Not My Victrola

Courtesy of SilentBacchus...and, a bonus from the other side of the block!

Weekend Steam

Michigan Steam Engine and Threshers Club, by OldFarmShow.

Crankin' It Up

The flip side of "Arabian Nights", "Sand Dunes" (1919) I guess, is also supposed to make us dream of the exotic near east, but even my demented musical mind can't quite make that trip with this tune. It is fun to listen to, though. It is kind of funny to me how songs have glamorized the Arab world through the years. "Midnight At The Oasis" came out when I was fresh out of college, but my favorite of all time is "Ahab The Arab."

All The Inventin' Is Done For You!

 An acquaintance showed me his fish scaling machine recently, and if you like to fish, you will want to build one of these.  Start out with the air filter housing from a big earth moving machine, cut out and hinge a door, and install pop-rivets all over it so they project in a bit.

 Build a manifold to spray water into the back side of it...

...and install a motor and transmission out of scraps around your shop.  Fill the cylinder with as many as 100 bluegills, and watch the scales wash away!

Know About Hammer Bite?

Watch Hickok45's review of the 1911; you will see how hammer bite occurs, and how to prevent it with Band-Aids before you are bitten!

I Don't Like Spiders And Snakes

Susan was sorting through some things in the garage Sunday, and was bitten by a brown recluse spider.  I keep snake bite kits handy in my man-purse, and put a suction cup on her hand right away, within minutes of the bite.  We use these things frequently for insect stings, and they pull wasp and bee venom out effectively if we can apply a suction cup right away.  This was the first time we used one on a spider bite.

I pulled it off after a few minutes to have a look, and we were astounded at the amount of blood that had come out.  Evidently, brown recluse venom has anti-coagulant properties.  We put the suction cup on again, and pulled less blood out on the second go.  The third time pulled very little.  The patient has no redness or swelling, only a tiny scab at the bite site. 

If you read about the Cutter kits on the Internet you will find that medical folks despise them, and say they do more harm than good.   I have never been snakebit, and I can sure understand the harm that can come from using one of these kits instead of seeking prompt medical attention, but I also appreciate the way they work for me on bee stings, and insect bites.  Now we know the little suckers are good for spider bites, too.

This is a brown recluse spider.  They like to hide in dark places, under boxes, rags, or etc., and can deliver devastating tissue damage with their venom.  If one gets on you, brush or shake it off; don't smash it on your skin.  Get it on the floor and then step on it.

Superior Oilfield Engine

One of the big engines on display at Boonville in October. Engines like this one pumped the wells that produced oil and fuel for our war effort in World War II.

Whole Lotta People Don't Take Off For Veterans' Day

Doin' The Old Grind Every Day

U.S. Navy Seabees hard at it in Korea, courtesy of the webmaster at Weblube.com, a fascinating site with lots of photos from the Korean War.  This photo appears to be by Charles Godshall, who can be seen with his trusty grease gun at the top of this page (click).  Many thanks to all the veterans who keep us safe in the USA!

Not My Victrola

bsgs98 gives us a great slide show with Birmingham Breakdown, by Red Nichols and his Five Pennies.

Weekend Steam

 This set of photos is courtesy of Zeke, the Engineering Johnson, from his Labor Day Weekend visit to Old Threshers.  This Avery is a top mounted, straight flue engine, which is slightly unusual since most people think of the undermounted design when Avery is mentioned.  Bill Sater, one of the founders of Old Threshers had one of these engines at the show until the 1970's, so it was sweet to see these photos.

 My dad and I went to an auction near Wayland, Iowa about 40 years ago and thought we might buy an engine just like this, but the bidding left us in the dust, and I realized that I would probably never own an engine.  The sale was the estate auction for a Mr. Swartzendruber, and we found out last year that he was a relative of Stranded In Iowa, of the Between Two Rivers blog.  It's a small world.

 I think that the Avery firebox door is just about the neatest thing going in operating platform hardware.

Just Stomp and Stoke!