Saturday, October 11, 2008

I Keep Nodding Off

Saturday was a very busy day. No old radios for me at the Indiana Historical Radio Society meeting but I did pick up a bigtime hand-powered drill of the sort sometimes called a "chest drill," 'cos one leans into it with the body. It's a Miller's Falls with a nifty built-in level and an odd aftermarket chuck. (Pix later). And I renewed my membership.

After that, much driving about -- went out to Eagle Creek hoping to catch up to Tam and her shooting buddy, but the range had closed. (At 1:00 p.m.; looked like the po-lice had decided to go shootin'; it is already their range Mon-Fri and weekends are often taken. What to do? Well, one needs to shoot fairly often to stay competent and Pop Guns is only way the heck the other side of town... Renewed my membership there, too and had my Indiana lifetime (ooo, yeh) LTCH* laminated as well. 150 rounds later, I was at least assured that I was not shooting any worse.

Ran a couple errands and returned home in time to join Tam & Co. for dinner at Sam's Gyros after a brisk walk. Came back home and dozed off with Random Numbers The Tactical Cat on me.

(PS: Ham antenna work is done for now and the ground rod has been in for a couple of days, finished with the sledge, no fancy tools or techniques needed, just wham, wham, gravity and applied force and a dribble of water from the garden hose -- pictures of that installation later, too).
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* License To Carry Handgun, please note it says nothing about concealed or otherwise though just this very morning and not five blocks away, another permit-holder met up with an LEO who seemed a bit hazy about that...and also about having to set the safety of a 1911A1 to "fire" before one can rack the slide. Y'know, firearms are not actually the main thing an officer needs to know about but at the same time there are some kinda basic skills that a body might think the Academy might be wanting to instill and "clearing common weapons" would be among them. All's well that ends well, and this one did. Other than a lotta not-so-comfy "painting" by certain parties -- I'd add the Four Rules to the curriculum, and ask what witling ever left them out?

8 comments:

JAFO said...

Damn.

She shoots, she has handtools, and she's a HAM.

Glad there are ladies like you out there, ma'am.

73's

Turk Turon said...

Nighty-nite!

It's 3:00 AM and I'm off to work.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

In old-tool circle I run with. we call those a Breast Drill, but I can understand your reticence to use such a term.

Hmmm. How bout we refer to it as a "White Meat Drill"? Works for chicken so you don't have to say the B-word in front of the butcher. What model number did you get? The one with 10 speeds? I may be thinking of the Yankee 555.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

And there was a time I'd sell half my soul for a Miller's Falls Parsons Brace.

Roberta X said...

(73, Jafo, and to Turk as well!)

T-Bolt, you and I know that's what it is but I'd'a had to wade through a whooool lot of "bobbie trap" jokes if I'd'a called it that.

...I'll be off to check out that brace, BRB. (I own three metal braces, two of them sort of by accident, and several hand drills. Doing a project, I just chuck up the drills and -- for the braces -- bits that I'll need and never waste time havin' to swap them around: collection, efficiency help and lazy-enabler, made of win!)

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

I thought EVERYONE had a brace for every bit they owned? Saves time, if not space. And I own a lotta bits. It's NOT a problem. I can stop acquiring anytime I want. I'm no collector. They're all USER tools. Yeah. That's my story. User tools.

Right now I am driving #2 Robertson screws with a nice Stanley with a 4" swing. Rosewood pad and handle. One of my faves. Also seeing use is the corner brace between studs.

Roberta X said...

Parson's brace, very nice indeed!

It appears my Miller's Falls drill is either a 13 or a 130, though with a non-standard chuck that uses a left-hand/right-hand threaded Acme screw (headless, with square recess and with a darn big Robertson key to turn it)to drive two interlocking V-jaw blocks together or apart, with the whole thing in a heavy cylindrical housing. Marked "The Standard No. 0 Improved" and "The Standard Tool Co., Cleveland"

Roberta X said...

Dang, a corner brace? You do have everything!