Destruction For Forty Cents A Pound

It's been a while since I had a "Destruction" post.  The original intent of this blog was for me to write about destruction for fun and profit.  This particular post actually fits both.  Let me explain.

We had an old john boat in the backyard that hadn't been used in almost two decades.  It was aluminum and a lot of the pop rivets had come loose.  The boat also had scrapes and cuts that made it unseaworthy.  So I was given the greenlight to cut up the boat and recycle it for scrap aluminum.  It sounds a lot easier than it is.

So this is the boat:

I ended up destroying two grinders cutting up this boat.  Not grinding wheels, actual angle grinders.

I found out the best tool for this job, besides a grinder, was a sledgehammer.

I made sure to wear gloves with all this sharp aluminum, but the one time I didn't...

I found out what look the longest was removing anything that wasn't aluminum.  That ended up being Styrofoam and steel bolts.  On a side note, when recycling you don't want to mix metals.  The scrap metal recyclers want the metals as pure as possible when they melt it down.

It's hard to believe that the Styrofoam was in as good a condition as it was after forty years.

After burning up the two angle grinders, Dad came up with an idea that he had heard about.  I won't post it here since it's not exactly OSHA approved or safe in any way.  But with the use of multiple tools I managed to cut the boat in half.

I used the sledgehammer to knock out the seats.  It was actually the easiest way to do it.

I spent most of my time going around the boat smashing off bits that contained steel.  There were bolts that gave extra strength to the back of the boat where the motor sat.  I had to take every one of them out.  There were rings used to tie the ship to the dock.  All of those had to go.  But in the end I managed to free it of any other metals.

Oh, the reason I cut the boat up into pieces to begin with?  So it would fit in the back of my short-bed truck.

Don't worry, I made sure to strap it down.

When it was all said and done, I received forty cents a pound for the boat.  I ended up with 120 pounds of scrap aluminum from it.  That, along with all the aluminum cans I turned in netted me a grand total of $52.05.  Hmm, I guess no one said that destruction pays well?

The Juggernaut

I'd been looking for a jazz bass guitar for years.  So I can say I was excited when Dean Guitars came out with the Juggernaut model.  No, not this Juggernaut.

What I am referring to is their copy of the Fender Jazz Bass.  Here's the link:

http://www.deanguitars.com/query?upc=814064021587

Dean wanted something on par with the Fender Mexican Jazz Bass.  The Juggernaut is made in one of the Korean factories, but I'd have to say I find them pretty much even in terms of quality and playability.

About six months ago I wandered into a guitar shop that will remain anonymous.  They had a few Juggernauts in stock.  I tried to trade a Schecter bass plus cash to purchase one of the Juggernauts.  However, I was given a pretty insulting offer for the Schecter.  Let's just say I could have sold the Schecter's pickups for what they offered me for it.  So needless to say I walked out.  I hated to because the Juggernaut was on sale for $349.

Fast forward to about a week ago.  I was in the area of the unnamed guitar shop, so I decided to drop in on a whim.  They had one Dean Juggernaut left, and it was marked down to $205.  I played it and talked to the bass salesman. 

I found him to be a very kind and knowledgeable person, and told him I would like to flat out buy it.  He said as far as basses go, he found them to be a hidden gem in the shop.  I know folks would point out that a salesman would of course say something like that.  But at that price he wasn't making any commission on it.  It was a blow out price.  He would have made more money selling me a pack of bass strings.

He recognized me, and I told him about the last time I was in the store.  He then recalled what happened.  I told him there was no hard feelings about the offer on the Schecter since the price came from his boss, and not him.  Although I did mention they would have actually made a profit if they would have accepted the trade plus cash offer the first time I was in the store.

So I bought the bass home, and set it up.  I honestly think it would have sold faster if it has been set up properly.  I'm sure a lot of players would have tried to play it, and found the strings way too high.  It just needed a good set-up.  I am very happy with it.  Of course, I'm sure I will change the pickups since I can't help but chasing sound.

This also means I have to sell an instrument since I've purchased one.  I actually have a guitar and a bass for sale on Craigslist right now.  Once I sell either one I'll recoup the money I spent on the Juggernaut.

So onto the photos:

Kodocrome, Part 3: Another Camera

To fully understand this post here are the previous chapters of this blog.

Part 1.  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2018/01/kodocrome.html

Part 2.  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2018/01/kodocrome-part-2-broken.html

Since I really liked the Canon camera I had I decided to buy something close to it.  I noticed an auction on Ebay for a Canon SX-530-HS camera.  Long story short, I bid and won the auction.  So now I'm the proud owner of another Canon camera.

I took some test shots in the backyard, and I have to say they turned out great.  I only wish I had set the date and time correctly.  Or, I should have just turned it off to begin with.  Anyway, here they are.

The pictures of the staghorn fern and tree stump were taken at a fair distance.  The photos were pretty crisp.

I decided to take some wide shots, and they look great.  

I took a wide shot of a tree with a palmetto at the bottom.

Then I zoomed in on the palmetto.

That's one heck of a zoom.  Again, I have to say I am impressed.  So hopefully this camera lasts longer than the last three.

Kodocrome, Part 2: Broken

Here's Part 1:  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2018/01/kodocrome.html

I loved my Canon Camera.  Note, "loved."  It turns out it has a bit of a problem.  No matter how much I charged the battery, it would say the battery needed charged, and would then shut down.  My cousin helped me out a bit with this.  He found out it was an ongoing problem with that model.

I traveled to Batteries Plus and tried out a different battery.  I asked the clerk to check the voltage of both batteries.  They checked out fine, so it had to be the camera.  I then gave Canon a call.  The CSR said that any repair would cost a flat rate $80.  So I had no choice but to return the camera.  The seller has been really cool about the process, and has made everything pretty simple. 

Now I have to look for another camera.  For the time being I have been borrowing family member's cameras when I need to take a picture.  So I'm not really in a hurry to buy another one.  I suppose that's good so I can wait until a good deal comes around.  I guess all I can do is just keep checking until something comes up.

Kodocrome

My camera died a few weeks ago.  I know photographers like to crap on Fuji-Film cameras, but I really liked mine.  It was simple and had all the settings I needed.  But first the flash went.  Then the action button managed to get stuck.  After that, it just died.  So I went on a search for a new camera.

I wanted another Fuji-Film, but my last two cameras were Fuji-Film cameras, and they didn't last as long as I thought they should.  Especially considering the cost.  So I asked my cousin, who is a photographer, what kind of camera should I buy?  He told me for what I needed I should stick with a Canon or Nikon.

I looked at models of both, and the Canon reminded me closest of the Fuji-Film set-up.  So I sent a link of a model I was interested in to my cousin.  He looked over the specs, and said it was perfect.  So I bought it.  The model's official name is the: Canon Powershot SX510 HS 12.1 MP 30x Optical Zoom Digital Camera.

Here's the hi-lights:

• 12.1 megapixel sensor
• 30x optical zoom (24-720mm equivalent focal length)
• HD video recording in 1080p24
• f3.4-5.8 max aperture range
• 3" screen
• Uses SD memory cards

I received the camera today, and took a few test photos out in the backyard.  I have to say, they turned out great.

All of these shots were taken from a pretty good distance.  So I have to say I am impressed with the quality of the shots.  For them to be this clear really surprises me.  But again, I've never had a camera like this.  I know it's not a $2,000 camera, but it's perfect for me.  In fact, it's more camera than I'll ever need.  The only thing left to do is figure out how the movie camera controls work.

After Almost 20 Years, It's New Hat Day

For those who have known me, you know I have my "Adrian" hat.  In fact, I am wearing it in this blog's author profile picture.  It's this photo.

Here is a true photograph (8mm) of me wearing my hat on August 1st, 2004 while climbing Mt. Baldy at Philmont.

And here I am wearing my hat back in 2008 while driving a semi.  

I have a number of photos from 2011 - 2014 of me wearing my hat while performing.

And this is one of my more recent photos of me wearing my favorite hat.

A lot of folks do ask me what type of hat it is.  It's actually an Australian Outback Hat by Minntonka.  Unlike most cowboy hats which are made of felt, straw, or in case of the real expensive hats, beaver, this hat is made of leather.  That makes it nice since it makes it shapeable.  Most hats aren't, so I knew this hat was the one for me.  

But after twenty years or so it was time to buy a new hat.  Now that I have the internet there are so many possibilities in being able to order whatever kind of hat I wanted.  But what kind of hat do I want.

After seeing a photo of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant, I knew I had to have his style of hat.  I learned that it was called a "Gambler" style hat.  However, there are many types on the market.  Some are crushable felt.  Some are straw.  Some are cheap, while others are pretty expensive.  

I checked out all the Western stores near me.  While they did have Gambler style hats I didn't like that they were crushable.  I wanted one in leather.  So I took to the internet.  I found a perfect one, ordered it, and when it arrived they sent me the wrong size.  So I sent it back, and found out they were out of the XL sizes.  So I waited.  I waited five months.  

When they took the hat off of their webpage I gave the company a call.  The woman there didn't seem to know what she was doing, and I finally had enough.  For months they kept telling me that it would be in stock soon, but then kept pushing back the date.  When I talked to this last woman, she didn't have any idea... well about any of my questions.  So I asked for my money back.

Back in November I was hunting out of Perry, Fl.  During one of my day's off I stopped into a place called "Michelle's Bullpen."  Her store was a half Southern/Western clothing and supplies and half outdoor building sales.  I checked out the men's section, and found a very nice stiff felt, Gambler hat.  I passed on buying it then because I had the other one on order.  

Now that I had canceled my order in January I gave Michelle a call.  I asked her to look through her inventory to see she still had a Gambler hat in an XL.  She did, so I bought it over the phone, and she shipped it to me.  

So now that I've told this long story, here's me wearing my new hat.

I have to say, it's perfect.  This is the new me.  Well maybe not 100% new.  I still need to add a hat band to my hat.  Of course, that will be it's own blog in the future.  But for now I am happy that I have such a perfect hat to replace my old hat of close to twenty years.