End of a Decade

What a year 2019 has been here's hoping we have better vision ahead with 2020 ha ha .

October through to  December three whole months this could be a long post or maybe it will be a scattering of whats been going on. Nope change of mind a post for each month??

October usually celebrating Octoberfest good old German Food and Beer, as we don't drink other than Ginger Beer it was just food. Sauerkraut and meat balls, Sauerkruat and Kranksy, Scrambled Eggs and Schpek.

A few home made loaves and a few other tasty treats made by Sue. Roasted Pumpkin to go in Pumpkin Bread, Strudel and cookies.

 

Sue was given a bag of Alpaca by Svetlana Ward, Malcolm Ward's wife of Boutique Timbers fame. Over  a number of months she processed the majority of it into two lots dying it different colours. As a gesture of thanks Sue offered Lana to make her a shawl, but also made a second out of the other dye lot. That one Lana has given to Greg Wards wife Lynn. 

Dyeing the Blue

Dyeing the Red, Yellow blend.





Below left drying the fibre, centre sorting, right the sorted lot.

Left carding, right the Rolags when carded for the Blue.






Below carding the multi colour

 The main one shown here is the Blue the one for Lana which was hand spun Alpaca on a Tahkli spindle for part of it, then the remainder hand spun on a Wee Peggy spinning wheel. It has some 1000 beads knitted into it. The second one had no beads.
The colour change in the photos is daily light situations. Click on images to enlarge.

Both ladies have them just prior Christmas I will try post a photo of the proud owners wearing them when they send us one.

 Of course this is not all Sue did she was busy with a lot of charity knitting as well as gardening when she was able. Completing the double weave blankets by fixing minor problems, making these two beautiful cushions from the last throws of the shuttle to finish off the warp from the blankets. Along with making me some 30 or 40 pen sleeves for the pens I make.

Ipswich was not the only place to suffer drought but it came and devastated many a garden and lawn which looked like crispy thin shoelace fries but smaller it crackled when you walked on it. The vegie patch as much as Sue tried to maintain it even watering just wouldn't help.

This was taken in May green and lush, with in two months it was a dust bowl 25C throughout winter and no rain. 30C in October was just to hot.

We had Corey our lawn maintenance man dig over all garden beds, refresh with manure and Tea Tree Mulch. Just in time for a down pour of 25mm of rain first in 5 months.


The gardens bloomed but not for long a choice by Sue to remove the vegie patch completely was made. She had struggled long enough to keep it going and over the next 6 months would not be able to put the effort in until a full recovery after surgery due in December.

I had been doing lost of small projects to tidy up and clear the decks nothing major. I did score some very nice old Volumes of books though.

The two volume sets I am very pleased with as they are in exceptional condition, after a minor clean up, leather bound and with complete sets of fold out Data Sheets.
The two Metal Lathe ones will add to a growing collection of this series. The Metal casting is something I am very keen to do, but truth is unless it is done somewhere other than home, with assistance and/or mechanised means I will not be handling hot metals. However that doesn't mean I won't design or can't prepare moulds or patterns or the sand etc. Not to mention the clean up once cooled down.

The two volumes sets are full of some very interesting English motor vehicles servicing and repairs as well as photos etc.

   

The Bedford Vam manual has special meaning having built bus bodies on these Bus Chassis when working at Custom Coaches during my time as an apprentice.
The Gregory's directory what a find, it is so old many suburbs of Western Sydney prior the 60's let alone today are still just farm land. The coach drivers doing commentary back then wouldn't have had much to talk about ha ha ha.

It is about toward the end of October the bush fires started their rage in Queensland and New South Wales.

Scored a back swing for Sue it needed a repaint and good clean. Stripped it completely and painted it.

Double Weave Two Blankets

It is a little over twelve months since beginning the Double Weave Blanket project in May 2018 the long process of warping, threading and tying it all. Then finally around June making a start at weaving it.

Somewhere in January 2019 I started on the second blanket.

Note how dark it is above, this was in January.

Then after having the new LED lights installed right and below.

Above you can see how close I am as the back beam is showing the end of the warp.

Right is the first of the last yellow strips.

The end of the blankets.

The remained was used as far as I could go to continue the double weave which will become possibly cushion covers or bags.

Pen Is Mightier

The words often spoken "The Pen is Mightier Than The Sword" as I grew up then little did I know I'd make as many as I have since making my first.

I do recall at school looking into the history of the writing instrument I am of an age where chalk and slate were my first, moving onto pencil through years of ink and ink wells to the Biro. I struggle to hold any writing instrument these days ad scrawl a signature is about best I can do.

New kits hit the market almost daily just as much as Pen kit suppliers who seem to come and go also. This makes it difficult to maintain a good supplier and constant kit styles or parts no matter how big or small they are. Yes there are those kits which have been around for some years bet even they have changes made.  Often instructions can make it very frustrating either poorly written, organised or so long winded yet with bits left out.

I am fascinated by the artistry which goes into designing a kit the engineering behind it all, basically there is a cartridge of ink be that ballpoint or fountain pen. From there designing the exterior is much the same as designing anything really.

One day I may just have to see what design I can produce myself.

Until then I guess it means admiring others work.

These are the latest creations, I have to say thanks to Tony from Perfect Pens & Pencils for many of these kits. Tony sadly decided to reduce his stock due to so many taking up selling kits at prices he could not compete with. 

Thanks also to Ian Welford in Yorkshire UK for the years we have been swapping pen blanks with Alan Flett being courier between. Finally being able to use some of the fine English timbers on some exceptional kits.

Since making these Pristina Fountain Pens back in 2018  I thought it time to make Pristina Rollerball. Like a Biro but they use a Ceramic ball with much softer feel on the ball.

I made one out of QLD Red Gum to compliment and make a matched set of Fountain and Rollerball (centre pen below).
Frome left to right English Elm Burl, English Black Walnut, QLD Red Gum, English Yew, English Spalted Holly.

QLD Cross Cut Red Gum

QLD Cross cut Red Gum

English Spalted Holly

English Yew

English Elm Burl

English Black Walnut

Having made the Dragon Inkle Loom these three Dragons Blood kits seemed appropriate.

Antique Copper with Spalted Mackay Flame Cedar, Brass with acrylic Green Orange and Yellow Crush and Pewter with White Ice Acrylic which the brass tube was painted Blue giving the effect it has.















Antique Copper, Mackay Spalted Flame Cedar. Right the Crown of Dragon's Blood.

Antique Brass with Acrylic Crush.

 Antique Pewter White Frosting Acrylic

Two Gold Tactical Bolt Action Click pens with English Ash can come with a Stylus for use on Tablet or iPad etc or with simple Gold top..

These Knarly Knurly Twist Top Pens are weighty and solid two Gold one with English Lignum Vitae from an old Bowls Ball. The second Huon Pine Burl. The Gun metal Black has Spalted Holly.
 The unusual twist top to bring the nib out unlike most twist which use the nib area to do so.

The unique grain and timbers of all highlights what timbers the world round can produce.






I have over the years made any Bolt Action Pens mostly using Acrylics or Australian timbers I  had. That was until Ted Mitchel gave me some Antler had I not had the opportunity to use such a unique material. Many say they odour when turning Antler is very pungent, I didn't find it so in fact very mild indeed.

Three Elegant Beauties this was a play with some additional to the main timber on both Huon Pine and a Bloodwood Waste wood. The fourth was a re-do on my personal pen as the waste wood blank had begun to separate after a number of heavy meetings with the floor. 
















The European Filigree was chosen as I had for some time two Tru-Stone Turquoise blanks which suited the Silver Filigree. The true Island Ebony to be fitted with the third  Silver kit as seen to left and below.
 

The Tru-Stone is a resin acrylic not actual stone but the weight of the blanks gives the feel and impression it could be.











The Green Dragon acrylic with Black Gun Metal  stands out.














 


Also using the Black Gun Metal Filigree on two English timbers from Ian. Photo on right first at left is Laburnum, centre is Black Walnut, third is the True Island Ebony.