Red Wing Boot Restoration
My first experience with Red Wing boots came after a moment of blinding pain. The boss had just cut a piece of cast iron pipe held steady with my foot. The snapped piece of pipe rebounded against my ankle. After swelling went down, we visited Vern to inquire into some boots.
Vern operated the local Red Wing Store; he kept a supply of discarded boots for the discerning budget-minded tradesperson. Ten dollars later, I had safely protected my ankles, looked stylish, and felt like a professional.
My sixth pair were purchased over a decade ago. As a “second pair”, they avoided the nastiest of abuse. None the less, after a dozen years, the heels were crumbling and holes had appeared in the soles.
Without visible stitching around the lower, I assumed they were not recraftable. A call to Red Wing proved me wrong. After debating resole vs replacement, I went with factory restoration for my 953s.
Red Wing cuts off the old sole with a band saw, cleans it up with pliers and Dremel, and sews on a new welt. The boots then go onto original factory machinery, where new soles are poured in place, directly bonded to the boot. The Chevron Super-Sole® is a urethane which goes into the mold as a liquid and hardens in about ten seconds. Finally, the leather is conditioned and new laces expertly laced over and under. The lace tips line up, a skill which eludes me to this day.
It was about two weeks roundtrip from handoff at USPS to delivery by UPS. Not new boots, but my boots. Same stains and cuts, broken in to my feet. About half the cost of new boots.
The Whiskey Rebels • david liss
Air travel introduces one to the phenomena of speed bonding. Like your dental hygienist is an intimate pal – two hours a year – , your aisle mate within a slender aluminum tube spearing stratospheric air can be your soul mate, confidante, therapist. Ask anything you want; get an honest reply. You’ll never see each other again; bearing one’s soul to a stranger can be easier.
Flying east from a fortnight of good deeds, I eagerly anticipate rich loam of Pennsylvania soil. But the Commonwealth’s airspace was a good start. The famous Three Rivers, home of Pittsburgh, came first. Easy to spot; unmistakable to the eye.
Usual airplane banter followed. Pittsburg memories between a tradesman, risk analyst, and foreclosure specialist. Geography and the settling of Colonial America followed. Crank back time to 1790, and we’d see a muddy hamlet of about 300 souls, many of them skilled craftsmen. It was easier to produce what they needed rather than order from the east, and wait for the product to arrive over the Allegheny Mountains,.
The residents had a surplus of grain for trade, but shipping alcohol was easier. The fledgling Federal government had decided to levy its first tax against whiskey, but the (frontier) farmers argued they didn’t have cash to pay taxes on bartered goods, and marched in protest. ∆
Where did I pick up all these tidbits, asked my new friends? Research spurred by reading historical fiction of David Liss. In The Whiskey Rebels, Liss brings together national politics with backwoods realities. People living in the time before TV, cell phones, and flush toilets, dealing with the same issues we experience today.
David Liss engages reader imagination at the right pace. His plot as well as locale, characters, interactions, all give one a sense of being in the book, alongside the story. At a time when we more often live within electronic content by others (like this article, but finish reading before heading to the library), I’d certainly rather be in a book than a computer!
Dental Curettes
ANOTHER CENTENARIAN VIOLIN slipped through my door unannounced. Laying its problems before me, 50 years of neglect somehow became acute urgency for repair. Various needs, however, are becoming easier to remedy. Our first order of business? Removing old glue somewhat improperly applied here and there.
Taking a queue from my favorite dental hygienist, I’ve secured the same tools she uses to clean my teeth. It began with a damaged curette, no longer suitable for gentle subgingival cleansing. Within a few years, I had a handful of different shapes and sizes. One thing I noticed? All were stamped Made In U.S.A. on the handles.
Why the local dental group practices exclusively with USA-made dental curettes? Word never filtered back before press time, but it is gratifying to know America is competitive in small precision surgical tools. Perhaps our fixation with a nice smile keeps the USA at the forefront of dental hygiene?
There are two main curette types. 1] A universal Columbia curette. 2] The c. 1940s Gracey curette, invented by Dr Clayton Gracey with the help of Hugo Friedman. A Gracey curette has a lower cutting edge and an upper non-cutting edge. I find the Gracey ideal for cutting glue off delicate wood surfaces.
jim sergovic • sculptor
~ Both ~
FROM AN ARTIST WHO’S MOST prominent exposure to art may have been Philadelphia Zoo sculptures Coiled Snake (Ahron Ben-Shmuel), or perhaps the Black Coopersburg granite Bear and Her Cub (Joseph J. Greenberg), comes this carved wood item. A favorite of the kids, this piece has been located near the children’s area of Pat Graham’s book store for the last 15 years. Absent for a time, Both is now back, having completed an exhibition in Scottsdale.
Additional work – Little Chap Brickbat Book’s Benches
Alden Restoration • Cordovan
Kenny taught me a valuable lesson. Because something is more expensive doesn’t mean it isn’t worth more. Better products can be cheaper to own. Look at shoes, for instance (coming from great shoe salesman). They hold up better and can be restored to new condition. You get added benefits: comfort, looks, better foot health.
KENNY SHERMAN stood from a position of facts delivered with passion. Yet again, his words prove true. After ten weeks absence, my ’09 cordovan loafers are back. For quarter the price of new, my old shoes were restored. Treated to skillful craftsmanship and shoemaking experience from the factory which manufactured them over a lustrum ago, they are now virtually brand new.
LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WEAR A CHEAP PAIR OF SHOES
Taken apart, cleaned, dyed, reassembled with all worn parts replaced, then polished. Boxed in correct retail packaging in tissue with new cloth dust bags and cedar shoe trees. A complete “new purchase” experience. Except these were my shoes. Not new shoes.
You know how shoes start falling apart in a year? Right about the time they become your favorites? Aldens typically last me three years. After recrafting, they come back as new shoes but their uppers are “broken into” to my feet. Cork, outsoles, insoles, heels, all replaced, all sewn together on the original last (shoe mold). Pre-broken-in new shoes. What a concept! An ultimate “body off” restoration.
Once again, a pleasure for rambling about windy concrete canyons and shady flagstone parks. Don’t your feet deserve the best?
Martin Guitars
A history of Martin Guitars could occupy a book. It already has, actually. Several. A great Wikipedia article as well. Colonial Lehigh Valley, religion, 19th century European trade unions, and freedom all combine into a tasty story. Truly exceptional guitars was the result.
Our bluegrass circle in Hockessin can sometimes boast 90% Martins. Fantastic flat picking guitars; everyone wants one. Plenty of bass, always a clear tone. One of the most consistently good instruments on the market. Anything you play sounds better on a Martin. The mind is a stage, and all the world an audience – Cicero
Whenever within 200 miles of Acoustic Vibes Music, I make a point to revisit the best crop coming out of a mostly agrarian area in Pennsylvania, three walls of Martin Guitars. My wallet has thus far stayed in the pocket, but I’m only three or four thousand dollars from a guitar of my dreams.
Here is one of my favorites: OM28. Sitka Top, Solid East Indian Rosewood Back & Sides. 25.4″ Scale, 14-Fret. Grover Vintage Nickel Button Tuners. Thanks, Kathryn, for great pictures!
Executive Tool Bag
WITH TYPICAL AMERICAN frenzy for planning, annually our offices are inundated with frantic emails from those seeking the perfect Fathers Day gift. “What do we get our Dad / Brother / Uncle? He’s very particular!”
In the course of researching domestic production tools, I’ve developed fondness to a particular few, which I own, use, and recommend. This 
publication’s weekly contribution offers what I consider to be a perfect gift. One that will last decades of normal residential use. Even heavy use and moderate abuse.
Hammer, screwdriver, & pliers. All in a tidy zippered bag. About $100.
Estwing E12S 12oz Straight Claw Hammer with Leather Grip
Klein Tools #32557 Heavy Duty Multi-Bit Screwdriver/Nut Driver
Channellock 430 10-Inch Tongue and Groove Plier
Klein Tools 5139L Top-Grain Leather Zipper Bag
Bison Belts • Colorado
Shopping on the Brian Kelleghan website, designer & manufacturer, is a study in choice. He brought pictorial weaving to belts and climbing gear 29 years ago . . . and has not stopped designing, manufacturing, & updating.
Denied a new belt most of my childhood (except across my buttocks), I now own far more than a basketball team needs. Yes, belts (and shoes) are my wardrobe vices. When a shopping opportunity arose, I went right to BisonBelts and selected a belt for each of my three nieces. With dozens of designs, I was able to find a belt to match the personality and likes of each individual girl.
My decision? 25mm wide for kids (and women) with an elliptical airport-friendly tri-glide buckle of Dupont Delrin. And the materials? Jacquard looms in Central Falls, Rhode Island weave nylon into his patterned webbing. BisonDesign labels are stitched in Chicago. The thread, naturally, comes from Mt Holly, North Carolina. And the cutting, manicuring, sewing, labeling, trimming, and QC before packaging takes place back home in Longmont Colorado.
Great design, excellent materials, perfect manufacturing!
brian kelleghan – first to bring pictorial webbing to the world
The American Road Trip • Part III
WE BEGIN WHERE IT ENDS The GMC Sierra rolls eastward. A 4:40am start is fortuitous. Choosing US-60E out of Phoenix, our sky offers a dazzling dome of stars and a planet or two one usually misses.
An hour later, the sky is nearly as black as when we start. Directly overhead, dominating the heavens is one huge bright planet. Later I learn it was probably Jupiter. Thus protected by the God of Travel, we set our destination to Amarillo, with a pit stop in Socorro NM.
US 60 is the right road to see the Southwest. Through multiple National Forest – Tonto, Apache, Sitgreaves, Gila, Cibola, through Reservations, we travel some of the last undeveloped land in America.
Socorro has arrived. At the corner of I-25 and US-60, this collection of artists is also a nifty college town, home of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
Resting in a cavernous, bare coffee and sandwich shop, I notice no radio, CDs, or TV. The exhaust fan hummed along with muted voices. Excellent coffee. A piano and guitar in the corner. Balancing my mug on a couch arm, I retrieve the guitar and tried a few chords. Wow, these folks are easy to please! A few start dancing to the New Orleans funky butt strut I strum. Hey, this is nice!
After a bit Foxcatcher is rescued from the truck, allowed to thaw, then given a try. And who’d a thunk it! A fiddle, penny whistle, and accordion join my mandolin within the hour. I was in the thick of it, all right! This is living in Socorro. The road, however, beckons. Celtic music follows me out the door, back to a 25˚ New Mexico winter.
East of Socorro, enormous views continue. Near zero traffic. A great place to reflect while enjoying beautiful country. On one pull-over along a 15 mile straight-away, its absolute silence was profound. Be sure to carry whatever you may need for 24 hours in case of break-down!
We fold our map and succumb to I-40E as the sun nestles her head among pillows of distant hill. We didn’t make it quite to Amarillo, despite an early start. Slowed by slush in Arizona, music in New Mexico. Next time we’ll do the trip in two days, and overnight in Socorro. Right on the Old Town Square!
Craftsman Tools
NEXT DOOR TO MY CHILDHOOD HOME lived Mr Piccolo. He had an interesting garage. Packed within its vast space were dusty bins, shelves, and boxes, inmates in his dark laboratory of experiments. Mr. Piccolo was a machinist. When not at work or helping his loving wife, he’d be in his garage. Making, fixing, or improving something.
When still among my single digits, he gave me sage advice: “Buy Craftsman tools. Know why? If they ever break, Sears will give you a new one for free”.
Even the magic word FREE was of little significance to a seven-year old. Tools were something other people used. Not me. I was more the Legos® and wooden blocks type. It took over a decade as tradesperson before I began buying Craftsman. Mostly their screwdrivers or tape measures.
Sears is different now, victim to a hedge fund. Little remains of a Sears I knew even ten years ago. But the Craftsman name survives.
My go-to poker for delicate work is their ⅛” x 2″ slotted screwdriver. Great for digging out threads from busted gas pipe. Or opening up a crack on Pete’s bouzouki top for better glue insertion. Hammered straight and filed sharp many times over its past two decades, she finally screamed, “ENOUGH”.
Fisher’s Ace Hardware was the solution. The local Sears Craftsman Store had closed, but Fisher’s had a full selection, and honored the Craftsman Replacement Warranty. A fast, simple transaction later, I had a new screwdriver. Plus a roll of painter’s tape for Pete’s bouzouki refurbishment. Back in business, we are!
Behlen Stringed Instrument Lacquer
EVERY FEBRUARY, PETE CLOSES his tailor shop and heads to Greece. Every year he says, “I’ve got to get you my bouzouki, Jim. It needs your attention.” The strings buzz at its 8th fret and up from worn frets. But he never actually gives me his instrument. Until this year.
He opens the case and again explains what he wants, repeating those three magic words every luthier wants to hear, “Whatever you think is best.” Doesn’t he know my favorite Oscar Wilde quote? Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
“Pete, what about this big crack on top?” Pete had never noticed a clean 6″ crack through its white spruce top. It gets 
worse. A second top rack. The 12″ separation among its sfendamos side ribs plus a 6″ opening further toward the back. A casualty of a major συμπόσιον; someone must have gotten pretty well knocked on their head with Pete’s bouzouki!
Big jobs are nothing but a collection of small jobs. But after all that gluing and sanding, it’s clear Pete’s bouzouki will want its top refinished. Lacking a spray booth and years of experience, I turn to a name luthiers have trusted for decades. Behlen. I ordered their spray lacquer, prepared the top, and before you know it, I have Pete’s bouzouki on its way to looking like it came out of the Borgada Spa!
A few holes in my knowledge base are quickly plugged. Phillip Pritchard, Mohawk Finishing Products Technical Service Representative, has just returned my call. With his gentle North Carolina accent, he seems respectful even of the nitrocellulose lacquer of which we speak. Phillip’s insights into scuffing, sanding, buffing, polishing, the “Cut & Rub”, are so comprehensive, we link to his reply email.
American Toolbox has restored several instrument, notably Hugh’s Collings mandolin & Santa Cruz guitar, several Guild guitars, a few others. Pete’s bouzouki has been more complicated. Not as hard as Steve Field’s Joh. Bapt. Schweitzer 1813 violin, but major enough. Thanks, Behlen! You made me look like a pro!
Special thanks to Jayne Henderson for her advice and guidance.
Ridgid Aluminum Pipe Wrench
RIDGID 47057
12″ ALUMINUM PIPE WRENCH – MODEL 812
A FEW DECADES AGO A MASTER Plumber told me of a great pipe wrench. This wrench had saved his hide on several occasions, mostly because he had it with him. He had it with him because it was compact, light, and very strong.
The brand? Ridgid. Their 10″ aluminum pipe wrench. Easy to pack, doesn’t take up too much room, hard to forget. When I had the money and the right job, I closely followed his advice. Instead of the 10″, I acquired the 12″. Packs perfectly in the tool satchel with a closed length under 14″. Very light. Virtually unbreakable. And if the wrench does splinter apart (I’ve never heard of this happening) Ridgid will be happy to replace it for you. Free.
The Ridgid Aluminum Pipe Wrench. A perfect wedding gift for the do-it-yourselfer.
Girl Scout Cookies
A decade or so ago I paid a neighborhood kid a few bucks to drag a trash can, broom, and shovel four blocks from my house. Then work his way back, sweeping all the gutters and picking up any trash. It took him over two hours.
As I’m settle accounts, a savvy Girl Scout sees my stack of bills, and pitches cookies. She does not take “Thank you, no” for an answer. She suggests I reward my laborer for a job well done. Two 11-year-olds in conspiracy. Sales 101 had hit the Girl Scout Cookie Drive. Concede, commit, convince, close. The kid wanted a chocolate peanut butter variety, she made the sale and went on her way, and things got interesting.
The kid opens the box, scoops ALL the cookies into his hands, tosses the box into my rubbish can, and starts eating. He ate them all. There are currently 14 to a box, which would provide 105% of your recommended daily fat intake. A few lustrums ago, I’d bet there were more, even tastier cookies, before health-conscious den mothers insisted Change was good for us.
The drive is again with us. I cannot commit to buying, because I too would eat the entire box. Maybe if the sales girls would find the right pitch for me. “Hey mister, you don’t have to eat them now. Put a box in your freezer. You never know when a guest might want one”.
True Temper Snow Shovel
Back when this cub chronicler began his journey, the February 2014 North American Winter Storm struck. Warm Valentine’s Day hearts awoke to 28″ of snow. Our country was somewhat unprepared. Smaller retailers had long since exhausted supplies of shovels and snow-melt.
Home Depot, by chance or foresight∆ had just received pallets of new snow shovels. In their foyer, waiting for the lucky few, one could choose from three USA-made snow shovels. I opted for a “Good” and a “Better”. Both of these Ames True Temper® products have held up wonderfully, proving themselves yet again against Blizzard 2016. Not as severe, with only 22″+ inches, the 4′ drifts are a bit of a challenge. Yet the True Temper chews through the white stuff without a whimper.
The second shovel selected in 2014 has the same handle but polymer body. The less expensive of the two, we find it handier with thick light snow. Today we salute the True Temper 18 Inch Poly Combo Snow Shovel with D-Grip !
∆ Repeated requests for comment have been politely ignored. We shall never know if The Home Depot acquired their stock of snow shovels by chance or foresight. Regardless, we honorarily christen this company The Hope Depot, both for their contributions to the economy and because it is easier to type.
Jim Sudal • Scottsdale AZ
Scottsdale Arizona is one of my favorite towns in America. Residents take care of their properties, the streets are clean, and there is plenty of shopping. Old Town Scottsdale is their “downtown”, where one could lose themselves for a day. Some stay a lifetime.
One of my favorite areas is First Avenue west of Scottsdale Blvd. Grimaldi’s Coal Fired Pizzeria. Arcadia Farms Cafe. The studio & gallery of world-renowned potter, Jim Sudal.
Jim’s life has had its bumps and turns. Several albums worth, as a blues musician would say. But with redemption comes discovery; Jim’s work is now at the forefront of artistic creation.
Jim Sudal is well-known throughout the Southwest for his desert inspired ceramics and pottery which is exceptionally unique in the world of ceramics. His work reflects the beauty of the desert landscape through vibrant, garden-inspired colors and well-known imagery such as prickly pears, blooming aloes, and his signature design – the agave. – Jim Sudal Ceramic Design
Kingsford Charcoal
Henry Ford had many good ideas. “Waste not, want not”, ingrained within him, saw value in even the lowliest pile of rubbish. Scrap wood from his production line? “Make charcoal”, he proclaimed.
His subsidiary thrives with ubiquitous Ford success. Currently owned by The Clorox Company, Kingsford Charcoal enjoys a safe 80% market share. What would Ford say? “Why not 100%?”, perhaps. Or maybe “You can have any color you want . . . as long as it’s black”.
With lighter fluid, I choose Kingsford® Charcoal Lighter Fluid. One may say, “It’s all the same”. Aliphatic petroleum solvent, like everything, can be produced in differing qualities. I’m a brand-name believer, so it’s Kingsford for me when grilling vittles for friends and family.
Our American Toolbox method varies depending on what we are grilling. Today, it was this: lay out an almost double thickness of coals; pile into a pyramid, douse with Kingsford lighter fluid, and light; admire this January Arizona weather – grapefruit are not yet ripe but last year they were early; spread out coals when red, set top grill and wipe with olive oil-soaked towel; grill; wait for your chicken to cook – this was nearly 20 minutes, covered for the last two.
Nashua Foil Tape
Before cellphones and DVDs I discovered something more useful than car insurance. A roll of shiny tape left in our basement by heater repair guys. When they adjust duct work, even if only ten feet of tape is used, they leave the roll. Easier to charge a client for a roll than to measure a few feet.
Chrome tape is shiny on one side, with paper backing you peel off to expose a super sticky surface. The tape itself is thick metal foil which conforms to the object being repaired. Books & boots to windshields & zippers, the list of temporary – or permanent – repair possibilities is endless. I had discovered a material even better than duct tape for solving the world’s woes.
Jump forward a few years. As a tradesman, I’ve found chrome tape a must-have in the tool sack. Nothing beats the adhesive properties of Nashua foil tape. Reading foil tape attributes on Nashua packaging, the trend I started in my youth has evidently become mainstream.
A decade ago I cut 12″ lengths and saved them to a particular pocket in my torch bag. Sure enough, every year or so a strip of chrome tape saves a job from complete chaos. Around the house, it’s great for packaging and weatherproofing. Most recently, I discovered the source of my long-suffering lint filled basement. It seems a mouse had chewed through our aluminum dryer duct. For the past lustrum, lint had flooded our basement. But now, with a few wraps of foil tape, problem solved. The tape even worked as temporary stitches when I sliced my thumb on the vent pipe!
3M Transpore Surgical Tape
Many moons ago, my palm was grievously sliced in a moment of inattention while working on our house. Next morning, who is our first customer through the office door? A health care provider! Nurse Nancy took professional interest in my poorly applied paper towel & duct tape dressing.
Peeling off my wrapping, she calmly said, “You should have gotten stitches”. Mild concern, minor annoyance. Detached acceptance of yet another male who blatantly flaunts his white blood cell count, daring infection to rear its ugly head.
As quickly as I can cut, clean and flux a copper pipe, she had reached into her front smock pocket, retrieved a roll of tape, pinched my flapping skin together, and applied her magic tape. She finished by adhering a square of clean Kleenex® over the whole affair, again with her Transpore multipurpose surgical tape.
The nurse gave me the roll, finished her business, and I never saw her again. Still I am in awe, decades later, at her dexterity, common sense, and knowledge. What I learned in those few minutes has stayed with me to this day. I never Road Trip without Transpore. A visit to the sea-shore? Peroxide, Transpore, and medical grade cyanoacrylate (translation: a sealed tube of Super Glue). Doctor John ready to clean, close, and bind all major or minor flesh wounds. Emergency appendectomies, Thursdays thru Tuesdays.
SCGC True Acoustic Bass
Playing the SCGC True Acoustic Bass is the most fun I’ve had in ages. This instrument has been made specifically for me. Like a bespoke suit. Did Carolyn visit in my sleep to get measurements, or was I dreaming? Literally, a perfect fit.
Absolutely superb craftsmanship. Supreme balance. Most right-hand guitars work best on my left knee. But this 46″ beauty sits naturally on my right. Even with a massive scale length, it does not feel like its headstock is sticking out in the next room. Large guitar, yes. But not a box on your lap. Rather, a carefully crafted piece of acoustic art. Intimate. Sexy. Persuasive. She puuuuurrrs seductively one minute. Then makes a compelling case to follow her example. Follow her lead. It is a bass player’s world, after all.
Santa Cruz Guitar Company makes one bass. One model only. There is no variation when creating your very best. As Richard puts it, “Years of field testing have refined the specifications to a 32 inch scale on a dense vintage Mahogany body with a master quality Sitka Spruce top meeting strict and specific tonal criteria”.
The bass projecting into my room, through my core, has me hooked. Can’t put her down until my fingers quit. Yep, it helps our relationship that she’s a real looker. But her character, the way she talks and acts, you can’t fake that.
Awesome photography by Ron Jones!
Phases of the Moon
What do moon phases have to do with American Toolbox? A public service break from our usual mundane articles on guitars, shaving cream, and tools? Hey, that sounds good! Call it an educational message from our sponsors.
Questions submitted to our Contact Page regularly include: 1) Why don’t we ever see the Dark Side Of The Moon? 2) Why does the moon gets bigger and smaller?
It all starts with this: Viewed from the celestial north pole, the motion of Earth, the Moon and their axial rotations are all counter-clockwise.
OK, enough college-talk. Why is there a “Dark Side”? In truth, there is not. As our moon orbits Earth, its “other side” is either bathed in sunlight or hidden in shadow. With a temperature spread of about 500˚F ! Why we never see this further side? In addition to its orbit, our moon also rotates upon its axis. One axial revolution per orbit puts it’s “face” to us at all times. Just as if you held your sweethearts hands at arm’s length, and spun her around yourself. You are the earth and she is the moon. Always facing you.
As far as moon phases go, that’s easier. Perception of moon phase exists through varying degrees of reflected sunlight. That amount of reflected sunlight depends on moon orbit position in relation to Earth and Sun. When the moon is behind us (further 
from the sun) we see more reflected sunlight. Almost directly behind? Full moon. The easiest part? Data does not vary. No complex star charts. Keep looking up; record what you see in a notebook. Within a few months, it all falls into place.
Patrick Graham • Brickbat Books
PAT GRAHAM loves books. He has collected books from childhood. By the time he was in Art School, his 10,000+ volume collection had becoming cumbersome. The logical solution? Open a shop.
First, with a partner, came Big Jar Books on North 2nd Street, Philadelphia. Big Jar eventually was sold; Pat then opened Brickbat Books on South 4th, a solo-owned boutique collection.
And the story on the Benches of Brickbat? By invitation of Pat, of course.
We speak of a collection of wooden benches, platforms, and tables, all carved from lengths of 12″ x 12″ solid oak and poplar. The story, not independently verified, is that a local plumber found a pile of giant landscape ties discarded by a century-old insurance firm in West Philadelphia. Inspired hours with chainsaw, belt sander, and angle-grinder transformed some of the wood into the pictured objets d’art.
Santa Cruz Guitar Company
We recently handled a gorgeous custom Santa Cruz OM/PW guitar with an Alpine Moon Spruce top, Indian Rosewood back and sides, hide glue, Adirondack braces, and herringbone trim. 1 3/4″ nut width and short scale, perfect for my stubby fingers.
This guitar is easily the most well-made I’ve ever held and heard. Incredible volume, unmatched sustain, infinitely expressive. Not a hint of an out-of-place overtone.
Every millimeter of its surface is as finely crafted as humanly possible. A tiny bevel along the fingerboard edge. Fret ends triple-beveled. The inside smells like an exotic craftsman’s shop where only finest materials are used. The guitar glows.
Acquiring a Santa Cruz is like finding a perfect mate. Both are beautiful, have great personality, return unbiased love, give total commitment, and get better with age. For twice the price of a really nice diamond engagement ring, you can have both. Finding the guitar may prove easier. Santa Cruz, the investment of a lifetime.
Shout Out to Carolyn Sills, SCGC Head of Marketing, for help researching this particular special order guitar shipped to Acoustic Vibes Music
. Her boss Richard Hoover, for sending us a little binding we used in refurbishing Hugh Mason’s 1991 Santa Cruz Dreadnought. As always, Jeff Looker for stocking such amazing acoustic instruments in his shop. Finally, Kathryn Butler, providing excellent photography of this fine Santa Cruz OM/PW.
Ziploc • S. C. Johnson
We last visited consumer offerings of S. C. Johnson with a great Windex article. We’re back with another product from one of our favorite American companies. With Saran Wrap, Ziploc freezer bags, and my favorite, Twist’n’Loc reusable containers, it is easy to see why the company is so popular with foodies.
Exclusively used in my kitchen. Pint and quart containers share the same lid. Stackable. Holds up well in the microwave. Most others have hit the recycling bin.
Along with quart & gallon freezer bags, these are the nicest food storage solutions on the planet! Thanksgiving is coming up. Pick up a few. Bring them to Aunt Genevieve’s house, and take home a feast of leftovers!
As an amateur luthier, I find Twist’n’Loc containers especially valuable in keeping parts safe during repairs to acoustic instruments! What else? Maybe a few become stained or etched from repeated trips into the microwave. Fret not! These are perfect for holding small quantities of paint. Perfect for touching up trim and stairwells after the kids have their romp.
Stephanie Kwolek • Kevlar®
Stephanie L. Kwolek (1923–2014)
An amazing gal! Outside chemistry and chemical engineering fields, how well known is she? Everyone working to make our country a safer place probably knows someone saved from grievous bodily injury through the protection of Kelvar®. But do they know its inventor?
The inventor is Stephanie L. Kwolek. She was a DuPont chemist. In the 1960s an experiment of hers came out wrong but the result was surprisingly interesting. She further examined the discovery – her team was looking for a steel replacement in radial tires – then told management. Dupont jumped all over the new material, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Kevlar®, a virtually bulletproof fiber that has saved thousands of lives, owes it’s existence to Kwolek. Kevlar® is probably best known for use in body armor, particularly bulletproof vests.
While researching the Djembe article, I learned that REMO is using Kevlar® in some of their high tension drum heads! And sure enough, like lots of Dupont inventions, this discovery has found it’s way into numerous products, from boots, gloves, and clothing, to armored vehicles, bridges, and sporting goods.
Photo Credit: The News Journal/Jennifer Corbet, via Associated Press
Early ’90s Santa Cruz Guitar
After all the work I put into Hugh’s MT2, I thought his problems were over. An Instrument Rescue, an intervention of sorts, had brought new hope into the floundering life of his beloved but demoralized mandolin.
Then a call comes in. “Jim, I have another project for you”. Lights and sirens, we drive over miles of dusty road, deep into county forest, to Hugh’s Shangri-La under the pines. His “new” 2001 SCGC D-Model has arrived, and is in rotation. His 1991 could now get a rest, and a little refurbishment. What was wrong?
Its top is getting a little wonky. There is a crack that stops under the bridge. Dry fingerboard, grooved frets, missing headstock binding, dirt, oils, burns, high action . . . Hugh has led yet another instrument astray. The 1991 has come to me for redemption; I shall guide it to the light.
Strings off, tuners off, deep cleaning. Level, crown, & polish the frets (Hugh’s fourth set in a dozen years, and this time, they were stainless). Pick out some glue on a top crack, reglue, sand, buff, and seal. Oil its fingerboard, install some naturally aged binding, and the tuners went back on.
With a possibly weakened top, we went with a lighter string. D’Addario EJ19 Bluegrass with the light tops and medium bottoms were perfect! The high action was no longer; we did not have to shave the bridge saddle; two strings with one pick, is the saying?
Over two decades old, D619 has amazing depth of tone, clarity, and volume. With fixed frets and settled action, Hugh again has a second Santa Cruz dreadnought on which to practice his interminable bluegrass flat picking. The ’91 definitely has a different sound than his 2001. Deeper, richer, louder. Age has its privileges; the ’91 is always senior spokesman within the bluegrass circle.
Premium Saltine Crackers
AUTUMN DELIVERS LEAVES, chilly damp winds, and my favorite comforts. Tea and honey, cinnamon sugar sprinkled on buttered toast, and tomato soup with Nabisco Saltine Crackers.
Nabisco Original Premium Saltine Crackers . . . wow, that is a mouthful. Nabisco likes the whole line, which is fine. Deservedly proud they are, with earned market share. Their white box with a prominent blue PREMIUM across its front has been an easy-to-find choice for decades.
Yes, these are PREMIUM crackers. A quick test which anyone can try will have all naysayers convinced. Buy a box of discount store-label crackers and compare them with Nabisco Saltines. Waste not, want not. You’ll find a use for the “off-brand”.
Remo 12″ Djembe
IMAGINE MY SURPRISE. After purchasing and using REMO percussion products for decades, I’d become used to usual manufacturing practices. The drumhead is USA. Shell from Indonesia. Its hardware, Taiwan.
But upon flipping this fine instrument over, inside was a red/white/blue logo and proud words, “Made in U.S.A.”. Within the music store, I had already decided to buy, but came back the following day after a little midnight price-shopping and a sunrise phone call to REMO.
Customer service was fast and alert. Straight, informative answers immediately given. Yes, that entire product is made by us. Yes, we agree it is a fantastic product. No, you do not want to leave it in the rain”.
REMO Skyndeep® drum head gives us warm, crisp, vibrant tones. A great look which imitates goatskin of traditional African djembes. The shell, virtually indestructible, permanently imprinted with its design. Great job, REMO!
Jetfire Balsa Glider
EVEN BEFORE EYEGLASSES were put upon my head I remember waiting in the hardware store for Dad to finish his transactions. Standing by a rotating display of balsa gliders, I’d imagine flying within one of these toy aeroplanes. Prices started at 19¢. A fortune several times my weekly allowance.
Sometimes Dad would become interested and examine the choices. Maybe he’d make a purchase. A glider each for his younger kids. A fancy rubber band powered plane with wheels for the oldest.
Times may have changed, but not that much. The company established in 1926 by Paul K. Guillow still manufacturers reasonably priced offerings. Still engages the imagination of our next generation of space shuttle pilots.
Soon after Charles Lindbergh’s famous solo transatlantic flight in 1927, a craze for all things aeronautical swept over America. Guillow capitalized on that fad by introducing a line of balsa wood model kits. WIKI
Products Engineering Corporation
PEC 6″ Flexible Machinist Ruler
WAY BACK AT THE beginning of recorded history, I had a guitar. This guitar was hard to play, so I correctly assumed it was the instrument. At some point, it was pointed out to me its strings might be too high. “Measure the height at the 12th fret. You’re looking for 5/64ths”.
OK. My Craftsman tape measure is not going to work. Where to turn? Our neighborhood hobby shop, for a precision ruler? They’ve mostly been driven out of business by our entertainment industry. Brainwashed masses prefer electronic games and 600 channels of content.
The internet had a few suggestions, and for a couple bucks above Asia’s finest, I located an American company specializing in precision measuring devices. A genuine engineer and machinist’s tool! I’ve hit the big time, mama!
Features
- Made from the Finest Quality Steel Available
- All Rules Fully Hardened and Tempered
- Precisely Etched, then Black Filled for Readability
- Any Graduations Available by Special Order
- Satin Chrome Finish
Plumber’s Heat-Pruf Grease
ALL GOOD THINGS COME to an end. If you hold on to them long enough. My tin of Plumber’s Heat Pruf Grease was a decade old. She had traveled this country through relocation, out-of-state employment, and back again to home base. And now, empty.
A good tradesman plans ahead. A year ago, I tracked down the identical product and purchased three tins. One for Pat Graham, and two for me.
Finally, the day came. My tin of grease was truly empty. Good to its last dab. But empty. A shiny new tin was tossed into my tool bag. Our patient? A steam table faucet. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble installing wrong parts. The least I could do is help return function as best I can.
A little grease on the spindle. Screw it back in. Replace packing. Grease a pair of new O-rings for its faucet body. Bonnet tightened. Done. Supply valve engaged. Perfect refurbishment. Ready for another two decades of service!
Peanut Butter ◊ Skippy or Jif ?
ONE OF MY FAVORITE evening snacks is a cup of herbal tea and a piece of sourdough toast lightly smeared with peanut butter. Easy to make & satisfying. Probably relatively healthy (but I’m not sure). Every few months or twice a year, I buy a new jar of spread.
Much has changed in the decades I’ve been eating peanut butter. Glass jars are out. Plastic is in. Chunky came along in the ’70s or ’80s. Natural, organic, unprocessed, vegan, these new foo-foo monikers began to adorn some labels at natural food stores. Since it costs more, it must be better? Not really. Usually that peanut butter is stiff, lumpy, & separates from its oil. And tastes somewhat off. In my humble opinion.
A quick stop for basics made me realize something. I’ve been buying the same peanut butter for decades. Skippy or Jif. Today at a University City grocer, I came across a pair of coeds studying their peanut butter selection. All these years I thought the action was in the Produce Department.
These women are from my favorite area of Germany. Cologne, from which Kölsch, as in Gaffel Kölsch BEER, is brewed. Traveling home this week, just in time to miss the Pope’s visit and -accompanying Parking Popocalypse- they want to smuggle home the most popular, common example of American peanut butter.
They saw me choose without hesitation, asked for American guidance, and received Basics 101. Creamy, brand name, mid-size jar. Jif or Skippy. Skippy or Jif. You can’t go wrong with either. I lean a little towards Skippy. That probably has nothing to do with the peanut butter and more to do with advertisements between Saturday morning cartoons many moons ago.
Arachis hypogaea – The peanut or groundnut is a species in the family Fabaceae (commonly known as the bean, pea or legume family).
Collings MT2
In 2003, on February 12th, Collings completed work on an MT2 mandolin. This particular instrument was shipped to Medley Music in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where Hugh bought it to further his career. This mandolin, #231, made history on the Pork Chop Circuit, as Hugh rose to the top of his genre, playing with great and rising stars of bluegrass.
A dozen years later, while Hugh remains sprightly and twinkling of eye, his MT2 exhibits the years of hard living. Bright lights, billowing clouds of tobacco, and spilled beer by day. Juke joint basements, chicken coops, and the occasional horse trailer by night. A rough life for any instrument, especially for one with pedigree like Collings.
Love, kindness, and sympathy was all the MT2 needed. It arrived as an instrument loan. This editor wanted a decent mandolin on which to learn. Hugh wanted a serious mandolin player in the bluegrass circle. 18 months adoption was arranged. I got to work.
We tried new strings and a little buffing with Novus. Decent effort, but frets were still severely potholed. Major surgery would be required. Outpatient, true, but invasive none the less.
Strings discarded. Tuners and peg-head bushings off. Bridge and tailpiece removed. Fingerboard taped. Frets sanded with 220 grit emery paper around a custom oak block. Again, with 320 grit. Level, finally! A concave diamond fret file followed. More fret attention with 400, 600, 800, then 1,000 grit emery paper. Finally, nine Micro-Mesh sanding sticks. 1,500 grit up to 12,000!
Gentle buffing of the spruce top and ebony headstock overlay with Novus. Tuner bushings made a trip to a bench grinder outfitted with buff and compound. Bushings and tuners installed back on the headstock. A new nickel cast tailpiece, direct from Collings, replaced the previous stamped tailpiece. New strings carefully wound back on. We allowed them to slowly stretch their length. Interminable minutes as correct bridge placement was established.
Finally, a simple tune. What a treat! Frets no longer catch one’s fingers. Smoother than the water slide at Hershey Park! String action lower than I’ve ever seen, with no fret buzzing anywhere on the neck! And warmth! What body & fullness of tone. That cast tailpiece certainly contributes.
She again looks the 20-something. Happy, playful, energetic, serious. With a refreshed perspective on the world. Ready to give us what we want, from buttercups swaying in a breeze to buffalo thundering across the plains.
Micro-Mesh Sanding Sticks
AMERICAN TOOLBOX HAS lately turned their energies to acoustic instrument refurbishment as a way to bridge operating deficits incurred running this USA products online resource. Last year we wrote about a scruffy Peavey T-25. A few months later it was a cracked Guild D-4. Most lately, a facial for a Collings MT2.
Our Collings mandolin is back. This time it is surgery. Its problem? Potholes in the frets. Its Schedule Of Events: remove all hardware; straighten neck; sand frets level; recrown frets; polish frets; polish entire instrument with Novus; reinstall all hardware, including a new cast tailpiece for improved sustain and depth of tone; new strings. Play and enjoy.
Advice came in from all sides. Love notes, bold plans to change the world, gentle suggestions, even blasts of opinion as powerful as #4 shot from a double barrel pump 10 gauge!
In the end, for final polishing of the frets, we went with foam core polishing sticks from Micro-Surface Finishing Products of Wilton Iowa. The same company that makes nail buffers found in almost every nail salon and cosmetic counter? Yep, the very one.
MICRO-MESH was originally developed for the restoration of fine art. It was found to be very effective for removing layers of contamination, old varnish and paint without damaging the delicate original substrate or masterpiece beneath it. – PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
The company history is fascinating! Their client list, amazing. The product quality, unsurpassed. American Toolbox gives Micro-Mesh their highest rating, SIX Thumbs Up!
Stay tuned! An upcoming post will detail the finished project!
Heinz Vinegar
Vinegar. It has been around forever. Babylonians made vinegar from wine 7,000 years ago. Their reasons were the same as today. Preserving food and medicinal use. A tablespoon into your chicken salad adds zest and excitement! Jim’s Pennsylvania Coleslaw is lifeless without equal parts sugar and tarragon-infused vinegar. An easy complexity achieved through sweet and sour.
A few shakes of rice vinegar over greens at my favorite Chinese lunch counter cuts the bitter. Instant respect from their employees. Always a huge grin from the head duck and pork chopper. Open-palmed, he animatedly gestures up and down, highlighting the body’s core. “Very good! Very good!”. An EXACT gesture has been received from a different restaurant’s employees. Same words. Very good for the body’s core. Part of their culture?
Most of my recipes call for very little vinegar. Why buy discount when you can get the best? Heinz has been my go-to product for decades. There is a difference in smell and taste between the cheap stuff made for profit and a product made for quality.
One of my favorite uses? Vinegar as a deodorizer. I’ll pour half an inch into a large pot or pan and set it in a room. Vinegar adsorbs odors as it evaporates; musty -or other- smells are whisked away when the room is aired. If your guest room doesn’t smell “right” after Aunt Tilly or college friends leave, don’t mask the odor. Remove it naturally with Heinz Cleaning Vinegar!
Besides medicinal & taste benefits, I’ll use vinegar to keep my bedroom smelling fresh and neutral. And occasionally, after a particularly odoriferous contractor rides in my truck? I can restore a GMC factory smell by leaving a pie tin of white vinegar on its cab floor overnight. Next day, with windows wide open on the way to work, and both stink and vinegar flushes out. Who would have thought?
Windex • S. C. Johnson
Some time ago, trying to be helpful, I offered to clean my buddy’s stove top. After scraping off six years of burnt pan overflows, and scrubbing what a paint scraper missed, it was time for finishing touches. Windex® and a clean towel. Gonna bring his stovetop back to factory specifications!
“It’s under the sink”, I’m told. Well, there was a spray bottle of purple stuff 
labeled Glass Cleaner. It did nothing to remove residue and grease. Discount cleaner strikes out. Purple water without a trace of ammonia or isopropyl alcohol. Sold for a buck. Not worth one thin dime.
Never do I buy a glass cleaner unless it is the original. Windex®. Proprietary formula and all that industrial secrets stuff cannot be imitated. I’ve concocted a close imitation, but it does not hit the high mark S.C. Johnson has established. The inimitable go-to cleaning product trusted by generations. Often copied, never duplicated.
In 1933 Harry R. Drackett invented “Windex” as nearly 100% solvent. ATB loves harsh chemicals to get a job right, but the Sam Wise formula patented after WW II is what we currently come to love as Windex. And non-toxic biodegradable formulas? Whole Foods and Trader Joe can keep that foo-foo stuff. If you want to clean glass instead of smearing around dirt, go to the original. Windex®
Apple Fritters • Reading Terminal Market
Americans love their donuts. An 1803 English cookbook included doughnuts in the “American recipes” section. Homer Simpson says they are a domestic invention. Can’t argue with facts. Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and donuts.
A year ago we had fun with an article on donut pans. Complete with linked Homer sound bites. Our USA Pans 6-Well Donut Pan continues to please! But the best donuts do not come from our kitchen. They come from a local farmer’s market.
It’s the smell that sets me off. Math skills crumble. Resistance is futile. Calorie counting, after a healthy meal at Reading Terminal Market, is forgotten. Sauntering post-lunch, how many times does one seem to end up “entirely by chance” in the Northwest Corner of Reading Terminal. Home to Beiler’s Donuts and Salads (Ha! I see a line of 20 people for donuts, but if you want a salad, there’s no waiting!)
Deeply embedded instinctual desires for sweets overcomes even the most hardened fitness buff. We are led . . . no, pulled, towards donuts . . . but if even the tiniest bit of rational sense can struggle to the surface, we approach with only a single dollar in our hands.
That’s it. 95¢ for a ticket to heaven. Churches would be packed if they gave out vouchers like this. Apple & blueberry fritters seem the most popular. Between the two, one of them will be just-out-of-the-fryer. I’ll purchase just one. There’s always tomorrow.
Bison Designs • Longmont, Colorado
My nylon hiking shorts suffered for years. The right belt was lacking. Sure, Orion Leather makes a great belt, thick & durable. Too heavy for my hiking needs. A belt for my REI shorts would have to be lightweight. Nylon was the answer.
As a kid, we had drawers of one-size-fits-all fabric belts with compression & slip buckles. Try finding one as an adult. Made in the USA.
And it has been here all along. Amazingly reasonable. Available in dozens of designs. And, it turns out, just the right width. 30mm is perfect for my hiking shorts.
Bison Designs – The Right Belt
Located within an online auction site looking unused, purchased and delivered for a reasonable price, I’m now a believer in Bison Designs products.
Then I found their Bison Designs website. What fantastic products! Wow, they have so many choices! A paycheck-sized multi-belt order is upon the horizon.
Brian Kelleghan, the man behind Bison Designs, returned my call a few minutes ago. I wanted a pithy quote on what his contribution to American industry meant to him. We talked . . . and we talked . . . for over 75 minutes, and would have kept talking but for obligations. An amazing two pages of notes later, there are so many take-aways that a separate article on Brian is necessary. Give me a few months. For now, we’ll keep it simple.
What is Bison Designs? His American Dream. Success. Everything Brian wanted as a kid. Making a few belts behind the Climbing Desk at REI turned into a 1000+ unit order. Design and innovation led to millions of belts a year being marketed and sold. Brian says “I don’t sell belts, carabiners, chalk balls . . . I sell designs.” True. Brian’s designs are great. But his final, manufactured product is just as outstanding. – publisher
brian kelleghan – first to bring pictorial webbing to the world
Dunlop Tortex® Instrument Pick
Within guitar shops across America, you will find small plastic cases by the register. Stacked, arranged, jumbled. Maybe one large case instead with over a hundred choices. Pick selections may seem dizzying. Tortoise shell, multi-colored, plastic, carbon fiber, bone . . . where to start?
American Toolbox recommends Dunlop. After decades of picking, our staff still carry and use Dunlop daily. Usually two or three for a buck, you can afford to carry half a dozen to the Bluegrass Circle. Share, experiment, learn, enjoy.
Moving over to mandolin, I’ve settled on a thicker .88 pick. Swapping mid-song into a lighter .60 sometimes. My mandolin mentor smiled yesterday when he heard my new choice. A harder pick is quieter is on the strings? This choice developed because I carry a pick variety and experiment with different thicknesses.
Look for the Dunlop name. Select a dozen in different colors / gauges. At a few cents a piece, there will not be any teeth gnashing as they disappear, as picks seem to do.
Sure, a $50 carbon fiber pick produces a softer, more expressive sound. It took decades to appreciate the nuance in tone. An expensive pick for a novice. Would you teach your kid to drive in the Porsche?
Carry a pocket of Dunlop to every session
Klein Heavy Duty Multi-Bit Screwdriver
Never one for fancy screwdrivers, this rough’n’ready tradesman relied on Craftsman for their multi-purpose function. Screws, pry bar, chisel, free exchange when broken. At some point, I went to a 6-in-1 screwdriver, which occasionally did double duty as a chisel, but not as often. Because that would break it. I’d try to be organized enough to have a beater screwdriver for unpopular work a screwdriver is sometimes called upon to perform.
The 6-in-1 is fine. Two Phillips, two slotted, as well as two nut drivers when a screwdriver bit is removed. Is there any better? In some cases bigger is better. A bigger handle for a more comfortable grip. Extra bits for extra options. Klein makes such a tool. But would I lose all these pieces in the heat of battle?
Electricians carry a screwdriver like this. They’re the Air Force of tradespeople. Keeping clean, meals on time, everything well-organized. If they can do it, so can I!
The investment was made, and after three years, I’ve yet to lose its components. Bigger handle with rubber grip. More torque. Better on my middle-aged hands. The bit tips are better honed. Quality American manufacturing. With products like this, Klein will be in business forever.
Klein Heavy-Duty Multi-Bit Screwdriver/Nut Driver
Alden Unlined Flexwelt Loafers
SUMMER TWILIGHT WALKS! Fresh cut grass and kids playing. Steaks sizzling and popping over hot charcoal. Dawn ’till dusk, dirty and barefoot. Shoes? Only on Sunday.
Speaking of shoes, did we mention how cheap I am regarding footwear? We discussed Alden Cordovan Loafers when my favorite $120 dress shoes fell apart after only a year. Long conversations with Kenny over leather, insoles, lining, vamps, and welts produced one firm conviction. The cheapest shoe is the best shoe. He then opened Sherman Brother’s inventory to my perusal.
Wow, what nice material! Hey, these are absolutely the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. But Kenny, did you notice the price? $400? $600?
Who doesn’t love a great salesman! Kenny Sherman brought it all down to my level. You buy a shoe that is designed and manufactured to last years after it becomes your “favorite”. Instead of falling apart, it is just getting started. After three-to-five years, your cost is identical to an average shoe. Another year or so, and you’re MAKING MONEY! And when something fails, this shoe can be recrafted. SOLD!
After Kenny hooked me with superior dress shoes, he appealed to my vanity. “Jim, you seem the type of guy who likes wearing loafers without socks”. Yup, quietly wealthy. Tennis camp, dinner at the Club. That’s me. Who doesn’t like the feel of leather against skin? I invested in my first pair of Alden Unlined Flexwelt Loafers.
These are, literally, the closest thing to going barefoot. Your foot will sing the praises of superior American craftsmanship. New England at it’s finest! Easily surpasses their chowder! Skin soft suede. It is no wonder a Special Order of these takes months to get. Asia’s appetite for quality American shoes is voracious.
If you want a three season (four, in some locations) shoe comfortable as a fine leather glove, visit Kenny. Or someone with his passion. Get your feet accurately measured. Slip into a pair of America’s finest summer shoe. Alden’s Suede Unlined Flexwelt Loafers!
Socks? We don’t need no stinkin’ socks!
Novus – Plastic Polish
SATURDAY AFTERNOONS IN SUMMER we meet within the Arc Of Delaware at The Creamery. High octane triple-digit milk fat ice cream, fresh from their cows. A huge oak tree, where generations of bluegrass musicians have come to flat-pick their favorite guitars. When lucky, there might be a bass, Dobro, fiddle, & mandolin. If Doc is there, leave your music stand in your vehicle; a sight of one in a “Bluegrass Circle” can drive him to sputtering apoplexy.
Hugh had been dissatisfied with mandolin pickers in attendance. Unaccountably, he preferred my scratching noises on an occasionally borrowed mandolin. For the last couple of years, he has suggested I buy a mandolin and make it my preferred instrument.
Whether through generosity or impatience, this summer on a Sunday afternoon he invited me over to pick a few tunes. His home? A 1920s farmhouse deep in woods, filled with cats, surrounded by semi-tame woodland creatures who ate from Hugh’s bounty. His mandolin? A Collings MT2. His offer? Hugh would loan me his mandolin for six months; give me a chance to know a high end – $3800 – instrument.
“Collings. It’s not a name, it’s a sound.”
It looked like his MT-2 had sat in a corner for years. Layers of dirt, dust, cat hair carefully impacted between its double strings. Nitrocellulose finish, originally gloss, now a hazy matte. I was surprised the District Attorney had not yet preferred criminal charges. It was, at minimum, reckless endangerment of an acoustic instrument. Hugh got lucky. This would have gone Federal, with EPA in hazmat suits. Ugg! The deluxe hardshell case by TKL may have been manger and nursery for kittens.
Decontamination began almost immediately. Strings, bridge, truss rod cover, and tailpiece were all removed. Warm soapy water prepared, a soft cloth, dipped then thoroughly wrung, was gently applied to all surfaces. The fingerboard was grimiest; my cleaning solution was replaced twice. Next, deep cleaning of its nitrocellulose finish. Acetone? TOO STRONG! Naphtha (lighter fluid)? Humm . . . to a point. But hazing and fine scratches remained.
An email to Collings customer service was promptly answered! “We use Novus 2 to remove years of dulling and build-up on our nitro finishes.” A quick hobby store purchase, and in no time, that milky haze buffed right out! Wow, the red maple sides and back shine like new! Next time the strings are off, I’ll do its select Adirondack spruce top and ebony peghead overlay. Can’t wait!
Corningware Cornflower Percolator
As a kid, our family lived with Dad’s father. Life was a steady routine. Every day before sun-up, Grandfather would go to the basement and bang around with the boiler. An old coal thing. He resisted change. Grandpa said coal produced intense heat, and his gravity boiler was a superior design because it functioned without electricity. All lost upon a seven-year old.
I would get up when the 6:05 pulled into town, as she gently tooted her horn at a highway crossing. One morning, she didn’t. Neither were trucks heard on a highway half mile away. In our kitchen, a percolator bubbled on his gas range. Beyond the windows, nothing but white. Snow as far as the eye could see. Any shrub under four feet was hidden.
“No school today, Jimmy. All factories are closed. Train not running. Highway blocked.” His world paused because power lines into our valley collapsed under almost five feet of snow.
His house was warm; grownups had their coffee; I played games for three days. A hundred times a day Grandfather extolled the virtues of a home which can survive without electricity. Reliance on fancy kitchen gadgets signaled a return to Roman idolatry, it seemed.
A dozen years ago Grandpa’s coffee maker came into my possession. I kept it for nostalgia only, relying instead on my Technivorm. But while visiting, Jack spied the distinctive Blue Cornflower percolator, and insisted we brew a pot. He demonstrated, I learned. And became a believer.
Nothing beats freshly percolated coffee. Gently bubbling water dripping through coarse grounds. You do not want to rush it, but will know when it is “done”. By the smell and color.
Over 750 million items of CorningWare have been produced since S. Donald Stookey discovered Pyroceram. Next time you poke around a garage sale, look for Joseph Baum’s Cornflower design. Make an offer on a vintage percolator. You’ll be set when snowstorms or massive solar flares shut down the power grid. ◊◊◊. When you want to impress a date. Whenever a superior cup of coffee is desired or required.
◊◊◊ Campfire or gas range-top required. Hunter-gatherer skills encouraged.
American Made • Acoustic Guitars
Vacation comes both to the worthy and contemptible. While ability to produce this week’s article exists, deeply rooted summer lethargy blooms upon my imagination. But all is not lost. An opportunity for a roundup of recent posts presents itself. A perfect time to spotlight American-made acoustic instruments!
A FEW WORDS ABOUT my favorite luthiers (more later this year!)
jayne henderson • luthier
wayne henderson ◊ luthier
Reviews of instruments from Jeff Looker’s Acoustic Vibes Music:
Bourgeois Guitars ◊ Lewiston, Maine
Collings OM3 ◊ Austin, Texas
Bedell Guitars ◊ Bend, Oregon
Weber Bitterroot Mandolin
Deering Vega® SENATOR Banjo
Acoustic Vibes • Tempe AZ
Just thought I’d mention these . . .
Mid-1990s Guild Guitars
Vintage Peavey T-25 Electric Guitar
Collings OM3 ◊ Austin, Texas
Definitely wanted is another trip to Acoustic Vibes Music to stock up on stories & photographs. For now, we savor memories from their fantastic collection of American made acoustic instruments. And our last folder of Kathryn Butler photographs. We saved the best for last.
The Collings OM3 may have been the finest guitar I played on recent visits. Maybe it was the best value, as a barely used 2014 model. Regardless, this guitar certainly delivered the goods.
Never have I thought of a guitar as being cocky, but this Collings certainly was a rooster among Jeff’s offerings. Loud and punchy, I wouldn’t have the nerve to play a ballad upon it. A perfect neck which had a particularly solid feel turned me from novice to confident flatpicker. More accurately, the guitar is the extrovert, very sure of it’s ability to deliver confidence with every note.
Yes, I do play better on a short scale, and this OM3 SS suited my imagination perfectly. But this is no “little guitar”. Comparing the OM3 to two higher-priced acoustics, the Collings was louder and with better tone than the others. Collings. It’s not a name, it’s a sound.
Kershaw Leek ◊ Tualatin, Oregon
Machined stainless steel. Finished edges. No burrs or rough spots. Meticulous assembly. Spiffy design. Some people are drawn to mechanical devices of superior nature. We’ve always had a happy eye upon the Kershaw Leek series. Designed slim and unobtrusive in the pocket, so you’ll carry it every day. When you need it, the knife will function flawlessly. Year after year. Decade after decade.
A nice chance of acquisition recently appeared. At a little less than half list price, I bought one of my “grail knives”. The stainless Leek. In near perfect condition, I’ll have a USA-made heirloom-quality knife to give my son or nephew, daughter or niece. Or even a total stranger, returning Karma to the vast repository circling the heavens.
Many consider the Kershaw Leek an ideal EDC – everyday carry knife. After daily using a Gerber as my EDC, within my tradesman profession and as a handy household tool, I find conflict in that statement.
The Kershaw is perfect for someone who wants a carry knife at all times; it disappears into the pocket through size and design. I’ve become accustomed to a larger handle for more intensive cutting, poking, slicing, and prying. The larger Gerber Covert Folder better suits my use. But if the Gerber is unavailable, it will be the Leek for me.
Most importantly, I now have a “dress knife” that will not weigh down fine trousers. LEEK IS LIGHTER with a more robust pocket clip. 87 grams vs. the Gerber Covert Folder’s 113 grams. Not only will the Leek hang more comfortably upon the lighter fabric of dress trousers, it will remain affixed where I secure it. Perfect for cutting a piece of string & opening a box. Ideal for an emergency tracheotomy. Patiently waiting for duty if asked.
Estwing Framing Hammer
About the time of my first Red Wings, I watched a chain-smoking Master Plumber mucking around half a dozen feet below the sidewalk. He was looking for a pipe. Everything in the hole looked the same to me. My first lesson in plumbing: the most important thing is knowing what you are looking at.
After a bit, he asks for a hammer. Naturally, I cross-examine him while he’s ankle-deep in mud, dirt dropping down his trousers, knees caked solid with clay. No, a hammer is what he wants. Really.
I went on to discover there are 20 ways to swing a hammer, at least. On that day, the plumber scraped compacted soil with the straight claw from under and around a leaking water service. I’d seen him break the bell of one piece of cast iron soil pipe while leaving an adjacent piece whole. Nailing? Almost never, in our trade. But I did learn the difference between tapping and smashing!
The Code Book calls for an 8 ounce ball peen hammer for caulking lead joints. Sorry, every tool has to multi-task. You can hold a 22 oz. hammer further up the shaft to reduce a swing’s force, something Galileo famously observed in 1582 – which led to his forgotten pendulum theory.
In a hurry to expose a leaking pipe behind a plaster wall? One can operate the hammer with both hand, punching a clean line through sheet rock with the claw, like a sewing machine. Not exactly like a sewing machine, but that is a similar image.
The pictured framing hammers? One is an Estwing E3-20SM. I’ve had it 20+ years. 13 ½” length, 28 oz overall weight, but called a 20 ounce hammer. (The other, a similar 22 ounce model). This is the perfect hammer to buy your favorite tradesman. Or an accomplished do-it-yourselfer as a supplementary wedding present. He/she may have it forever.
I could write 2,000 words on the various uses of a hammer. Hammering, prying, digging, cracking, slicing, driving, chiseling, cutting, pulverizing. From tapping the handle off a fine china teacup to knocking the lock off a security door without breaking the glass. It’s all in how you swing the hammer.
Deering Vega® SENATOR Banjo
We return to our series on the American-made instrument inventory of Acoustic Vibes Music. Today, a look at a dandy bit of craftsmanship from Deering. This is The Banjo I would choose if buying one for all uses, be it stage, studio, and where a banjo gets most of it’s use, outdoor bluegrass circles during the summer. Priced under two thousand dollars (2015 list $2188), the Senator does not break the wallet considering the quantity of quality oozing from every aspect.
While the Senator has a spun brass tone ring, with the open back, the overall weight is reasonable. Comfortable, even. Six pounds makes it just a little heavier than my 1996 Guild D-4. ◊◊◊
What do I like about this Deering?
No resonator to take off (or resonator flange digging into your leg if you do remove the resonator). A banjo is usually overpoweringly loud; you’d do fine against a couple guitars, fiddle, upright bass, and mandolin without the resonator. Volume is never compensation for quality of tone, dexterity, or originality. Buy a good banjo and practice. Be confident in your playing and the authentic sound of the Deering.
Tone. This banjo sounds fantastic even to some “players” with their $4,000-$6,000 banjos. It all starts with great material, and Deering hit it right with the spun brass tone ring and violin grade 3-ply maple rim (see Deering’s Anatomy of a Banjo link if we’re talking gibberish).
Feel. The neck feels right. Slim and sexy. Real ebony fingerboard. Nickel silver frets. Deering Planetary Tuners. This banjo is screaming QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY!
Looks. Deep warm brown stained maple neck with the slim Vega shape. Nickel plated hardware. Satin Finish. Something about the metal, stained maple, and ebony fingerboard. Works great together! Heck, it triggered a strong BUYING impulse in me, before I even played a note!
Feel. Yes, we already wrote about feel. But until you sit down with the Senator, run your hands along the neck, and have a listen, these are only words. Words such as, “Wow, this feels really nice. Sounds like a banjo should, and look, Deering took the time to do a really nice finish job on the instrument”. This is one of three instruments I want when I’m ready to spend eight thousand. The other two? The Weber Bitterroot and a Bourgeois Country Boy, naturally.
◊◊◊ please, don’t forget to stretch and warm up before marathon picking engagements!
Friskies Seafood Sensations
Wow! To read cat food reviews in preparation of this article, you’d think the outcome involved Freedom of Religion or a new 90% tax rate! The final determination? Americans are nutty about their pets. Tastes Great vs. Better Nutrition. Ho, hum . . . I’ll keep buying the food my “porch cat” loves.
A couple decades ago a different porch cat lived here. I’d lay out three or four types of food at a time, for variety. The cat would eat them all, choosing one for the whole meal. Patterns of brand preference developed, were observed, recorded, and added to a statistical database. The outcome? Two cats later, the results are in. Cats who eat dry food prefer Purina and Friskies.
The foo-foo “healthy” stuff? Sorry, that doesn’t work. The cat does not read labels. Rule of thumb: If it smells like fish food, the cat will not eat it. Would you?
Raleigh Technium Bicycle
Fifteen years ago, I spied a decent 10-speed in a friend’s basement. Flat tires, peeling cork tape, through the dust I could see a special bicycle. Light, with high quality components. This is the bike that, in the mid-1980s, was the cutting edge. The top line offering. He would not part with it, though unridden for years. It would be another decade before daylight lit up the chrome.
IN THIS SMALL world of international sales and the shipping of anything, from thumbtacks to oil drilling rigs, getting a quality bicycle is a trip to a large sports-center. But the common high-tech bike was not always common. Back in the ’80s – the 1980s – an American subsidiary was working on a lighter bicycle frame. They produced the “first generation aluminum frames”.
Raleigh used a process to thermally bond dissimilar materials to produce frames for the Olympic team. The result was 3 gold medals, one silver and one bronze. – mombat
The story is one repeated throughout the history of humanity. Man meets woman. Man loves woman. Man and woman move in together. Woman tells man to clear out the cave; make some space for her.
So the bike finally made it to me. And at my accustomed price point for a bike wanting a hundred bucks of service. But he/she is now in excellent condition. The weekly pedal of a dozen miles along the Art Museum Loop. The quick jaunt to the post Office. All within my grasp, upon a classic. Always a dependable pleasure, hanging from hooks on my living room ceiling, ready to roll reliably without complaint.
Mid-1980s Raleigh Technium. Frame made in Kent, Washington, as well as assembly in the USA with additional top-line imported parts from France and Japan.
American Toolbox 