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...and you do a fine job from what I've seen of your work. One day I hope I can get time to learn.

Thanks, Alan Brookes, for your interesting response to my posting re rugby. When I was a youngster, "football" was what we here in B.C. now call soccer. This was my major sport for a few years. Then, a new P.E. teacher arrived & started us onto rugby, suitable for a smaller guy like me, who could run quickly. I also learned to tackle well. Since joining the "old boys" team (Over 40) over 30 years ago, I've been knocked out 5 or 6 times. While I grew up with soccer, rugby is more interesting to me, although my playing days are soon coming to an end, voluntarily, I hope!!
By the way, I was recently up to Vernon, BC where I came across a "cousin" of yours - see attached photo!


Cheers, Jim Harrison

Hobbies, to me, are more important than jobs. Money from music is for people who are really good at it. As a hobby it is good for everybody.

Songwriting is one hobby. Raising earthworms and tobacco are others.

I spend a lot of time keeping up with developments in quantum physics as it relates to the nature of reality and mind to mind communication.

Right now I spend most of my time writing about the human herding instinct and how natural law determines outcomes in macro economics more so than traditional interpretations. This of course is part of the Common Sense Economic blog, which is devoted to warning folks about the impending collapse of the U.S. economy.

One more thing. I am digging a root cellar with my Chinese Jack hammer.

I like to make things and engrave stuff. These are carved coins based off a folk art called "hobo nickels" They are actual U.S. coins I've altered with small engraving tools. The bottom image is the tip of a standard #2 pencil I carved into a harmonica player.

You're an amazing engraver, Ron. Didn't you engrave the metal parts on a Stringmaster, a while back?

WOW, that's an amazing skill, Ron Landis!! I really admire your work. Jim Harrison

James Quillian wrote:I spend a lot of time keeping up with developments in quantum physics... with my Chinese Jack hammer.

It's good when hobbies balance each other out.

You guys actually have time for hobbies ? I'm working 60-65 hours a week,my hobby is paying my bills. I ride a Harley Switchback for Earth-Friendly transportation when it's not cold or raining....

Rick Barnhart wrote:You're an amazing engraver, Ron. Didn't you engrave the metal parts on a Stringmaster, a while back?

Do you mean this one? Btw, I got an email warning me about the legality of my coin carving. I want to assure everyone that since I'm not trying to deceive anyone by altering the denomination or date or mint mark, there is nothing illegal about this. I teach this at the American Numismatic Assn., a coin club created with Congressional charter. The Secret Service and U.S. Mint are well aware of what I'm doing and have no problem with me. I restarted this folk art about 22 years ago and now there are over 100 people all over the world doing this. Now those folks in England defacing the Queen may have different rules, but in the U.S. I'm still free to pursue this anyway I like as long as I don't misrepresent what it is. Like gold plating a nickel and representing it as a five dollar gold coin, for example.

Been rolling my own pedals for a little over 2 years

Gotta get with that engraver -nice stuff![/img]

Ron, I have to pitch in and say that's amazing work. I LOVE the dollar "Jam" coin. Thanks for posting and sharing your art!

Ron, Great work. I love the coins and the pencils. Here are some more pencil carvings. I did not do these. I took these photos from the internet.

Yeah that's Dalton Ghetti's work. He started the whole pencil carving thing. I carved a few of them but could never figure out how to make any money doing it. It's starting to catch on in India. I have a handful of Facebook friends that do this and copy Mr. Ghetti's work. Here's another one I did that got picked up in the internet and has been copied a few times. This is on a Carpenter's pencil. All of this is done under a stereo microscope using up to 45X magnification.


I'll show one more that ties in more to steel guitars... it's an experimental resonator cover. I don't care for it because it's a heavy, cheapo steel cover and I feel the engraving is overdone and could do without any of the scrollwork. Like in music, a bit of negative area is often a good thing. But it's given me ideas for one I'll do for my custom dobro I plan to have built someday.

The pharoahs and emperors were looking for a resonator cover just like that!



Great work!. ...I know who to call if I want something engraved....

Ron, if your reworked coins ever accidentally get into circulation you're going to create a great confusion in the collector who ends up with them.

Great artwork, by the way. You have an enormous talent.

My hobbies are reading, writing, web development, and genealogy/family history.
I also play guitar and mandolin.

I used to collect stamps, diecast cars/trucks and model trains. Now I'm selling nearly everything since my interests have changed to the steel guitar and I paid a lot of money for the one I bought. I'm keeping my Australian and Japanese bus models but that's about it.

I also love to travel. We go to Hawaii at least once a year, Las Vegas at least once a year so I can go to the Heart Attack Grill for my birthday, Los Angeles once a year to take my handicapped son to see Mickey Mouse. We also go to Niagara Falls, Australia and Japan/Hong Kong/Philippines every few years.

rc model planes here ill post pics when I can

mike

RiverViewViolins
I make and restore musical instruments.

Hi Folks,

I posted on another thread about graphite lubrication.
I restored an old 1925 German reed organ and it works well now. The European Society of Reed organs helped me identifying the instrument and gave hints.

My biggest problem was to get the reeds out to tune them.
An original puller would cost me almost $270 on E bay, which at the going exchange rate would be the unholy sum of R3 500.

I decided to make my own and this is what I came up with.
In first picture you can see the stripped organ body with the row of wooden reed push pins.

Second picture are the two hand made tools to pull the reeds out.
The one with the scew nail is on purpose to prevent hooking the handle on a ridge.
The tuning was straight up, ET, with a Korg electronic tuner.
Only one patch on the bellows was needed.

The vertical wooden thing in last picture is a spike of an acoustic bass guitar.

Enjoy!

Tom, Did you get my email?

Lyle Dent, Very nice work. Don

Ham radio, mostly morse code


73 DE SM4XUW

My nephew got an amateur radio licence without having to learn morse - not a change for the better IMO