Crankin' It Up

After You've Gone Marion Harris by TrueBlueSam Victor record 18509-A; recorded July 22, 1918 by Marion Harris. Brat behaves himself this time.

It's Not About Hunting

It's about protecting hearth and home. Yellow Cat is shopping for a high-capacity, semi-automatic, magnum mousetrap. Photo by Susan

My Friend Jack

 

My good friend Jack Riley of Dix, Illinois passed away today. Cancer took him.

 

Jack planted these shortleaf pines in 1967. His lovely wife Beth survives him.

Jack's father bought the Dodge new in 1952. Little things remind us of the importance of connections with family and friends.

Green Energy

This big old Hercules was on display at Evansville last June, and at Pinckneyville in August.

Introduction To Skeet Shooting

Jed and Granny taught me all about skeet shooting a lifetime ago. 

One of Ruger's Latest: The LC-380

Luke Hartle of North American Hunting interviewed Lori Petoske at Shot Show; she schools us on Ruger's LC-380, and a couple other great Ruger products. Some of the Internet chatter about the LC-380 is about the Why of this new model. The good news about this gun is that it is easier to operate the slide than either the LC-9 or the LCP. Recoil is less than the LCP because of the additional weight. Those differences make the LC-380 a good choice for folks who have trouble racking the slide on a centerfire pistol, or can't hang on tightly enough for the snappy recoil of the tiny LCP. Thanks for the great description, Lori!

Grease Me!

This pump jack in Clay County, Illinois is crying for a little help.

Ruger's Auction To Benefit Honored American Veterans Afield

 This is the last of six Green Beret 10/22's made in 1973 and stored away in Ruger's vault for forty years.  The others proved to be very popular with bidders, and this one is too.  Take a deep breath and click to GunBroker to bid.   Ruger is donating all of the proceeds from these auctions to HAVA.

Next week, Ruger's HAVA auction is for another M77 Police Rifle in .308 Win.  This fine rifle appeared in a trade show twenty years ago and has been locked away since.  This is too good to pass up, so go to GunBroker and place your bid.

Hook Up!

Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola

Cabin Fever is getting to us. A cough that won't go away has kept me from cutting wood the last month, and I have spent a lot of time listening to old music on YouTube. Way back when I was in the fifth grade, the teacher told us that we couldn't eat the same thing every day, because we would get tired of it. I argued that I would never get tired of hamburgers, and I still believe that, based on my personal experience and millions of overweight Americans. The songs from No No Nanette are kind of like that. I have listened to them regularly for years, and they have become comfort music. We have featured this piano roll by Pianomn199 before, and the records below that are by Pax41. We have posted the very same records, but it was early in our YouTube career, with a really bad microphone. Pax's copies are much better.

Weekend Steam: Let's Hop Across The Pond

Crankin' It Up

Sybil Sanderson Fagan isn't exactly a household name, but this lady had a huge talent. This record is The Nightingale and the Frogs, and I have posted it on Sybil's Facebook page, where you can hear more of her recordings. The Nighingale and the Frogs was recorded in October, 1918.

Good Old Days

This print of a J. F. Kernan painting was for sale in an antique mall in Palmyra, MO the last time I stopped in.  Mr. Kernan did a good job with dogs, and I really love the expression of the dog watching the festivities.  Look around on the internet and you will see that Mr. K did many Saturday Evening Post covers, and some advertising for Falstaff.

Case 20-40, Pinckneyville

This nicely restored Case 20-40 was in the tractor lineup at Pinckneyville last August.  The slide show is made from photos I took;  the videos below are of similar Cases found on YouTube.


The writeup on this one tells us that the tractor hadn't been started in several months. Action on the Armstrong Starter is impressive. The camera is bit shaky, but I like to hear the engine under load. This guy really knows what he is doing, and the tractor is in top-notch shape.

Ruger's Auction To Benefit Honored American Veterans Afield

Ruger's HAVA auction this week is a Service Six® Military Model.  The sale is scheduled to end at 12:30 PM, EST, Wednesday, January 23, 2013.  Click Here or on the photo to go to GunBroker and place your bid.

Let's Make It A Million!

Ruger's Protect Your Rights site has been used by citizens to send more than 600,000 letters to legislators so far!  Click the Take Action Now button here, or on Ruger's webpage if you haven't done so already.  Tell your friends and family, and help send a strong message to the gun-banners.

The rights of honest, law abiding Americans are under attack, and it is imperative that you contact your legislators to let them know that you don't like it.  Click to Ruger's Site, to read more, or just use these (Ruger's) buttons to go to the Ruger links.  Don't Delay!!!!

Are You Being Green,...

...or are you getting the green wienie? Here we see a couple of filters from rigs with Diesel engines. Both of these filters have had bio-diesel running through them.  The first is in warm weather, and there is a whole-lotta crud growing in that fuel.

This filter has gelled bio-fuel, during a Southern Illinois winter, which isn't cold enough to gel pure Diesel fuel.(Photo Credit for gelled fuel: Jason Jones)

A few years ago, I was driving a new work truck, and ran into an old friend who was driving a similar truck.  He asked if I had used the E-85 fuel, and I hadn't.  He proceeded to tell me that he had, and the fuel filter kept plugging up with snotty stuff.  It seems that the alcohol draws water out of the air and messes up the E-85 fuel.  Bio-Diesel has similar problems.  It gels in cool weather, while regular Diesel has to get really cold before it does that.  Bio-D also grows crud in it that clogs filters.  It seems that we are being fed lies from our betters, and it is screwing up our lives.

Way back, when we heard that refrigerants R-12 and R-22 were making holes in the ozone layer, I smelled a rat.  After we were changed over to R-134, we all had access to the internet, and the truth became easy to find.  The holes in the ozone layer are naturally occuring at the poles where the magnetic field around our planet curves in, allowing the solar wind to erode the upper atmosphere.  That is why auroras occur, centered around the poles.  NASA explained it very well on Spaceweather, although they didn't mention refrigerants.  We're getting it again...

...There is a new refrigerant that is being promoted, and I don't have a clue why, unless maybe the patent date is about to run out for R-134.  The problem with the new one is that cars tend to burn to the ground if a refrigerant leak occurs.  You know, propane is an excellent refrigerant, and it is probably cheaper than any other refrigerant out there, and it can burn your car to the ground, just as well as the new one that you will soon be forced to buy.  Somebody has spent a bunch of your money to develop this, and you will be buying the newest chemicals on the block, whether you want it or not.  We could go back to ammonia and have people gassed by leaks, without causing fires or ozone holes, or we could go back to R-12 and R-22, which really never caused ozone holes, and didn't burn or gas people.  The one thing that is clear in all of this is that we are being lied to, not just by our government, but also by companies who go along with sleazy politicians so they can hold the bottom line, in spite of government harassment.

If You're Not Going To Work On Monday,

...you should be getting ready for Tuesday.

Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola: R.I.P Dear Abby

The sad news last week was that Dear Abby passed away after a long struggle with Alzheimer's.  I read her column every day for years and years, and have always had a good laugh from John Prine's song about her.

January 19, 2013: Gun Appreciation Day

This Japanese rifle is not what I am appreciating today. The rifle, bayonet and sword were won in combat by my Father-In-Law, O.T. Bentrup in July, 1944. The information he let us know about these artifacts is limited because he didn't talk much about his time in the Pacific, but we can piece together a few facts from things he said at different times. The sword was used to murder civilians on Guam when the Marines invaded; this was learned from surviving civilians, and the information was gleaned by the Mrs. when she was a schoolgirl. If you do a search on the Internet for Guam War Atrocities, you can learn a bit about that. I asked O.T. why he brought this particular gun back to the states, and he said, "Because I killed the sonofabitch that had it!" That was unusually strong language for my Father-In-Law, but considering what we pieced together of the history of these weapons, he had very strong feelings about the events on Guam. So, on this day, ponder and appreciate the importance of guns in the hands of good people, who need to stop bad people with guns. O.T. used the M-1 Garand, the BAR, and 1911 .45's when he was in the service, and it is a safe bet that he was using one of those guns when he ended the reign of terror of one Jap soldier.

 Click on the Gun Appreciation Day poster on the left side of this page OR HERE for more information about this special event. Write your legislators and let them know that you do not want your rights trampled on by governmental would-be-masters.

Weekend Steam: Double Your Fun

Not one, but two Baker steam engines are pulling this sawmill at Trumbull County steam show, Middlefield, Ohio; summer 2011. This is a relief after watching too many videos of steamers gnawing their way through logs.

Crankin' It Up

Brat Cat helps out again this week as we listen to Whistling Rufus, by Prince's Orchestra. Columbia recorded this already out of date song in October, 1918.
WhistlingRufusbyPrincesOrchestra by TrueBlueSam

Another IHC Engine, at Pinckneyville

My camera seems to be drawn to IHC engines while we have been watching Gary Bahre restore the one he bought from us a year ago. This one was running at the American Thresherman show at Pinckneyville, Illinois.

No Guns For Thee...

 ... a lead firehose for me...Obama's mini-gun. Don't go near his motorcade, just in case the firepower makes someone get crazy.

I See Dead Cars

Saw this old Dodge on the last day of October in southern Marion County, Illinois.

Gun Appreciation Day! January 19, 2013

Double Dose Of Appreciation!*

The Second Amendment Foundation has announced that January 19 is Gun Appreciation Day!  You can read all about it on Second Amendment Foundation's website Here and Here.  Blog about it, talk about it, and contact your legislators in the week leading up to this pro-rights day.

*A .22 pistol that matches your centerfire pistol is a perfect practice companion.  The .357 Blackhawk has been accompanying me around the farm for thirty years; the Single-Six is a more recent acquisition.  The .22 has been my main gun for shooting Mr. Completely's e-Postal matches, and the regular trips to our shooting range behind the barn have greatly improved my pistol shooting ability.

Ruger's Auction To Benefit HAVA

Ruger has donated a pile of money to Project Valour-IT from the auctions of rare guns in their collection, and they are now going to sell more to benefit Honored American Veterans Afield.  The first one is this U.S. Marked Mk II pistol.  Click Here, or click the photo to go to GunBroker and read a complete description and to place a bid.  This fine pistol will sell at 12:300 P.M., Wedneday, January 16, 2013.

Bridge Building Capability

Skidder bridges like this one sometimes have to be built for crossing streams. This is where a grapple skidder really comes in handy. A grapple skidder can pick up a log and place it where you want it. Here we see Jason use that capability to place a log with a couple others for dragging out.

Are You An American?

Ruger is making it easy for you to tell your would-be masters to back off and respect your rights. CLICK HERE to tell your legislators, from the President on down to respect and obey the Constitution.

I'd Really Rather Be At Shot Show

Back To The Old Grind!

This "Coffee Mill" gun is used in Civil War reenactments, and burns propane and oxygen. 

Second Amendment Foundation's Gun Appreciation Day

Appreciate It!*

The Second Amendment Foundation has announced that January 19 is Gun Appreciation Day!  You can read all about it on Second Amendment Foundation's website Here and Here.  Blog about it, talk about it, and contact your legislators in the week leading up to this pro-rights day.

 Ruger has posted a page on their website to help you locate your legislators and to send them a message.  CLICK HERE to go to Protect Your Rights, courtesy of Ruger.  Click on the Take Action Now! link on Ruger's page, follow the instructions, and you will send a letter to all of your legislators.  It's easy, and it is crucial to our future.  Thank You Ruger, for helping Americans protect our rights!

*A twenty-two rifle is the basic gun that should be the foundation for every collection.  They are inexpensive and fun to shoot, so everyone can develop the necessary skills to be a good marksman.  Every home in the country needs a twenty-two standing by the door to deal with skunks, possums, coons and coyotes.  A twenty-two rifle should not be underestimated for home defense, either.  This Ruger 10/22 Sporter was bought off a used rack in Larry's Gun Shop, McLeansboro, Illinois many years ago.  It has see-through scope mounts, and a 3 x 9 scope that came already sighted in.  I have since added 1 1/4" sling swivels, a G.I. web sling, Volquartsen hammer and springs, and a Tactical Solutions Extended Magazine release.  The bolt release has been altered so the bolt drops after a tug to the rear.  The trigger pull is 2 pounds, 7 ounces with the Volquartsen upgrade.

Not My Victrola

Pianmn199 has posted The Kitchen Stove Rag, and it's a good tune.   I wish he had moved the camera in a little closer to the lyrics.

Gun Appreciation Day: January 19, 2013

The Second Amendment Foundation has announced that January 19 is Gun Appreciation Day!

Here are a couple that we have found to be very appreciatable.*
(Click to enlarge.)

You can read all about it on Second Amendment Foundation's website Here and Here.  Blog about it, talk about it, and contact your legislators in the week leading up to this pro-rights day.

 Ruger has posted a page on their website to help you locate your legislators and to send them a message.  CLICK HERE to go to Protect Your Rights, courtesy of Ruger.

*The Mk III on the left is mine, and other than the Simmons red dot sight, it is a stock pistol.  The trigger on it measures 3 pounds, 15 ounces, and it is deadly on varmints around the farmstead.  The Mk III on the right belongs to Mrs. True Blue Sam.  The trigger from the factory took more than 6 pounds to break, so we installed a Volquartsen Accurizing Kit, which took the trigger pull down to 3 pounds, 1 ounce.  The fancy grips on Susan's pistol are Checkered Cocobolo Thumbrest  grips from ShopRuger.com.  Thanks, Mom!

Weekend Steam: Model Building

 RCDon's writeup on this beautiful project: "See more of this project at WWW.RCDON.COM !!! This video demonstrates the operation of a small horizontal steam engine power plant running on compressed air. The engine was built from a casting kit supplied by PM Research Inc. out of Wellsville NY. IT took 75 hours to machine the castings and construct the 32 pound, ¼ HP engine. You can see the entire build article and over 600 photos of the project at WWW.RCDON.COM !!!"

Crankin' It Up: The Flip Side

Today we are listening to the other side of last week's record.  Ted Lewis recorded "While We Danced Til Dawn," a waltz, to back up the fox-trot that we heard last week.  Brat is really getting into helping with the records now that I don't make him hold still.  This video also features the Mystery Lady of the Old Brunswick, a photo that came with this old record player.

Little Skipper Running Around His New Home

Little Skip is a joy to have in our home. We have been twenty years without a Schipperke, and it is great to have one of these little dynamos in our lives again.

Ruger's Project Valour-IT Auction Of The Week

Ruger has a highly desirable .44 Carbine on the auction block this week.  This auction is scheduled to end on Wednesday, January 9 at 2:56 PM EST.  100% of the proceeds of this auction will be donated to Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT, to benefit wounded service personnel, so bid generously.

Ruger is doing more good with this campaign than we can imagine, so even if you can't afford to buy one of their classic rarities, click over to the Ruger website  (Look under News and Resources) and drop a Thank-You to CEO Mike Fifer.

United and IHC at Boonville, Indiana

These smooth running engines made a happy display last October at the show over at Boonville, Indiana. Note the fine tuning adjuster at the end of this video, for setting the ignition timing. These intricate little details were all worked out on paper, when designers had to create images in their minds, without the benefit of a computer screen. I wonder if we still have people with adequate imaginations in our modern age.

I've Changed A Lot Of Tires...

...and never worried about torquing down the lug nuts. I've used impact wrenches, tire tools, and breakover bars, and never had a problem; but times have changed. I grew up with steel wheels, and they have quite a bit of give if you overtorque the lug nuts. The nuts may be hard to remove, but no real harm is done. Cast wheels are a different animal, though. There is no give in cast wheels if you crank the nuts down too tight, and over-tightening stretches the studs, rather than bending the center of the wheel. The importance of torquing your lug nuts came home to us recently, when I had a tire repaired. One of the wheel studs spun and fell out, and this is how it looks:

The arcs across the back end of this bolt show the progression as the bolt pulled apart as we drove around in blissful ignorance.  We thought about how this could have happened, and we have figured out that the damage was caused at a tire shop in Mt. Vernon, IL.  We needed a flat fixed last summer; had to replace the tire, and had both changed on that axle.  We were back the next day, because the new tires didn't match the diameter of the tires on the other axle, and the 4WD was kicking in.  So...all four tires had been run down by an impact wrench, instead of being hand tightened the last bit.  What would you do?

We don't want the wheels to fall off of our buggy while we motor down the road, so it is in Ford Square's garage now to have all of the wheel studs changed.  We are also getting new lug nuts as long as we are doing this much.  A torque wrench will be going in the back end of the car, just in case we need tire service in a garage where the workers don't have one of their own.   If you have cast wheels on your car, buy a torque wrench, use it when you change a tire, and keep it in the jack compartment.  Watch the guy who takes your wheels off and on; insist they use a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts.

Be Sharp This Week

Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola

BachScholar just uploaded The Strenuous Life, by Scott Joplin, and it's a good rendition.

Weekend Steam Drive-By

 AceJackalope posted this brief, beautiful video on YouTube: "Union Pacific Challenger class steam locomotive # 3985 pulls the Missouri River Eagle along the Missouri River in Boonville, Missouri at 12:31 PM on October 4, 2010."

Crankin' It Up, With Brat The Cat

I've been wrestling with Brat Cat for years when I crank up the old Brunswick for the weekly old record. If he bumps the microphone sitting in front of the megaphone it means that I have to start over, but I finally figured out that he can't reach a video cam that is perched on a tripod. This is actually easier than recording a sound file, converting to mp3, and combining it with a photo of the record, so I will probably keep doing the records this way. "Just Around The Corner" is a delightful little fox-trot by Ted Lewis and his band, and now that I have it in the hopper I realize that I need to do it over as an mp3 so I can play it when I'm on the road.

Going, Going...

 The dozer cleared trees that had grown up in the old barnyard, and the last time I drove by there was a track-hoe sitting next to the dozer.

It's probably all over by now.  Barns like this were outdated technology fifty years ago, and the families who used them are long-gone.  The Mrs. and I have been patching on our barn for more than thirty years, and we will never be done, although we are gaining little by little.  We have big plans for 2013; ripping out old wood, fitting new pieces, bolting and nailing.  Dilapidated old buildings like this old dairy barn give me a sense of urgency to get back to work on our ongoing project.

Help Our Wounded Soldiers!...

...and win a very fine firearm!

Ruger is offering a really rare treat for patriotic, soldier-supporting Americans this week.  This Security Six has been hiding in Ruger's vaults for more than thirty years, and now it can be yours, if you will only take a few minutes to set up your bids on GunBroker.  Here is part of Ruger's writeup:  "This week’s auction is a 6-shot, .357 Magnum caliber, Security-Six double-action revolver. The serial number is 158-13427 and has a testfire date of December 2, 1981. This revolver is stainless steel with a brushed satin finish. Features include a 4” heavy barrel; checkered walnut grip panels with silver-colored Ruger® Eagle medallions inlaid in the panels; a square butt; windage and elevation adjustable, white outline notch rear sight; and a red ramp front sight. “CSP X2” is stamped on the left-side of the frame right behind the cylinder. No records were found as to what the “CSP” stands for. The “X2” refers to “Example 2” which tells us this was likely an example revolver for either a police or park department."

This revolver might have been made for California, Colorado, Connecticut, or any city in the U.S. that is spelled with a capital C.  The GP-100 has replaced the Security Six, and this may well be your last chance to buy a factory new example of this fine .357 handgun.  Click the picture, OR HERE, to make your bid.  

The Logs Are Gone!

The loggers moved out the last of their logs on New Year's Day, and have only to truck away the skidder.  We are very pleased with the work these fellows have done.  They cut the trees we wanted cut, with a minimal amount of collateral damage.  The white oaks scattered through the timber came through unscathed, and they should be ready for sale about the time I turn 110.


We shot this little video a few weeks back, and it is fascinating to watch the ease with which the truck driver booms down his load. I especially like the way he flips over the slack in his chains. Note how he uses a cheater on his boomers. He sets up the boomers so they are at the tension he wants, and he could break them over center without the cheater, but that is a good way to bang your knuckles. He uses the cheater, not to over-tension the chains, but to make the breakover easy and painless to his hands.

A Happy New Year To You, Too, Ralfy!

Ralfy sends out a very nice new year's greeting from the Irish Sea.

Got Snow?

 

Have wet feet?  Snow is a pretty good test for leather boots, and wet feet are no fun at all if you are outdoors all day.  I have tried many waterproofing  products over the years, and Pecards is the one that I settled on thirty years ago.  It even keeps my feet dry when I walk through wet grass, which is a tougher test than walking through a creek.  My work boots are Corcoran Field Boots, and they are not waterproof, but they are pretty much watertight when they are new.  Regular applications keep the leather soft and the seams watertight.  Leave your freshly treated boots next to the wood stove overnight, or go over them with a hair dryer.

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I found Pecards in the Dixie Gun Works catalog many years ago, and have never seen it in stores, so Dixie is where I go when my supply gets low.  Be careful if you look at DGW; you might be having new guns show up on your doorstep.