I’ve been occupied with preparations since Friday night. I’m sure Phil’s doing the same.
In my case, I finished disassembling my rusty bench and grinding off all of the rust (well, most of it anyway). Kroil worked great to unstick most stuck joints. Still don’t have any Cosmoline, so I sprayed everything down with a liberal coat of WD-40 before reassembling.
Then I dug out the Gazebo to assemble it. I hadn’t opened the package until yesterday and wanted to be sure everything was there. Sure enough, QC in China had fallen down on the job: the instructions indicated Part 2A was supposed to have a slot and retaining pin on one end. None of the six Part 2A pieces had any such thing, so I went to Home Depot for some industrial-strength cotter pins, hooked up the drill and made some holes. Now the rest of the Gazebo may fall down, but I am certain that all six joints where Part 2A meets the corner bracket will hold no matter what!
The Gazebo went together just fine, and there are lots of unexpectedly nifty design touches. For example, the screens are set up to open like curtains if you wish. Unfortunately, after disassembly, I couldn’t get everything back into the original bag. Oh well, found a substitute.
Next I had to drive 60 miles round trip to my gun dealers’ where I had a second Contender frame waiting for me. Picked that up, took it home, and only then realized that neither the frame nor the .223 barrel I had waiting for it had a hinge pin! This is sort of an important part where Contenders and Encores are concerned. Hopped on the ‘net, found the hinge pin dimensions, and spent way too long calculating that it worked out to 3/8″ diameter. Off to Home Depot again for some 3/8″ bar stock. Snapped one hacksaw blade cutting the makeshift pin. But it worked well enough to assemble the gun. Monday I’ll be calling around to see if anyone local has a factory pin in stock.
Today I have just got to get to the range….
How’s your weekend going?
Watched the Busch series race at PHX Fri nite, good race, too much bent metal. Got up at crack of dawn yesterday, headed for the yacht club, got in on the work party where we made huge, man-high roses out of mylar presboard to decorate our yachts for the Opening Day Yacht Parade weekend after next.
Then invited the entire crew over to my boat where we killed most of a fifth of Bombay and a few shots of Glenlivet, then…
Drove over the ridge to Beaverton, and met a bunch of the gudwife’s family at Benihana (Tepanyaki steak house) for a meal to celebrate the gudwife’s neice’s attaining of her Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do (Junior Class). This is quite an achievement for an 11-year old girl, but then, that side were Samurai before they immigrated to the US and became farmers, so I guess it’s in the blood.
Watched the tepanyaki chef do his usual knife masterwork, but could have done without his flipping prawn tails hot off the grill at me…food was outstanding, though.
Came back just in time to see My Man, Jeff Gordon, #24, win his first ever NASCAR Nextel Cup race at PHX, and it was the race that tied him with Dale Earnhardt, #3 with 76 NASCAR Grand National and Nextel Cup races.
Gordon’s crew chief had the immense class to break out a Dale Earnhardt #3 flag, call Gordon over on his victory lap, and have him parade the flag around the track. It was four years ago this week that #3’s number got pulled by the Race Steward in the Sky.
Some fans had an immense LACK of class to throw water bottles at Gordon’s car as he took his victory lap.
To them, a word: rivalry between drivers is expected, boys, but guess what you classless rednecks just did: you showed your lack of respect for the memory of Dale Earnhardt, Sr, and that is NOT excusable. Had I been in those stands, and I have been, you might have gotten a knuckle sandwich for your boorish act. Grow up!
I’m not grown up though, #24 is now the Cup points leader, nyah, nyah, nyah!
Have a good time in ID next week, AK, and pop some tannerite for me. I’ll also be in ID next week, and popping a few targets, but it will be up the Coeur d’Alene River near Medimont out on my old Rangemaster’s ranch.
Pretty good weekend so far. Played drums for my wife’s dancing troupe at a performance yesterday. Playing drums for hot belly dancers is a tough job but someone’s gotta do it 🙂
Today I went out and finally got to test my Chronograph I got for Xmas. I think I have a nice load worked up for the USPSA Nationals in Missoula this year. Just for grins I ran a few rounds of .454 Casull through it–260gr at 2006fps. Smokin!
Went shootin’ three times over the weekend. Just baked some cookies. About to grill a chicken. Nice weekend.
David, if you have the chance to build a bench again, try using galvanized pipe next time. I built a telescope mount of galvanized pipe ten years or so ago, it’s still holding up. Some teflon pipe tape on threaded areas will help too. Tighten joints hand tight only. Kroil’s great stuff, WD 40 sux.
Went to the RWVA’s Appleseed shoot in Yakima, WA…
Shot an 87 on the first AQT on Saturday, but shot 132 on one of the AQTs on Sunday.
On one of the AQTs shot on Sunday, I completely obliterated the V on the silhouette for one of the 400 yard targets… Unfortunately that was the only shot out of two that was supposed to be on it…
Learned a TON, but now need to practice, practice, practice.
I don’t know how easy they are to find today, but there used to be “adjustable” hinge pins sold in the IHMSA circles a few years ago.
Merle
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