more toys

[Alan W]

Best wishes from me too, non-a. Let's hope for a speedy recovery.

[bobbi]

Sending positive thoughts your way, and wishing you a good outcome plus a speedy recovery from the surgery.

[Barbaram]

Best wishes A for a speedy recovery.
Barbara

[Hobbit]

Same from me too.  All the best for a quick very & positive outcome.

[birdy]

I hope it goes well and you have a speedy recovery, a non-amos.

[a non-amos]

If you know me very well, you know that I must make some humor from this.

Dear Hobbit:  If they are looking for cancer, a positive outcome is now always good.

Yes, I know what you meant.  Many thanks for the good wishes from everyone.  I do have a more uplifting post to offer, but I need to find the music thread . . . .

[a non-amos]

Egads.  I meant to send "not always good"

[Hobbit]

Sorry A didn't stop to think what I was writing.  Glad you know what I meant!  Perhaps a happy outcome would have sounded better!

[a non-amos]

No worries Hobbit!  All understood.

They took a bit of leg muscle on Tuesday.  Standing for long periods is not an option today.  Sitting applies pressure and is generally good.

This year (once again) we are celebrating Thanksgiving twice on two different days with two different guest lists.  Work schedules are a pain, but more importantly it is good to separate friends and family who should get along with each other but cannot.  Our plan this year is to celebrate on Tuesday (yesterday) and Thursday (tomorrow).

My partial disability made cooking a challenge, but my lovely bride accounted for this on Tuesday.  She really did above and beyond.  I was not allowed in the kitchen (except to scrub some pots and pans).  The food was wonderful.

Tomorrow much of the cooking is on me.  The plan is for me to play the wild and crazy chef and make something that melds with the traditional.

I guess we will see how well my mutant healing abilities work.

- A
    

[ensiform]

Best wishes to you, a-non.  Remember to stay positive.

[a non-amos]

This year I made a promise to a friend that I would make it happen.  He has always been a giving person, but this has been a frustrating year for him.  Others have tried to disparage his name and his accomplishments.  I felt he might need something uplifting, so I made him this promise.  The toys must go out to needy children this year!

I had considered cutting back on other activities, such as music, because time is limited.  The better plan was to start Christmas preparations in early October.

Now it's early November (still before my normal starting date) and the toys are coming along nicely.  The wing sections are done, including all shaping and sanding, and by this time tomorrow the fuselage and rudders should be well on their way.  The propellers are another story, but there is still time.

- A

[a non-amos]

Good news, bad news.

I bought the wrong wood for the rudders, and the only way to make the hyper-accurate joint between the rudder and the fuselage is one at a time, in matched sets that are custom fit, so this is not yet done.  That's the bad news.

The good news is that I had an idea that should trim a day off of the build time and add to the overall quality, giving the toys a more finished appearance with less hand work with a sanding block.

I need to use the idea of bi-directional nailing earlier in the process.  Egads!  Why did I not think of this before?

- A

[a non-amos]

This afternoon I discovered that the deadline is 11 Dec.  That's almost 3 weeks away.  Having started early allows me the time to make fixtures that should make the process more safe.  I had wanted to make these improvements for several years.  This year I have the time to do so.

I also have the time to "kick back" and consider the process as a whole.  In what sequence do I need to do what steps?  I made a "recipe" for this type of toy.  This is the first time I documented this process.  There is much value in knowing what to do when, and what materials are needed.

As someone else said, if I don't have pictures then it didn't happen.  Expect photos.

- A

[a non-amos]

This afternoon I applied the top coat of wood finish.  This evening it was dry to the touch, but it will not be ready for final assembly and packaging until tomorrow.

Shame on me.  I tried a new finish that did not work. It sounded good on paper.  Maybe we should leave it on the paper and not apply it to wood.

I tried to account for this, with a fine sanding after some drying time followed by a coat of a better wood finish, but success is not guaranteed (far from it).  The mixing of two chemistries is usually not recommended, but in this case there was nothing to lose.

Worst case, this year there will only be 5 toys instead of 6.

- A

[a non-amos]

Someone mentioned that without photos it did not happen.  I try to make good things happen.

I cannot remember how to insert a photo.  I know I have done this before, but that is no help today.

Help?