it was working. I put it back on the bike and everything seems to be working swell. She starts right up and the neutral light goes out once in gear. The blown fuse was from the way I Frankensteined the indicator lights, mashing them into the speedo console. The wires were getting cut.

George "The Animal" Steele Action Figure

Tearing through my third box of mud cover action figures, the man finally asked "Can I help you?" I told him of my quest. "You got any George Steele?" He said he wasn't sure but you never know. So I kept digging. My family had long since left me at this freaks stand. What kind of weirdo serial killer sells mud covered old wrestling figures? I mean....he has thousands! Anyway, I bought an amazing Andre The Giant off of him last summer and a Gimly dwarf in the fall. So I dumped the last box out on the table and at the bottom of the pile I spot that huge hairy back that we all know and love. I pick him up and mistakenly hold him in the face of a person who doesn't even work there and yell "HOW MUCH!" I get pointed in the right direction and pay the man 3 bucks. Life is good!

Ray Harryhausen : Rest In Peace

One of my all time favorite heroes, Ray Harryhausen, past away today.  I wanted to be just like this great artist when I was a kid. Only difference was he had the balls to pursue his dream. What an amazing and talented genius, an inspiration to countless film makers. This man will truly live forever in the hearts and minds of so many.  God speed Mr Harryhausen.

Almost there

After solving an electrical short problem in the indicator lights and fixing a stubborn coolant leak in one of the tubes coming from the carburetor, I think I'm ready to take it for a spin.

Vulcan: "Indicator Lights"

The ignition switch on the speedometer housing has these indicator lights. They were were broken on my bike and a matching new switch is $175. So, that's not happening for a while. I found the stock indicator lights on E-Bay(the switch on the bike now is an aftermarket one). My idea was to combine the two switches into one super amazing switch from the heavens. I had to grind down the outer lights with a dremmel tool and epoxy them to the outside of the existing switch, then epoxy(JB Weld) the rubber boots  for each light onto the back of the switch. You can see the 3 rubber boots on the lower part of the switch on the right. Of course I blew the main fuse as soon as I mounted them, it took me quite a while to figure that out. I didn't know the main 30 amp fuse was in another spot. A positive side note to that is I found a jumper wire jammed in the switch on the clutch handle that probably doesn't belong there.

Kawasaki Vulcan Project: Getting Closer

I ordered a new voltage regulator off of E-Bay. So I should get that in a few days. Oh, and I bought a super 8 movie camera last week! Just because. Also I need to trek over to my brother-in laws house to try and locate the indicator light.

Kawasaki Vulcan

So, the other day, I put the new stator and the used gear shift linkage on the beast.  Major pain in the ass getting the cover back on. The cover is impossible to get on unless the engine mounts are un-bolted and the engine itself is maneuvered around until just the right position is found. Anyway that's done. I put the floor board, kick stand and the stand switch back on as well. Today I changed the oil and oil filter. I also discovered another part I need.  The whatever it's called that has the tiny lights on the speedo is missing the bulb assembly, so I need to get that. E-Bay has it for $35.  I also should replace the voltage regulator, seeing how the plug was fried. That should be it...unless the driveshaft is toast from the engine being off the mounts. I'm trying to ignore that possibility.

Progress

So I got the replacement gear shift in the mail yesterday. I was hoping it would have the washers that went with it. No such luck, so I ordered two washers and two new circlips from a Kawasaki dealer in Concord. Also today I replaced the rotted out connectors on the wiring harness. So things are moving right along. Side note...I just poured myself a glass of whisky... and I've been thinking about building a boat. It's been on my bucket list for a while.....more of a small ship....a viking kind of ship with dragon  heads...to be taken out on the ocean. I wish I was kidding.

The Celestial

New Stator

I have the new stator bolted to the back side of the generator cover but I'm waiting on a new gear shifter that needs to be installed at the same time. More importantly I need to figure out what goes in the hole just above the cover. It's at about the 12 o'clock position and just outside the cover. There's one on the bottom too.

Disney's Hitchhiking Ghosts

I've been wanting to try this paint out all winter! Finally today it reached almost 50, so I could paint these outside. I like it!

Deadwood Al...Almost Finished

I'm almost finished with my Al Swearengen sculpt. I need some flatter paint for the suit. I'm almost never satisfied with any of these....but I had some good times with this one, drinking whisky at the kitchen island.

Al Swearengen Sculpture

Started to paint Al!

New Stator !

I never realized how beautiful a new stator looked. Once I finish my coffee and the rest of the world wakes up, I have to head down to the hardware store for some thread locker for those three bolts holding that pretty little thing in place. I'll probably put it on all the screws. Me paranoid about them coming off.

word

The Can of Worms/Bees Nest Arrived Today!!!

I can't wait to get started on this! It got here almost instantly from E-Bay. The stator should be getting here soon as well.

Kawasaki Vulcan Project

I ordered a new stator and a used wiring harness off of E-Bay. They should be here soon. In the meantime I took out the old stator and re-checked it (ohmed the windings). I also repaired a small crack in the cover with JB Weld steel epoxy. It seems fine but if I can get another used cover I will. I also ohmed out those little magnetic doo dads on the left and got the same reading for each one so they're probably swell. I'll check the readings with the manual so calm down!