For my retirement...

I used to have dozens of hobbies. Since retirement (disability at 55, now 72), I have done less and less. Not that I don't want to, but the world seems out to get me.

Free classes at the Uni, they did away with the program after I had taken one!

Hikes in the mountains, health never got back to allowing that.

Bicycling, still have the bikes, but not the energy.

Camping, I do not know what the excuse is for not doing that.

Fixing things, lots of skills, lots of tools, bad eyes, shaky hands,.

The worst thing is that is hard to start. Even deciding to go to bed, it is hard to get out of the chair an go upstairs. Park the car, sometimes it takes me 30 minutes to get out of the car.

Lack of money, lack of health makes things worst then they would be otherwise.

That all does not mean I do nothing, just that I do not do as much as I think I want or should.

Sigh!
 
graywolf said:
I used to have dozens of hobbies. Since retirement (disability at 55, now 72), I have done less and less. Not that I don't want to,.......- That all does not mean I do nothing, just that I do not do as much as I think I want or should. Sigh!
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Man, I feel for you. My friend, he's a pilot. Medical every 6 months. He bombs forest fires with an airplane. Recently they did away with the mandatory retirement at 65 years. He's 62. Got an 8-year-old son. Beautiful kid. Needs to keep working.

I asked him how he felt about the rule change. He said, "At least I can sock away a little more for the kid. Gonna be tricky but I'll have to take time off for the funeral. "
 
Frank, you're the guy who told us everyone has to have one Rolleiflex. And later I think you said the same of a Hasselblad. Of course I have a Rolleiflex now thanks to you. But now we hear that you are retiring, and all this time you haven't even had one anvil?
 
Richard G said:
Frank, you're the guy who told us everyone has to have one Rolleiflex. And later I think you said the same of a Hasselblad. Of course I have a Rolleiflex now thanks to you. But now we hear that you are retiring, and all this time you haven't even had one anvil?
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My first anvil ever!

Some items are classics that everyone should at least try out to see if it works for them. Leica M2, Barnack Leica, Rolleiflex, Hasselblad, etc.
 
FrankS said:
... my Speed Graphic will be coming out of its retirement.

Now, I need an anvil like I need a hole in the head, but something drew me to buy it. It may be the awesomeness of the mass and density of the object, and its lovely sculptural shape. I will be photographing it. This idea may be the one that awakens the LF plan I've had for my retirement. That Speed Graphic will once again see the light of day.

And I may also pick up another hobby. Does anyone here do blacksmithing or knife-making?
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I do a little playing about with knives and swords. Like you it is something I picked up recently in retirement. Mainly I have been buying various fittings and blades for Japanese Kataka (copies of course given the price of originals and how inadvisable it would be to turn a neophyte loose on them) and fitting out my own. It involves polishing and sharpening the blade (no forging) but there are some fittings that have to be forged and welded from iron or non ferrous alloys. Plus wood work for the scabbard and handle.

If you have a proper anvil I envy you. They are hard to find and for now I make do with a section of railway track. A local knife maker runs two day hands on knife forging classes and I am seriously considering it as a way of getting into the whole bade making thing. In which case I will need to find one. I may pick up a small one - suited to smaller fittings in my hardware store (yes they do have some believe it or not).

BTW if you ars so inclined there are some good youtube videos on how to make home gas powered home forges for heating and tempering blades. Well within most peoples skill to make a forge it seems to me. May be a bit more complex to use it properly.

The photo on the right is a sword I am making right now and the other is a sword I bought on eBay to use for iaido - Japanese swordsmanship. (I forgot to mention I took that up too).

 
Excellent, Peter!

Photomoof, I forgot to mention Bronica S2a with Nikkor lenses. I love them too.
 
Good to hear about the retirement, Frank. It's something I highly recommend. When the company told me I couldn't work anymore, it certainly didn't break my heart (someone else got to it before they did).

Have fun with the anvil, and Graflex. I miss my Special with the Schneider lens.

PF
 
Thank you. While I am not surprised, I'm having no problem adjusting to this new lifestyle. It is glorious.
 
Thanks Tom! It's been a year and a half so far, and it's been great. Pot at the end of the rainbow. :)
 
photomoof said:
I have this "rail anvil," best tool I ever bought. Machined surface. It is precise enough to pound out camera body sheet metal. Worth every penny.

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"Tako Kana" are used for "tapping-out" the Jigane (soft steel) of the plane iron when the Ura (the area behind the cutting edge) becomes too narrow. For this purpose, one edge has been ground to a radius. This tool is also excellent for general purpose use as an anvil. It is made from special steel, carefully tempered, so as not to damage the plane iron. - See more at: http://www.japanwoodworker.com/Prod...yB6MfUqcoCFYqPHwod8_AJdA#sthash.fEq6zCtS.dpuf
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Fred,

Kinda reminds me of when I was a kid, when we use to steal this steel right angle plate that joins the wood planking that protects the third rail (electrified) so we could rig lawn mover engines onto stingray bikes.

The plate was the perfect size for the job as if it were engineered.

Cal
 
MrFujicaman said:
Harbor Freight Tools stocks anvils. Check their website.
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When you do a bit of reading up on anvils you'll learn about good and bad. These HFT cast iron ones are disparagingly called "anvil shaped objects" which lack the metallurgic characteristics of a good anvil.

A site that I've learned some stuff on is IForgeIron.
 
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