Esteemed Galoots,
Steve Reynolds wrote:
Sawnut drove the newest model Mobile Solar Kiln
(Moby 3) and it is a
great ride.
Yeah,
PATINA 2005 was very
satisfying - bought some neat stuff
and had
a good time. But first some background...
I'm driving Moby 3 because of a near-death experience with a
semi-tractor trailer (big lorry, Jeff) in early February. There I was
on
my way to work, minding my own bidness in the right turn lane of a
major
intersection when the truck came up on my left, crossed over in front
of
me, cut me off and pretty much caved in the side of my Taurus sedan.
The
side of the boxy trailer got the rear fender and A pillar while one of
his set of wheels made a direct hit on my door. My side window
evaporated like a soap bubble and the force of the front wheels being
rammed into the curb killed the engine. The truck ran for it - I just
got a partial identification from the side of the trailer and no
license
plate. Miraculously, I was not cut up etc.. So, I'm now driving one of
those compact SUV's, Mobile Solar Kiln III, AKA Moby 3.
I was driving the Taurus sedan because we had to buy a new vehicle when
Moby 2 died of a cracked cylinder head late last year. I never bonded
well with the sedan, not because it was SWMBO's castoff but because it
wasn't well set up to load lumber and stuff into and didn't have enough
glass or interior space to, well, dry wood. It's not that I was exactly
praying for a change in vehicles but, OK, maybe I sort of made the
request in the form of persistent daydreaming. If such wishes are going
to come true, obviously I've got to be a lot more specific about terms
and conditions.
SWMBO has a very similar vehicle except that it has cruise control. So,
Friday I get a call and it's SWMBO on her cell phone (with headset on)
calling me while she drives home from work. She asks me if I'm
going to
PATINA because she thinks I should go - she knows I enjoy it so much. I
tell her I was planning to and could I borrow her SUV because it
has
cruise control and its about a 2 hour drive to Damascus, MD. She
sputters and squawks "NO! You'll get Manstink in it!"
Manstink? I started laughing and she started laughing and between bouts
of gaiety I got her to explain. Manstink is evidently a miasma of
man sweat, rusty old tools, and effluvia from drying wood and
chainsaws and the like. Moby 1 and especially 2 were apparently pretty
ripe with manstink. Hmmm...
OK, so I picked up
ListMom Steve in
Moby 3 at 4:20 am and we found the
nearest entrance to the interstate. On the way down we discussed what
we
were looking for. I was looking for small backsaws of American
manufacture,
Disston
preferably, and a backup for my
Yankee
1530
eggbeater drill. I love my 1530. I'm not all that productive when I
use
it because I invariably set it in 'all way' ratchet mode and stand
there
mesmerized as I crank the handle any old way and watch the chuck spin
clockwise. Hours pass. Steve was looking for
Millers
Falls bench
planes,
mainly. We hit the parking lot in Damascus at about 6:15 or so
and
found it fairly busy. Not as many folks set up as last year, though. I
think the weather report kept a few people away from the
tailgating -
hard to say. Steve and I decided to check out the tailgating and
then
set up to sell. We split up and I went out looking for stuff.
Targets
of opportunity. Objects of desire. I saw Todd Hughes with a
couple of
nice small backsaws and caught glimpses of a couple of other
Galoots
from the rear. I stumbled over a real nice little
10" Disston
backsaw
with an
'Made Expressly
for Vocational Schools' etch. No bargain
but it
really caught my fancy so I bought it. Oh yeah, there's a slope and I'm
on it. After a while, I found Steve and we agreed it was time to set
up.
We set up on a table behind Moby 3 and pulled out our stuff. It was
fairly cold once we stopped walking about. Business was OK. Paul Pflumm
appeared and set up next to us. Steve walked over and then waved me
over. Paul had a Yankee 1530 for sale and Steve had snagged it for me.
OK, the day was looking pretty good. Suddenly it seemed warmer. A few
Galoots stopped by, Tom Dugan, Charlie Rodgers, Paul Pflumm, Todd
Hughes
Bill Webber, Charlie Driggs and maybe a couple of others. Joe Rogers
and
Bill Duffield from WoodCentral's Handtool Forum also showed up. Steve
and I put the goods back in Moby and headed inside at 9 am when the
general sale opened. There was a lot of cool stuff on display and
prices ranged all over the map, from very reasonable to Oh.My.God.
I found a couple of books and slowly worked my way to the back where I
met up with Steve. Steve was jubilant because he found a nice
Millers
Falls #8 (small smoother, Jeff) for $35. This plane was in
real
nice
condition, better than my #8's and I congratulated him. OK, as usual
that means that I tell Steve that he sucks, big-time. This just
increases his glee, like pouring gasoline on a fire. I saw Todd again -
he mentioned that he was having pretty good luck buying and his
kill-bag
was starting to bulk up. I ran into Chris Schwarz, the Feral Ex-Brewer,
who looked like he'd arisen from his sick-bed to make it to PATINA, a
testament to the recuperative powers of tool-lust. Chris was sporting
an
ornate drill index, an elaborate cast iron article with holes for drill
bits, not the tin cans we have become accustomed to in the modern era.
Steve and I talked tools with Tony Seo and Charlie Driggs and I went
for
another round of the hall.
There were several small backsaws still out on the tables but I found a
real nice 8" Disston in a box under a table. It was a later saw and
kinda pricey at $45 but in excellent condition with a pretty good etch.
I've seen them go for about the same on Ebay and I didn't have to
wonder about the condition or pay a s/h fee. So I bought it.
Daddy has
A
Saw Problem, no lie. Then it was back to Moby 3 to drop off my
loot. A
few people were still out tailgating. A fella came around and
tried to
talk me out of that Yankee 1530, but no dice. A man needs backup, These
things don't grow on trees ya know. It was sunny and noticeably warmer
so I put some stuff back out on the table behind Moby and sold a couple
more saws to stragglers, including the last of the thumbhole rip
saws
that I'd brought. That paid for the little Disston saw so I went in for
another round of the hall. I bought a couple of odds n' ends, Steve
reluctantly passed up on an eggbeater drill and we decided to head back
to our respective SWMBO's and familial duties.
Turned out to be a great PATINA and it was good to be amongst the
Galooterati once again. I missed talking to
Bob
Nelson this year, may
he
rest in peace. On the way back to Steve's place I related my story
of
SWMBO and the phenomenon of Galoot Manstink. We had a good laugh.
When I drove to work on Monday morning I thought I could smell old
steel
and wood commingling with the new-car smell in Moby 3. Oh yeah...
That's
what
_I'm_ talkin' about.
****************************
Tom Price (
TomPrice@aol.com)
Brakes For Rust
