Just Plain Fun

The Alaskan Log Cabin Valet Tray.

This started as an idea for a contest at printables.com;

https://www.printables.com/contest/334-catch-all-trays

Here is also where this model is on that site;

https://www.printables.com/model/380531-the-alaskan-log-cabin-valet-tray

Figured, if Anyone should/could be designing an EDC related item for printing, it would be me, right? 😉

Problem is, I don’t use the things!

I had one idea for this but brushed it off as too… hokey? I dunno, too rediculous in some way.

The more I thought about it, I couldn’t get really entheused about it, because I don’t use the things… I have a specific place I put current carry, its a dump place, but I’ve never done the whole box/tray/ whatever thing, unless I’m house sitting somewhere and need to Create a safe place. Its just not ever been a me thing at home.

But, THEN the more I think about it too, it could be a fun project to model my idea, and who cares if its a little over the top on a theme? So, for the fun of it, Iwent ahead and did it.

I give you, The Alaskan Dump Tray.
Or The Log Cabin Valet tray.
You’re choice.

And the Mini version,

I got a little carried away, I have it as a fully parametarized file(As in it runs in the OpenSCAD customizer pane, there all parameters are easy to edit by Anyone with the software, no 3D or coding experiance needed..Poimt and click without editing the model(s)) Can change; The log height(count), log diameter, inner area length and width, turn on or off 1 or 2 inner walls, and move the two inner divider walls around(although they always cross and make 2 compartments equal length… I’m too lazy so far to cut it up and make it 4 walls if wanted), and the inner wall height and log diameter is settable independantly of the main walls, and each other.

The big one Barely fits on my printer, and actually is barely big enough for what I’d want/need.
The little one was a compromise of print time, and space… I can get my average knife, light, multi and watch into it.. Although ironically todays items don’t fit. lol. I printed the little one to have something to take pics for the contest, and because it was only 4 hours to print. The big one would take 7.5 hours, at my coursest resolution.(I printed the small one course for both time, and I figured the rough layers would look better for logs… it does fit I think!)

For this one I went with 3 courses, 10mm dia on the outer walls, and 8mm on the inner wall, seemsed like a good look, and a nice scale. Fresh off the printer!

Some shop gear “EDC” in it;

And, some of today, the basics.

Overall, I’m rather happy with it! Looks like I wanted, and isn’t anything bad like I’d imagined it might end up. I think it came out just fun and interesting, not over the top on “Alaska” or log cabin woodsie LOL.

Categories: 3D Printing, Boxes, Custom, Daily-cary-log, EDC, EDC/MT use, Engineering & Design, Just Plain Fun, key-chains, knives, Life-Philosophy, New Gear, OpenSCAD, PLA, Plastic Parts, Prototypes, Retro, Theory/Thoughts, Traditional

Got a new hat!

Turned out to be a little spendy @ about $35 including shipping from Canada, but I figured what the hell, they only had 200 made, and will probably never be any more. Well built hat too, verry solid construction.  Little short top to bottom compared to what I’m used to, but its pretty comfy, probably get used to it. First I’ve had without the top button, really like that idea! (Anyone thats ever driven an old leaf sprung truck on a rough gravel road will fully understand this!!)

Its from a YouTube channel/ project I’ve been following for a few months now, a rebuild/restoration of a vintage 1970s Cessna 172B.


 BTW, They have a cool cooking channel too, if planes aren’t your thing… B-)
https://youtube.com/c/GlenAndFriendsCooking

This is kinda a departure for me.. I don’t really wear ball caps much, hard to find ones I find comfortable,  (since the narrow brim style came about approx 20 years ago…and won’t bloody leave!) I’ve only ever had one I truly like, and I’ll have been wearing  it literally 20 years this summer.

And, nor do I really do brand or channel stuff… But its been a cool project to follow,  and I certainly don’t mind supporting that, it was just too cool to pass up.

Categories: Clothes, Field gear, Hats, Just Plain Fun, New Gear

Evercraft 150 lum pen light.

One more new light. This was purchased on a whim, it popped up in the checkout area of napa’s website. For $4.99, I figured why not?

Branded Evercraft. Its one mode, 120 lumens. Runs on 3xaaa, which it came with. Given the cost of alkaline batts these days, I think I paid about $1.50 for the light! Lol.

Its all plastic, verry lightweight.

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One long bar led?

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I expected the butt end of it to be magnetic like I’ve seen on these bar lights before, so I’m a little disappointed. But it does have a magnet on the clip, and the clip rotates/swings on the light for aiming it, which is kinda nice. Will see how it works in use.

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With Jetbeam BC10 for scale.

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It is freaking bright! I’ve no doubt its 150 lum, or at least 100.

Might actually grab a couple more of these things to throw in glove boxes or tool boxes for cheap backup/ emergency work lights. Looks like they’re $10.99 normally, they’re $6 off this month. Even @ $11, I think I’d get at least one, can’t see anything wrong with it.

Categories: Automotive, Automotive Work, EDC, Electronics/Media, Flashlights, Just Plain Fun, New Gear, Reviews, Truck gear

Well, hello babe!

New Zippo again.

Have wanted a pin-up styled lighter, just because, for a while now. I got one once before, in an off brand Zippo coppy, but the way the image was done with a thick plastic buble/cover over it just wasn’t my thing.

I’ve looked at all of them Zippo makes/has made, took forever to find 3 or 4 that are semi tasteful, and the woman isn’t ugly as a mud fence… And wasn’t so far out of production that I’ll never find one… This is one of them, a Playboy cover edition, March 1988.

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I’ll probably end up having a one off made with an image of my choice to get what I want.. we’ll see.

Categories: EDC, Fire, Grail Item, Just Plain Fun, Lighters, New Gear, Sexy, Zippo

Plus one nib, 2.0!

My other new pen came in finally!

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Took almost 1 month even to get here, but it made it!

This one is really, really, really expensive… $4.50. And it took $2.50 for shipping. lol.

It’s a Jinhao 996. Just couldn’t pass up a tiger print pen! Its really solid, nice and hefty, if not all metal its close to it. Feels like an F nib, smooth writer so far. Came with a piston converter in it too! I have a sample of Monteverde Cherry Danish in it to start.

Would Not feed from filling the converter separately, even after forcing ink all the way up through the feed… Un filled and filled with converter in the pen, through the nib/feed, and then its perfect, no issues at all.

I hate filling that way, tends to get too wet on the feed and you always end up dipping the grip section and getting messy. Hopefully now that its primed itll flow/fill the other way from now on.

My only slight complaint is that the cap doesn’t post very securely on the back of the pen. I have to press it on then twist s little for it to grip. Even then its not really secure, and takes verry little to come off. You cant shake it off, but any grip of the cap and it comes off.

It’ll be fine, it stays well enough for writting, but you can’t fidget with the pen much between sentences.

But anyway…

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And with the Prefounte.

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Categories: EDC, Fountain Pens, Ink, Just Plain Fun, New Gear, Pens, Traditional

A Sunday EDC, after 5 years.

Was looking through some old pics of mine, and realized that May of 2015 and 2020 are identical for dates/day of week.

The 17th was a Sunday in both years.
So, Sunday carry Exactly 5 years apart;

’15;

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This would be one of my last pocket dumps with the flip phone, since within the month, and as I recall not long after my birthday, I went and got the Galaxy S5.

Also one of my last photos taken with a “real” camera, not a phone.

Looks like no watch since I think I had converted that pocket watch to a pill case by then, but maybe not. Nook as E-Bible.

No ring since that fall is when I made my moonglow and acrylic rings.

Didn’t start carrying hanks till the next year I think, or at least winter of 15/16.

IIRC I hadn’t started consistent Sunday CCW then.

Before I started color coordinating.

’20;

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This one is a bit odd, since this last year I had started a distinctively lighter/minimal carry for Sundays… Which this isn’t. Its kinda 1/2 and half.

This sunday was the first church since Convid19/pandemic/shutdown. (Alaska is now on “reopen” orders, with gatherings, events etc allowed again.) I couldnt find my go to church bible, so used my phone. Phone is now an S8 as of this month so these pics skip the S5 entirely, even though it lasted almost the entire 5 years.

No notebook or pen since I stopped them a couple months ago. Haven’t worn my dog tags for a while either since weekdays I have the neck knife.

Metal ring I made before or ironically in 2015(from an AK quarter), since I have recently broke the acrylics.

New watch, and a general blue theme which matched my wardrobe for the day, blue denim, T and Hawaii-ish/islands shirt.

Haven’t used the buffalo money clip for about a year, although I still have it. Got these light weight card case wallets especially for light church carry, and they became every day use.

Same style of knife, traditional. One a stockman, one a muskrat which is a stockman frame.

Same exact flashlight, and the multitool too!

Categories: Alaska-Life, Daily-cary-log, EDC, EDC/MT use, Flashlights, Good Times, Journal, Just Plain Fun, Life-Philosophy, Modifications, Pocket knives, Sentimental, Summertime, Theory/Thoughts

A little tweak to a litle carry.

Normally unless I’m in the basement shop working, I don’t carry(EDC) at home, in the house. Theres too much stuff lying within reach if I need anything, and my loafing pants tend to be uncomfortable with anything in the pockets.

But here lately I’ve been loafing in jeans, and thus had better pockets, so I’ve been dropping this into one.

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My modded Olight i3S EOS, an OLD (the store disappeared locally when I was like 5) micro utility knife and my RLSA lightsaber just in case 😉

Today I realized I had one too many S biners on it. I haven’t yet taken any one item off of the others for use.

Doubt I’ll take them apart often, so why waste the second S biner? The gripability and dangling/balance/feel didn’t change enough to matter.

Before;

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And after;

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Simple yes, and almost pointless to post it. But sometimes life is just that; simple. So why not post it. 🙂

Categories: Customized, Daily-cary-log, EDC, EDC/MT use, Journal, Just Plain Fun

The W Box.

An older project. I started this in the summer of 2018, for a friend’s birthday. His name starts with a W, thus our title above. 🙂

He does electronics work, so when I found this old amp meter, in DC milliamperes, in some stuff that had been my Dads, it seemed perfect for a gift.

But i couldn’t just give a bare gauge…

Ok, I could have, but where’s the fun in that? 😉

I missed the birthday.

And Christmas.

Managed to get it done and give it in the spring of 2019. Ha!

But anyway, here it is. Only the 3rd box I’ve ever built in my life. (So don’t judge me too harsly!)

Its white oak, and curly maple. It was entertaining to get it how I wanted it, rabbeted construction, a place to store the leads (plugs and leads stolen from an old multi meter I took apart), but still compact. Engineered and re-engineered seveeal times, but I got it!

I don’t really have all of the pics I could, no step by step.And no steps of progress like I’d like… Hust a mishmash of what I managed to take, and the final product.

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Categories: Christmas, Custom, Customized, Electronics/Media, Fabrication, Good Friends, Just Plain Fun, MacGyver, Modifications, old tools, Recycle, Scrounging, Sentimental, Woodshop, Woodwork

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