Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

Chased a crack on a small piece. And chased it, and chased it, and chased it!

After a while, it became obvious that there was no bottom to the crack, so the piece had to be ditched.

You can see the crack (emphasized in white) runs from the rim all the way to the foot. Blown up:

At first, the only crack visible was right on the rim. The more I tried to eliminate it, the longer it got until it spanned the whole piece from top to bottom.

The would have been a tiny little piece but now it's firewood. Except my house doesn't have a fireplace.....

[andidante]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Kabukalli lidded box is almost done!

Here the completed bowl sits, next to the lid which is in my large Cole jaws. The lid is all sanded and finished, but I need to shave away a tiny bit from the lip that seats into the top of the bowl, in order that it fit better. Right now, it's too tight. 

That is so pretty! 

[Netfoot]

Well, Mo is going to experience a sea change, and he isn't going to like it. 

Three times already this week he has peed in the bed. I've been locking him out of the bedroom this last day or two, so tonight, when I went to bed, Mo soon followed me into the bedroom. He jumped up onto the bed, peed on the cover sheet (right next to my feet) and jumped down again. He then began to make himself comfortable on the floor. 

I got a switch. And I beat him. And he ran. And I ran after him and kept beating him. He ran around the garden and I ran around after him and continued to beat him some more. He ran back into the house and the beating continued. Out he went again, and I chose not to give chase. I locked the nasty little brute outside and have gone to bed. On a mattress with no sheet because I have no more sheets clean. And no cover sheet in case the night gets chilly. Because all of them reek of pee too. And there is a chill breeze in the window. Winter is coming.

Tomorrow, instead of doing all what I have to do, I have to wash four sets of sheets. So when I open the door tomorrow, I will start my day by beating him some more. I will beat him until he is in the furthest corner of the yard, and I will let him live there. So long as he doesn't move from that corner, I will be happy. But he is no longer allowed in the bedroom. He is not allowed in the house. He is not allowed in the garage or the veranda. He is not allowed under the car. He isn't welcome on the driveway. He is not allowed in the majority of the yard. Only that remote corner. If he pokes his nose out of there, I will beat him some more.

I will throw some scraps out the window and if he is lucky he can survive on that. For water, he can pray for rain. No more demanding a share of every thing I eat. No more hot breath on my hip. No more riding in the car. No more kisses. No more cuddles. No more tummy rubs. I don't want to see his face.

I've tried to give him a home, not just a place to live. A pat and a cuddle every time I see him. I've not had a decent night's sleep in over a year because he has to get up pre-dawn and insists I open the door so he can get in or out, depending. I've put him in the car and driven him several miles for the sole purpose of letting him meet his book-tent ladies. I've driven him up to the club to get the chance to run free.

None of this is appreciated by the beast. He thinks so little of the life I've tried to give him, he pisses on it on a regular basis. 

I am contemplating taking him back to the Ark. But I won't do that. I undertook the responsibility of looking after him. So, I will keep him, but no more privileged pup. He lives at the end of the yard from now on. The rain will wet him when it falls. If he is lucky, I will build him a doghouse. But frankly, I have better uses for the wood and I don't have the time, so most likely not. 

His name is no longer Molasses. His name is Dog.

[b4pjoe]

Please find a new home for the dog if you are serious about treating him that way.

[Netfoot]

26 minutes ago, b4pjoe said:

Please find a new home for the dog if you are serious about treating him that way.

[Netfoot]

I was very angry at Mo last night, but not out of my mind. I did grab a thin strip of wood and whack his botty. He then took off and I chased him all over the house & garden, swishing the stick loudly back and forth above his head. Finally I gave him a very angry-voice talking-to and locked him out of the house.

This morning he tried briefly to rouse me at about 4:30 to be let in, but I ignored that. 

Around 7:30, I opened the door and he was lying under the car, with his head out, and his eyes glued to the door. I took him his (medicated) cheese treats, refreshed his water and left him out there.

A little while ago I went out and we had a frank and forthright discussion about peeing in the house in general and in the bed in particular. I doubt he listened to a word I said, but he kissed me on the nose, so I guess that makes it OK.

I love my dog. I loved Dotty, miss him still, and will always do so. I loved Buddy and will always miss him too. And I love Mo. I would run into a burning building to rescue them. (And as someone who was actually in a burning building and had 12 surgeries and 27 months of therapy to recover, I know what I'm talking about.)

But Mo is 16 nearly months old. He's been house trained for months. I can't let him get away with peeing in the house and especially in the bed (which is about the only place in the house he does pee). I am going to ditch the old mattress and see if that makes any difference. But one way or the other, he will be punished for peeing inside. He will probably get his botty smacked and be banished for a while.

I'm sure most people didn't need me to say all this. But 17 years from now (or tomorrow), that post from last night will resurface and I will be put on the No-Fly List or something ridiculous like that, thanks to the Wokesters that try to run the world from their Mom's basement.

By the way, today is day #4 for the full-dose steroids. From Sunday we start to wean him off. In the mean time, I'm very happy to report that he seems to be responding well to treatment. It is great that he is not suffering from the scritchy-scratchies anything like as much. Plus, we have further options to bring on stream when the steroids are done. Cod liver oil, vitamins, etc.

Photos to follow, if any nice opportunities crop up.

[b4pjoe]

I do understand sometimes they need a good talking to and an occasional swat on the ass. But not mistreatment as you described in your first post but I am sure it was just the anger talking. It is obvious you love the little guy. When he pees in the bed have you picked him up and showed him the pee spot in the bed followed by a firm NO? Some people stick their nose in the pee. I'm not sure if that is effective or not.

[Netfoot]

Two small, tamarind bowls finished this morning. Both made from scraps odlf wood out of the bin.

The first is nicely coloured but doesn't have the distinct, black veining. It is streaked with red and grey, and has a live edge around almost the entire perimeter.

The second is the smaller of the two. It does have a vein of black spalting, along with mottled, brown banding. It too appears to have a bit of live edge, but in truth, there was a little piece of the edge that had broken in such a way that I just couldn't get it to cut or sand smooth. So I cut it off and sanded the better piece of wood that was left behind.

The bad spot was caused by how the original tree was cut. This piece was from a branch which, when cut almost all the way through, broke the remainder of the thickness and in do doing tore out the fibers by the roots, leaving a very rough and non-solid patch in the wood.

I could have turned away the entire rim until the bad bit was gone, but the bowl is already very small and I didn't want to make it significantly smaller.

This last bowl now has to go back into the chuck to be held by the rim (Cole jaws) so the foot can be cleaned up and sanded. Here's hoping nothing untoward happens. I hate getting a piece this close to done and have it go bad on me!

[Netfoot]

6 minutes ago, b4pjoe said:

When he pees in the bed have you picked him up and showed him the pee spot in the bed followed by a firm NO? Some people stick their nose in the pee. I'm not sure if that is effective or not.

I have tried that. It doesn't appear to help.

I'm convinced that he knows it's wrong. Sometimes I discover what he's done because he is acting guilty and not behaving in his usual way. Then I go to see what he's done and...

So, I can't figure out why he's doing it, but obviously he is not happy about something, and probably won't stop, even though he knows he shouldn't and that a botty-spank is probably going to be the result.

[Notabug]

Hitting a dog, other than a single swat on the rump with a bare hand to get his attention, does not work.  Mo doesn't understand why you hit him, really he doesn't.  Dogs just don't have the ability to put the pieces together like humans do.  You're teaching him to be afraid that you will hurt him and that leads to even worse things.

First thing, is add a little vinegar to the sheets in the laundry to get rid of the pee smell.  Even if you cannot smell it after washing, Mo can and he will tend to return to the scene of the crime because he gets the scent.  Dilute vinegar with water and spray it on the mattress before replacing the sheets.

Then, don't allow Mo access to the bedroom without you.  If necessary, put him on a leash and keep him with you.  At bedtime, put the leash on him, take him out to the yard where he's supposed to go and praise him lavishly, even give him a treat, when he goes in the right place. I have even kept the leash on a dog while (s)he slept in the bed next to me.

If you catch him in the act at home, sharply tell him 'no' and immediately take him outside and once again praise him when he gets it right.  If he's already finished the act, there is no point in yelling or punishing.  Quickly and quietly clean things up after taking him outside and praising him for doing it right.

Edited December 9, 2022 by Notabug

[Netfoot]

Heard Mo engaging in some sort of jump/spin game in the verandah. Peeped through the "breeze blocks" to grab this photo 

But he spotted me! And came over to boop me on the nose...

[Netfoot]

Earlier, I showed a little bowl that I said still needed to be finished at the bottom. Here it is in the Cole jaws, with that work about to begin.

You can see the tenon, and outside of that, an edge that will become the bottom of the bowl. Notice that that edge, closest to the camera has a chipmorvtwonout chip or two out of the wood, so it can't be left as is.

Here is the reshaped base of the bowl. The tenon is gone, the edge rounded, and preliminary sanding (with the coarser grits) complete. Now, we use a tiny skew chisel to add the two rings in the base.

Several grits of sandpaper later, the base is oiled and waxed. Beeswax, today. Because I am not a vegan.

And finally, the finished bowl, ready and waiting for someone to come along and give me filthy lucre for it.

It's pretty, but it's tiny, so I doubt I will get very much. Maybe $20?

Gotta go out now, to buy wood glue and wrapping paper and a flap-disk, if I can find one. Trying to make a bowl out of this:

Edited December 10, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Klepto-pup is at it again. 

That is a ring of purpleheart. Came from a failed project -- I was keeping it until an idea for it's use came to me.

But puppy decided he had a use for it...

Found flap-wheels, but $22.50 seemed to be a bit much for a project that will probably not be worth more than $20 anyway. Will use a brass wire wheel to remove the loose stuff and some hand-sanding to follow.

[Netfoot]

Here is my latest piece. It is donugly so ugly it takes on a sort of beauty of its own. 

It has a large patch of bark on one side which makes it appear unbalanced.

There are several places where infestation of the tree had leaf lead to areas of soft, chalky wood, probably where a moth burrow was filled in by the production of powdery wood growth.

I used a hooked dpikevtool spike tool and dug the chalky, powdery wood out, leaving strange hollows in the fabric of the bowl.

Edited December 10, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

This piece definitely falls into the category of art since it definitely won't hold water! Not that there are any holes exactly, but

There are several places where small branches have left little knots. And the cracks and crevices left by removing the chalky deposits are probably all interconnected within the material of the piece as well. 

I have not tried it, but I'm pretty sure if I filled this with water, it would rapidly seep out and away.

Some of the colouring and patterning is quite remarkable! However, while perfectly functional for holding nick-nacks, etc, I doubt anyone will be interested in a piece like this. I will display it with the other stuff, but without a price. It should start a conversation or two. If anyone asks about price, I will tell them to make me an offer. But I think that is highly unlikely. 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Ok, I'm in bed, but the door is still open because Mo is having a prowl outside. He may or may not come in before I go and lock up. 

I've removed the mattress. I will have to figure out how to dispose of that later. So with no mattress, I am lying directly on the bed slats. Good thing that long ago, I added slats to the existing bed until there are zero gaps between. The slats are not exactly soft, but no worse than lying on the ground, and I've done that often enough. There is no sheet on the bed (obviously) and I am using a beach towel to cover with. Thank the stars for pillows. Without some of those to rest my head on, sleep might be difficult.

Bob and The Wailers are entertaining me with some of their best. I will probably try to get a chapter of my book read before entering sleep mode.

I made a dish which was tuna, onion, cucumber and pak choy fried with garlic and red pepper flakes. To this I added some chunky, boiled potato cubes and some plantain. I cut the plantain into short segments, used the tip of the knife to slit the skin and boiled along with the spuds. A pair of tongs removed the skin when the cooked plantain segments were being transferred from pot to pan with the potatoes and stirred into the fish & veggie mix.

Had a little more than half of this for lunch with a little mayo on top. The balance was warmed with a tin of diced tomatoes and served with a red butter garnish for dinner. Both meals tasted good!

Tomorrow is the last day Mo is on full-strength prednisolone. We half the dose for a few days, and then down to a quarter for a few days more. He still doesn't understand why he is getting cheesy treats morning and night. I use psychology. I have two little cubes of cheese, each with a pill in it. But in have a third cube which is just cheese. I show him all three cubes. Then I give him one of the ones with cheese in it, but also offer him the second. Greedy-guts is so anxious to get the second one, he practically inhales the first, so he never had a chance to discover the payload. By time he gets the second cube, the third is right in front of his eyes so that gets slurped right down the hatch as well. The third cube is a reward for being a sweet baby, and an apology for practicing trickery on him.

The only downside is that I rarely get to enjoy cheese myself, now. It's all reserved for medically inspired prestidigitation. 

All this talk of lunch, dinner and cheese has me hungry. I'm already thinking about tomorrow. Macaroni? Rice? Fry-bread? Or even dumplings? I think I will go and see if Mo would like to share a pack of crackers with peanut butter. I hope he doesn't because I am in a greedy mood. But I suspect he will...

Now, what did I do with the peanut butter?

[Netfoot]

Slept soundly, if not particularly comfortably, on my eoden wooden "mattress" last night, with Mo cuddling up close most of the time. Itv as It was bloody freezing and his company was welcome.

Made a little bowl this morning, from a scrap of tamarind in the bin. It's about 4½" wide, 1¾" tall, and the central opening is 2". The undercut is about 1" and I am surprised I was able to manage that much, since I don't have any proper hollowing chisels. 

Afterwards, I went to find Mo who was snowing snoozing in the bedroom. Here he is, standing by the bed, with his head on the "mattress". 

While playing with him, I noticed some staples in the bed slats. These must be the original slats. When I got the bed, there was 3½“ of slat for each 11" of bed. I bought wood and filled the gaps. I thought I'd got all the old staples out, but apparently not.

Cooking pigeon peas & rice for lunch, with corned beef, sliced carrot, and pak choy. Because I wanted two meals, I put 50% more rice than usual. The pot is nearly overflowing and I couldn't add all the pak choy. I chop the stems of the leaves like celery and roll/slice the green leaves into ribbons. There was only room for the chopped stems. When some of the liquid cooks out I will add the green ribbons. For seasoning, I added red pepper flakes and dried chives. I usually use garlic powder but I found an old garlic mincer so I used three cloves of fresh garlic today.

So, I need a larger pot. Will measure mine and see what sort of size I should look for. But given the price of something so simple as a baking sheet, I am not too hopeful. Besides, fir for some reason, manufacturers have managed to convince the public that the only material suitable for a lid is the most breakable substance known to man...

Mo helped me cook, of course. Standing between me and the counter, and sampling the pak choy, the carrot and the corned beef. He will, of course get a taste of the finished rice as well. Even if he never offers me any chow!

Not sure what I will do this afternoon. Don't have any more tamarind that is lathe-ready. Will get a bigger piece I have hear here cut up tomorrow by a friend with a chain saw. Why did I ever sell my beautiful chainsaw? Because I needed the money, that's why!

Edited December 10, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo is a proper little trencherman at the best if times. But now, with the steroids, he is relentless. Normally he eats his meal then waits for me to finish mine so he can get what ever spoonfuls I've left behind for him. Now, he is demanding his share of my meal before I've even fetched it from the kitchen!

He was making such a fuss, I went in early to start reheating the rice left back from lunch. This took a short while but he was so querulous that when it was ready I gave him a big scoop of my dinner to eat before I plated up the rest for myself. It was just as good the second time, but when I was done, guess who was there to complain that I hadn't left him anything! Little brute quick to forget that he got a big dollop before I even started!

He's here now, sleeping (or apparently so) with his back leaning against my thigh. I'm listening to Van Morrison and 10,000 Maniacs and wondering how much a sheet of high-density foam would cost from the Foam House, and what it would cost to have an upholsterer cover it? Or from Sleep-Rite? Maybe they can provide ready-covered mattresses. No point speculating. For now, I will be sleeping on wood!

And it feels like it will be another chill night. Not looking forward to giving Mo a bath tomorrow morning either! I will doubtless get more wet than he will, and he is to be thoroughly soaked, lathered, left for 15 minutes, and then rinsed off. He will not be a happy camper. I only wonder whether it would be better to do this outside with the hose, or in the shower with warm water. It's the 15 minutes that is the problem. How do I keep him calm for 15 minutes and not have him shaking suds all over everything, and licking the stuff off himself? And it will be his first bath since he left the Ark. Doggies can usually keep themselves pretty clean if left to their own devices. But the occasional bath isn't a problem so long as you don't overdo it. Unfortunately, he is to be shampooed every week for at least eight weeks.....

At least from tomorrow he is on half-dosage of prednisolone! 

I will lock the house and have a go with my book.

Uh-oh! Nick Cave had just started with tracks from his Murder Ballads album. Puppy is not amused!

Edited December 11, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Brrrrrr!

Last night was uncomfortably cold. I woke several times due to the chill. Mo was very snuggly and I think he was feeling the chill as well, despite his fur coat. Temperature got down to 66°F and  eventually I couldn't take any more. I got up much earlier than normal and got dressed.

It's now 7:30 and it's still chilly. I shudder to imagine what it will be like giving Mo a 15 minute bath. Unless I use the hot water in the shower despite the logistical issues. Even then, the time between coming out from under and getting completely dry will be uncomfortable enough.

I think it is fair to say: Winter is here!

[Browncoat]

It cracks me up that 66 is cold.  We haven’t been warmer than mid-50s for weeks!  I know, it’s all a matter of what you’re used to, but still.  🙂

[Netfoot]

12 hours ago, Browncoat said:

It cracks me up that 66 is cold.

When I lived in cooler climes, I was equipped. Heavy denims. Wooly socks. Sweaters. Parkas. Scarves, gloves. Knitted hats. But at home I have none of those things.

Left home for the club, but was looking to find someone on the way. Asked Google Maps to take me to the place I hoped to find him, and then from there, on to the club.

In an episode thread I heard how paper maps were obsolete, as was the skill of reading them. And perhaps that is right. Unless GM sends you down a "road" that looks like this:

We pulled out a paper map and navigated our way out I'd of trouble and finally made it to the club.

Edited December 12, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

New model (Waco F5C) ready for maiden.

Mo shouts last minute advice to owner/pilot Kevin as he does a final preflight.

And away she goes! (And Kevin now owes the bar a bottle of Old Brigand.)

Upwind pass so pilot Kevin can observe the airframe in the air.

A very pretty aeroplane, Kev!

AcroWot coming home out of a sky of fire.

[Netfoot]

Up at the club this afternoon, I said, "Hey, guys! Is it just me? Or blah, blah..." And the response was, "No, it has been freezing these last few nights!" So I'm glad I wasn't imagining it. But unfortunately there is a cold breeze in the window again tonight. Hope Mo wants to snuggle.

Speaking of Mo, he had his shower this morning and I essentially had one with him. Waiting until 10:30 to let the day warm up, I sat on a stool on the lawn and used the garden hose to soak him down. Then I lathered him up. He hated it and for the first few minutes he struggled and fought, but he soon resigned himself. He put two paws in my lap and I hugged him and spoke reassuringly the whole time. Sudsed him up from a$$hole to eyebrows and then hugged him and comforted him for 10 minutes to let the suds have time to work. It was supposed to be 15 but by 10 his fur was starting to dry out and I didn't want him dealing with dry suds all day. So I rinsed him down thoroughly. I unclipped his lead and he teleported out. But when I called him for a rub-down he came readily enough. Here he is, my little, bedraggled trooper, with his towel deployed.

Poor Mo. This is to be a weekly thing for the next 8 weeks.

But returning to the issue of low temperature. On the way home, Mo climbed into my lap. He rides on a leash which prevents him from jumping bodily into my lap, blocking my vision and causing an accident. Tonight, on the way home, he crawled into my lap, where he lay shivering. Even with the fur coat, he is also well aware of the low temperatures. I rolled up all windows and let the inside of the car heat up a bit. The shivering stopped after a while.

The prednisolone also makes him as hungry as I was when I was on it for three years. He had his lunch, and he demanded some if mine. I kept feeding long pieces of macaroni. When we got back home, he inhaled his dinner, helped me with mine, and later came along and called for more grub. I had to fetch a strip of red herring and give it to him piece by piece.

He had just joined me here in bed. I'm listening to One Step Too Far by Faithless, with a guest appearance by Dido. Her brother Rollo (who produced her albums) is a member of Faithless and she frequently fills in when they need another female voice. Or she did. Dunno about lately.

Had quite a few Carby meals these last couple days, including potatoes, rice & pasta and snacks based on crackers and cheese or crackers and peanut butter. Last blood sugar reading was 4.8 and I think I'd better test again tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I an going to lock up and then wrap up. Temps went down to 19°C last night and it already feels like it is going in that same direction. Mo is sleeping at the foot of the bed and I hope he comes a-snuggling if the temp heads further south, which I suspect it will.

Global warming my arse!

Edited December 12, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Had to go and buy a new bandsaw blade ($102) so while I was down that part of the world I popped over the hill to PriceSmart and bought some tea-lights. I bought some near my house for 63¢ each, but PriceSmart had them for 17¢ and I thought the saving would be worth while. So when I got to the cashier, it turns out my card was expired and I had to pay $59 to renew! That was a cost-saving trip I could have done without...

On the way back, I stopped at a hardware store to buy a can of spray varnish. The same store that was selling my folding table, as a matter of fact. So I went to see how it was displayed. But it was gone. A shop assistant told me it sold last week. So if they are correct, it means they should have some cash coming my way. But no body has contacted me about that. Or to ask me to bring another table. So we will have to see what is going on there.

Mo came with me on what turned out to be a marathon shopping trip. Last night was uncomfortably chilly again, but today the sun is blistering hot, and Mo's fur is black. I had to be careful not to leave him alone in the parked van for any length of time, even if all four windows open! Between stops he was a happy camper, with his head out the window and one foot on the wing mirror. 

Finally located some Quality Street chocolates. In the hardware store! It means I can give the traditional Christmas gift this year.

About 7 years ago I got some bonny peppers (Scotch Bonnets), pulled off the stems, perforated the skins and placed them in a jar, along with a couple of heads of garlic, peeled and also perforated. Then, I brought a saucepan of olive oil to the brink of boiling and filled the jar with the hot oil. Once cooled, I put the lid on tightly, and put it in the back of the cupboard. Yesterday, I remembered about it. The peppers and garlic had become a dark layer at the bottom of the jar. Opened the jar, poured the oil through a paper filter in a funnel and collected it in a fresh jar. Stopped pouring before reaching that dark layer; only clear, golden oil was retained.

Just cooked lunch. Boiled potatoes and plantain with a sauce of corned beef, diced tomato, onion, cucumber. Cooked the sauce in a little of the pepper & garlic infused oil. About a tablespoonful. It gave the meal a lovely degree of warmth. A surprising degree of warmth, actually! I am only concernedcaxvto concerned as to whether the 7 year old oil will give me "the belly", which I hope it doesn't. 

I would recommend you to try this peppers-in-oil trick. Only don't wait seven years to decant. Eight weeks should be sufficient!

Tested my blood sugar this morning, expecting a moderately high result. Hopefully still in the range 4.0 to 5.9 but probably closer to the last than the first. The actual reading was 3.8 mmol/L! That was a surprise!

Gotta go and install my new bandsaw blade. 

Edited December 13, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

So I made 6x6 tea-light holders of a very simple design. Essentially hexagonal (with rounded corners) they can be aranged in any of a number of configurations to suit their placing. I cut the hexagons on the table saw and chucked them up in the lathe. With a 1½" Forstner bit in the tailstock I drilled the cup/indent where the actual candle will go, then with a fairly large scraper chisel domed the hexagon around that hole. Touch of sandpaper and it's time to chuck up another.

I have not figured out how to finish them. I was thinking of spraying them with regular spray paint. Some red, some green and some white. Seasonal/festive colours. Or could just spray with clear varnish. Or apply a dark stain then varnish. Not sure how the heat of the candle might affect the paint/varnish. Can run a test tomorrow with a few of my rejects (see below). Just not sure if seasonal mania would make then sell better in red, green and white or whether they would be better left in natural wood grain and just varnished. Wotcha think?

I actually made a lot more than 36. Maybe 45-50. But there is a problem with holding a six-sided object in a four-jawed chuck. Sometimes the chuck doesn't hold it centrally. I'd drilled several before realizing some holes weren't in the center. I don't demand absolute perfection, but the ones that were too far off center had to be discarded. Could have made more, but can't be sure that I will get any of them sold, so didn't want to take a lot of time and make too many.

I can sell them as sets of six or sets of four. I think six is better. Allows more layouts. Not sure what to charge. I'm thinking $12 or maybe $15 for six, which would include six of the candles as well. So $2.00 to $2.50 per tea-light. Given that bus fare is $3.50 I don't think the price is too bad.

Now here is a story you won't believe. I went into a store yesterday and as I waited at the cashier I noticed a box with merchandise in it, and had a good look. The merchandise consisted of a number of wooden blocks. Each was about ¾" thick, 1½" wide and 6" long. They were painted white, and had some legend stencilled onto the front. One example: a small silhouette of a cat and the word "Meow" in large letters. There was also the silhouette of a dog and the words "Faithful friend". A whole bunch of different legends. But I stress: a small, rectangular block of wood, painted (poorly) white. Price for these blocks of wood? $17.95 and the box was half empty, indicating that these things actually do sell!

Mo and I are back on our wooden mattress. He is leaning up against my butt and using my foot as a pillow.

I caught him sleeping on the wooden mattress twice during the day so he has quickly gotten accustomed to the idea. Garden Patrol was dry, and not particularly chilly. The breeze in the window is what I'd call cool, not cold or chilly. Last night was bitter again, and when Mo gets cold he wakes me up and complains. I offer to let him join me under my bath towel, but he is never satisfied with that idea. I don't know what he expects me to do about it, but he complains loudly and at length, and the claws swing into action if you try to ignore him.

Listening to Creep (the "dirty" version) off Pablo Honey by Radiohead. I love the way the fuzz-guitar grunts twice before bursting in at the start of the chorus. I heard it was a mistake made while recording in the studio that sounded so good they left it in. Dunno about that. Surely, it's too perfect to just be a fortuitous accident?

At PriceSmart this afternoon, I ran into the wife of the couple whose tent I share at Brighton. Apparently her husband ate something last week that had him so sick they couldn't make the market last Saturday. She says he's better now, feeling a little "delicate" (as you do) but definitely well again. Which is good. I hardly know them but they seem like nice people. I sent a msg to Alison to confirm I was coming this and she told me she had me down already. 

Puppy is sleeping soundly or pretending, but he is farting fragrantly. He had Vienna sausage treats with concealed meds for breakfast, chow for lunch, plus a little of my lunch, plus he helped me eat a Gala apple. He got the core and a little bit of each slice. Dinner was essentially the same except it started with another Vienna sausage and I put a spoonful of tinned puppy food in with his chow to make "gravy". 

Anyway, I am going to lock the door, then read my book before snuffing out the candles. Got to make a few more pieces before Saturday!

[Netfoot]

A cool night, but thankfully not polar/arctic cool. And Fuzzy-Britches helped. Until around four in the morning when he set off about his own business:

[Netfoot]

With the new bandsaw blade slicing through wood like it was butter, I cut the pieces of tamarind into four pieces. Then I marked out and cut these four pieces into two large and four small bowl blanks. That is when the phone rang. 

Unka Rudy suggested I comecup.to his house so we could go down to a quiet stretch of land and "harvest" some Casuarina. So off I went, leaving an irate Mo On Guard.

Naturally, the rain came down and soaked us both to the skin but we combed the woods looking for Casuarina (which we got several pieces of) and Sea Grape (which we could not find).

Came home with hunks of wood in the back of the van. Blonde tamarind on the left and darker Casuarina on the right.

While in the beach, I saw a good sized Soldier Crab. Haven't seen one for a while. 

[Netfoot]

The rain has continued all day and it makes working on the lathe or saws a misery. It is darker than twilight and I don't like to work in poor light. 

Never the less, I screwed faceplates to a couple of the blanks and shaped the outside of each. Here is the first:

And here, the second:

I decided to stop work early (it was as dark as when I would normally stop) and do the sanding and finishing of the outside tomorrow, before switching from faceplate to chuck for hollowing.

Also, remember I was curious about whether to paint the tea-lights for a festive/seasonal result? Well I did a test on a couple rejects and here they are:

The red, white and green paint has been applied very lightly, so as not to totally conceal the wood grain. The fourth one (on the right) is worth an explanation.

I made my own stain, by mixing white vinegar and rusty nails I'd pulled from pallets. Left the mixture overnight so the vinegar would dissolve some of the iron from the nails into solution. Iron reacts with the tannin in wood to darken it. As you can see, I dipped one of the rejects halfway into the vinegar. After about three hours the iron in the vinegar had done it's work. The change is quite dramatic, and the treated wood will continue to darken slowly for a long time to come. For additional darkening you can brush the wood with tea, then wait for it to soak in and dry before applying the stain. I can also add a light coat of clear, satin varnish over the stain (after it is dry).

Now, if I make up the tea-lights into batches of six, I can have one red, one green and one white, with three natural. Or two of each colour, or any combination that I wish. I just don't know which to do. All six plain? All six painted? Half plain, half painted? And should the plain ones be stained dark or not? As for painting, should I use all three colours? Only red & green? Or only red & white? Could really use some opinions/suggestions here.

You know who is really pissed off that the rain won't stop falling? My baby. He comes and complains because I won't make it stop. Same like I wouldn't make it warmer during the recent cold nights. Sorry love, there isn't anything I can do about it. Except go and make myself a cuppa tea. 

had macaroni and gloop for lunch and will finish the gloop with fry-bread tonight. But I will use a different method. Instead of making s ball of dough and rolling it out, I will make a runny batter like for pancakes and pour it out into the pan to cook. Hopefully I end up with something edible. I will report success/failure later. Now, it's teatime!

PS: I forgot I have to unload all that wood from the van!

Edited December 13, 2022 by Netfoot

[b4pjoe]

33 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

All six plain? All six painted? Half plain, half painted? And should the plain ones be stained dark or not? As for painting, should I use all three colours? Only red & green? Or only red & white?

Red and green ones may limit them to Christmas decorations while plain or stained wood could be used all of the time.

[Notabug]

3 hours ago, b4pjoe said:

Red and green ones may limit them to Christmas decorations while plain or stained wood could be used all of the time.

I'd probably do an assortment for now, and let the customers mix and match.  After Christmas, though, I'd go heavier on the non-Christmasy options

Edited December 14, 2022 by Notabug

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

4 hours ago, b4pjoe said:

Red and green ones may limit them to Christmas decorations while plain or stained wood could be used all of the time.

I'd probably do an assortment for now, and let the customers mix and match.  After Christmas, though, I'd go heavier on the non-Christmasy options

I think that's what I'll do. Some of each and let customers pick the ones they want. Or do six sets of six, but have different colour combos in different sets. So, four sets in Christmas colours, one stained and varnished, one unstained and varnished. I am rather hoping that Christmas Shop-a-Mania will help me sell a few, so I will do the majority in those colours. After Christmas I will obviously stop the colours. I have a couple blocked of pine that were initially planned for use in making cups, but we're rejected due to hairline cracks. I'm considering making them into a different sort of tea-light. I will see how they come out before deciding to try and sell them.

We just got back from a damp Garden Patrol. It has been raining non-stop all day. Not heavy, but persistent. It just stopped briefly so we did our Patrol a little early.

We had a couple uncomfortably cold nights followed by last night which wasn't too bad. Unfortunately it looks like tonight is going to be another frigid one. 

My dinner was an unmitigated disaster. Almost as epic as my freshly grated coconut with minced beef catastrophe of an earlier time. I figured I'd make fry-bread but with a difference. Instead of rolling out pieces of dough, I would mix up my dough very wet, like pancake batter and pour it out into the pan to make essentially savoury pancakes. But instead of my savoury pancakes cooking up and browning nicely and turning out into a stack of soft fry-bread, they stuck to the pan like madman's shit to a blanket. They wouldn't firm up or get brown. They had to be eventually scraped from the pan as a semi-raw mess.

They were pretty aweful and I was soon grateful that Mo has taken to loudly demanding each mouthful of my meals be given to him. No longer Hot Breath On My Hip and more like Loud Voice In My Ear. He got a lot of my dinner tonight! Oh well. I usually do pretty well for someone who has no clue what he's doing. Tonight was one of the exceptions.

Tried to post earlier but got "Site Temporarily Unavailable" and the post disappeared. But I forgot to say in an earlier post that the long thread-like things on the ground next to the Soldier Crab were dead Casuarina "needles" which are actually tiny twigs completely covered with tubular leaves. 

Janis says Get It While You Can and I'm going to do just that. Sleep, that is. Got lots to do tomorrow, and if the weather is wet like today it won't be much fun. 

[Netfoot]

Put a block on a faceplate and this is what emerged:

But wait! Is that a crack?

Yes, it is. So I got a big scraper and started chasing the crack. The deeper it went the bigger it got!

If I go any deeper, I will hit the screws that hold the block to the faceplate. I will have to remove the piece from the faceplate and reverse it in the chuck.

(Actually, I always put the piece in the chuck before removing it from the faceplate. Because if the  chuck doesn't fit you might have to reshape the tenon, which means I'd have to put the faceplate back on...)

Edited December 14, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Ok, crack-chasing resumes on the chuck.

Deeper and deeper, removing the now-useless top of the piece. And I'm almost at the bottom of the crack! After most of the original blank is removed...

And finally, a complete bowl. About one tiny tenth the size of the original piece before the crack appeared. 

It's small but it's cute. But I don't suppose I'll get much for it... 😕

Lunch was corned beef and cabbage with plenty of cucumber and some tomato sauce. I have somehow ended up with three bags of cucumbers, so I am using as much as I like without economizing. If I don't get through it, it will only spoil, so why not eat as much as you want?

[Netfoot]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I completed this piece earlier

And just finished turning this one.

But this needs sanding all the way from #80 to #400. Could (and even might) do some sanding by torchlight. The process is quiet enough I won't disturb the neighbors, but I am tired, my back hurts, and I really don't like working by torchlight...

Also painted (red, green, white) three sets of tea-light holders, and used clear lacquer varnish two of the remainder sets in natural colours. The last set is stained but I will give it until tomorrow to dry before I attempt to squirt it with lacquer.

[Netfoot]

DO NOT LOOK at the spoiler-tagged image below unless you have read this!

You may recall a few weeks ago (18th November, I think) I injured two fingers on my right hand. Little & ring finger nails were lifted. Not at all nice!

Well the little finger has settled back into place and seems little the worst for wear. It is still very slightly sore, but you have to bang it pretty hard to feel any discomfort.

The ring finger, on the other hand, has not settled back into place as yet, and I keep it bandaged at all times.

It too, is only very slightly sore. I can squeeze it and use it for almost anything (except scratching my butt or picking my nose or anything that actually uses the nail). The reason I keep it bandaged is because I don't want the nail to snag on anything. I suspect if that happened, the nail would tear off completely, accompanied by loud expletives (and possibly) some bloodshed.

Well, it seems the nail has been working it's way off rather than back on. I change the bandage every day, and yesterday when removing the old bandage I realised that the nail seemed to want to go with the bandage.

The nail can be lifted almost 90° to the finger, with only a tiny piece near the quick, still attached to the finger.

I am posting an image of the loose nail here. Since I had to use one hand for the camera, the nail is only raised about half of the way. DO NOT LOOK at this image if you are the up-chucky sort! You have been warned!

Spoiler

I know if I saw this photo a month ago I would probably have lost my lunch. But I can tell you that it is completely painless and gives me no trouble at all, other than having to protect it from snagging on something.

And should you choose to zoom in, that is not a spider living under there, in the back! It is a discolouration of the nail from the original injury.

I don't know if I should pull the damned thing out completely (or let Dr. Kristi do it for me) or let it fall out in it's own good time. I am inclined to the latter. I will see Dr. K. some day next week to give her her Christmas present and I might ask for her opinion.

According to Dr. Google, a new nail should grow out in 4-6 months. I hope that is true because I wouldn't like to lose that nail permanently. How would I pick my nose without it?

Currently listening to Rebel Yell by Billy Idol. Mo came and insisted we do our Garden Patrol early tonight for some reason. It was dry outside and not very chilly. Last night was fairly cold but bearable, not so frigid as a couple nights over the weekend. Tonight is shaping up to be normal. There was no rain today, but there was quite a bit of wind, which made the little tea-light thingies difficult to paint because they kept blowing away.

Enjoyed my leftover lunch for dinner. Think I will take blood sugar in the morning, and seeing how low it was last time, I was going to drink a large mug of sweet tea before bed but I forgot and I am not getting out of bed to do that now. Still got to go lock the door but that will only take a second.

Got one bowl to sand tomorrow, and two small blocks on the two faceplates. These are quite small, and I don't know how they will turn out if they are useable at all! But when I am finished with them I have more tamarind, although in larger pieces. I will have to do some cutting on the bandsaw before they can be used. And I might try a piece of the Casuarina "harvested" yesterday to see if it is any good. Fingers crossed it is, because there is an essentially unlimited supply down near Long Beach.

Also got to pop next door to the mall to buy a few things but apart from that I want to make what I can for Saturday. Maybe nobody will buy anything, but the more stuff I have on display the more chance I have of selling it.

Late Friday afternoon I probably won't get anything made because I will want to have the van all loaded and ready to roll out at an ungodly hour the next morning, under a black sky. And that means a rapid trip to Kendal Hill to put some gas in the tank, as well. Just please don't make it rain! Forecast says cloudy with only 10% chance of rain but windy. 

Anyway, going to go lock the door. Mo will probably jump up and go with me. Hope he doesn't delay the process. 

Then off to sleep. Took two Panadol so I should sleep comfortably unless the temperature unexpectedly drops. 

He's stolen my towel!

Edited December 15, 2022 by Netfoot

[luv2lurk]

@Netfoot, with regard to your nail, I think just let it grow out. I once accidentally closed a house door on my index finger and effectively ripped the nail from the base. I did a lot of swimming back then and alway wore a band-aid to prevent it falling off. Eventually the old nail grew out and a new one grew in (about 6 months total).

And I am sorry, but I have no sympathy for 66F nights being cold. It is currently around 34F outside and I have no working furnace due to electrical problems - so about 48F inside.

With regard to the tea light holders- I agree with other posters. Some holiday themed is good, but if you make more keep them neutral. I would buy neutral so they can be used beyond the holiday season, but that is my Scottish roots showing!

[Notabug]

2 hours ago, luv2lurk said:

@Netfoot, with regard to your nail, I think just let it grow out. I once accidentally closed a house door on my index finger and effectively ripped the nail from the base. I did a lot of swimming back then and alway wore a band-aid to prevent it falling off. Eventually the old nail grew out and a new one grew in (about 6 months total).

And I am sorry, but I have no sympathy for 66F nights being cold. It is currently around 34F outside and I have no working furnace due to electrical problems - so about 48F inside.

With regard to the tea light holders- I agree with other posters. Some holiday themed is good, but if you make more keep them neutral. I would buy neutral so they can be used beyond the holiday season, but that is my Scottish roots showing!

I had the exact same injury from closing a door on my ring finger.  There was also a hairline fracture and I wore a splint on it for a couple of weeks.  The nail finally fell off after a couple months as the new nail kind of pushed it out.  No pain and it looks just fine ever since.  I'd keep it bandaged to keep it from catching on anything as you have been doing.

I think removing the nail by force at this time, aside from perhaps being pretty painful, could open you up to infection and/or bleeding from the nail bed.  I'd leave it alone and let nature handle it.

[Netfoot]

@luv2lurk & @Notabug, I think you guys are correct about the nail, and I will keep it wrapped up with tape as I have been doing so far. It is definitely working it's way off and I can see no advantage of forcing it off other than perhaps eliminating the snagging risk. But the tape seems to be doing that quite successfully.

I will take the coloured tea-lights on 17th along with an equal number of "normal" coloured ones. If they sell, I will judge whether there is any advantage in making some additional coloured ones for the following week. Assuming the market even plans to open on the 24th  and that they will let me return. Also considered making some out of the tamarind. I have a ton of small scraps here. The problem will be holding them securely so they can be cut into the hexagons. Or any other shape for that matter. And of course I could always use mahogany, purpleheart of cedar to make some.

As for 66°F, I know "foreigners" laugh when they hear me talk about cold. But there have been times when the "foreigners" have come on holiday, spent the day in the sun, and when night falls their teeth are chattering! But 48°F in the house? Not good! A whole lot of years ago when I was renting a dilapidated house in a seaside town called Rottingdean, an electrical issue shut off my heat over a 4-day Christmas weekend. It was a stormy Christmas and the leaky windows made it bitter inside. I wouldn't want to experience that again!

Last night was fairly chill but not as bad as the weekend. And puppy helped.

Blood sugar this morning was 3.9 mmol/L so I should have drunk that mug of tea. Think I will do so now...

Edited December 15, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

After 1½" hours of sanding, this piece is now finished.

And I have two little pieces shaped on faceplates and sanded on the base, waiting to be hollowed.

The smaller one is going to be tricky. It's so small the tenon is comparatively small too, and it may be difficult to keep it in the chuck.

By the way, is it me? Or us everyone getting "Temporarily Unavailable" for hours a day? I just hope when I try to post this it doesn't get rejected due to the site being unavailable. Again. 

[b4pjoe]

6 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

By the way, is it me? Or us everyone getting "Temporarily Unavailable" for hours a day? I just hope when I try to post this it doesn't get rejected due to the site being unavailable. Again. 

Yes it has been horrible the last few weeks. I was looking for a place to report it to in case the people that maintain it doesn't know there are problems however I never found any kind of support link.

[Netfoot]

A short while ago, a guy came to the house to collect something I was getting rid of. He took a look at the bowls I had standing on a table over to one side, and immediately offered me $50 for the piece I finished this morning. 

Well, I'm trying to build up stock for Saturday, but fifty bucks is fifty bucks! So I am down one bowl and up a Dipper. (Named after the person depicted. His nickname, not his real name.)

The guy went off with his bowl and a smile on his face, saying he would "take orders" from friends and might want four or five more for himself to use as Christmas gifts.

Got the smaller of those two pieces finished except for sanding, and will finish it right after lunch. Then try the next one. Got to count up and see what I have, because I don't want to show up at Brighton Market with only six items to sell.

Speaking of which, two potatoes, two carrots boiled, plus two cucumbers, corned beef fried in peppery oil with tomato sauce and fresh ground garlic. Made enough for dinner as well, but I was so hungry I ate dinner as a second helping of lunch. 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Netfoot

[andidante]

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

By the way, is it me? Or us everyone getting "Temporarily Unavailable" for hours a day? I just hope when I try to post this it doesn't get rejected due to the site being unavailable. Again. 

I have been getting that notification a lot! It's very frustrating. I hope they can fix whatever issues they are having soon.

[Netfoot]

The smaller of the two pieces turned up nicely and came out nice. Tiny, but nice.

The larger of the two fought like a pirate and ended up rough, with a thin wall. I think I can fix them up with a lengthy sanding session in the morning, but I have to avoid sanding the walls too thin.

That will make 15 pieces, 16 if you count the rolling pin. Plus the six sets of tea-light holders. I think that should do. 

I cut a piece of Casuarina and started shaping it. I didn't get very far.

My ⅜" bowl gouge is dead. I am not sure why, but I have a suspicion. Chisels have to be periodically sharpened. The harder the wood the more often. This is done by grinding a fresh edge on the bench grinder. This removed a very thin layer of steel from the tip of the chisel. The upshot of this is that the chisel gets marginally shorter each time you sharpen it. Only a hair, but drip, drip, drip!

My chisels are HSS (High Speed Steel). This indicates a tool steel, harder than ordinary steel. It takes a keener edge, and holds it longer. There are various steels that qualify as HSS.

Once a chisel is made, it is heat treated. It is heated to a specific temperature (cherry red) and quenched in some liquid (oil or water, usually) to cool it rapidly. A bit of tinkering and you end up with a stel that is harder than ever, and tough to boot. But only the first few inches of the chisel is heat treated. The remainder of the chisel remains relatively soft and no good for turning.

I think I have "worn out" my bowl gouge by sharpening away all the heat treated steel, over the years. Now, when I try to sharpen it, the steel goes blue, the edge crumbles... It is no good at all. It was short enough that it was difficult to sharpen anyway, but now it's rubbish. 

I think. I will try once more in the morning to sharpen it again. But I'm not hopeful. 

Well, I erroneously used a spindle gouge as a bowl gouge for years, so I will have to go back to doing that until I can get a replacement bowl gouge. But this is the worse possible time. Stuff shipped in at Christmas time can be tied up until early March!

I've identified a ½" bowl gouge ($27.57) or a ⅝" bowl gouge ($34.99) which is cheap. I'd really like a ¾" bowl gouge, but they are north of $100 even if you get the steel only and make your own handle! So the best compromise would be the ⅝" goigr but that price means that younhabd to add Crazy Customs to the Christmas delay. (Remember customs and the chuck key?) So it looks like I will have to buy the ½" one and be satisfied with that. And in truth, it should be fine. But bigger would be finer!

Tomorrow then, I will do some a lot of sanding on that last piece, try to work out prices for everything and start packing the van for rapid departure on Saturday 'fore-day. Will also go and put some fuel in the tank. Poor Mo will be left home On Guard again on Saturday...

[Netfoot]

It's late. I just made six paper trays for holding sets of tea-lights, so we only just got to bed. Will send a photo when I get them filled tomorrow. 

Listening to some Stone Roses. I've heard it said that Ian Brown (Monkey Boy) couldn't carry a tune in a bucket but I don't know about that. I mean he may not be Jeff Buckley, but I don't think his voice is bad...

Puppy lies against my left thigh. Last night was cold but not arctic, and this evening seems a little warmer. But while a warm pupper is pleasant on a chill night, I love snuggling with him even when it's hot.

I'm worried about the loss of my bowl gouge. At ⅜" it wasn't much of a bowl gouge, and as I've said I used the ½" spindle gouge for ages. But now I've embraced the difference I will miss the different edge geometry offered by the deeper flute. I won't miss it's diminutive size, though.

So I think I will have to order a new ½" HSS bowl gouge, and spend the time until it arrives convincing myself that I really didn't want a ⅝" or even ¾" version.

But it occurs to me that I have (somewhere) two or three unhandled  chisels for use with carbide inserts! They work completely differently to regular HSS chisels but they are capable and some people use nothing else. I will have to try and find the chisels, eliminate the (inevitable) rust, make nice strong handles, locate some inserts and use the chisels until a new bowl gouge reaches me. But I have to start by making enough sales on Saturday to pay for the new bowl gouge!

Tired. Eyes closing. Going to lock door. May fetch a glass of water. No Panadol tonight. Can't take them every night, can you?

Found something I'd forgotten was in the fridge called "Guava Pineapple Juice Drink" since it is a "Juice Drink" and not a "Juice", I conclude it has no guava or pineapple in it, nor actual juice of any kind. But it tastes OK.

[Netfoot]

Purty! 

Six at $15 each. (U$7.50 to you.) I will either sell out completely or I will bring them all home again.

I should charge extra for the cute, triangular carrying trays in a range of exciting colours. I spent ages last night figuring out how to make them and then actually making them! The most difficult part was figuring out a design that used the heavy, coloured 8½x11 paper I already had, so I wouldn't have to go out and buy anything.

If you zoom in, you will see an empty little tea-light "cup" I found in the bag. Those crooks at the shop robbed me! According to my calculations, this increases the price of each tea-light by 0.001712¢ each!

[Notabug]

39 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Purty! 

Six at $15 each. (U$7.50 to you.) I will either sell out completely or I will bring them all home again.

I should charge extra for the cute, triangular carrying trays in a range of exciting colours. I spent ages last night figuring out how to make them and then actually making them! The most difficult part was figuring out a design that used the heavy, coloured 8½x11 paper I already had, so I wouldn't have to go out and buy anything.

If you zoom in, you will see an empty little tea-light "cup" I found in the bag. Those crooks at the shop robbed me! According to my calculations, this increases the price of each tea-light by 0.001712¢ each!

That is a beautiful, colorful display that should help draw customers to your tea lights.  Heck, I'd consider buying them and using the tray to hold them at home, too.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

Heck, I'd consider buying them and using the tray to hold them at home, too.

LOL! They are made of paper. They'd fall apart in minutes! Apart from the fire risk...

[Netfoot]

Two tamarind, one kabukalli and one purpleheart.

These are the most expensive pieces I have for sale. The purpleheart is a little small but the lid makes it doubly difficult, which puts the price up. 

One tamarind and one purpleheart. 

These are my second most expensive offerings.

Four tamarind, one kabukalli.

This is tier three.  The taller one in the middle is $5 more than the rest because I like it!

Two pine dishes.

These are my lowest tier, basically just to get rid of them. If they don't sell, I will put them to work in the shop to hold oily nuts and bolts, etc.

[Netfoot]

Some really poor tamarind.

This is in the "Offer" tier. I don't expect to sell it; it's only to generate some conversation. If someone offers me a few bucks I will grab the money and run off laughing!

Actually, it isn't too terrible from an artistic point of view, but I won't be trying to sell this as art.

Edited December 16, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Just completed this. It will be sold at a discount because it has a flaw, visible in this photo.

I can't sand the flaw away because the wall thickness is already small. You can see it, right?

I don't want to end up with something egg-shell thin and therefore useless. 

Attempted to make a pair of different tea-light candle sticks.

In the end, abandonned the idea.