What Manly Things Did You Do Today?

Gotta admire the dedication to duty.... but you gotta recharge your personal batteries so you can dive back in with a full-charge. If you're worn out you're not doing anyone much good. Sleep, relax, drink coffee and have a nice shave!

 

I went to work, I came home from work.
When my new Mora 511 arrived, I filed down the spine to be able to cast sparks from a ferrocerium rod. I forced a protective patina on the edge and stropped it for good measure.

 

I made a Star Trek communicator, with my 3D pen.

 

Did a little more sanding on my humidor project. Checking it over I found a couple of rough spots. Got an email from Heartfelt. My beads and hygrometer are on the way. I may start staining on Friday. There's no rush, as I still need cedar for the interior.

 

Don't stain the inside. If I were you, I wouldn't use the cedar inserts, unless you have to. Instead I would go to your local cigar shop, buy a couple of extra cedar cigar boxes. Usually they will either give them away, or sell them for a couple of dollars. I would then take the boxes apart, fit the pieces to the dimensions of your humidor, and glue them to the inside, on at many sides as possible. This will lessen the chances of smells from the original wood seeping into your cigars. This will also thicken the box and help keep humidity inside. But, it's your box, you do it your way.

 

Designed and 3D printed some brackets to connect to the corner of tables to easily align them... nope... no OCD to see here...

 

Great minds think alike. I'm waiting for my local guy to come across with some boxes for me. On Saturday he said it might be a couple of weeks. No rush.

 

Cleaning up the kitchen, and adding a few more layers of seasoning to my cast iron wok.

 

Unloaded the dishwasher, reloaded, and re-seasoned a cast iron skillet. Actually just adding to it, like Chris.

 

Made French toast/sausage for the wife and kids, now letting the girls (9 and 7) work on my old collection of Aurora wildlife model kits.


(from the 1963 catalog)

https://www.google.com/search?q=aur...vZjWAhUJYyYKHeszBs8Q_AUICygC&biw=1366&bih=677

Kids these days almost never build model kits. Most have never even heard of them. It's usually guys approaching 50 at least who still do it. Requires patience the kids today tend not to have, nor want. So it's good to see them engaged in something not on a screen. Besides...the kits sitting in unbuilt in their boxes in a closet helps no one.

 

And most important cigars!

 

That is correct. I'm still test driving. So far, I'm really liking the Rocky Patel Vintage 1999 Toro and the Oliva Connecticut Reserve Toro. The box is only gonna accommodate 6-6.5 inch cigars.

 

I remember those! Holy Crap!

 

I started to stain my humidor project this afternoon. First I had to fill in 4 small screw holes and then sand 'em smooth
I stained the bottom to see how it would go on. It's been a while since I've done anything like this. Then I started on the sides
To be continued...



Just imagine the other side looks like this one
All done. I may do a second coat. I haven't decided yet...

As I was afraid, the patched screw holes are standing out. I may put the handle back.

 

I used to build models as a kid. I bought one a couple of years ago. Man, but they've gotten expensive! It's no wonder kids don't build 'em these days.

 

Still cheaper than a video game

 

Raked and filled two trashcans with leaves and yard junk

 

If you ever need to strip the seasoning off of something and start over I have a good method for that too.

 

I've recently quit model building (eyes failing me and have built all subjects that interest me) but still followed the hobby since the net started...before then, before it really started to die, there were newsletters and such. Anyway, the cost of petroleum has steadily drove up the price since the '70s. That's the biggest reason. Later, many properties that before had been attractive for model subjects, and would have sold enough to be profitable, became too expensive to license. Labor costs, too...a few smaller independents (Moebius and Monarch namely) were started by guys in the past 10 or so years who grew up building models. They had very limited runs that were machined, molded and packaged entirely in China. Cost, around $30 and up per kit. The tooling is VASTLY improved since we were kids but both companies, last I heard, have now folded.

From what I read, no matter what the subject matter, old timers like me just can't get kids interested in sitting down long enough to learn the skill of careful construction, creative quality painting, reading instructions...they just don't see the point. So the companies have folded. A few big ones remain, as can be seen at Hobby Lobby, but it's just a matter of time...you can sell only so many B-52s, Titanics and tank kits. As those periods of history grow increasingly remote, so will interest.

Walmart quit carrying plastic over 10 years ago; at least I haven't seen any there in a long time. I haven't seen any at Big Lots since the early 2000s, and that was a buyout of Polar Lights (another startup that did well but died). Now you'll see a stack of generally blah kits that did not sell - and likely won't - at Ollie's, truly the last stop.

We old time modelers are quickly going the way of the Lash LaRue fan club of when my Dad was a kid. It's the way of things, but I'm still a little melancholy about it.

 

You might consider covering the patched screw holes with an engraved plaque. These 4"x2" plaques from Amazon may not be big enough, but you can probably find some larger. It would go well with the brass accents.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RSAYOA2/?tag=thshde-20

The humidor looks great, but a handle might seem out of place.