I have been going back and forth with establishing my plan for suspension. I know that I want a more performance focused stance which for this vehicle means lowering the car a few inches. My initial plan was to use CPP drop spindles in the front and CPP lowering springs in the rear, add a disc brake conversion in the front and address the rear brakes at a later date.
Continue reading “Plan and current progress”
I recall one of the lessons that my dad taught me when we were rebuilding a ’66 Mustang, and that is that it doesn’t matter how much power you are able to get out of the motor if you can’t transfer that power to something with a strong foundation. In this case we are talking about solid suspension, responsive steering, and powerful brakes.
Continue reading “A Solid Foundation!”
To get a good look at what we are dealing with, we started by taking off the body to have a look at the frame and running gear.
Continue reading “Stripping it all down…”
The time has come to take on yet another hobby, well actually pick back up on an activity that I got a taste of about 30 years ago. This activity is working on cars, specifically working on classic cars. Being stuck in the house these days, we thought it would be fun for Porter and I to pick up a project car to tinker with.
Continue reading “I’ve done it again!”
Another season comes with another hobby. This winter it will be all about bags, and to start it all off we have a wonderful canvas tote for the Christmas season.
Not taking these too serious, I’ll be have some fun incorporating different linings. Shown above, we have Frosty the Snowman and Christmas Trees.
Let’s start this one off with a joke…
What’s the king of the pencil case?
“The Ruler”
Wow, it has been a few weeks since my last post. I guess adding school into the mix has really eaten away at the little free time that I had.
On with the fun…here is my idea of a simple leather pencil case…
Still being new to leather craft, I wanted to try something fairly simple, yet something that was my own design. So, off to Pinterest I went…I came across a few similar ideas to use as a base and started to draw up what I had in my mind. In addition to trying something new, I wanted to try my hand at dying leather. This turned out to be an incredible learning experience, not only in the act of applying the dye. But also in paying closer attention to the imperfections in the leather itself, and either lay out the pieces to be cut around these imperfections, or purchase a higher quality piece of leather.
I also burnished the edges of this piece with a burnishing tool and Gum Tragacanth, which was also a first for me.
As you can see by the photo, this case holds 5 pencils. I imagine it could also hold pens, but it was designed to fit pencils.
I have also made a slightly different version of this case in black with cream thread. Porter has taken it to school before I was able to take a photo, so I will add it at a later date.
Next project…a different version of the bi-fold wallet. It may be a few weeks out, as I need to dedicate some time to getting back into running. I don’t want to hold back my wife and sister-in-law during a race we are running in April.
When starting a new hobby, I have never been one to start with something small and work my way up. For example, my first woodworking project was an 6 1/2′ bathroom vanity with inset doors and drawers. A few months after getting my first mountain bike, I entered a race in Moab. So, in true form I decided to make a wallet. In the grand scheme of things, it really wasn’t all that hard nor large of a project. However, I borrowed a pattern and started with a shoulder of leather, vs buying a prepared kit.
This was my absolute first experience with leather, never having done any type of leather work what-so-ever. And here it is…
As I had not purchased any tools for edge burnishing, I went with a black edge paint. It took me a bit to get the hang of the applicator. I can’t believe how much I learned while working on this project and would do things a little different next time. All in all, I am rather pleased with the outcome.
Now, onto a pencil case.
One thing that I have found about having such an involved hobby such as woodworking, is that it takes quite a bit of a time commitment to achieve anything. With Laura taking on her sewing and embroidery, I thought it would be fun to find something to allow me to still create, but in short 30-45 min blocks. And most importantly, allow me to be in the same area as the family.
For many years I have had an interest in leather working, but had always thought there was a huge barrier to entry. Until I came across this video…
And from this point on I was hooked. I signed up for Pinterest and began pinning like mad!
Having spent hour after hour tying flies, I immediately knew I would enjoy this for many of the same reasons. I immediately ran to Tandy Leather and after 3-4 trips and about a week, I had all of the supplies and leather I needed to get started.
Now I just need to find something to make…Pinterest here I come!
Chase Handcraft 