Darkroom Update

We are getting very close to having a completed, functional darkroom. The electrical is completed and all of the plugs and lights work great. I’m running off of a solar panel system - it’s called an EcoFlow. Great unit! The ceiling is insulated and drywall is completed. That’s a big job for two people to complete. We did end up getting a drywall lift, A 4’ x 8’ piece of drywall is a big piece to hold over your head almost 9’ - not happening. So, I’m glad we took an extra day to drive to the nearest (bigger) town to rent that piece of equipment. I’ll do another update soon, for now, we’re really close to being finished!

Wiring, Insulation and Drywall Next

Door framed and ceiling joists going in.

It’s a large darkroom. Bigger than my previous darkrooms. It will be my last (I think) so I went big!

We’ve had very good weather here. Highs in the 60s (15-20C) and mostly sunny. Very nice working weather. We’re getting ready to do some electrical work today and finish the ceiling joists in the darkroom. Then we’ll finish insulating and then paint it. Only a week or two left, depending on how many days we take off to do other things. We still have to put our gate up (Ghost Controls) and close the greenhouse.

A few more goodies from the greenhouse before we close it down for the winter. Next year will be amazing. We learned a lot about what grows up here and how to do it.

I think we may start shutting the greenhouse down today. Not completely, but the tomato, squash, cauliflower all can be culled. We are going to compost the plant (remains) and soil for next year. We’re starting a large compost bin that we can add to and use from year to year. Next spring, we’ll build two raised beds for the greenhouse and have some floor space for potted plants. It really surprised me how well everything did this year considering we had a late start and all. We learned a lot and even got to reap quite a lot of vegetables. I can’t even imagine what next year will bring.

The Studio and Darkroom Coming Along...

We’ve been working on getting the darkroom built. I had to wait for the lumber delivery because I ordered some long 2x4s and a bunch of sheetrock - 32 sheets. I didn’t want to make two or three trips to Colorado Springs, Colorado - 2 hours plus for each trip, so I had it delivered. It worked out well.

Tomorrow, we’ll stand the front wall with the turn-door or darkroom spin door in it and put the top plate on all the way around the structure. We have to put 20 sheets of drywall in the room before we stand the last wall as well as my darkroom sinks. We can’t fit that in through the door or studded walls.

I’m really excited to have this up and running. I have so many experiments to run and processes to test for my next project. I’m in search of the PERFECT NEGATIVE, or the process to make it. I also want to share on my YouTube channel what these look like in real life.

I’ll be working almost full-time in 2022 on the “Red Earth” work. Other than some knife-work. I would like to get a nice piece of that project completed next year. This darkroom (and studio) will allow me to do that. I will have some very unique plates from it too. I plan to make OIL ON GLASS (with some color), so they will be Whole Plate (6.5” x 8.5”) glass plates made with the negative and the Rawlins Oil Printing process. I want to frame them with Ponderosa Pine from our property. They should be very unique and very beautiful. Stay tuned! Some really great stuff coming!

Three of the four walls up and some insulation in!

We have beautiful weather right now. Great for working in.

The Making of Trevor's Knife October 2021

Hello, Trevor,
Your grandfather commissioned me to make you a custom blade. I wanted to share the process with you. Some still photos and some videos are below. This is a 5 - 1/2” Damascus Skinner (blade side - a little over 9” total) Damascus steel blade. Damascus steel is made by stacking different high carbon steel together and forge welding them. This is 1084 and 15N20 steel. When you etch the blade in Ferric Chloride, the pattern of the weld shows. It’s really beautiful and very strong.

Stacked and welded steel ready for the forge.

16 layers of 1084 and 15N20 stacked and cut four times about 200+ layers after it’s finished. It’s. a long process.

16 layers of 1084 and 15N20 stacked and cut four times about 200+ layers after it’s finished. It’s. a long process.

The billet is put into the forge. It will “soak” for 15 minutes or so before I set the weld.

The billet is put into the forge. It will “soak” for 15 minutes or so before I set the weld.

It’s getting hot. This is probably in the neighborhood of 1800F

It’s getting hot. This is probably in the neighborhood of 1800F

The initial forge weld is set - it welded all of the 16 layers together. This billet will be cut and forged welded four or five times. The final billet will be about 12” long and 1/4” thick. Then, I’ll start the forging of the knife.

The initial forge weld is set - it welded all of the 16 layers together. This billet will be cut and forged welded four or five times. The final billet will be about 12” long and 1/4” thick. Then, I’ll start the forging of the knife.

My method is to forge the blade to the shape I want and then refine it on the grinder. I have a TW-90 Grinder, it’s specifically made for knife making and allows me to get exactly what I want in shape, thickness, bevels, etc.

My method is to forge the blade to the shape I want and then refine it on the grinder. I have a TW-90 Grinder, it’s specifically made for knife making and allows me to get exactly what I want in shape, thickness, bevels, etc.

This is after the initial grind. I used a 36 grit belt and a 400 grit belt to get here. I call this a modified CLIP POINT SKINNER BLADE. It’s a unique and custom style of blade. I make traditional knives, but I prefer to do custom designs like this.

This is after the initial grind. I used a 36 grit belt and a 400 grit belt to get here. I call this a modified CLIP POINT SKINNER BLADE. It’s a unique and custom style of blade. I make traditional knives, but I prefer to do custom designs like this.

I’ve made the rough layout for the scales (handle) and pins. This is sitting on the Black Walnut wood that I will make the handle out of - a perfect fit. This will be a beautiful blade! When I etch it in Ferric Chloride, you’ll see the Damascus pattern - about 200+ layers of 1084 and 15N20 high carbon steel. More on that later.

I’ve made the rough layout for the scales (handle) and pins. This is sitting on the Black Walnut wood that I will make the handle out of - a perfect fit. This will be a beautiful blade!
When I etch it in Ferric Chloride, you’ll see the Damascus pattern - about 200+ layers of 1084 and 15N20 high carbon steel. More on that later.

I heat treated the blade today. I kept the handle and spine “soft” it helps with shock and impact. I’ll temper the blade before I finish all of the grinding. I stamped my maker’s mark on the blade (it’s a star with a Q in the center), drilled holes for the scales/handle and cut the black walnut material to size. I go to see some of the pattern when I was heat treating - absolutely gorgeous! I’ll be sure to do a deep etch on it. The pin stock is brass and when I have the grind to a 220 grit, I’ll do the glue-up on the scales. That’s next.

I heat treated the blade today. I kept the handle and spine “soft” it helps with shock and impact. I’ll temper the blade before I finish all of the grinding. I stamped my maker’s mark on the blade (it’s a star with a Q in the center), drilled holes for the scales/handle and cut the black walnut material to size. I go to see some of the pattern when I was heat treating - absolutely gorgeous! I’ll be sure to do a deep etch on it. The pin stock is brass and when I have the grind to a 220 grit, I’ll do the glue-up on the scales. That’s next.

Our Fire, Garden, and Food (Our Diet)

Greetings! I hope this note finds you happy and healthy. We are doing well. We still have nice weather up here (and will for a while). It’s cooling off at night high 30sF(3C) low 40sF(8C) and sunny during the day and 70F (21C). We had a really beautiful summer and a great start to Autumn.

Our Kuma Tamarack wood-burning stove - breaking it in! September 23, 2021

Our Kuma Tamarack wood-burning stove - breaking it in! September 23, 2021

We sold our other property up here this week. We lived in it while we built this place. We are on our final projects before winter on our property. I’m starting the build-out in the studio building. I’m building a darkroom (18’ wide and 10’ deep). The rest of the area will be studio space and areas for processing prints. We’re putting up a solar-powered gate (12’) on the entrance of our property, too. The system is called, “Ghost Controls” - it will be convenient and secure our property. Sometimes, you get people hunting or looking for property and they just drive down any dirt road to see “what’s there”. We’ve only had it happen once or twice. This will be a great solution all the way around.

Our garden is providing us some food. It’s really nice. to walk to the greenhouse and pick your favorite vegetables to eat. They taste so much better than anything at the store! Jeanne and I have been eating a very low carbohydrate diet and only eat once a day (OMAD) - One Meal A Day. This allows us to “fast” for about 18-20 every day. Your body starts a process called autophagy and repairs or heals itself from any damage. You also drop blood sugar very low, eliminating insulin and inflammation. All very healthy things for your body. We’ve been doing this for a few years. No sugar, high-fat, and medium protein. 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrates (the good ones). No processed foods - no cans or boxes. Fresh vegetables, fresh (organic) grass-fed meat, etc. We drink water and coffee (espresso). An example of a meal we eat; Bratwurst, two fresh tomatoes (from our greenhouse), a mozzarella cheese “chip” and horseradish sauce and spicy mustard. And, of course, a double shot espresso with heavy whipping cream. Jeanne and I haven’t eaten out at a restaurant or had a meal outside of our home in many years - many 5 years or so - long before COVID. It’s a great way to save money and a lot more healthy.

Fresh tomatoes (beef steak) and cucumbers from the greenhouse today.

Fresh tomatoes (beef steak) and cucumbers from the greenhouse today.

Bratwurst, Beef Steak Tomatoes, Cheese Chip, Sauces, and an Espresso Drink - a typical meal for us.

Bratwurst, Beef Steak Tomatoes, Cheese Chip, Sauces, and an Espresso Drink - a typical meal for us.

We are “breaking in” our wood-burning stove. Super nice! They need to be conditioned before you burn a big fire in them every day. You start with a small fire, then a medium, and then a big one! It cures the paint and gaskets. We’ll be ready for winter! See photo above!

Garage In a Box

Have you ever heard of a “Garage In a Box”? Neither had I. We are using the “real” garage (attached the house) as a bladesmith/blacksmith forge and shop/wood shop. It’s almost 700 square feet and felt it was a waste of space to park the truck in. So what was the solution? The Garage in a Box!

It’s 12’ x 20’ x 8’ (3,66 x 6,0 x 2,4 meters) or 240 square feet. Plenty big enough for our truck and eventually an ATV. These are very popular for rural places where you have a lot of land and maybe want to park your tractor or RVs out of the weather but don’t want to build another building.

We got the frame put together today. We’re excited to get the “skin” on it and finish it in the next few days.

We found an excellent, fairly level, spot for it. Not far from the house.

We found an excellent, fairly level, spot for it. Not far from the house.

It faces east and west and will resist the weather north and south.

It faces east and west and will resist the weather north and south.

The house looks farther away than it really is - easy access from the road and going around the place. Everything is still easily accessible.

The house looks farther away than it really is - easy access from the road and going around the place. Everything is still easily accessible.

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