Again, I shot for a mild weekend, but I’m still catching up from eight months devoted to the Salt Torpedo.
Everywhere I turned was an unfinished project, including the gate we broke down to get Graeme’s massive, New Zealand crate into the patio for packing. It needed to be fixed.
Remember Lupe, the marine fiberglass guy who taught me making molds and fiberglass work for almost two months? His brother, Chon, brought over a transmission/differential for an E-Z-Go go-cart or a golf cart. It runs but the wheels don’t turn. I remembered my first car back around 1964, a 1946 Nash. It had a transmission problem, but I won’t go there.
I tore the transmission completely down to the bare cases. It seemed fine. Now, I need to figure out how to put it back together.
I have a problem with the motion detector, flood light system on the back of the building. I was going to replace it with this massive and heavy, antique lamp I bought at a car swap meet. Then I came up with another notion and went to work welding and bending steel.
This will allow me to plug it in whenever I need a light outside and move it around the yard, if we are working on something at night. Let’s see how it works. I ran into an issue, while finally trying to feed the electrical cord through the steel tubes. This was one of those nuts moments. I run across them from time to time.
Anytime, you take on a creative project, your mind races with options, solutions, fixes, whatever. You quickly come to some far-fetched conclusion and move forward. I picked up this piece of bent tubing and decided to make it part of my lamp structure. It was one of the chucks we used to test adding weight to our frame with lead shot, but we needed a damn or a valve to contain the shot.
We used 1-inch stainless ball bearings. My electrical cord was carefully installed in the bottom of the tubing, but it wouldn’t reach the light fixture. I had left one of the ball-bearings in the tube. It was one of those, throw a hammer against the wall moments. I had endeavored to bend the tubing some more, to make it more of a 90-degree bend. I never heard the ball roll around or cry out to be released from its confining tomb.
After a couple of deep breaths, I cut the tubing and drove the ball out, rewelded it and went back to work. Fuck!
Most of my frustration comes from time restrictions. I feel like time is constrained, because of my own doing. I don’t have time to fuck-around. I’ve got shit to do and only precious little time to do it in. Keep in mind, that about half of this is self-inflicted bullshit. But in a Zen or Buddhist sense it’s all good bullshit. I like to do cool shit, fix shit for others, and create shit. I am the boss of my structure. I create my own obstacles and timelines. Once is a while, I must step back and tell myself there is no real rush.
The new Salt Torpedo body scoops came in, and Jeremiah figured out where they should be placed. I started to work on the body brackets this weekend, but I need another set of hands in the shop to drop the lid into place. I started to collect brackets. That brings me to my next piece.
Frank Kaisler gave me a small, barely working bandsaw about ten years ago. Finally, after about eight years I tried to get it working. I discovered all the limitations of this small craftsman saw. It wouldn’t cut anything of any size over about 3 inches in diameter. I started to look around for a larger bandsaw and found one, when Smokey, the Indian engine rebuilder passed away. Micah and I went over to his one-man shop a couple of times and ultimately, I ended up with a larger, more capable bandsaw.
That’s when I started on Zack’s house-warming present, the magnificent gong, gone wrong. I finished it this weekend with a cool Chinese symbol representing long life brazed to the exterior. But it ended the resonating life of the gong. It no-longer gongs. I don’t know if it was the brazing or attaching the brass piece to the cast iron tank, but the beautiful gong sound is now a tink. Now what? There’s another—throw a hammer against the wall moment.
In the process of trying to make the new Bainbridge Band Saw work, I ended up rewiring it, servicing it, oiling it and tuning it. I’ve been through that bastard from stem to stern. It almost cut the tank, but the clamp will need modifications—another project.
Last Wednesday a brother sent me an attachment, a report for my VA claim. It locked up my computer and my operating system quit. I was forced to reach out to Chuck, the longshoreman computer expert. I drove it over to his pad on the hill in Palos Verdes. He called me the next morning. It was good to go. He had to reinstall the High Sierra MAC operating system again. I was computer-free for one evening. Amazing!
Last Friday Bartels’ H-D called. They needed a bunch of leathers. I scrambled to install a clothes-hanger rack in the 5-Ball Racing van, and then I hauled ass to Bartels’. Before I arrived back at the headquarters they ordered more and we’re making a women’s’ Pit Crew vest, inspired by Debi Black.
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We are also helping to promote this ride to help abused children. Did you know, I was once on the board of directors for three group homes for abused and abandoned kids? Us wild grownups can really fuck up kid’s lives. Most of the time it revolves around drugs and alcohol.
So, what’s happening this week? I’m working with Gene Thomason, who worked at Bartels’ for decades and built bikes for celebrities including Mickey Rourke, Sylvester Stallone and the Doc Marten race team. Gene Sr. has throat cancer and can’t speak. His son, Gene Jr. is still working his own speed shop and for the factory fleet center moving new models around for photo shoots.
I’m also trying to work with a longtime Easyriders contributor and occasional editor, Paul Garson, who has written tons of articles for Paisano Publications and Bikernet(TM). Paul also has some health issues and is struggling to survive financially. I’m not exactly sure what his brain issue is, but I spoke to him the other day and he seemed okay. Then he sent me an email. He had a bad night and didn’t think he could handle this complex job of a story about Gene’s life.
I’m also trying to work with Gearhead a Bikernet reader and local old-school biker on a feature. For some reason, he can type up a story and a chart and print it out but can’t copy and paste it into an email. Somehow, we will get it done. He had some cool shots.
I’m also working with Rogue on his Sturgis coverage, but we ran into a technical issue and the gang at Robintek, my web masters are trying to resolve it.
We are also planning a photo shoot as soon as my Grandson returns from Amsterdam with the lovely Em. They are once again tattooing around the Europe. I’ve ordered another batch of leathers and my new bedrolls. As soon as they arrive and the kids return, we will put another photo shoot together with Markus Cuff.
Then I need to coordinate the pricing and the placement of the new items on the 5-Ball Garage web site. Plus, we have saved a bunch on shipping and will pass that along to our customers with reduced prices. Too cool.
And one final issue. I’m going to take some time to review comments from Don Whalen’s daughter, regarding my screenplay, Splintered Road and add them to and rewrite it where necessary. Liza is a pro and has written several best-selling books.
As you can see, it’s never dull around here.
–Bandit
