I like Hammocks.

[No Idea]

Hes rummaging again.

Usually means hes had a brainwave.

All his brainwaves are noisy.

Looks like the dragging noise was him pulling his new sail that he made down the stairs.

I just started dozing again when he started hammering.

Curiosity got me. I had to go see what he was doing..

Er....

Looks like he is hammering an eyelet into his sail.

Why he decided to do that while I was still asleep..

Horrible toad.

Hes put the thick washer thing under the sail, and hammered the tool through the tarp to cut the hole for the ring.

 

[No Idea]

The first part is a washer with a raised bit that goes through the tarp, then another ring goes on the top..

Then you put the tool back on and hit it with the hammer to open up the bottom bit, which holds the top on.

He really likes this bit..

Hes done it.

Why couldnt he wait until I was awake?

 

[No Idea]

Seems I was stupid for not already knowing that the tide was going out and he wanted to go sailing as I told him I didnt want him to.

Hes been reluctant to sail it after the last time when the boom took him out of the boat.

He made the new sail so he could sail it without a boom.

Seems that if you leave the boom in the garden, it cant get you.

The new sail has no boom and no battons, so if you let it out, it just wraps itself around the mast and shrouds and doesnt tip you over either.

I think its horibble, but then Im not sailing it.

Im grateful that he has found his way past his fear and is sailing it again, so I can live with it set up like that.

Even if it wasnt very long lived

It was blowing pretty nasty and it had put him on the beach with half a boat full of wave, so Im not complaining.

He might have wished he had left his mast up a bit longer as biggest surged past him - after grinding the bottom over the rocks launching

 

[No Idea]

I made a new friend.

His mum was frozen, so I lent her my car to warm up in.

Er....

I think he is fishing using his anchor.

Nope. No Idea what they were doing.

Still, they came back exhausted and happy.

I got to rest, oh, and I also got a bit of a tan off the wind.

Nice day - even if I didnt get in my hammock.

 

[No Idea]

Was wandering around in Tescos, trying to remember what I was supposed to be buying.

These pencil holders started screaming buy me.

So I did.

Had No Idea why. No Idea what I could possibly want them for. Just had this serious urge to get them.

 

[No Idea]

Caught my kid rummaging around under the kitchen workbench.

Makes me nrevous when he does that.

Hes found a wire off that is stopping this pair of bilge pumps from working.

Er.....I knew that... Honest !

 

[No Idea]

Looks like he is fitting a new terminal connector

Hes crimping it so it doesnt fall off and to make it make a good contact.

I think soldering stuff on marine things would probably make more sense though.

Its on.

Hes putting it on the battery terminal

ooooH ! It works !

Smart kid !

The white thing in the middle has blades on it that you cant see because its running

 

[Robbi]

ready to pump away mate !!

 

[No Idea]

Nope. He managed to snap the terminal off the top of the battery trying to get the lid on.

 

[No Idea]

It was my fault.

As soon as I got my tools out while they were looking, I realised I had made a mistake.

"oooh! What are you doing - can I do one!"

I had picked up half a dozen penknives from a local shop.

Trouble is they were for fishing and had serrated blades.

I wanted them as emergency knives to tie to our lifejackets with lanyards.

With the serrations, they wouldnt cut rope.

 

[No Idea]

I wasnt about to let them try grinding out the blades as I intended to do it with an angle grinder held in the vice.

There are better ways, but I didnt have much time.

I got it done, then let them have a go at cleaning the blades on a dremmel with a sanding band on it.

I sort of expected them to catch the points on the band and get shocked into not wanting to play with it any more.

Just my luck, they managed fine.

With their help, I have to go find goggles, make sure things are safe and there is very little risk of them getting hurt.

 

[No Idea]

Still, by the time we had finished playing with the dremmel, the blades had some really serious burrs.

I bought a new whetstone a month or so ago, which needs some use to sort out its surface.

Until its been used for a while, its practically useless as its too rough and lumpy.

So I showed them how to deburr a blade, told them how to do it safely, showed them where the mistakes are usually made.

Then I went to get the plasters.

 

[No Idea]

...and the camera..

Later....

 

[Robbi]

bring on the photo's

 

[No Idea]

Bring on the photos...lol

Just checked my tell tales and discovered Ive posted in excess of 2,000 so far already...

Still, I suppose I have a few more lol

 

[Robbi]

LOL ! looking forward to the next 2000 !

 

[No Idea]

Er....

Just noticed my post count is getting close to 2,000 too.

Er....

Most people on here seem to take 4 or 5 years to do that.

Its taken me just over 6 months so far.

Oh dear. Thats bad. Didnt realise I was quite that gobby.

 

[No Idea]

Anyhow...

One being a teenager and one being a wannabe teenager...

They decided they were the experts.

Aparently, you should always saw the knife from side to side across the stone when you start...

 

[No Idea]

You also must lean extra hard on the point each time too.

Of course, standing the kinfe on its edge and running it the full length of the stone does make a sound like fingernails down a blackboard.

You then need to carefully tap the burr against the middle of the stone to flatten it a bit..

If the burr still seems to be there, you can heat it by rubbing it at speed on the stone unitl it melts.

You can then check it by hammering it into some 3 x 2 with the palm of your hand after shredding some rope with the keen edge you have made.

Please dont try to sharpen any knives like that as, for non teenagers, it just wouldnt work.

I managed to catch the back of my hand on a splinter on the way in and ended up using a plaster on me.

They both were very sympathetic - when they had finished laughing.

Pigging kids.

 

[No Idea]

Summer is coming.

I am thinking about my preparations for outings and the kit I need.

Hammocks, of course.

Hobo stoves.

Hmmm....

I keep thinking about all that smoke...

...and the Police visit.