WHOA! Double post day.

One good and one, well, I will let you make your own mind on its status.

Was listening to C2C again on the morning drive. New (to me) Speaker on the 'American Economy'.

Nothing new to report. Same old shit, different day.

Then it hit me.


I just don't give a rats ass about what that psychotic bunch of theives does anylonger.

See, The country I was raised to 'Pledge Allegiance' to, is no longer. It may not be dead, but it has been castrated and lobotomized into some drugged shambling resemblance of its old self. Now it just sits on the couch in the east wing of the psych ward, drooling on its overgrown belly watching "Americas got Talent" and "Dancin' with the Stars".

It is almost like watching a family member with terminal disease and brain issues fade away. There are days where you (guiltily) wish they would just pass on so that everyone could just get on with their lives and the patient could be at peace.

And speaking of "talent". I know that show business is really hard work. That schmooze they show on the bubblevision is NOT talent. That is just one more manifestation of the above monster sitting on the couch.


How can I care when I see the ripple effect of that crap percolating throughout the general populace?

You want talent? Find a skill you enjoy, study it, learn it, live it. And even then you aren't guaranteed success. That takes dedication that few have. All you have to do is look at how many guitars Gibson or Fender sells a year and then look at all the Real Guitarists that actually make a living playing. You can probably name most of them off the top of your head, that list is that small.(in ratio to be specific.)

But that doesn't apply to the U.S. citizens, Does it? Nope, they can just audition for some sleazy crap-ass show and make a mint just by being willing to get up and show how fucked they really are.


Anywhoo, As I was sayin, I am at that point of wanting the patient to 'move on' so that we can get on with the rest of the history. I know that its going to be hard on a HUGE majority of people. Oh well. We have had it WAY too soft for far too long. There was a time where this country was known for hard charging people of character. Not so much anylonger. Hopefully the crucible of collapse will boil off the dross and what will be left will be a shining example of "Ameri-CAN"


If we don't fall into complete civilwar and tribal 'redistricting'.


Ok, I am done for the day. Have at comments, Looking forward to reading what ya'll have to say.

Lucifers Furnace in Satans Sauna.

Had a hella day yesterday. Didn't start off that fast but by the time the sun was rolling over the horizon, I was beat.

Helped out cutting down some lightening struck trees, did some yard work, cooked lunch, ran to 'The bigger city' up the road to hit some stores for stuff we don't have local,

Then,

THIS.

First up, I was working on this yesterday and the idea I started with, while sound on paper, failed completely due to humidity issues. Those that have worked with wood will know well, just how quickly thin wood can warp under high humidity conditions. (especially when you are cutting intricate shapes crossgrain.)

This pick shows how bad that warp is. It looked great for about 3 hours then started that silly creep thing. Even under clamps, the center hole started showing distortion from circular to ellipsoid.

SO, Back to the saws and a different idea today. I also decided to hell with that hole in the middle as it makes for a more complicated mold. That's why I have a 3-1 machine, right? To make those kinds of holes in things (among other kinds of changes in structure.)
Here are the patterns in progress. The triangular shaped one gets the hole filled with bondo a little bit after this pick was taken. (Seeing how I am alone while doing these things, I get into a groove and all thoughts of camera go out the window. I am trying to get a recorded history here; I slip though.)

Here are the finished patterns. I did something a bit different this time around. (inspired by a product seen on a shelf somewhere) I did all the usual things, Clean up rough spots, bondo holes, sand smooth as a babies butt, and primer with filler primer. I went one step further though. The last coat of primer went on after I was satisfied that there would be nothing to hang in the mold. BEFORE it dried, I dropped it in my box of Plumbago parting dust which is 95% raw graphite. I use the parting dust liberally as it is, but thinking that a graphite coating that wouldn't 'rub off' would do even better. (results later in the article.)}

Time to pound sand!

(in my world, that ain't a bad thing, LOL)

I could show you the process of packing a mold, removing cores and patterns, setting the cope and drag, etc etc etc. It's really kind of boring until you go to pull the patterns out but that means My attention is 100% on doing it right; Pictures are really not a thing on my mind.

So, things went well with pounding sand, time to invite Lucifer into the game. As you all know doubt know, there's a heat wave going on. Call me crazy but when the mold came out as nice as it did, thanks in no small part to that new technique I used; hell, I was inspired to melt metal. Un-Godly heat index or no. (rain would have stopped me though)

And Lucifer did well. I had 12 pounds melted in less than 45 minutes, ready to flux and pour.

I did get a bit sloppy and there was a spill and a small fire on the flask. No big deal. I am still getting used to using the large tongs to handle that crucible. You don't improve by sitting idle doing nothing. And this is a risky hobby at its best (and deadly at its worst) No burns on me and I didn't burn down any buildings; Guess thats all that matters right?
The moment of truth.

Looks good, still hot enough to be smoking.

The end result in front of the new patterns.

And here, I am hand working the two parts to match each other.(that is an old table saw plate, covered with plate glass and bondo, and I use a spray adhesive to hold the sandpaper in place. Cheap and highly effective for achieving a truly flat surface)You can see that even with great castings, there are still imperfections to deal with. Still, I am absolutely stoked on this pour. This is quite literally the best casting that I have done EVER! When I go to face off the crankcase, I won't have to take more than .010" . Thats HUGE to me.

Now, I have to make the cylinders, the crankcase faces, the heat exchanger, and the mounts to attach it to some piece of wood I conjure up. (walnut looks good with aluminum and brass) And of course, machine and hand fit all the parts AND make it work. Thinking I will add a pulley and and a 'dynamo' and light just for grins. (just like I were in school doing a science fair or sumpin. LOL)

Takin a break

That is something that we all need now and again. Funny how certain personality types find "takin' a break" in work. Not work you neccesarily get paid for (not monetarily anyway, though sometimes it works out that way) But in good, honest skull and bone sweat.

Craig managed to get invited out on the water to 'work'. (and you can read the smiles in his post about it.)

Me, Been making chips on the lathe and crunching numbers for my Stirling engine. Won't lie about it, I am cheating some this go-round. I found a couple of old "green machine" weed whackers and since they were junk, disassembled them for spare parts. In this case, a press fit crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons (with RINGS! Woot!) along with bearings and seals. (of course this means my original plans will need modified just a bit. Scrapped more like it. NO plan ever survives the first engagement.)
I might have been able to restore them, but honestly, the company is defunct and finding parts would have meant tracking down more broken ones. Naw; time to play. Side note, I also managed to get another 8 pounds of good solid cast aluminum for my stocks. Those particular machines were made damned beefy. These units weren't worn out in anyway. Just plugged up with Mud-dauber nests.(which is abrasive and really gets shit screwed up in carbs and the like.)

This newer design will be smaller since the pistons are nearly half an inch smaller in diameter. Since this is just an experiment with a design, scaling down is not an issue. It does mean that all of my past calculations are shit though. Oh well, I am not going back to re-work all of that. I will only do enough to figure the sizes needed for the tube works and the exchanger but that one is easy as it is just a ratio issue. Still, lots of modeling to work on, have a simple design for the crankcase laid out and now have to do the woodwork. Going to try and do it in 2 pairs of castings. Mirror images of each other I guess you could say. That will make final fitting so much easier (and if I ever get offered cash to build one, I will have the basics to make it faster second time)

It has been really nice to be able to look at the headlines on the Drudge and not get irate; just shrug it off as there isn't a damned thing I can do about it.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with those 3/8" cable drives from the shafts. Hate to pitch good steel like that.



(By the way, My next post is my 500th. Gonna have to do something special for that post. Never thought I would get past 200. Didn't think I had that much to say. LOL,)

What a world.

I find the silence of the people in this country just a bit disturbing. The antics or our President; the Twitter soft "town hall", his use of AF1 for his current campaign (granted all of em are guilty of this one). The antics or our Quite Liberal Government (on both sides of the aisle), The abandonment by the churches (both Bill and Ann cover this one this week.)

Hell, even this little tidbit got my goat this morning.(that in reference to my last post)

And yet, other than a few bloggers, NOTHING. Not a peep. I am sitting here at a fast food joint stealing WiFi listening to the jabberjaws on FOX chattering up, with much enthusiasm, the crap about the 'food police' and how the Gov wants to cut funding to them. (Good say I, but I am just a little shit in a big toilet bowl.) Yet, again, Nothing about what is really going on. The directions that are being herded along with no chance for course correction. How can a change be made when the problems are blatantly avoided by those that MIGHT be able to make a difference? It can't. Plain and simple. The fact that these events are being manipulated and ignored selectively, is proof positive that there is driving force behind it and that it is towards a given end. There is one aspect that I think those responsible fail to see. That is the simple fact that Humans are individuals first and while you can herd them along for some time, eventually some are going to see the cliff and your stampede will shift course against your designs.

I know a few are seeing the cliff. Many are seeing that the grass is giving away to rocky ground but they haven't looked far enough forward yet to see said cliff. Then you have all of the followers that only see the ass of Lady Gaga and nothing else. No cliff, no rocks, everything is good, follow the herd.

And on that note, A little trip back to the 80's for ya.

Enjoy. (and this is how I wish we could deal with stupidity some-days.)


(and for those that aren't familiar with Gwar, Art students with a really sick sense of humor. Good people though. )

when

It isn't a matter of if, it hasn't been for a long time. There are people that have prognosticated our future from several different standpoints over the years. Some of these go back into the late 1800's and for everyone of them, there is an ounce of truth in what is now being played out. From Orwell, to Heinlein, etc etc Ad Nauseam, It is all coming to fruition.

I have little to add and I truly am not the wordsmith of those greats, not even a molecule of their ability. My skills lie in making things you can touch and manipulate, not words or thoughts.

Having read the book, Civil War 2, I am seeing more and more of the actual game plan as it was laid out for TPTB generations ago. To think that all of this is about one mans agenda is a fools errand. Yes O'boy has an agenda, but his agenda would be for naught if it weren't for the generations of communists and socialists that infiltrated out system prior to his "comeuppance". Heck, if it hadn't been for those generations prior, O'boy would never have made it to where he is now. While I don't know the details of his life, and many don't since so many of his records are completely sealed, I can only speculate that his handlers have been doing a lot of work to ease him through the system up to this point. BUT He is only one man, and there is much more work that is in order for the 'End Game'.

But not near as much as you would think. If you have not read the book mentioned earlier. Please do so. I don't ask you to agree with it, I don't even ask you to like it. BUT think about it what the implications are on the premise that, MAYBE, this guy is right. Think about how the game of PC thought is laid out and how it has affected your NATURAL reactions to events. Don't look at what you did: look at the hesitation you had because of an unnatural training cycle in place. Think about that 'reaction' held over 100 million other Americans when things 'break'. Think long and hard about it. Then look around and see what potential breaks exist in your area.
I know that there are some that haven't the means to uproot given they are in a bad location come Civil Strife. With the economy doing its little death dance, The IMF holding the notes, and Our "Representatives" failing basic first level economics: Being able to do much of anything can be a gut-wrenching experience.

I have stated that there is trouble brewing. Fact is, those that don't see it, won't see it until its in their face. IF they live through that, they will start looking for those to blame. Like any junkie in need of a fix, loyalties rarely are deep enough to protect those close to the junkie. Our nation is a country of junkies. Either addicted to drugs or technology,(or money) matters not. When that net is no longer there, the addiction will surge into a frenzy feeding on those close at hand.


"May you live in interesting times"

The Chinese cursed us well. Very well indeed. BUT, we are the ones to blame for allowing it. Us and all of the generations that came before that closed their eyes in shallow comfort "because our leaders watch the gate".
Well the gate is now closed but the beast owns the yard. We can only watch as th events unfold now. They are unfolding as I write this, and soon, very soon, it will be a Black/White/Brown question. There will be grey only where the lines are drawn and that will only be due to the fog of war.

I hate people some days.

Last night, before I had to head to bed for work today; My Dad and I rescued three young kittens that had been dropped off on our backwater track of road. These poor things were barely weaned when said asshole dropped them off in the middle of nowhere to 'fend for themselves'.

Now that is bad enough to get my ire up. It happens frequently enough around here that My Dad is a well known face at the shelter. Dogs, cats, matters not, if they can't feed it or whatever, they tend to end up way back here. I guess they figure that no one will care if the animal dies alone in the woods.

BUT, what made this bad was the shape of one of the kittens. This little guy had an abscess on his right shoulder. I have spent part of the afternoon in an attempt to 'doctor' him up. Lost cause. He isn't dead yet but its just a matter of time. The leg is already a lost cause. No blood flow to the pads on his paw, the leakage from the open abscess shows muscle AND bone clear down to the rib cage. This thing has been festering for at least 2 weeks. The poor thing wants to be a kitten with his siblings but just hasn't the energy to get off the towel I laid him on.

The best thing I could do for him at this point is to dope him up. Childrens tylenol straight down the gut. I mixed in some e-mycin but I don't expect him to make it through the night. We can't take them to the shelter till Tuesday, and keeping them is out of the question. Besides, its not like we chose to get anymore cats, we are just trying to keep them from dying horrible deaths on the road. IF this little guy makes a recovery, he will have to have that leg amputated. I figure that the shelter will euthanize him anyway since they just don't have the budget to help hardcases like this. My only hope for him is a sleeping death.

I would do the deed but when it comes to baby anythings, I am a big softy. I can shoot a deer but not a fawn. I can shoot a dog or horse beyond help but not a pup or foal. Just can't do it. (and you can call me a pussy for it all you want. Its just not in my nature.) I can make the crossover as easy as I can but I can't pull that trigger on a baby anything(not even a baby snake).

But people; I hate 'em. The bastards that are cowardly enough to just leave a baby to die of starvation need to be shot, repeatedly, with malice and bad aim, and in small calibers without 'passthrough'. Then they should be left on the side of some lone country road without food or water 'to fend for themselves'.
@!@$$(&&&%!!!!!! Grrr. It makes me angry beyond words.

Just my thoughts on how some judgements should be passed on. (eye for an eye kind of thing.)


Ok, rant over, back to 'vet status' for a while.

Lots got me thinking today.

Maybe its time for me to get off the keyboard and go beat up the rest of a stable. Well, I guess that can wait until I have a day off and time to kill. Better that on those days when I would otherwise sit and stew over stuff like I have been hearing and thinking about all day.

Where to start? Since I am going off the cuff here, with no notes or links or anything, I guess just hitting the accelerator and letting the wheels spin might be a good start.


Coast to Coast. Sometimes Tinfoil hat stuff, sometimes Ghostesesses and creepy crawlies, sometimes very relevant stuff to the days events. Today was one of the latter. A lady was on with George talking about the economy. She had lots of relevant information, not one bit was conspiracy stuff, just hard nosed facts and her take on how things MAY (and she stressed that part) will fall out over the next decade or so. One point of contention she mentioned was the mess with the IMF head swap going on now. (and remember I mentioned that the 'pervert' had probably been set up? well it looks like the trial against him is falling apart. Witness testimony is crumbling under scrutiny. Girl may have been a patsy after all. The fact that it has dragged out this long shows it did what the PTB needed done and now can move on.) Well, her take on it was that the new head is now a puppet to the Banking Cartels and of course those cartels want to keep up business as usual for as long as possible. What better way to squeeze as much profit out of the turnip? She also mentioned that there is a general wave of control going on that once highlighted is obvious but being hidden in the light makes people think otherwise. That is the fact that Corporations are, and have been, setting public policy in the Government for years. This is growing at an exponential rate though. Of course, the Corporates are in control of the banks, the Media, and pretty much everything down to the food you eat and the toilet paper you wipe your ass with, so of course, people would NOT think these same corporations would drive policy to the negative. Of course not. ' That's unfair!' But what better way to control your competition? Regulate them into compliance or out of business. (sounds just like Starving the Monkeys strategy no?) What better way to control your Resource of labor? What better way to make sure you have the room to maneuver than to 'Own' a politician or 5 (or more)

So, my thoughts were kicked off on that plane for at least the first hour. Then I got to thinking about a book I have, that tends to be rather dogged eared from all the times I have picked it up to use as a crystal ball of the future. That book is 'Friday' by RA Heinlein. If you have never read it, you may want to, just to get a taste of a possible future on this planet. I am not saying that it will happen, just that it might. One aspect of that book that always hits home is how the Corporates took over ALL governments on the world. Wars still happened but they tended to be a bit more obscure than the ones we have now. As RAH put it, "How do you Nuke IBM? Do you know where its headquarters really are? Do you know that they aren't set up with fail safes in every country around the world? " Think about that. Lets say Monsanto 'controls' Mexico. And (for giggles) Google 'controls' the U.S. and Canada. Well, Monsanto wants to change the aspects of the U.S. food market and of course Google has an issue with that. How do the corporations settle it out? Nuke France and call it a draw. or some similar stupidity. Just showing force instead of actually trying to work with one another may be the new corporate norm in the future. Or not. Again, that's just a piece of speculative fiction. (though he did nail the idea for webcrawlers/search engines in it. Go read. You might be surprised)

But then I read a piece on the possibility of future civil war in this country. The author put his book out in 98 and re printed it 2006. (the original links are at WRSA) This falls DIRECTLY in line with what others have been saying about tribes and the fracturing of this country. There were a couple of points that I had to take a face value since I couldn't refute what he was saying nor could I confirm it.(low band width BLOWS) But even with those points, his argument is kinda disturbing.

All of this going hand in hand, well, my thoughts are really gelling up on what is growing more and more possible everyday. And the sad part of it is, IT IS ALL BY DESIGN with NO thoughts given to those that will die or suffer due to these things(other than wanting them to die). To think that EVERY strife issue is coordinated by some jack ass with an agenda of power, EVERY SINGLE ONE, really shows me, just how far this world has fallen from that Glorious re-Awakening called the Renaissance. We are on the verge of another Dark Ages and its guys like us (all 10 of my followers lol) that will hold the fort of knowledge as best we can. The Monasteries are pretty much gone the way of the dinosaurs (there are a few but they are really far and few between unlike those during the European dark ages)


Well, no matter how it falls out, I know that there are more than a few of us out here in Reality that see the possibles, are flexible enough given enough motivation (and we will have plenty) that there will be a rebirth (though not in our lifetimes, of that I am fairly certain.)
But there is that other possible outcome of it never coming to fruition and things just continually declining into further and further hellish versions until there is an evolution of a sorts and the human race divides into two separate species. (ok, I have officially reached beyond my cuffs and hit 'way out there'.) (and my punctuation went to shit. LOL) I think its time to put up the keyboard for the night and go bash a building to splinters (usable ones though)