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.