Antler Dying

Antler Dying Project

I shot this Stag in 2013, it was a very memorable Stalk for many reasons. The wind that day kept changing directions so consequently we had several failed Stalks. It was getting late in the day and we spotted a large herd of Stags. There were over a hundred in the herd. James the Stalker picked a suitable Stag and we started our Stalk. As we got into shooting position the wind changed again and the herd got wind of us. They got restless and started to run. The selected Stag went over the hill before I could get a shot off. As the heard continued to bolt over the hill James guided me into a Stag, I followed it across the hill and when it got bunched up with others and slowed I pulled the trigger. The Stag went down.  

I think that James was tired and wanted the Stalk to end because this Stag is not your typical Scottish cull Stag as a matter of fact he got some crap for shooting it from the Head Stalker when we got back to the lodge. 

This beast was a sign to be seen, he was a big stag with a large rack. He was still shedding his velvet and had strands of velvet hanging from his antlers. Aside from he lasting memories he gave me many very picturesque photos. This was my last Stalk of the trip and the last time I had a Stag removed from the hill on a Garron (Scottish Hill Pony) by a Ponyman. 

Sadly Garrons have been replaced by noisy machines. Progress they say...

When I received the antlers in the US I mounted them on a walnut plaque and hung them in a prestigious place in my garage. 

Unfortunately due to import regulations the loose velvet had to be removed and the antlers had to be bleached and treated with hydrogen peroxide before shipment. This left the antlers chalky white. The chalky white color always bothered me and did not due justice to the majestic stag. 

So I decided that I would dye the antlers. After a little research I found that Taxidermists use potassium permanginate to dye antlers. So off to ebay I went and got some potassium permanginante. I mixed up the solution and went to town. 

The solution is purple when mixed and when you first apply it. It is a little disheartening to see your antlers purple. It looks like some new age art that you would see in a trendy Edinburgh restaurant. But the solution reacts with the oxygen in the air and eventually starts to turn brown. On the left you can see the bare antlers with some of the solution applied, on the right you can see the solution starting to turn brown. 

After a few coats the antlers have an nice brown and are presentable again.

Here the antlers are back on the wall in my garage. 

Welder

Some Welder Housekeeping 

I have had this welder for a long time and it has been a trusty companion. It has welded hundreds of projects, fixed countless broken items, and has never let me down. When I bought it I quickly cobbled together a temporary hanger for the leads. I don't want to admit how long that temporary hanger has been on there. But lets just say that if it were a person it could buy beer and hammer pants were in fashion (thank god that fad has died, welding in hammer pants was difficult)

I decided that it was time to do something about it. I rummaged through my scrap bin and found some angle iron cutoffs and went to work. I decided to build a holder for the grounding cable and clamp and the Mig gun and Cable.

There is nothing special about these hangers, just some angle iron, flat plate, and some square tubing. 

Here they are after being painted. The one on the left is for the the Mig gun cable. The one on the center is for the Mig gun, and the one on the right is for the ground cable and clamp. The clamp clips to the bent rod to keep it neatly stored.  

Here is the ground cable and clamp neatly stored. 

Here is the Mig gun and cable neatly stored. 

This is not a very exciting project but it was long overdue and I am no longer embarrassed by my cable hanger. Sorry MC Hammer you had your time and it is now passed...

Dueling Tree

Dueling Tree Build

It is spring of 2020, everybody is Kung Flu Fighting, toilet paper is nowhere to be found, and I learned that there is a name for my lifestyle, it’s called “social distancing”. My kids are doing school from home and I have been working from home.  It is an interesting time! 

My daughter has been bored being home all the time and has gotten interested in shooting again. She learned to shoot at an early age, but lost interest for a little while. During quarantine (or whatever we are calling the current situation) she has really taken to Pistol shooting and she is doing really well. She is a good shot and is a very safe operator. 

I have wanted to build a dueling tree for some time and this was just the excuse that I needed. 
I am quite cheap, so I decided to buy the AR500 paddles and then build the rest myself from scrap metal that I have salvaged over the years. 

I bought the paddles from Make it Ring Targets https://makeitringtargets.com/ I have bought most of my steel from them. They have really good prices (Did I mention that I am cheap) and have been great to work with. 

I spaced out the paddles to make sure that I could remove and replace them. I bought .250" thick paddles hoping that they would work for center fire pistols and rimfire pistols

Have you ever had one of those days where things just seem to go wrong? For some unknown reason my Mig Welder decided to spit out 40 feet of wire into a big rats nest when I opened the side panel to look at the feed table. Being cheap I tried to save it. After about 20 minutes trying to untangle the steel rats nest I gave up and cut it. 

Once I got the welder up and running I welded the paddles in place. 

Then I started on the base. All of the material was scrap that I have salvaged over the years. The angle that I used for the base used to be part of a workbench that I was given years ago. You can see the maple top from that workbench in the 2nd photo. Yes I am really that cheap...

I wanted to angle the tree about 10 degrees, so the paddles would always end up swinging to a side and not get stuck in the back. I did a little math and figured how high I needed to shim the upright and set up this little jig (when I day jig I mean, block of wood) to keep everything aligned when I welded it together. 

After I welded the base in place I double checked the angle, apparently I am not as bad at math as I thought. Kids pay attention in math class, you never know when you will use what you learned. Or just learn how to use Google...

I got is all welded together, so far I am happy with it. 

Remember when I asked about one of those days?  Well when I loaded the tree into the ranger to take it down to the range, I did not notice that this guy was on the dash right above the steering wheel. So I hopped into the ranger happy with my work and headed down to the range. Then I looked down and this snake was right next to my left hand. Well after screaming like a little girl, slamming on the brakes, and hopping out from the passenger side, I took this picture. By this time the snake had worked its way around the windshield and was sitting where you see it. 

I am not ashamed to say that I sent a text to my wife to come out and remove the snake. Hey I grew up in the 80's, I learned it is OK to be afraid of snakes from Indiana Jones...

I wanted to test the tree out with a 22 and a center fire pistol. I got out my Smith and Wesson Model 41 22LR and my Smith and Wesson Model 28 .357 Mag. The 22 did not have enough power to reliably swing the paddles but the 357 firing 38 Special wadcutters worked great. 

I ordered a set of thinner 22 Rimfire paddles so I will be able to swap them out and use both 22 and Center fire. 

I cant wait to shoot it with my Daughter!