Year in Review

 Other than a few big events, it was a fairly typical year. The year started off with eye surgery, which while successful, didn't completely restore my sight. I'm still seeing double up close, having trouble with my depth perception and reading small print requires me to close my right eye. However, my left eye is 20-20, so in the big picture, I'm dealing with it. Not really happy with it but it could be worse.

I started studying for my ham radio license early in the year. I passed the first license, then later in the year passed the next level. I was pretty happy with that. I got a rig in the truck, and later a set-up in the house. I still haven't got the house rig figured out but that'll happen.

I was back working at the college again but finished up the first week in May. Never again will I work for wages. I still enjoy working with my hands but that last stint at the college cured me of being involved with formal education.

I made a few items for Coach Jen's "jen-nasium" and then worked with a few boxers. Unfortunately, trying to make fighters out of guys who won't put in the work is about like trying to teach welding to those with the same lack of a work ethic. I did renew my boxing license again for the coming year, but depending on what comes along, it might be the last time. I really enjoy coaching boxing but if the fighters want to compete, they need to put in the work, for their own safety, if nothing else.

Lots of typical, for me at least, odd jobs for others. In addition to the pieces for Coach Jen, some pieces for a dog sled, a lawn mower, bell hangers, and other bits. I made the bell hanger and mailbox post for home - redid the backstop for the rifle range, got a bit of work done on the jitney and made some real progress on a couple of motorbikes. 

I finished up the Sportster, except for the electronic ignition, and took it for a spin up and down the lane on my birthday. The trials bike is close to being done. I need to get the engine bolted in the frame and then call my buddy to come down and have him help me fire it up and get it tuned properly. It should be running come spring and after I do some work on the mill, I'll get back on the jitney and work on the BSA.

The Allis threw a wrench in the works, but something is always upsetting my apple cart. It's done now and ready for snow detail.

The Missus and I both had medical issues. She was in the hospital for a couple of days; I was in overnight after my heart attack. Both of us are doing alright now, though, and looking forward to our 55th wedding anniversary this spring.

In spite of my exercising over the years, I still ended up with a blocked stent. I haven't quite decided what my plan should be for the future, but I definitely need to resume an exercise program and clean up my diet. 

On the national stage, hurricane and fire damage was in the news. It made it quite clear that our government isn't capable of coming to the rescue when things go really bad. The country is now 38 trillion in debt, people are getting layed off right and left, businesses are closing and we the people are being fed lies by both the government and the media. Not the best year for the good old USA, but as I always like to say: Don't worry, it'll get worse.

Closing out the year, I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worse for 2026. Just remember the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared. 

  

Takin' a Trip?

 

I watched my Then Came Bronson DVD the other day. Surly gave me a hand getting a new driver on the laptop to power the portable player. I had a couple of other options to play it, but I wanted to get the player set-up. Anyway, I watched it. Not great cinema by any means, but it came out in 1969 and being 19 years old at the time, I wanted to take off and see the country on my motorcycle. I didn't have a Sportster and some SOB stole my Sprint in April of that year, so I never made that trip. However, I now have an Ironhead Sportster not too different than Bronson's. I doubt I'll ever take a trip other than maybe an over-nighter, but I've seen a good part of this country from the saddle of my bicycle, so I'll just have to be happy with that.  

I listened to the following podcast the other day. Once again, talking about the skilled trades gap but also throwing out some suggestions to improve the situation. It's an hour long, but interesting for those in manufacturing, construction or education.

Arc Junkies - Weld Wednesdays w/ AWS The Skilled Trades Gap Isn't a Myth — It's a Warning

Also, I came across a post on Facebook from Ellison's Machine Shop. The date of the post was November 17th, which Facebook decided to let me see on December 28th - just one of the reasons Facebook and I aren't friends anymore. Regardless, his post was not the usual how-to, but rather, he addressed the issue of a lack of automotive machine shops and other problems for those of us who prefer internal combustion engines. I now understand why all the automotive machine shops have disappeared at least. If you can find his post, it's well worth listening to.  

Allis in Wonderland

Another goodie from back in the day. Tex sang this one in one of the old movies I've been watching. The film quality is not the best with these old gems, but I find them enjoyable.

The old Allis is back home again. Runs good and it's ready for pushing snow down the lane. The paint on the hood and radiator shell looks good but the gas tank is definitely in need of a fresh coat of orange. I painted the fenders right after I bought the tractor. They needed some welding repair, so I painted them while I had them off. I also painted the frame rails. They wouldn't look too bad if they were cleaned up. I'm not looking to restore this thing but with some paint on the tank and some new decals, the old girl would look pretty nice. I'm just glad it's running again.

 After I brought the tractor home I repaired the garage door. It has been making some creaking noises for a while, but it stopped going up and down with the opener. I could open and close it by hand without much trouble but without the opener there's no way the Missus could get her car out. It didn't take too long to diagnose the problem and fix it. 

All in all a good day. Tractor's fixed, garage door's fixed and I'm fixed well enough to start getting back to work. Good way to close out the year.

Christmas Day

 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth.

Cardio Report

 

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I went to the cardiologist yesterday. According to him, I shouldn't have to worry about having a cold, cold heart for a while yet. He checked out the bump and the bruising and told me not to worry - it'll go away.

He changed my medications a bit and also prescribed some "Pop Rocks" for me. From now on I'll be carrying some nitroglycerin tablets around with me. I've been real lucky twice now. I'll feel better knowing I've got the nitro on me. Might not be so lucky next time. 

An Odd Mix of Things

 

Turner Classic Movies has been playing their end of the year tribute to actors and all the rest that make cinema possible. I'll admit it's somewhat morbid, but I look forward to seeing it every year.  I like the fact that all the people both in front of the camera and those behind are remembered on film which, of course, is fitting. One of the people featured this year is David Johansen, which surprised me. I never considered him as an actor but as a musician, both as David Johansen and as his alter ego Buster Poindexter. Also, he was my age when he passed. Speaking as a guy who just had a heart attack, that's hitting a little too close to home. I do have an appointment with the cardiologist today to learn a bit more of what the future holds for me. 

Tis the season for peace on earth but an all-out war seems to be coming closer on the horizon. All those hawks in the District of Criminals just can't seem to take to heart the above words of General Eisenhower. 

Seems to be a fitting sentiment for not just Christmas, but anytime of the year - let's Get it On!

Cowboy Tune

We get a channel on the TV that allows you to get a selection of old cowboy shows and movies. However, regardless of what the guide says, it's always something different. That usually doesn't bother me since I like old cowboy movies and it's rare I get a chance to see Hopalong Cassidy or Gene Autry. Gene was starring in one of the old movies the other night and he sang this one. I don't recall ever hearing it before or if I did it was so long ago I've forgotten it. One of the movies yesterday day had Lou Gehrig in it. Can't remember ever seeing him in a movie before, either.

I got the shroud soldered back onto the radiator yesterday. As soon as I pressure test it I'll deliver it, assuming I didn't cause another leak while putting the shroud on. I could have used another pair of hands holding things in place, but it should be plenty good enough for the girls I run with.

Cuzzin Ricky and I are doing breakfast this morning and then delivering some wreaths to the cemetery. I'm a little behind on getting them delivered this year due to the heart attack, but one nice thing about it though, if you wait long enough you get a pretty good discount on them at Menards.

The Shroud of Allis

 

It warmed up above freezing yesterday so I went out to the shop to get a little work done on the fan shroud on the old Allis. In the top photo you can see the "U" shaped flanges that get soldered on to the bottom tank of the radiator. They're looking pretty rough, but I cleaned them up and made a piece I could use to get them straight again.

It's a little tough to see, but the bottom photo shows the piece clamped in place and flanges nice and straight. I'm going to "tin" all of the surfaces on the shroud and the radiator so when I reassemble things the solder surfaces will be nice and clean. Hopefully that will minimize the heat required to get the shroud back on the radiator. 

I've got an appointment today with the family doctor. I'm hoping he can tell me what's going on with the lump in my groin and reassure me that I can in fact resume all normal activity. I need to get the tractor fixed and start exercising again.

Royal Enfield

Prototype Royal Enfield 750 set for 2027 release. A 750 is classified as a middle-weight bike these days, but back in the late sixties, with the notable exception of the HD Sportsters and big twins, 750 was as big as they came. All the "big" British bikes came as either 650 or 750 models. By the mid-seventies, they were all pretty much gone, as were the Italians, and the Japanese had taken over the market. Triumph has come back strong, as did Ducati.

BSA is supposed to be in production again, but I don't how well that's going. They have a new Goldstar model - 650cc single. It's a good-looking bike. If you follow the link it'll take you to their web page with a short history of BSA. Surly and I inherited my brother's BSA. That's the next bike on the list as soon as the trials bike is complete. At a minimum, I plan on taking it for a ride on my next birthday, like the Sportster this past birthday. Just need to stay healthy and focused. Lots of other things need to be done as well. 

Flat tracker based on Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 that I came across at Bike EXIF. Lots of one-off parts, most notably the swingarm. It's brazed together like the Rickman frames were back in the day. The welds look every bit as good as the ones the Rickman brothers turned out. My buddy used to campaign a Formula Ford made by Renard that was brazed together. 

Typically, the filler metal is not your normal low fuming bronze, but a different alloy depending on the alloy of the steel being joined. 4130 has an annealed tensile of around 80,000 psi so the brazing alloy doesn't need to be super strong, especially since all the joints are going to be fillet welds which will spread the load over a relatively large area. And done properly, the weld joints look really nice like on the swing arm on the Enfield flat tracker.

Colder than a well digger's ass in the Klondike yesterday - about zero when I woke up. Spent the day feeding the fireplace and doing household chores. Even if it was warm, I'd be taking it easy due to the lump in my groin. I'll be seeing the doctor in a couple of days. I'm anxious to get back to work and finish the tractor job, the trials bike and work on the milling machine. I've got a power feed and digital readouts to install but don't want to jeopardize my health fooling around with heavy things.  

If I Was a Rich Man

 

If I was a rich man, this right here would be my first purchase:

XKE 4.2 Liter Jaguar. That's my dream car right there. Primo restoration - nothing else required but to hand the owner $80,000. I saw this on Market Place and almost swooned. No godawful federally mandated rubber bumper pieces destroying the lines, either. Yep, should've been born rich instead of good looking.

Meanwhile back at the shack, since the temperature was above freezing I went out to the shop to start getting back with the program. I had some stuff to clean up from painting the tractor parts and I installed the hose clamps on the bottom of the gaiters on the trials bike.

I ordered some small magnets along with the hose clamps to help keep the tarp I use to separate the heated front part of the shop from the cold part in back. The tarp hangs between two steel framed doors. I'll be able to seal it up a little better now. The magnets have a thru-hole that just happens to be the correct tap drill size for a 10-24 screw. I'm going to pick up some eye bolts to thread in the magnets to serve as handles. That'll make it easier to deal with them when they're on the tarp but should be handy when positioning steel parts for welding as well. 

While out in the shop I also took a hard look at the radiator shroud. The bottom where it gets soldered onto the radiator looks pretty rough. I came up with a plan to fix things. As soon as the weekend's arctic temps pass, I'll get on that.

Birthday

Birthday today for Brother Johnny. He's been gone 13 years now. It's kind of a coincidence his birthday is only about a week after my recent heart attack. He passed away about a week after I had my first one. I took the photo of him on the back of my old Chevy truck about 50 years ago.

Like most guitar players back in the seventies, Johnny played some Neil Young, so this one's for him.

Due Infarto

 

I'm currently reading this one, which I can recommend whole heartily. Stockdale was a Navy pilot who was shot down in Vietnam and spent 7-1/2 years in a prison camp. I took the book with me to my dental appointment Friday to have something to read while waiting to see the dentist. As it happened, I had a heart attack while in the dentist's chair. They treated me a little there and then I got a ride in the ambulance to the hospital.

Things at the hospital went well. It seems one of the stents that was installed when I had my first heart attack had closed up 100%. The cardiologist opened it up and put another stent inside the blocked one. I was in a lot of pain prior to the surgery, both in my chest and in both my elbows. After that the pain subsided quickly and I felt OK again. I spent the night in the hospital but was able to come home yesterday. I'm on light duty for a few days but fortunately, according to the cardiologist, no damage was done to the heart. The only soreness I'm having now is at the insertion site in my groin but that should be OK in a few days.

It's supposed to snow again but I won't be able to shovel any. Fortunately, I've got a real good support team that I can count on and a well-stocked pantry. If things get really bad, I can ride it out inside until spring if I need to. I've got lots of books to read and DVDs from the Great Courses to watch. I still haven't watched my Bronson film or the complete Rocky and Bullwinkle and plenty of projects in the shop I can work on.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out: friends, family and medical professionals.

Cold Temps

 

Yep, it's cold outside. Single digits in fact. I took yesterday off and hid in the house except for a short time late in the afternoon to check on the chickens and on the paint job in the shop. When I painted the hood and radiator shell I had the shop warmed up to about 55 degrees, but the heat has been off since. It hasn't gotten below freezing in there yet, but the paint is going to take a little longer to completely set up. 

I've got things going on today but plan on finishing up the radiator tomorrow. It's supposed to warm up some. Hopefully it'll be a great day for radiator repair, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Painting the Hood

 

There's a reason they called him the King. The man could sing anything and everything - rock & roll, gospel, blues, you name it, and do it all well.

I picked up the cylinder head for the tractor yesterday and there's a station I like to listen to on the radio when I head east. Reception's iffy at home but it comes in well on the truck radio when I make it to the next county over. They've been playing Christmas music since Thanksgiving. Normally I've about had enough of Christmas by now since it's been promoted since Halloween, but this year I seem to be enjoying the season. Of course it's still early, at least by my standards.

 When I got home from picking up the cylinder head, I painted the hood and the radiator shell. I didn't take it down to bare metal, I just sanded it down with the "DA" to smooth it out a little and scuff up the old paint so it would hold the primer. It came out looking OK for sheet metal that's 73 years old.

The only thing left for me to do is get the fan shroud soldered back onto the radiator without causing a leak and then it'll be in the neighbor's court. However, it's supposed to be real cold tomorrow. I've got some stuff going on early today, but I might try tackling the shroud later. If not, I'll wait a couple of days until it warms up. It'll be nice to get the tractor up and running again. It snowed again Monday night.