Winter Time Blues What Do You DO?

[dagst1]

Setting here today thinking about the cold outside and I was wandering what do other campers do to pass the time till we can we can get back to the woods so I though why not ask?

So I will start. If its to cold to get outside I put together models. I received some "metal" ones for Christmas from a company called -Metal Earth. They are "laser etched" flat metal sheets that you assemble. They have a wide variety of subject matter. I received a tractor a crane and a Ferris wheel.

If I can be outside I work in the shop. I have several antique walk behind garden tractors and a few stationary engines that I tinker with.

Some times we meet my sister and brother in-law on a Sunday afternoon for lunch then we go to a antique mall that is about half way between St louis where they live and the K C area where we are from.

So these are a few things we do to pass the time. What do you do?

[Lloyd]

When it's this cold out, it's a bad time for me. I've had the itch for a new 5th wheel. The big catch with that is it has to fit thru my 12ft. tall door on the storage shed. That has proven to be a daunting task. Seems like anything I like, is to tall. So far what I've seen out there that I would be able to back in the shed, I wouldn't trade what we now have for it.

So I have been working on a couple laptops. I've got a really nice Acer I bought before windows 10 came out. I converted it over to 10 from 7, but it just didn't like 10. There was always a problem of one kind or another. So finally I switched it over to Linux for a operating system. Runs like a champ now. Then I got a couple solid state drives and installed one in the big Acer. WOW, did that ever speed things up. Worked so nice I did the same thing on this Dell laptop. It's just unbelievable how fast these load and move now. Two more to go. That will probably get me pretty close to some warmer weather.


Dan, you shouldn't be to cold down there in the banana belt.

[Papa-T]

Originally Posted by Lloyd

When it's this cold out, it's a bad time for me. I've had the itch for a new 5th wheel. The big catch with that is it has to fit thru my 12ft. tall door on the storage shed. That has proven to be a daunting task.

We had our 24X36 metal building constructed in 2001. It has a 12’ roll up door on one side on the front. Which we can actually fit 12’ 2”. Jayco and Crossroads has been the only 5ers we’ve found we like and fits a 12’ door. As far as occupying my time in the winter, well that’s tough. I dream of camping and fishing at the beach and wait until spring. My wife tries to find lots of things for me to do but I try to resist that as much as I can.

[dagst1]

Banana Belt? One thing about Missouri the weather is never boring!

As soon as the 3 foot tall pile melts that is in front of the camper pad the old girl goes in for a "slideectome". We had a unwanted visit from a tree branch. It did not break the rubber roof but broke the rafters and the ceiling of the slide. Also in its past life someone stepped on the floor without the slide fully out and cracked the floor making a "soft" spot so they are going to rebuild the roof from the top down and while the slide is out replace the floor. Then it will be good as new.

[mark5w]

Winter time is project time. When the holidays are over I work in my wood shop building Grandmother, wall and mantle clocks. Also, fresh coats of paint on some rooms are done.
A knee injury since August and surgery last week has kept me from the projects, but as soon as therapy is over it's back to the projects that have been stacking up. Got 1 Grandmother clock that is beyond due date so that will come first.
Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings are Dunkin Donut days. Nice group of about 4 to 8 of us get together to talk about everything but politics.

[Lloyd]

Do you build the cases from scratch? What do you use for the mechanism?




Pictures?

[dagst1]

And we need a price list.

[mark5w]

Cases are built from scratch. Usually oak. Mechanisms are imported from Germany as well as the brass faces. Started building them in 9th grade. That's what inspired me to go to college for an Industrial Arts degree. Over the years I must have built about 15 of them.

Here is a picture of my first one from 9th grade. And the latest one I'm trying to finish. Other style mantle clock and wall clock.

[dagst1]

Beautiful. You have a real talent.

[Lloyd]

Very nice Mark.
Now , is that a Grandmother, or, a Grandfather clock? I thought the Grandmother was smaller and hung on the wall. Or, is it just that the Grandfather is bigger?


Regardless, what you are showing sure looks nice.

[mark5w]

Thank you for the compliments.

Those are grandmother clocks.

Grandfather clock is 6 feet 3 inches in height and a taller wider case


Grandmother clock is below 6 feet 3 inches slimmer case



Granddaughters measures between three and five feet. They were not made until the early 1920's.

[Lloyd]

Originally Posted by mark5w

Thank you for the compliments.



Grandfather clock is 6 feet 3 inches in height and a taller wider case


Grandmother clock is below 6 feet 3 inches slimmer case



Granddaughters measures between three and five feet. They were not made until the early 1920's.

If that's the way they figure them, then what I use to see around at auctions being called Grandmother was actually a Granddaughter.


I used to be an auction fanatic, and I wanted one of those old Grandfather clocks so bad I think I could almost taste it. Was never able to afford the price they brought.

[BipeFlier]

Winter is my time to work on my N scale model railroad or some RC airplanes.

[coastn]

When I get tired of shoveling snow I go camping! Currently at Borrego Springs, CA where it's sunny and 73.

[dagst1]

Well here in mid Mo we are at 12 and dropping. Expected -6 with wind-chill of -25 to 30 tonight. But expected to be in the upper 50s by the weekend. Here in Mo we have a saying " if you don't like the weather just wait a day".

[Biggles607]

Mark, what awesome clocks, and wonderful craftsmanship.

Here in FL, although nowhere near what you guys are experiencing it's been rather cold. Well certainly by Florida standards.

As soon as the temps drop below 75, I'm reaching for the electric blanket and my thermals.

I did take a brief bike ride today just to blow the cobwebs out, and I did wrap up warm, so it's not really that cold.

I answer to your question, I too revert to a lifelong hobby.

By profession I am an architectural model builder, but my creative instinct keeps the passion alive even when I'm not earning money doing it, a bit of a 'busman's holiday' really, but I can't help it.

For fun I build anything that takes my fancy. Usually boats, trains or aircraft, but anything with decent aesthetics or interesting engineering might pique my attention. Think cranes or bridges or watermills, you get the picture.


Recently after Mrs R and I visited San Francisco, and were awed by the wonderful moving national monument that is the cable car system, I was inspired to scratch build dearly beloved a momento of our trip, ergo, a cable car.


Please see attached photos, I hope you enjoy it a much as she does.

[Lloyd]

That is quite a feat you accomplished with that! It looks awesome to say the least.
What are the approx. measurements?

[Biggles607]

Thanks Lloyd,


It's 20" long. I scaled it from photos I took when we were out there, so it might be a bit out here and there, but it's aesthetically pleasing, and Janine loves it.

[mark5w]

Very nice detail work. How long to build it?

[Biggles607]

Thanks for the kind words Mark.

I spent a couple or three evenings in front of the telly planning and drawing all the pieces into 'Corel' which I use to drive my laser cutting machine, then assembly and painting took a leisurely weekend.

It's frames, chassis, wheels and bogies are from 1/8" craft ply with the balance made up from museum board, cardstock and thin acrylic sheet.

I drew the graphics onto 'Corel' then printed them on acid free paper before laminating them to the various signs and banners.

Thanks for your interest.

There's loads more 'stuff' if you're interested to see it on my website.

www.kdmodels.com

Best regards