Author: rexplex

With a bachelors degree in history, I turn wrenches for a living. I’m most at peace when I hear the wind in the trees or the gurgle of a brook. I’m a believer in the Renaissance Man, as epitomized by DaVinci engineer, artist, soldier, statesman. As Heinlein said, “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

The Son of Fessick

So now I need a vehicle to replace the Excursion.

I need something smaller to navigate city streets.

I need something big enough to fit the family. My kids are about to be teenagers, so I need a reasonable back seat. My brother’s boys are older than my kids, and they don’t really fit in the back of his Nissan Titan.

I need something that will tow my utility trailer. It has a weight rating of 3,500 pounds, so I don’t really need a tow monster.

The Ford Maverick actually does most of what I need, but the back seat isn’t big enough for the kids. I actually recommended that my brother buy a Maverick for his boys to share, the oldest just got his license.

I cycled through the midsized trucks and really none of them had a backseat that was useable.

I started looking at the full sized trucks, and the prices for new trucks are just stupid.

But then I stumbled across a dark horse – the Honda Ridgeline.

It’s mocked as NART (Not A Real Truck), but the capabilities of the Ridgeline meet my needs.

Test drive is scheduled.

The internet has everything these days.

Originally I was worried that I was going to have to do this without any guidance at all. I mean, can twenty-first century solutions be applied to nineteenth century hardware.

But the internet has, once again, provided exactly the niche media I need. But this time, I can share that without fear of being judged.

Scratch that. I’m sure you think differently about me now that you know I’m into touching hundred year olds.

Found the operator’s manual.

And a master list of Royal Repair Parts. Dated from March 1960, it still lists parts for the Model 10.

And the Repair manual for Royal machines. It appears to cover more than just the Model 10, but should be a huge help to me.

First real look at the Royal

Got my bench cleared off and put the Royal up. Actually took my first real good look at the entire unit today.

Remember, I originally bought it for the key caps only.

I vacuumed the entire unit and closely examined it and things (as usual) got more complicated than expected.

Can I interest you in an off-color joke about “not going down”?
Continue reading “First real look at the Royal”

In which our author attempts to stave off boredom induced insanity.

I just had surgery on my neck and as you can imagine, I’m somewhat limited on my physical activities while I mend.

Since I can’t do a lot, I need to do something. I’ve decided to clean & repair this typewriter.

I love the fact that there is no bottom panel
Continue reading “In which our author attempts to stave off boredom induced insanity.”

Hanging window treatments from the ceiling. (Don’t do it!)

[Apologies, dear reader. No pictures on this post. I got into the zone while working & never stopped to take photos.]

Actually, it’s not as bad as all that. Just a lot of information that needs to be made visible on the ceiling so you can install things aligned with the window. You’re going to need to mark the window frame, ceiling joists, and mounting hardware locations on the ceiling.

Step one (skip if you plan to paint the ceiling.) Painter’s tape gives you a place to make marks without marring the ceiling. Go big here. A few inches past the outside of the window trim. A few inches further out than you think you’ll need.

Step 2 (get creative). You need to transfer the outside, and maybe the center, of your window from the wall to the ceiling. I used a combination square and a speed square.

The blade of the combination square goes against the window trim. But 50 years of paint & caulk have built up the side of the trim so it’s no longer square to the wall. I used the speed square against the wall to rotate the head of the combination square. Then I traced the speed square along the ceiling.

If you’re paying attention, you know that because the head of the combo square is thicker than the blade, my line is about 3/8” inboard of the window trim. Given that it’s the same on each side of the window, it doesn’t matter.

For the center line, I eyeballed my blade on the center divider of the window and traced both left and right sides of the head. Then I drew a center line between those two marks. (It’s easier to eyeball the middle of a 3/4” gap than the middle of a 72” span).

Step 3 (Finally something straightforward). Use your stud finder to locate the ceiling joists and mark them on your tape.

Step 4 (in which something that your partner will recognize as progress actually happens) Now that you know where the window treatment has to be and where the joists are, you can hold your window treatment against the ceiling and plan your fasteners. Can you lag it into joists? Are you using toggle bolts?

Mark your ceiling where the fasteners are going.

Step 5 (making holes, finally). Drill your pilot holes. The sizes you need are determined by your fasteners.

Step 6 (no subtitle needed) Peel off your painter’s tape or paint the ceiling after your holes are drilled.

Step 7 (The light at the end of the tunnel. Or is that an oncoming train?) Attach your mounting hardware to the ceiling and your window treatment to the mounting hardware.

Keeping the ratchet straps from becoming a wretched mess

So when you buy the nice straps they have all kinds of sweet extra features

  • Reusable case
  • Velcro straps
  • Built in soft shackles*
So satisfying…
to pull this out of the tongue box
Continue reading “Keeping the ratchet straps from becoming a wretched mess”

Picking paint pigments

My brain is pretty bad at making a final decision. I’m very good at visualizing alternatives. Brilliant at building pros & cons lists. But choosing something I’m going to have to live with for years – utterly paralyzing to me.

So choosing a paint color when redecorating a room is a special kind of hell for me. Luckily I’ve found a solution. I call it the slow decay decision making process.

Continue reading “Picking paint pigments”