NYC Journal

N-L,

For only a $100.00 over a Warmoth body a nice nitrocellulose relic’s finish…

I have a stockpile of old NOS paper and oil caps I secured from Grumman when I worked there. Some of the paper and oil caps are “Vitamin Q’s.”

I use Callahan on all my Teles.

2x10’s have more surface area and promote a bigger bass that is tighter and more focused than a 1x12. Also the 10’s produce a treble that is fast, immediate, and more in your face.

Jazz guys will play a Fender Princeton for the 1x10 over a 1x12 in a Fender Deluxe.

All the best…

Cal
 
Con Ed left me about a cubic yard of clean fill mounded up by a bull dozer.

How cool was that. Because I’m greedy it would have been better if it was a full dump truck load.

When they come back to move my meter from my basement to outside, I’ll surely try to get more.

”If it free: its for me,” I say.

Cal
 
Cal,
The XC Pro cranks are on the Breezer and itching to drive the bike.
I decided to overhaul the Judy XC with the very rare 1” threadless steerer tube. I’m putting on a new SRP fork brace without the cable hanger, the same kind I had on my old Judy FSX. The cartridge is in good shape and the speed springs happen to be perfect for my weight now and later in the season when I’ll drop 10lbs.
The crazy big deal is that I fell into ownership of a White Industries Eno eccentric rear hub with the 130mm spacing I’m looking for. The Breezer is from the era of 6 and 7 speed, originally spec’d with a hub with 130mm OLD spacing. It’s been stretched since then but im putting it back to original spec with a set of NOS XT hubs. Rear will be 7 speed Uniglide which I have enough cogs to last possibly for a decade of hard riding. With the Eno hub, I’m going to be able to swap in my other 110BCD XC Pro drive side crank with a singe chainring and ride this bike like a big BMX with a suspension fork. I can also bump the spring tension up to max (or even quickly change out the springs to the heaviest available) to have a nearly rigid fork. With a quick change of drive side crank, I’ll go from 3x7 mountain bike to a 1x1 with a fixed and freewheel flip flop hub. Pair that with the Magura hydraulic rim brakes and this has hopping up staircases written all over it. Since it’s technically 1.5 inches short for my inseam, on top of Joe Breeze keeping frames small using slightly sloped top tubes, I’ll be able to slam the seatpost down for some very slow technical riding.
Funny that the most difficult part of this build is finding clincher MTB tires in 26” x anything less than 2.1” width. Everyone is riding fatbike tires now and the only things available narrower than 2” are commuter tires and slicks.
Phil Forrest
 
Phil,

I own a Rock Shox Judy SL with the 1 inch Threadless steerer. Back in the day when I bought it it was a new release. Mine features pinch bolts for the Stanch-Ons. This fork has original Speed Springs that are built for 135-145 pound riders and is kinda soft.

I have a 1 1/8 inch threadless Rock Shox Judy XC that is tricked out with a SRP fork brace with a cable hangar for use with the Ti IBIS. I have springs in this fork also but instead of light weight medium. This is also an early model with pinch bolts that are a little larger than on the Judy SL.

I assume your fork has pinch bolts also.

BTW that Breezer with a sloping top tube and being undersized sounds pretty evil. I love it.

For an epic read check out a story involving Joe Breeze on a tandem ride that was a 200 mile out and back ride, 100 miles each way through the rolling hills on Sonoma County.

Pretty much at the start people were making fun of the tandem. On the first one hundred miles they broke a spoke and struggled, but at the halfway point they got a fresh wheel and pretty much passed and dusted everyone.

No more tandem jokes after that. Joe Breeze was the stroker.

Cal
 
I used my Gorilla Dump Cart and shoveled the Con Ed cubic yard of clean fill, and moved it into the back-backyard.

Tough work that tightens the mid section. I guess because of my winter anemia I got winded pretty easily, but tough work for just about anyone.

Wish Con Ed was more generous with the clean fill because I’m greedy. LOL.

Cal
 
I'm happy to report that after a few days of drinking drip coffee, I was able to fix the slow leak in my 35-year old lever espresso machine! To be fair, it wasn't even a "repair," per se. Some of the bolts that secure the heating element to the bottom of the boiler had worked slightly loose. My theory is that it wasn't loose enough to leak when the machine was cold. But when switched on, it would leak as the pressure built. But at some point when the pressure got high enough the gasket would self-seal again. So I could never actually see it leaking...I'd just find water marks on the counter from time to time. Fortunately some wiser people than me over on Home-Barista.com pointed out that these bolts sometimes work themselves loose on this particular machine. Problem fixed for now, and I'm back to poisoning myself with a few espressos in the mornings.

Are we allowed to talk about photograph here? 🙂

I'm starting to really bond with my 35mm lens. I always thought I loved 50mm as my daily carry lens. But I have gotten some pleasing results the last few days with a 35. So on my trip next week to London and Edinburgh I'm going to carry a 21-35(-75) kit. I don't have a 75, so might carry a 50. But honestly the difference between 35 and 50 isn't that great. So might be better to make my 3-lens travel kit be 28 f/4, 35 f/2.4, and 35 f/1.4. One 35 that super compact and light for daytimes, and a heavier faster one for lower light situations.

Ok, back to bicycles, coffee, and guitars!
 
David,

I’m pleased that an old high quality machine still lives on because I believe that is the way to live. Also being stubborn is a virtue.

I kinda disagree and think a moderate wide like a 28mm or 35mm and a 50 one could do a lot of photography, but the way I would use DOF would be different: on the wide I would stop down; and on the 50 shoot mostly wide open for a shallow DOF. In that regard the 35 and 50 is in usage is dramatic and exploits best the differences.

Also for me it is best to carry two rigged cameras rather than a third lens. For portraits a fast 50 works, no need for a longer lens.

A while back I found a Nikon Noct-Nikkor at B&H that somehow was mispriced at $2.5K. 58mm F1.2. The rendering is high center sharpness with a softening in the corners. Pretty much a great portrait lens with a hand ground ASPH element that has remarkable bokeh. Works great on a modern digital camera like a Leica SL.

A Noctilux has sharper corners, but suffers light falloff in the corners. Just the opposite trade off in optics design. For me I love the Noct-Nikkor rendering more than a Noctilux.

Our agent is in London, and I expect to travel there sometime.

Anyways sometimes less is more as they say…

Cal
 
Read a report about continued chip shortages in the automotive sector, and also how this effects and created a used car shortage.

Pretty much manufactures built mostly SUV’s and trucks for profit margins, but the need for inexpensive cars was bypassed.

A used car shortage is worsened by affordability, and pretty much there are no cheap cars anymore.

Of course high interest loans don’t help with affordability.

So like owning a home with a mortgage under 3%, don’t sell your used car because it will cost you, and what is available is slim pickings.

Seems evident my projection of used car prices when buying an electric vehicle becomes a state mandate. The supply shortage only will get worse. We live in a time of shortages that is inflationary, and this era is likely to endure.

Snarky Joe’s idea of making my 1966 C-10 Fleetside pickup into an E-10 electric vehicle actually might become cost feasible in the crazy world we live in. That would not only be crazy, but also funny.

Anyways, this is from a guy who somehow got a cubic yard of clean fill from Con Ed. Kinda crazy things happen to me all the time, “When I’m just minding my own business.”

Glad I bought my 2015 Audi A4 with only 16K miles. Know when I brought the car home “Maggie” gave me an evil look and said, “You bought a new car,” to scold me.

Now she loves the car, the comfort, the safety, the luxury. I love the heated leather seats, especially on a cold day.

“Ha-ha,” I say.

Cal
 
Wednesday expected delivery of my new Cabronita body. My single pickup version I really love, and a new two pickup version adds some versatility with lower output pickups for extra chime.

It will take a while to assemble the parts, as the pickups will be built to order and be spec’ed with limited wax potting for liveliness. Since I plug and play and don’t use pedals gain is limited so feedback and squeal should not be a problem. The goal with the pickups is for more openness.

I saw a dogwood tree flowering, and there are some green buds on the Butterfly Bush near our patio. The Lylac has advanced budding, so spring is happening early, yet it remains cold.

I have spring fever big time. Winter is always tough for me.

Cal
 
Ordered a stainless steel bridge, TV Jones Classic pickups with limited wax potting, and a Warmoth Tele neck.

The neck has to be built and the lead time is 5-6 weeks. I’m trying roasted maple that requires no finish, and a 9-14 inch compound radius. I bought a “Fat-Back” neck profile that does not cost extra (save $35.00) over just ordering a 1960 “Roundback.”

On another neck I reshaped the neck to a 1960 Roundback, but left a little more meat on the neck starting at the 7th fret through the heel that suits my left hand very well.

The added thickness in the neck adds some resonance when I play up the neck. Mighty comfortable also. I save some money, and I get pretty much a custom neck. The roasted maple has this amber/yellow color that requires no finish, so I expect no stickiness and smooth playing.

Will likely have to borrow the neck off the single pickup Cabronita, until the custom ordered neck gets built. 5-6 weeks is a long time to wait. This neck was a “Fat-Back” that I reshaped into my hybrid 1960 Roundback.

I still need to order some small parts like knobs, strap buttons, and a neck plate as well as tuners.

Considering the quality, this is a cheap guitar, but custom in every way using all top shelf parts. Pretty much a bargain.

Cal
 
Cal, your cheap custom guitar sounds like many of my projects. I told my friend Graham yesterday that because I’m patient with projects like bikes, cameras, typewriters, I never do anything just good enough. My 1981 Miyata 610 is not a special frameset in any way, just a 4130 tubeset that happens to fit and ride great for me. I got it for $25 back in 2011 and over the years I slowly built it up to a full Suntour Superbe (with Cyclone GT touring derailleur) bike that is spec’d like a racing bike from 1980. I could easily take all the components and they would be perfectly at home on a 3Rensho racing bike, but I stick with the mid-range Miyata because it just fits and rides great.
I did a similar thing to my cargo bike; took all the old worn stock components off and kept the bones, then I built up a set of wheels with dual piston disc brakes, Rhyno Lite rims, and stuck on an old Specialized crankset. I often do this, especially if something is a machine that I am going to use. You’ve often said that cheap goods are always more expensive than the top shelf stuff and I totally agree.
This translates into other hobbies of mine and things which I use on a regular basis. Another example are the shocks and struts in my little Fiesta that we bought a year ago. Those were newly replaced by the dealer shortly before purchase (factory parts) and they need to be replaced now. Meanwhile, my same friend I mentioned earlier said he just replaced the shocks on his BMW and his Honda Fit. The Bilsteins in the BMW lasted him 12 years, and the factory shocks/struts in the Honda lasted just under 2 years. I have Bilsteins in the 72 Benz and when it worked, there was no rattling in the suspension. I’ll be upgrading the Fiesta’s shocks and struts to Bilstein B6 all around and then won’t have to think about them for years.
We get what we pay for and the most expensive things are always the cheapest.
Phil Forrest
 
Phil,

I avoid cheap crap from China. I can say this and not be racist because I’m of Chinese descent.

My JUKI commercial sewing machine was one of the last models still made in Japan. Later models are built in China. Not the same quality, and not built to last a lifetime.

Also nothing wrong with old Rock Shox Judy’s.

My neighbor John has the expression, “One and done.”

How cool is it that I still have and own the first Oakley glasses from back in the day. Had prescription lenses made for them. How retro is that?

Part of me is a hoarder, and I also see value and quality in the old stuff. That old Sun Tour stuff surely was quality and durable.

Did you ever utilize the 8-speed Dura-Ace STI shifters? Those shifters are mighty great, so smooth that I wondered if I actually shifted. Pretty much the same quality of the all metal and bearings 8 speed XTR For off road: bomb proof.

In my neighborhood is a black Audi A4 like mine, except it is from 2005 instead of 2015. The engine is a turbo 1.8 liter 4-banger, and my A4 has a turbo’ed 2.0 liter 4-cylinder. The 2005 still looks fresh and shinny. I can see the future of my 2015 A4 a decade out where it will still look newish.

”Spend your money once,” I say.

Although I spend a lot of money on bikes, guitars, and cameras; they all get heavily used, well some more than others, but they are not trophies, they get used.

I’m glad that I’m likely over geared and have more than I need. That is what I call true luxury and comfort, and these simple things provide me so much joy and happiness.

Looking forward not having daycare responsibilities over the next week except Wednesday. I want to buy a bench top drill press, and I have some cabinets to build. Already have the clear pine in my garage. The table saw is in my basement.

Hope to finish stripping the upstairs bathroom door, mounting the windows and trim on the She-Shed, wash the Audi, install a cedar fence along the driveway, paint the new front entrance, and redo the step onto the landing that my contractor did that is not up to my standards.

I’ll try to get some long rides in. I hope the weather cooperates. Tomorrow rain.

Also I will try and harvest lots of fallen trees nearby. Partly for clean fill and to build “water-bars” to fight erosion on my slope in the back-backyard, but also to build mobile trials obstacles so I can practice moves in my back-backyard. “Don’t tell Maggie.” My IBIS Mountain Trials is built for log hopping with a tall bottom bracket and a stout frame. Likely one of the first bikes built with oversized tubing for rigidity. Talk about sturdy, the original rigid fork is a tandem fork.

Some Trials guys loved the IBIS for doing nose wheelies. I want these skills…

Cal
 
Update is the Cabronita body will be delivered Tuesday instead of Wednesday.

Overall though it will be a waiting game to get all the parts. Remember the neck is a 5-6 week lead time.

Kinda funny though at the Warmoth site that they have stockpiles of necks, and they kinda overdo their standard thin necks. Kind of makes no sense to overproduce and have such excess inventory. Meanwhile variety is stifled. KInda shows a herd mentality, even though they promote “custom” builds.

Meanwhile TV Jones actually builds me a custom pickup the way I spec’ed it. They have another low output pickup that does not have the string spacing i want and need that does not have a saturated wax potting to prevent squeal and feedback. Since I intend to do the “plug and play” and want/need the open airy dynamics with a more pronounced bass, I figure I will carry over this feature over to my Classic Pickups that have a slightly higher output and the string spacing I require. How cool is that?

Might have to wait 7-10 days for the pickups to be built, and then there is shipping.

Anyways, a way of celebrating paying my taxes is gifting myself something nice.

Last night I ran into Danny, the guy I bought the 1966 Chevy C-10 from. He bought a 1967 Chevelle with a big block and Muncie 4-speed. Evidently he passed my house to get the front seat padding changed at the Hot Rod Hotel up the hill. Did not know they were a restoration location, I thought only vehicle storage.

I revealed that my truck remains as is stored in the garage awaiting both time and money. The moral of the story is be patient with good things, because nothing good comes from being impatient.

Wish “Maggie” understood that part of being a creative and an artist is to just let things fall into place.

So my friend at Con Ed who left me a cubic yard of clean fill, advised me that because I have the dual hookup in my basement, that it should work in my favor to easily get a larger meter when they move my meter for free.

I talked with my across the street neighbor, and pretty much he is friends with the supervisor. His meter was moved to the exterior, and upgraded to a size that will enable him to convert from oil heating to gas heating. How cool is that?

So it looks like I am on a similar path with a free upgrade. The supervisor already knows I need a larger meter for the generator, and usually I would have to have Con Ed do the upgrade on my coin, but it seems like I can get the upgrade I need for free and save money.

How cool is that?

Good things I allow to happen because I’m a lazy slacker who does not get stressed out.

Cal
 
Somehow I got a refund of $406.00 for Cobra insurance I paid last year. They say I overpaid. I’ll take it.

Today we drove to Woodstock to attend a literary panel about personal essay writing, featuring some heavy hitter writers.

Many of you know I was a serious writer who got his MFA in 2005 because September 11th unsettled me. I had all this unresolved grief and wrote a screenplay about a guy who lost his mother twice: once to mental illness; then upon her death. The story is about closure, and family dysfunction.

I also wrote a memoir that was really sad and disturbing.

My screenplay got some recognition, but didn’t win the cigar. Second place, honorable mentions, but not what I needed to move forward…

Then with my non fiction writing I kinda made the big time by getting a story approved by a powerful editor at the Hudson Review which would of changed my life, but later in the process it got rejected by a review board and canned.

Another big deal was getting on a short list to attend Breadloaf Writer’s Conference. In this conference you basically have to be invited and only about 235 get to attend. The people who get to attend basically meet face to face with editors, publishers, and agents so they kinda bypass the “gatekeeping” that keeps people under the radar.

So I have been like John Goodman, who was nominated for Emmy Awards 7-8 times, but never got one. When asked about the lost possibility after the Roseanne scandal, he said something to the effect that if it hasn’t happened by now it never will, and I’m cool with that.

More than a decade has passed, and really now that all that time has passed, I have become a better writer. Not only that the screenplay was still kinda a rough draft and not really polished; the same for the memoir, it was still just a draft.

So I learned today that “time is the best editor” and pretty much old writing gets reviewed, revised, updated, and rewritten into something more refined over a long period of time for these writers. Also they wished they could rewrite, revise, and update writing that was published.

I often said that time is the best editor about photography also.

Pretty much fresh eyes, and over time you become a different person.

In my mind I did have the thought of rewriting my screenplay and memoir now that I’m retired. Also the thought of presenting non-fiction as fiction to protect the guilty might be in order. Pretty much “Maggie” set me up, although this panel discussion was of interest to her.

This venue sold out early, and the art center that sponsored it held about 150 people. Woodstock is an old hippy town so we kinda fit right in. 1969 is somewhat frozen in time.

I also like that Woodstock is only about an hour and 20 minutes away, and most of the driving is on either the interstate or the New York Thruway. Route 9 is just a country road that is a nice cruise.

Woodstock is a nice village, and it was pretty easy to meet people. Not so far from Kingston the river city.

I have a lot to think about. Do I want to become a writer? Pretty much my memoir made me whole again, so I could cope with my loses and move forward.

Cal
 
Just what I need, when I’m retired: another job.

Don’t forget that after June daycare ends, and then our agent will be getting to work for real. We already passed up a gig/trip to South Korea…

I retired thinking I would be able to relax, daycare is like a full time job that also now most of the time is a 12 hour day. Then there is modeling, and now maybe writing.

Know too that my agent has inquired about my photography, and that she also represents musicians and photographers. The problem for me here is the loss of creative control, so I keep others away.

Cal
 
I like the concept that "time is the best editor," and I agree it can apply to photography. And in my case, I find that the way I processed images years ago is very different than how I would process them today. I'm not sure whether that's due to changes in my post-processing skills, changes in tools (Lightroom -> Capture One), or evolving taste. But I wish I had the time to go back and re-edit all of my old photos.
 
David,

My friend John says one of the best assets is a trained eye.

Even though I have not wet printed in decades (in art school I was a very-very good printer) I’m pretty sure I could make a better print today.

Skills take time to develop, and as time goes on we become different people, then there is “fresh eyes.”

When I performed extensive street shooting in NYC I did not know or understand why I was so obsessed. I was called out and compared to Garry Winogran because I shot film with a total disregard to printing. Back then film was cheap: rebranded Tri-X for $2.89 a roll, and close dated rebranded Acros for $1.89. 120 was about $4.00-$5.00 a roll. At my peak I was shooting 150 rolls of film a month, pretty insane…

So now I have an archive of a disappearing NYC, where they tore down old buildings and built high rises. Much of the old New York was destroyed.

This obsession kinda began around the time of the housing crisis, and somehow I knew back then I would eventually have to leave NYC. My shooting was a goodbye, but also a way to have a sense of home. Understand we were gentrifies who made the banks, land lords, and real estate professionals lots of money. We gentrified Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Long Island City, and even East Harlem.

My idea was that I could always print later…

Cal
 
Morning Cal,

New to Me 1000mm F16 Apo Ronar by Nokton48, on Flickr

This lens has been on my Radar for decades. The Rodenstock 1000mm F16 Apo Ronar will be fitted to my 8x10 Sinar Norma for Telescopic large format photography. It will be an interesting project to get this into service. It will need to be supported at the front and the back of the lens. Two tripods will be required. I've had the 760mm F11 Apo Ronar for quite a while but this new lens goes to the next level

reinhart wolfe - Google Search

www.google.com

See here. If you look in the back of his coffee table book "CASTLES IN SPAIN" you will see this lens on his 8x10 Norma. Well, it could be his lens! Wolfe photographed Architectural Fascias as if they were human faces, in beautiful light.

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

760mm F14 Rodenstock Apo Ronar Rock Solid Sinar Norma Mount, built from Norma Parts Box Stuff. This 760mm F14 is the Iddy Biddy Little Brother of the 1000mm F16 Apo Ronar that is on the way. Shown with Norma Shutter #6 ready to go. This is going to work perfectly. I'll also do this same thing with the bigger lens
 
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