There are few things, if any, in this world that are as enjoyable as spending time with my family. When I speak of spending time, I don’t mean sitting in the living room watching TV and not speaking to each other. When I can lever my tired butt up and get moving, I find it worthwhile just to actually turn off the TV and DO something. Usually getting started is just a matter of inertia. Put my wife and kids in the mix and it changes from time wasted to time treasured. It may be as simple as playing a silly word game or cards at the kitchen table, or as involved as getting outside and going camping, hunting, fishing, or skiing.

I look back and my heart aches at the missed opportunities to spend time with my boys. I can sit in the corner and cry about it or I can make sure I don’t miss any more time. My hobby’s and interests get put on hold for time with my family unless I can involve them. I am not a martyr, I do this because that time with my family is worth more to me, its not a sacrifice.

Enough of my maundering (meaningful as I feel it is) and on to the point. It wasn’t easy but I forced myself to get moving, pull gear together, brave the overcast chill weather, and take my youngest fishing this last Sunday.

It was super. We climbed around rocks, and waded into the chilly water when the stream bank wasn’t working out. I taught him to use a spinning real instead of his old zebco and he did an outstanding job with it. I caught no fish, but he did catch a nice smallmouth.

All too soon it was time to go. Like his father he wanted to try just one more spot. Daddy knows where that leads- and entire day can disappear trying just one more spot, so we left. We will be back. Or we willl be somewhere else …together. Hopefully, we can get his big brothers to go and maybe even my wife.

I felt like crud last night so I wasn’t going to grind knives. I went to my shop figuring I would work on the endlinks for my Seiko 6309. I cut the piece I was working on from the big section of stainless barstock to allow me to start fitting it to the watch. I ground the width down so it fit between the lugs. Then I ground off a lot of excess hanging on the bottom. (This all was not a rapid process.)

Hand fitting it to the watch, it is starting to look recognizable. I took it to another grinder with a smaller wheel to get the radius to fit the watch case of my 6309. Back to the big wheel to finish the radius. Its getting small now and hard to hold onto, especially when it starts to heat up.

Zip! What was that? It was the endlink popping out of my hand, off the spinning grinder wheel and off to somewhere unknown. I tore my shop apart two and one half times looking for this piece but no joy. Crap! Crap! Crap! Oh well, I feel like grinding on my Custom Bottomfeeder knives now.

By the way, as I got undressed for bed I heard something drop on the carpet. Of course, I think no way. Sure enough it is the endlink I had looked everywhere for. Somehow it must have lodged on/behind my belt. More to follow.

Well I cannot explain the attraction to watches, but I cannot deny it either. Anyway, I have beadblasted my Seiko 6309 and installed a domed crystal so it is really starting to grab some attention. I really want some solid endlinks for my oyster bracelet though. Noah Fuller and Yobokies from the SCWF have been helpful and have some kickin parts, but no joy on the solid endlinks for a 6309.

That means I do it myself. I started last night from a bar of solid stainles. This is going to be slow work let me tell you. The end result will hopefully make it worthwhile. Pics to follow.

Or maybe not. I took a picture with my camera phone and needless to say it was lousy. I will take better pictures as I proceed.

I made a little progress this weekend - in spite of having to rewire my disc sander when it decided to go belly up. These are almost ready for heat treat. I just need to clean up the grinds a bit with 220 grit, drill the holes for the handle slabs and these custom Bottomfeeders will be good to go. Should have them back in about a week from heat treat.

This is the first time I have really done a “batch” instead of one by one. I was trying to build some inventory but three out of these five are already sold. I am going to have to kick it up a notch or two. They are 5/32″ thick ATS34 stainless steel with two serrated thumb rests on the spine. Going to try and keep up with the progress pics on these.

Here is the bar of ATS34 with the pattern drawn ready for cutting on the bandsaw.

And here they are rough cut from the bar and ready for profiling on the grinder.

If you don’t buy those expensive polycarbonate battery carriers or even the small Pelican case (unless you buy a bunch they still roll around)for your CR123’s you wind up tossing them loose into a baggy or into your bag. That is a real pain, both when you are looking for them or looking for something else. You can tape them together but the tape usually comes loose or all of the adhesive sticks to the batteries - not good.

You know I hate to give my training partner George ‘Mercop’ Matheis any credit because that big Charlie Brown looking head of his is big enough. However, I must admit he does have his flashes of inspiration. So he says to me says George, “You should make a battery holder out of kydex that holds CR123’s.” Now I know that George considers that comment to be the design phase, so he will take credit for designing these, but I do think it is a good idea. I am still working on design alternatives, but so far I think it is pretty cool. I am working on molds so that I can really crank these out economically, but ensure they hold the batteries securely without rattling around, and are still easy to remove.

Maybe yes, maybe no. In addition to old maxims such as “what you do in training you do in reality” and “its doing the basics well that makes you good” (I do not remember who said it- it wasnt me) is the fact that if you haven’t trained recently (and often) then you haven’t trained. This will apply to any self defense training and possibly other areas as well. For today I am not pointing fingers at anyone else but myself.After hunting all my life, West Point, and 6 1/2 hears in the Army I can shoot a rifle tolerably well. I am no pistol guru, no way no how. I am trying to improve. To that end I go to my training partner George “Mercop” Matheis. The last time I trained with him he was able to help me improve immensely. Probably largely due to how lousy I was. The problem is, in spite of our best intentions it has been way too long since that training.

When I recently tried to show someone else one of the drills I learned it was woefully apparent how long it had been. I made two major mistakes. Number one was, as mentioned, it had been too long since I had trained or practiced. Number two, I used a weapon I was not familiar with.

This weekend, my two oldest sons wanted to go to the range bless their redblooded American hearts. I walk them through all of the range procedures and training in spite of having been through it before. (Remember West Point /Army) It also allowed me to walk through MY practice and training. By the end of the day when I ran through the same drill I had tried to show someone else a couple of months ago the results were markedly different. Lets just say I did not embarass myself in front of my sons.

Does this mean I don’t need my training partner George? Not by any means, if anything, I am looking forward to it more than ever. If it takes a while though I will be at the range with my boys practicing “the basics”. So if you haven’t trained or practiced lately, then you aren’t trained, so get out there. Maybe I will see you on the range.

I thought I had beaten this dirty addiction….. The look in my kids eyes when they realize Dad just bought some again. I really thought I had passed through the fire and come out the other side shaken but clean. I now realize that isn’t the case and I have to admit that I am at risk to fall back into that bottomless pit of…….. watches.

I mean come on, how many can you wear, right? I even swore I would never do this. I don’t even have the excuse of being drawn to Panerai, Rolex , or other really high end watches. I am drawn, but not like I am to the common everyday Seiko and Citizen watches.

The wretchedness has even drawn me to tear them apart and modify them. Feverishly with complete disregard I work in the wee hours of the morning when I should be in bed. Wondering if my wife or kids will wake and catch me. I am lost , lost I tell you. When I think no one is looking I can be found lurking at SCWF and other sites.

What do I reach for every day? The Seiko 6309. It might be the original shiny 6309 on a jubilee bracelet. My EDC though, is the 6309 on an oyster bracelet. Of course I had to beadblast it all. All of a sudden I HAD to install the domed 6105 crystal. I just ordered an engraved minute bezel insert for it. Even now I hear it crying out for a modified dial and hands with bright lume (Oh what I wouldn’t give for set of USN dial and hands). Perhaps then it will stop….. Oooh, look at those 007 s just languishing in the drawer.

Then again, like I tell me ever patient wife “Hey, I could be out drinking and chasing loose women.”

(Please note that although this post is done tongue in cheek, it is not intended to make fun of those poor souls that may be suffering from substance abuse and true debilitating addictions. Although I have my own issues Thank God that isnt one of them.)

You can build up the grip later after cutout, but I feel its easier to build it now and then cut to shape. One, it gives more flat area to clamp for gluing and Two, it makes the shaping easier. So go ahead and glue a one or more blocks of wood on the grip on the belly side of the grip. You can even put one on the back side its personal preference. Ensure the belly side build up extends over the area where you drew cutout lines and will taper into the limbs. Remember though whatever you glue on will need to be cut and shaped at some point.

This is a chance to be creative as you can add different types and colors of wood here. You can even match this combination at the tips if you so desire.

Now if you have your board or more properly, bow stave, you are ready to start. The bow design can vary greatly, but if you have chosen a 1×2 as suggested you have already whittled down your choices a bit. A good rule of thumb for the length will be the height of the individual who will shoot the bow. Don’t get wound up on being exact but err on the side of an extra couple of inches longer rather than shorter.

The grip can be centered , or the arrow rest can be centered which will lower the grip just a bit. I prefer to center the rest. Mark the center of the bow length, then measure down for the grip or handle. An adult will need about 4-4.5″ of grip and a child somewhat less. Have the individual grasp a broom handle (this can change the width fo the hand) and measure the hand width across the back or use a tape under the hand so you can see the measurement. Mark down from your center point on the stave. Leave about an inch extra beyond what you measured. You will have to judge grip width but be careful not to thin it out too much or the bow will bend here. Draw a line from the edge of your handle measurement sweeping up to the outside edge of the bow on all four points of the handle.

On each tip, mark a center line. Mark one quarter inch on either side of the center line. This gives a half inch wide tip. Measure from the edge of the handle to the end of the top limb. (For example 24″) Now divide that by 3 (gives you 8″) and measure that distance down from each tip (this same length on both ends) and mark a line across the full width of the board. This will be where your limb tapers in width. Mark a line from the edge of the board where the line is across the width to the end of the board where you made your tip measurements. Do the same on the other side. Now do the same on the other end or limb. Now your bow is laid out and your are ready to cut it to rough shape.