Oh I have actually been playing my guitars again lately. I did not for far too long, so my hands are still learning how to do things again. Playing lots of pool again since we got our table in January so that has been a good time passer on crappy weather days.

 

I have also found this winter VERY long. My +1 is an avid gardener. He has already started some pansies and begonias. He had good luck previously with begonias, not so much last year. So he's trying a few different things this year. He also starts other flowers along with peppers, squash, tomatoes and cukes.

I wish I had other hobbies besides the gym, and photography. I enjoy walking for the sake of walking but it's been too cold for that. Last night I went to a Zumba class for the first time in years. It's still a lot of fun. It's easier to stay busy in the better weather.

You'd have to refresh my memory, did you have in injury that you aren't snowboarding, or has life just gotten in the way? Do you start any other plants? Where do you keep them while they are growing?

 

I have been restoring a 1960s Bridgeport milling machine, a 1965 618 Atlas lathe, and my 1943 Gallmeyer & Livingston surface grinder. Been working on restoring my 1998 E36 M3 for the last 4 years. This has been the main drain on my finances but I am getting closer to having it completed. I am about 80 percent done with making a knife for my son for graduation, that happened already so I am waaay behind but life got in the way. I just need to grind the bevels, heat treat the blade, then do all the hand sanding, blade lockup and final touches. It is a liner lock lever action automatic out the side of my own design. Not the mechanism, that is a standard design. Blade is retained in the sear by the rocker arm/lever. The blade is locked in the open position by the liner. A friend from Canada taught me how to design and make working autos about 11 years ago. Great dude.

Too many hobbies and too little time or money to do them all. Stopped making knives back in 2020 to spend more time with the family and have probably only made about 5 in the last 4 years. Hoping to get back into it more in the near future.

What hobbies have you all done for years then had to give up or stop but hope to get back to again?

 

That looks like fun!

 

Well we used to live in MN, so I could hit small ski places anytime in the winter and could run up to Lutsen as well. And then we would make a trip out west or two in the winter. But we moved down east of KC, so not much of that here We did go out to Keystone a couple of winters ago after we moved but was the only time I rode that winter so spent the first day of the trip just getting back into it. I keep planning to make work trips up to MN and take my board to get some time in but thta has not happened at all this winter.

Now the advantage of moving where I am now is a longer growing season and less harsh winters, but this winter has been more of a real winter here too. Mpls has hardly had any snow and we have had I think around 20 inches which for here is a bit more than normal, plus very cold temps this week. So about time I got used to the less harsh winters we got one! We always had a garden up north too but we could not transplant outdoors until mothers day most years, some years later. One season I went out at mothers day and dug up a football sized chunk of frozen dirt a foot down, had to wait till the last day of may.

I have 9 4X8 raised beds outside at our place here in MO. I have a starting rack with grow lights I built years ago so I can start peppers and tomatoes indoors early. We will be growing those, cucumbers, squash, potatoes, beans and onions for the regular crops and will do some spinach and lettuce as early and late crops along with planting garlic to over winter. Peppers will start this weekend, tomatoes in a couple of weeks and we tend to transplant and plant everything else in mid April. My wife plants various flowers around the other stuff as well and she has various flowers in beds around the house. With us always doing stuff in the summer, I plumbed lines to each bed and have timers and drip irrigation to keep up with the watering of the garden so that helps a ton. And since I work from home, we typically go out and tend to the garden a lot the hour or two before I start work in the mornings.

 

Dude that bridgeport will be sweet! Would be cool to restore those things for sure.

Very cool about the knife too. Have you ever seen the stuff Cy Swan at Green Valley Forge makes? I saw him on some youtube videos a while back. Just hearing him tell stories from his life is super cool. Guy is 90 now I think and still forging and making knives as well as cutting trees and firewood! I kinda want one of his knives, especially given they will only be available for so long. But about $400 + for one so I have not done it lol

 

I am looking forward to getting the Bridgeport finally finished and working. Will be a beast compared to my currently smaller milling machine.
I have not seen his knives in person but it is awesome that he is still able to not only makes knives but chop wood and the like. Probably one of the reasons he is still so mobile is all the physical work over the years. Also, I get that 400 is a lot for a knife but for the time put into making them, I guarantee he isn't making a lot off one at that price. Minus the time, materials etc. Granted, that doesn't mean it isn't a lot of money for a knife, it is. Just not for a handmade custom / non production knife. But I am looking at it from the maker viewpoint. I am slow when it comes to working on making a knife as I enjoy taking my time an not rushing it. If it did it for a living I would have to speed up the process which would take the enjoyment away from it. For example, when I am making an auto, there are so many components that take time to make and get to fit correctly. The rocker arm I generally make from CPM154. I cut out a square of the steel and then I grind it as flat an parallel as possible on the 2x72 belt grinder then I put it on my WWII era G&W surface grinder and proceed to take of ".0005 at each pass or so. Takes forever to get it to the perfect thickness I want it to be at. It isn't just the thickness and flatness, everything needs to be flat AND PARRALLEL otherwise things bind. This is especially important on the blade, liner, and having the pivot hole drill at a perfect 90 degrees. Then I have to heat treat it, and since it is stainless, it is done so in a stainless steel foil so I don't have to worry about decarb effecting the tolerances. I also make the spring for the auto action out of 5160 and this is like a mini leaf spring. Have to heat treat that and then temper to spring hardness. Just these two components alone take a lot of time. Then designing the titanium liners with the cutouts for the rocker to fit snug but not too tight, drilling and tapping for 2-56 screws, the pivot and stop pin and the lockup at the blade stop. Making, cutting and shaping of the handle material, etc etc etc. Just a long process and a lot of work. Much faster for someone that makes them all the time but still not a fast process. I usually spend about 200 hours making an auto. I love the process even though it takes me forever.

Still, spending a lot on a knife where you can get a pretty well made Chinese made knife, as there are some really well made one, is not for everyone. Just like spending 1,200 on an exhaust isn't for everyone either. Just whatever we are all into I guess.

Just thinking out loud about the process. I guess I miss doing it more than I thought

 

Yeah $400 is certainly not unreasonable for a hand made piece like that. Lots of labor goes into that so like you say, he is not making much per hour.

That is one thing I do not have is metalworking tools other than grinder and basic stuff. One day I will maybe pick up a lathe or mill though as I am the type that wants to make everything I can myself. I have a good selection of mechanics tools and a pretty decent wood shop setup though. My shop is in complete disarray right now though. I have a minisplit sitting there to install, more insulation for the ceiling and then, tons of stuff moved around out of its normal spot. I figure next week with the warmer weather relative to now, I will get the minisplit in and then start getting the rest back in shape!

 

Man thinking about it made me go look at pictures from a great trip to Lutsen MN. Lutsen is way up the north shore of Lake Superior in MN. Far enough from the twin cities that it is not super busy, has a good size mountain and a beautiful drive up. It snowed 16 inches one of the nights we were there on this trip. Winds shut down the gondola to the bigger mountain there that morning and apparently besides people that go a lot, most did not realize you could snowbard/ski down a run to the lift on that mountain. I think I took 3 full runs in fresh powder before I crossed anything but my own tracks But just driving up there in winter was awesome. Lake Superior right off one side of the road for a couple of hours. My wife caught a blurry pic of me about to drop of the side of the earth on day one before the big storm hit There is lots I dont miss about MN and lots I do miss. Winter Lutsen trips are definitely one thing I do miss!

 

I have almost no tools for woodworking but I have just about anything you can think of for metalworking. Sometime during the warmer weather I need to get everything cleared out so I can do some actual work in the garage/shop. I will have to give you a quick 2 second tour. I also try to make everything I can when possible. Or I at least want to learn how to make everything even though that is impossible. Most of my machines are from way before I was even born lol. And HEAVY! I just wish I hadn't sold my big old Logan turret lathe years back. I regret that one.