"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

[KBA]

Enjoying the sunset. Thought this shot was funny as Adalynn was looking for a ride and Aubrey wanted to go for a walk. Hope you all are enjoying your weekend.

 

[r redden]

Brett what a great picture!!

 

[btb01]

That's a great picture, Brett!

Eleanor loves playing with our Lab, Maggie. Maggie's very tolerant.

 

[btb01]

Having had almost all my BF-posted photos hijacked by Photobucket's speedometer, I recently opened an Imgur account to share images here on the forum. I know that I'll never be able to go back and replace all my previous Photobucket photos here with new Imgur links, but there were a few threads in which I wanted to update my photos. I started working on one of those threads tonight, and I've found a pretty efficient way of doing it, so I thought I'd share that here.

• First, you need two browser windows open, ideally side by side so you can easily click back and forth. In the first window, open BladeForums, in the other, Imgur. (You'll want to have Imgur open to your list of images, which you can get to by clicking your username in the top right, then selecting "Images").

• In the BF window, go to the post you want to update, right-click on the Photobucket speedometer image and select Open Image in New Window. This should open the image on Photobucket's site.

• You can drag the image from Photobucket's site and drop it directly into the Imgur window, which will upload it to your account.

• Copy the BB Code link from the newly uploaded photo on Imgur. (You can close the Photobucket page at this point, too.)

• Go back to your BF post and click "Edit." Delete the speedometer image and paste the Imgur link in its place.

• Save the changes to the BF post and you should be good to go.

I replaced 50-some images in all my posts in the Traditional Knives and Movies thread this way, and it took much less time than I thought it would. Hopefully this is helpful for anyone else who has dead-link-Photobucket-speedometers that they want to replace.

 

[Will Power]

JP You are right about the toll the Tour has taken. Even so called Mr Clean, Greg Lemond, looks about 15 years older than he is, and obese with it.......

Still, there's an undeniable epic quality to it, doubt if I could bike 200 km in a week these days, let alone in a day!! I enjoy reading about the very early years of the Tour, enormous stages, rudimentary brakes, night stages (bring them back!), riders carrying revolvers... the bizarre 'diets' riders undertook, drinking vast quantities of coffee and Champagne (I'm all for that!) and with no much in the way of support teams let alone GPS earpiece updates etc etc. Vive Le Tour! Vive La France!

 

[leghog]

 

[5K Qs]

Big storm went through the area about 3am Friday morning. Strangely, the power didn't go out until 3 hours later and was off for 30 hours, back on about noon yesterday, off again at 4pm, and back on for good at 6pm.

Will we have to discard most of the contents of our refrigerator and our chest freezer? I know that the ice cream in the chest freezer had the consistency of a milk shake by Friday night.

Spent most of Saturday with my little bow saw trying to clean up lots of downed limbs. Found a couple of candidates for oak walking sticks in the debris. How long does a branch need to dry, or cure, before I start carving on it??

- GT

 

[Jolipapa]

Up on the MontBlanc today (not me, Oh dear!)

 

[r redden]

Barrett, Eleanor and Maggie also make a great picture!!
I must admit I love to see the pictures of everyone's children but it also makes me a little sad as all of mine including grandchildren are mostly grown. The youngest members of my family are my oldest daughters two girls they are 8 and 11. The Oldest grandchild is 24 I have 2 others about to graduate collage. And I'm 29 I don't know how that happened.
Seriously though I guess what I'm trying to say is to hold each moment they are young precious because time has a way of passing by before you know it.

 

[screened porch]

Some people say a year. Sticks that were full of sap when cut, like yours, will need longer to dry than ones cut in the winter. I have a couple I think are ready, that I cut last winter. The thin bark has wrinkled over the shrunken wood.

On the other hand, carving is easier on green wood. Maybe you could carve now and soak in water or oil repeatedly to prevent drying splits. (Never actually tried that, but I think the theory is sound.)

 

[Jack Black]

Seriously though I guess what I'm trying to say is to hold each moment they are young precious because time has a way of passing by before you know it.

Very true my friend

Great pics guys

My hike today took me nearly as far as the USA!

 

[Bugdoc]

Thank you to all who are restoring lost photos. As someone new to this this site, with pictures intact, are a true resource.

Jack, those white orbs are reminiscent of puffball mushrooms. What are they, doppler radar arrays?

 

[Jack Black]

Jack, those white orbs are reminiscent of puffball mushrooms. What are they, doppler radar arrays?

Here we go Tom - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Menwith_Hill -

 

[5K Qs]

Some people say a year. Sticks that were full of sap when cut, like yours, will need longer to dry than ones cut in the winter. I have a couple I think are ready, that I cut last winter. The thin bark has wrinkled over the shrunken wood.

On the other hand, carving is easier on green wood. Maybe you could carve now and soak in water or oil repeatedly to prevent drying splits. (Never actually tried that, but I think the theory is sound.)

Thanks for the input, Jer. The outer bark seems quite easy to remove right now. Maybe I'll strip the bark now, then stick them in the garage until next summer.

- GT

 

[screened porch]

Thanks for the input, Jer. The outer bark seems quite easy to remove right now. Maybe I'll strip the bark now, then stick them in the garage until next summer.

- GT

Debarking green could result in splitting from drying too fast. I think the safest thing is to paint the cut ends with something to seal them, and leave the moisture to escape gradually through the bark.
There's a thread around here somewhere on walking sticks.

Sorry to hear of your weather adventure, by the way.

 

[screened porch]

Oh always leave the bark on for drying. Take the bark off an uncured stick and put it away, and it will just crack up horribly. And for hornbeam and a few other woods, I leave the bark on anyway. I'll polish up the bark with 0000 steel wool, and stain and varnish.

From "Story: I love sticks" thread.

This fork of oak was growing out of a stump by my brother's driveway. I stuffed it into these pipes to try to keep it from twisting in drying.
I think it worked, but who knows how they would have dried without the pipes.

 

[pertinux]

A Son Story, or maybe a Jeep Story. Also with Knives.

(Definitely a Son Story.)

This guy, my second-oldest, living an hour away...

... has been painting these guys...

... and we'd been actively talking about getting back to the Gettysburg battlefield together, looking for a When. I'd taken the kids often when we were all younger, but it had now been years.

Then?

This guy, my oldest, currently stationed in CA...

... showed up in my PA kitchen, as a Surprise (!!!!!!!!!):

(actual footage, taken through my tears)

... and I took a sudden day off, and the top off my already doorless Jeep, and dragged the backseat back in...

(before)

... and my oldest son and I gathered up Son II and headed to Gettysburg and had one of the best days we've ever had together. OF EVER.

We reserved a tour with a Licensed Battlefield Guide, an older gentleman who upon arriving at the Jeep stopped and asked, "This is your car?" (Yes.) "This is the vehicle we're taking?" (Yes.)

Pause.

"Cool!"

(from the site where Reynolds fell.)

A perfect vehicle for our perfect day, the open views and ease of access and the part where it's just way freaking cool and I finally got to share that with [two of] my guys. I so loved riding along with my mangrown sons, my oldest driving, in my Jeep. It was an integral part of everything great about our day. [Stuff alone can't fix anyone's life, but the right stuff at the right time? Oh, can it make a sweet difference.]

Son II and I hopped in and out of the back all day. His footprint:

Pennsylvania Men:

Knife content, or: what I had in my pocketses:

My beloved barlow broken in right proper by @Modoc ED, a Fiddleback Forge Stubby Muk (the WLST® of fixed blades ) and the rotten banana #14 that Bob Andrews (@rma100) surprised me with a few weeks before he died and that I've carried, gutted, ever since. ( Jack Black , nothing else will come close to my 'knife of 2017', so there you have it.)

Signs in the Visitor Center/Museum indicated that no weapons were allowed on the premises; fortunately, my pocket tools and I went in, through, and about without incident. (I was prepared to run back to the Jeep and stow 'em, if need be.) I loved having knives that mean so much to me along for this memorable ride, literal and metaphorical.

Further knife content: the entire day and my ongoing (re)reading have led directly to my newest Fiddleback, the bolstered Oreo Esquire, because this is exactly how my brain works:

I'm thankful beyond words for the day with my young men, for them, and for how everything came together.

~ P.

 

[black mamba]

Wonderful portraits, Sarah, your son is very talented.

 

[Peregrin]

Just wonderful, Sarah! Thanks for sharing that.

 

[5K Qs]

I love the photos of the little kids with dogs, but the photos of bigger "kids" are also outstanding!
Wondrous post, Sarah; your pride, and joy, are palpable in your words and pictures!!

- GT