Three Weekend Project Done!

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith

ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I have been working on this for the past three weekends. It is the Kiwanis float for the St. Patrick's Day Parade next Saturday.
It is a rendition of the famous Ocean View Roller Coaster that was here in Norfolk. I built it solo.
There is a lot that is not in the photos. There is a skirt that goes around it. The upper rim of the roller coaster has lights that move in a chase mode to simulate motion. There are flags all the way around , as well. The front cart will have John Cogg ,playing his keyboard and singing Irish tunes. The huge speakers mount under the front cart. On the back is a ticket booth that holds the generator and that light controllers. It is 22 feet long (25 with the tongue) 10 feet wide and 11 feet high. There are 1000 feet of 2X4s and 500feet of deck boards, seven sheets of plywood,plus about 50-60# of screws and bolts. 400 feet of wire ,too. Took me two days to build it, two days to make all the carts, one day to wire it, and one day to paint it.
I'll take some good photos at the parade when it is all set up.
Now for a Guinness and a hot shower.
Stacy

Here are a couple of other floats I built over the last several years. One is a steam tug boat. There is a photo of John cogg. And the other is a Scottish float with the Loch ness monster ,a castle, and a bunch of crazy Scots men and women.
 
Well to be honest, no I had some help. On the painting day I had two of the Kiwanis members come to help. One was 78 and the other was 92. The did know how to paint, which was a bit of a help. The rest was solo.
Stacy
 
If you look at the times that I post, you will discover that I get about five hours a night.If I get more than seven hours of sleep - my wife calls the coroner.
Stacy
 
cool job Stacy

the bad thing is, I'm old enough and was there to ride on the original before they took it down
what a hoot that rattle trap was though..:eek: :thumbup: :D :D
 
Here are some pictures from the parade.
The young colleen is not part of our float, but she was worth adding to this post.
The tow vehicle is a $95K modified F-350.
Stacy
PS. the guy with the Western hat is me.
 
oh ya she was definetly worth adding. shes beautiful. whos truck is that? i love the mods on the truck. excellent excellent work on the float. if you want a real cowboy hat i can help you get one :D. cant wait to see the next float you build.
 
The hat is a Stetson Gentleman Rancher. The top of the line. It is a dark chocolate brown.
The band has a cougar fang given to me by the California State cougar tracker (he shot the cougars that got too close to livestock and towns back in the 20's through the 60's), six grizzly claws, two badger claws,and 280 carats of North Carolina star sapphires set around the band. The mountings and decorations are sterling.
The green hat is just jealous. John Cogg is wearing it. He was an entertainer for 30+ years ( and did very well), and then became a lawyer. He is my oldest friend.
 
you wear that cowboy hat around here you will get looks from the cowboys that say "rich city slicker wannabe cowboy". but in my opinion after hearing what you have on the hat i like it. mine is a justin 20-X straw hat. i like it alot. its plain. suits me just fine.
 
Thanks Stacy. That's a good deal your doing there. Will you store it for next year? Is the F-350 yours" FYI I'm working a little of the Moran items you sent me, lots of possibilities.

PimpinSquee, yes, I knew which one Stacy was with or without the cowboy hat.
 
The truck belongs to Tidewater Trucks, a custom truck shop. They towed the float for free. I am not into big trucks, but this one had everything (and for $95K it should). The step rails were electric, it ran on a huge diesel engine, and the interior was like a luxury car.

Jacob, I get a chuckle out of Texans talking about being "Cowboys". I would be reasonably certain that I have ridden more horses and tended a lot more cattle than 99.9% of Texans (you included). On the farm I wore a plain old Sears and Roebucks ranch hat. Later I moved up to Stetsons.
Being a cowboy or a farmer is a lot more work than most people will ever know. I have plowed, harvested hay,pitched it ,built a barn to store it in, delivered calves,shoveled manure,fed and milked, separated and made butter,tended the horses, and drug a dead horse down to the pasture with a backhoe to bury it. That don't make me a Texan, but it does make me a cowboy and a farmer.
Stacy
 
take that cart off and paint it red and get it ready for christmas and save the rest of the 2x4's for other projects. im just guessing and giving stacy an idea about waht to use that cart for.
 
We will use the same float for the next ten years or so. Little additions and adjustments each year. We will be in two or three parades a year. The float stores at a towing lot when not in use.
The floor and foundation of one of my storage sheds is the float from 1997. The porch deck of my wood shop is the base of a smaller one from 1985.I like to recycle!
In the Grand Illumination Parade at Christmas, we will rework the carts into sleighs and add several thousand lights. I won the best illumination award in 1997.
Stacy
 
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