Camp NaNoWriMo

Just stopping by for a brief update. In the hectic flash that has been the last month or so, I have placed a lot of irons in the fire. On one hand, that breeds a lot of drive and creativity. On the other hand, that makes me a quivering mass of ADHD addled insanity piling up things that will most likely topple into ruin, disuse, and disappointment in the weeks to come. The upside is at least a few things should make it through the wringer intact, and any progress is a good thing.

I just found out this morning that the people that brought you NaNoWriMo are at it again. For those not in the know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, and is held every November. The goal is to churn out 50,000 words in one month. There is a website to help you track yourself, and stay motivated, along the way. 

This year they are launching Camp NaNoWriMo. That's right, a summer edition of everyone's favorite play from home fiction creating game. The website has been a bit packed this morning, but I managed to squeak in to sign up, and have my first go at a NaNo writing event. The idea is to start from scratch, and write a new piece in one month, but I intend to stay on track with my current project. I'm mostly in it for some motivation. If you're interested in joining the fun, it isn't too late.

I settled on a working title for my book. How does "Angel'sKin" grab you? It is an Urban Fantasy at it's core, but there are some thriller and detective story elements thrown in. Currently it sets at 13,904 words. If I hit the 50,000 goal that will give me 63,000 going into August. To give a bit of perspective I started the project in late February. Yeah, time to up the pace. In my defense, most of my man hours in this beast were dedicated to character and plot development, and a bit of honest 'world builder's disease'. That will all have to be put on hold. It will take full time seat of the pants writing to hit the goal., so wish me luck.

There are several bushcraft, carving, and tool related projects, in various stages of completion, still being documented for you guys. I hope I can post a few up before the July 31st deadline. I broke out the mini forge for a quick project last night. My attempt at a spoon adze went fairly well. I expect that will be the next write up when I come up for air. Just so you can't say I didn't give you anything, here is the finished shot of the Kiley's Garage sign. It has been packed and shipped to it's new sweet home in Alabama. I played around with different ideas to hang it, but finally settled on some homemade copper chains. Just a quick bit of twisting on stripped copper wire. Whatcha think?

I have to hit the keys if progress is to be made tonight. As always, keep creating, and if I don't surface again soon see you in a month.

Kiley's Garage Sign

Have you ever known a guy that is so awesome that he would open his heart and home to a rag tag group of near total strangers in the name of brotherhood alone? What about a dude who just gets it? I'm talking about the type of person who works full time bettering humanity, spends his off time creating motorcycle uber-amazing-ness, and just happens to rock an epic level chin mounted push broom.

I just happen to know a guy named Kiley, who just happens to fit that very description. Although I did not personally get to attend the monumental occasion that brought an army of vintage bike nuts to rest at Kiley's Garage last fall, I was inspired by the stories that grew out of it. I wanted to make him something just to say that someone noticed he was being top-notch. I started freehand sketching on a piece of catalpa, and after a while carved a ribbon. The idea was to incorporate "Kiley's Garage" into a hanging sign to put in front of the the now infamous shop where all the shenanigans in question transpired. Due to the size of the scavenged stock I had to work with, "Kiley's" is all that would fit on the first piece.

With this piece locked in, it would require actual planning to design the rest of the piece. I hauled myself over to the Do The Ton forum, the place where I first got in with this crew of crazy gear heads, and sought out some advice. After getting several suggestions there emerged a clear choice.

Justin Longhorn, as he is known on the interweb, suggested a tree of life design. Kiley had mentioned wanting one in front of the shop. Done deal.

After some research the idea came into focus and the cutting began. After the rough shaping the disc got planed down flat enough to take the design.

 

Then the design was sketched on, and holes drilled in the negative spaces. I used a scroll saw, but the job could have been done with a coping saw. You could even stick with knives and chisels if you were under equipped and dedicated enough.

The bulk of the work on this piece came in the form of sawing the blank and chiseling the details.

I worked in short bursts for months. It would not have taken very long, start to finish, but I have a habit of jumping from project to project. The overall time was also inflated due to the need to stop and fabricate chisels and knives. Since I had never done anything like this before, I was learning as I went. The methods and tools evolved along the way, and I worked on a few simpler practice pieces also.

The end result was agreeable enough.

So the last thing to do was to carve and letter the lower "Garage" section.

I left this one pretty simple. I kept the same vintage tattoo font from the top plaque. If its not broke, why screw with it till you break it. I bend that rule enough to understand it's importance well. That is to say I break way more than I fix, but it is usually because of a learning curve I'm too impatient to respect.

Once all the pieces were stained they were set up for a quick pic.  All that is left to do is string the pieces together, and ship the whole thing off to it's new home.

Even though this project took way longer than it should have, and the learning curve was a headache, the fact that it is for such a stand up guy made the completion that much more rewarding. In the end that is what it is all about. An epic gent gets some positive reinforcement, I learned something, I get to share it with you guys, and not having idle hands keeps me off the streets.

Incidentally, here is a quickie of a knife and the chisels and scrapers that were used on this project. I think a follow up post of the process used to forge, shape, harden, and temper these little guys is a must. It is a fun project that doesn't take much in the way of tooling up or experience.   These were all made of found and scavenged metal ranging from cut nails, to post tension foundation cables, and even springs from an old mattress. Once you have the basic idea on these you can easily tweak the design and hardness for all kinds of uses, so stay tuned.

Happy Father's Day

Just stopping by to wish a Happy Father's Day to all the hard working, steady, responsible gents out there. Here's to the guy who stands head and shoulders above the rest, charismatically and confidently supporting his offspring through all the pitfalls and chaos in life, while highlighting for his brood all that is good, and proper, and manly.

As for the rest of us who have been that minivan driving, stroller pushing, barely sentient butt wiping schlub, this is our day too.

I need to take a moment, if I may, to honor my Dad for all that he has done for me, and how that affects the attitude I hope these ramblings express.

My father is a man who came from meager means, and yet without fail, has worked every day, without complaint, disdain, or regret, to give his family every opportunity to thrive. That spirit infects everything I have ever seen him attempt, almost to a fault. He embodies the nature of turning nothing into something. I have watched him commit himself to great feats of engineering with supplies to which a cave dweller would scoff. Commonly this path is taken to extremes, like building a tool that could be purchased in spite of it's low cost and ease of availability. But it is his example of not only making due with what you have, but thriving with it, that has shaped much of the picture of the man that I aspire to be.

His methods are at the core of more than just the projects and ideas that I intend to submit for your consideration. They inform my understanding of how life works, and how it should work. I'm not casting dispersion on the haves, and elevating the have nots. I'm offering up the concepts of of appreciating what you have, doing more with what you have worked for, and building up more than collections of pricey knick-knacks. It's all about refining yourself, building upon what you can be, and utilizing what you have learned to better those who rely on you most.

Lofty goals to say the least, but many of us were lucky enough to have had a mentor there during those critically impressionable years that set the bar high enough to make the most extreme goals seem achievable. Today lets thank those men, our fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, or whoever was there for you, for showing us what is possible, investing in our potential, and giving us the confidence to aspire to be more.

Big Brother Bearded Ax

As promised, here is the update on the second half of the double bit ax. The head was given a long cycle of baths rotating between a bleach bath, warm dish soap and rinse, and an extended stay in a vinegar mixture. The mixture is vinegar, salt, and a touch of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer. If you try this be really careful about contamination between the bleach and vinegar. Chlorine gas is nasty stuff, even in small doses, and death doesn't agree with my complexion. The general idea was a heavier carving ax that could stand up against some chopping, splitting, and batoning.

The final product is an artificially aged medium sized chopper with good weight and balance. It fits well in the hand and the scale makes it look a bit like something from an anime. It actually has me plotting a story about a huntsman's daughter set in a manga style alternate universe. Have to tread a fine line to avoid looking like a hunger games knock off. I think the first step is make her a little less emo.

Here's the stats:

Handle: scavenged bradford pear

Overall Length: 16"

Handle Width: 1.5"

Head: recycled antique double bit

Butt to Bit: 7.5"

Bit Length: 4.5"

Head Width: 1" at haft

Total Weight: 3#

The antiquing on the head was tricky, but it really makes the piece. The warm colors and the striped chatoyancy in the handle were pure luck. Bradford pear is known for this type of grain pattern due to the crossing grain. the down side is it is a nightmare to split, and tricky to carve. 

The upside is that it will sand and scrape to a beautiful sheen, and you can easily get a glass like finish by 400 grit or so. I have yet to turn any, but I'd imagine tear outs are likely. If you plan to use a block plane on it, keep it sharp. The random grain makes that a challenge too. 

The last thing I need to do is put a final sharpening on it. I did a mid angle bevel grind on the smaller of the pair, so I'm thinking a slightly more aggressive flat grind on this one. The wedge is made from a split of hedge apple, and the yellow/orange sets it off. The width required to haft a double bladed ax head shifted the carving grip down slightly on the handle, but the hefty hunk of timber left on the end sets the balance point right below my index finger in an up-close working grip.

A Quick Update, and Fiction Resources

Hey all, there has been a lot brewing on the home front. The second ax is finished, and exceeds my expectations. A full post is coming soon. There has been a lot more reading going on around here, too. Want to write fiction, it helps to read it. I've also been plugging away with the writing, though not as much as I'd like. I'm just a pinch over 10,000 words on the novel, and there are several short stories in various stages. I'm splitting the writing time between actual writing, plotting, light world building, and a score of character exploring exercises. The plotting/outlining has been the hardest thing for me so far. I'm experimenting with several processes, and I'll work up some comparisons from my notes once I figure out what I like best.

In an effort to rekindle my fiction writing chops I have been searching for sources of contemporary short genre fiction to absorb. I was truly amazed as to what was available for free on the web. Most of it is available with RSS feeds straight to your [techno-babble]device[/t-b] thingy of choice.

Chrome is my current go to browser, and I installed a program called Feedly to compile all my RSS feeds to my desktop. So far I like it. It features easy interface, list or magazine views, and simple content addition. I have almost totally replaced my wasted Facebook time with a steady stream of content from blogs, science news sources, and free fiction.

If anyone is interested in absorbing some fiction I have a few feed friendly suggestions.

Tor.com - Awesome sauce in a can. Not much more to say. Quite a few of their offerings are excerpts from a larger work , provided as a teaser, but good reads none the less. Really, my go to for the written word.

District of Wonders - The District of Wonders is a more recent find. It is an umbrella site for a collection of themed sister feeds. Each one has a podcast with delectable little tidbits to whet your apatite for fiction. Each short story is donated by the author, and read by a volunteer. The first is Star Ship Sofa, sci-fi goodness served up with related features. The others include Tales to Terrify, Crime City Central, and my favorite Protecting Project Pulp. The last is a vintage pulp fiction podcast full of noir gumshoes and larger than life serial heroes.

Lightspeed Magazine - A sci-fi and fantasy podcast that allows you to choose between reading the short stories in print or a streamed podcast for the on the go types.

Nightmare-Magazine - This on is pretty much what the name implies. It is also a sister sight to Lightspeed, with a similar format. it offers the same consumption versatility.

Another noteworthy source is SF Signal. Touted as the 2012 Hugo winner for Best Fanzine, they offer a lot of good write ups, author interviews, and industry insight. They also offer a periodic list of available free fiction from around the web. My Andriod phone is stuffed with free books from Amazon thanks to SFS.

In the mean time, I've been researching and working on several projects over the last month. There is a back load of pics and content on the way, so there should be some cool bushcraft and upcycling coming soon. If anyone out there has any fiction links or project ideas shoot them my way. I'm always looking for my next obsession.

I have to end with a shout out to Dawn Montgomery, a long time friend who is experiencing a boon from her latest erotica release Haunting Melody St. Claire. If you like it hot and steamy, she has what you need.

Till next time, keep creating. Remember, we are defined by what we create, not what we consume.

Sometimes You Just Need an Ax

So, I found myself needing a new caving ax. My previous version was hot forged out of a leaf spring and hafted into the handle in a rather primitive style. During the Easter trip home I hit the flea markets with my father-in-law with the intentions of picking up a antiuqe, vintage, or just plain rusty ax head I could modify for my purposes.

Thanks to my my bargain hunting buddy's quick eye, and a five dollar bill I came into possession of this high carbon lovely patina bearing beauty.

It quickly occurred to us that twice the blades meant two axes if I was careful while rough cutting.

I chunked a two dollar cutting wheel on the 4.5" angle grinder and I had two ax head blanks.The primary concern is overheating the cuttig edge, but a nearby bucket of water keeps the heat in check. An occasional quick dip was all that was needed.

The general idea was a pair of bearded axes.

Some additional shaping with with a grinding wheel and a 40 grit flap sander yeilded a couple of pleasing shapes.There was little attention given to the surface finish, as the intention is to induce rust pitting, followed by a vinegar etching. The rust is encouraged by soaking the steel in a bleach and salt water solution. It is pointless to do any sharpening before this step. The cutting edge would just get eaten away. The additional swirls, scratches, and imperfections make me smile, so I skipped the polishing. After a few years of handling the steel should develop a nice warm patina that invites you to handle and use the the tool without fear of hurting it. I like my gear to be attractive, yet still rugged.

To that end, the first piece and the smaller of the two, got a hand cut oak handle. A red oak trim board could have been obtained easily enough, but that would have underminded the intended idea and aesthetic.

I found a suitable piece of oak in a pile of five inch thick branches that were rescued last month, before they could make the trip to the dump. After the general shape was carved the head was mounted.

The final shaping and sanding process was followed by a ferric acetate wood stain. This sounds impressive, but it is pretty simple. Soak some fine oil free steel wool in vinegar for at least twenty-four hours. When you brush this solution on a tannin heavy wood like oak the tannins react with the iron and turn a deep grey black. If the wood you want to stain is not tannin rich, brew some strong black tea and brush it over the wood. Let it dry, and then apply the vinegar solution.

I followed that up with a commercial walnut colored stain and seal in one that I had lying around. The result is a deep brown with heavy black sinews.

The unique bone shape is an artifact caused by a nasty looking knot at the base of the handle. Once I carved around it I fell in love with the extra detail. The grip is extremely comfortable and feels natural. The heft and balance are perfect whether battoning or carving up close. There is a slight twist along the length that makes the aim instinctive. The steel isn't as high carbon as it could be, but it has held an edge well under pretty heavy use. Overall I couldn't be more pleased with the results, and now I have a nice ax to carve the handle for his big brother.

Welcome to the house.

I'm into a lot of stuff. There are so many cool things out there, how can I not be. I'm a recently reignited writer, amateur carver, fledgling black smith, wannabe vintage bike builder, sometime scrap artist, and all around scrounger. The proverbial jack you have heard so much about.

What do these things all have in common? Simple, the fine art that is creating something from next to nothing. Call it up-cycling, trash to treasure, scrapping, eco-living or whatever else they are calling it now.

I sum it up in my online moniker "CrescentSon". In British heraldic traditions the eldest son inherited the fathers coat of arms. The second born took a symbol, a crescent, called a mark of cadency to distinguish his crest from his father's, and went out into the world to make his own name and fortune. Crescent Son is the embodiment of being that second born son, given little, and sent out to make what we may with it.

That's what I do. I scavenge, scrounge, and scrap from whatever is available, and make whatever comes into my little brain pan. Whether writing, building, or crafting, I start with nearly nothing and try to transform it into something useful.

I collect discarded tree trimmings from my neighborhood. That is where my carving wood comes from. I "mill" it down with basic tools and make spoons, bowls, plaques, cutting boards, magic wands, and... whatever might be handy.

My carving ax and knives were forged from files, springs, cable, and saw blades whose lives were otherwise over. My forge is a re-purposed water heater tank. My "bellows" started life as a vacuum motor. My anvil is a 3' piece of rail road track.

It constantly amazes me what can be made with raw resources, or what has been discarded by society. I feel compelled to share that with whoever might be interested, and hope to pick up whatever I can from those with something to offer. In a world where everything is engineered for planned obsolescence and made in a industrial factory by people who hate their jobs, nothing makes me happier than seeing the enjoyment one gets from making something  in the humblest settings that is intended to last. As we go along I hope to share what I find interesting with a group of like minded folks who are focused on using meager resources to scratch together a life worth loving.

I think the universal consciousness is beginning to shift towards those of us who don't need the latest, greatest, or newest to be happy. All it takes is what you already have, a bit of readily available knowledge, and the time that would just be wasted elsewhere.