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Post by kk on Apr 21, 2017 10:36:46 GMT -5
Kurt thst is awesomeness!!! You are a great architect and desighner! Nahhh, not really. Just implementing what our father (a lifelong traditional carpenter) told us as we grew up. "If its functional and you are happy with the look, you are 98% there. Now see how you can improve it a little to get the other 2%". Today, he is most likely smiling if not laughing from above high, at all the mistakes I made/make, because I never really seemed to pay attention, but somehow, I strongly belief that he is guiding my hands and mind throughout this project. Undertaking a functional project like this, I think, would make him proud, as he himself had done many such projects under primitive conditions in our home-region, the eastern end of the Austrian Alps. Yes James: Many speculants around here. Not for the pleasure that can be had, but driven by pure greed.Prices here in the countryside have gone through the stratosphere, yet there seems to be no shortage of stupid people willing to pay those prices continuing to drive the whole market even higher.
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Post by kk on Apr 20, 2017 20:20:21 GMT -5
Kurt you are a true craftsman with a heart of gold. You deserve this bit of paradise. Congratulations!! Thank you all, but it does have self-serving elements to it too...... Yes it is a gift on many levels. The opportunity in itself: Because the owners own the land, rather than usually only the property on it, those places are rarely on the market. They are handed down within families over generations. The owner of this property, is getting old, and his son rarely comes to Hong Kong, so while he is not going to sell, we found a common cause: he wants it in a good state and keep it as inheritance for his son, and I in return for the upkeep, I can use it till that happens. Last time I met him and showed the pictures, I think we did the job, beyond his original expectations, for what has already been done. Its a matter of pride too, I must admit. Its a very exclusive club up there, where while you are surrounded by a lot of money/well known names (old families that originally played big roles in creating Hong Kong (early 19hundreds) into what it is today), no-one flashes their wealth, AND you can not buy into this club regardless how much money you have. So, being able to be part of that, in exchange for repairs on a shoestring budget, is a one off opportunity that will not come along again. Cost thus far: About 800$, two pairs of shoes, and 30 pounds of fat...... Rewards: Being in nature, and seeing family and friends enjoy themselves; priceless!
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Post by kk on Apr 20, 2017 11:11:40 GMT -5
Thank you all for your kind assessment.
Its a fun project. A puzzle that keep changing and adding pieces.
But the greatest fun is seeing other people being able to enjoy the results with you.
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Post by kk on Apr 20, 2017 3:33:51 GMT -5
No dogs allowed? Not even on a leash? Must be a catperson making up those rules!
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Post by kk on Apr 20, 2017 1:08:14 GMT -5
Not much has happened really, was able to put all fixed windows into place But,..... then it was a race to get the cabin ready for Easter BBQ Storage/second bed filled up quickly with bedding, tents and mats. Wifey, came up for the first time, for a test-nap.... Weather is quite unpredictable. Its spring after all. Often its nice at sea-level, but up here we are in the clouds. Its hard now to get sunrise pictures, that thing rises now a full hour earlier from just over a month ago. Last minute preparation was to get the BBQ ready. Luckily it worked very well. Absolute last minute preparation was getting a temporary toilet into a designated area going. So with the others underway coming up, I screwed a box together, and put it in a somewhat hidden place. Then had my daughter test-sit for stability and size. A throne with a view, and remarkably good WiFi reception. What housewarming would be complete with a few personal finishing touches, My childhood blanket is already here since Christmas, now add a calendar showing the mountain-ranges from home, and a cross given to us from my brothers daughter in law. Then it was finally time to receive visitors and do the things that this whole project is all about; relax, eat, drink, have fun,..... That table never emptied in a good 24 hours. In the end we still needed to bring food back into the valley after giving doggie-bags to all comers to ensue they did not have to cook dinner upon returning home ( we where 12 people, but I prepared for up to twenty, just in case of unexpected last minute comers). One of the reasons why I wanted this to happen last weekend is my son. After trying for nearly 8 years, he got accepted at Cathay Pazific Airlines, and is going the day after tomorrow to Adelaide to cadet-school for 13 months on his way to become a pilot. So that was the last chance for a gathering of all family members for a long while. Weather was fabolous. Morning fog,.... That quickly turned.... And roasted all of us. So many re-purposed the bed for cooler air and getting out of the sun....... And a wonderful temperate evening, with everyone using their tents From here on out, still lots of work to be done: Window-partitions that can be opened and Inner door are next to seal the building. And then turning outwards to start repairs there........ But all that can take time. Now its about working some, and enjoying the rest as much as one can. That said, this weekend I noticed a lot of flowers that I would have not seen in my hectic just a few weeks ago. And this plant. After looking at it close up, I realize that quite a few plants up here use the same feature to extract moisture from the air in order to cover their needs for water.
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Post by kk on Mar 28, 2017 5:25:46 GMT -5
I'm trying to imagine how hard it was to get that glass up there. It sure will be an improvement, though. Too bad about the humidity and warping wood. There are quite a few pieces of old glass there, but need cleaning with thinner/terpentine. Enough to cover all the fixed partitions (hence, every window will look different in order to utilize all the sizes I got there). There will be one section in each window to open, and those are the only pieces I will have to carry, once I know the exact size needed. By now, all the frames are made, and two windows have glass in all the fixed sections mounted. Coming weekend, I plan to do the fixed sections in the remaining window, and then seal the frames into place. Put heavy things onto the cover and it straightened out. Still does not fit, so took off one panel from the bed (everything is screwed into place, so its easy to dismount and repair pretty much everything), and re-cut to facilitate the size of the cover.
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Post by kk on Mar 19, 2017 9:31:40 GMT -5
Spring is here, weather took a turn for the worse two weeks ago. Cottage is now literally in the clouds and that means constant strong wind, no sight beyond 10 yards and 100% humidity. Weather is expected to continue that way for at least several weeks. So that means its a lot of mess again. Wet and saw-dust does not make for a pretty picture. Gave the secondary bed/rat-safe storage-box a second internal coat today. Need to figure out what to do with the long cover. Since the wet weather started it seems to have expanded and does not fit any more. Now, this past week, it turned into a curve like an (. The weather now makes it clear that windows cant wait. The windows already there are nearly 3 inches too wide. So they are useless. On top of that, they don't have partitions to open, so I would not be able to secure the shutters from the inside. Never done anything like it, so pure experiment. Got some glass on location and try to utilize that for any fixed window. For the partition to be opened, I will have to buy to size when I know the exact measurements. But its slow go to the extreme, as I wanna get it right the first time round. So today, only managed one basic frame which I should be able to basically finish up on my next visit. For now, just sealed it as far as I got it today, in the hope, that this will not change too. Can only hope that the wood remains stable. All the glass for the partitions are fitted neatly with a little room to spare. After all three windows are ready, will have to figure out how to make the section that can be opened. Tricky, because it needs to open to the inside, so water runoff needs to be considered. But for now, its back to do some stones. Just about to finish up my Tasmanian Serpentine with a little Stichite And a project that gives me fits....... I'm bad and sloppy with insets, yet here I need 4 of them. If this works out, I'm sure to get a piece that will become a regular feature around my neck. Thanks for looking, Kurt
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Post by kk on Mar 19, 2017 7:20:27 GMT -5
Foredome look alikes sets can be had for a very reasonable price to start with. Upgrade when you know that this is something you really like and use often.
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Post by kk on Mar 14, 2017 20:16:19 GMT -5
Kurt, you've put a marvelous effort into this so far. You could keep in the contest with the quartz and 2 other cabs, couldn't you? IIRC the contest is for 1 cab but others making a set can be included with only the 1 being voted on. Thank you. Will see how it goes. If the asterism in the ruby works out, then maybe its worth keeping that on mind. I don't really mind either way. I just set a goal, and now working towards it. The contest gave the inspiration after wondering for a couple of years what to do with the quartz, and more than glad to show the progress here, but does not have to be a contender.
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Post by kk on Mar 14, 2017 0:53:41 GMT -5
OK, here we go. As said I'm out of the contest, yet here is the way forward. Replaced two of the stones with 3 already done earlier, and now engrave the quartz with some vines. Have to play around with the quartz as I dont know how to get 3D effect. Also, found a flatspot on the ruby that does not want to go away, so that will delay everything once more.
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Post by kk on Mar 13, 2017 21:58:29 GMT -5
Nice piece of pietersite you got there Tommy.
I'm out of the contest, as I broke the Koroit while sanding at 2000g paper (I put too much pressure on it and it snapped). The other pieces started earlier last week don't fit into the colour-sheme and I don't have the time to restart. The good news is that this will allow me to go better than planed, just not within the contest. Will continue though, but with cabs already made in the past as I really want to see it through. The quartz and ruby will stay and will add two small opals I did a few months back, plus a Chinese Pietersite that needs a final home. Its the only Pietersite that I ever managed to cut to form a near perfect Cats-eye.
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Post by kk on Mar 12, 2017 7:32:41 GMT -5
Ohh goodie, remembered this week that I cut some staffs about 3 years ago for school-drama. Dug it out and the quartz will fit perfectly. Little progress otherwise, but have the next 2 days off, so should be able to get to polish stage.
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Post by kk on Mar 7, 2017 17:04:35 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure those are unfinished So we can post progression work too? Cool! When we send the picture of the actual finished "To Be Considered for Challenge" should we label it like that or something similar? Yep, yep and yes..... Originally, years ago, contests where started with whole sets of pictures from beginning to end. For one, it was supposed to help newcomers, and second it kept the contest appearing more often and hence in peoples minds. Today, it got easier to take pictures, yet it seems we need to make it a condition to add a second picture. Yes, it went rather quickly (for me anyhow). Those are the best fit out of 7 pieces I tried. But do be reminded that the Quartz is a given shape, all the others are cutoffs from previous projects; so shaping them is a matter of an hour (for me) as I don't dop. I do everything by/in hand on the quick, and see where it goes....... Now comes the tedious part. Sanding and polish over the coming week, and then where I will spend more time than anything else; setting them into the quartz (the main reason for participating, as I need to practice cleaner lines).
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Post by kk on Mar 7, 2017 2:44:15 GMT -5
OK, I think I'm in. Quartz, with ruby (slight shiller effect), koroit and unknown (slight cats-eye), as inset. Now will have to find a staff to support the point.
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Post by kk on Mar 4, 2017 10:08:24 GMT -5
2 questions: Wand OK? if we are allowed up to 5 pieces of stone and only one cab actually goes into the vote (at least thats the way I understand it); does that mean 4 pieces could be taken from the drawer and the one up for vote is the one that has to be especially made for this?
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Post by kk on Mar 3, 2017 17:49:45 GMT -5
Sweet. Love Montanas. The sheer variety and endless possibilities for cutting them makes them one of my favorite materials.
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Post by kk on Feb 24, 2017 17:47:39 GMT -5
Looking great. Even without the heart feature, the inclusions are perfectly placed.
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Post by kk on Feb 24, 2017 17:42:33 GMT -5
Looks like an opportunity to create a perfect hideaway. Renovate the outside keeping the traditional look, and prepare the inside to your liking.
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Post by kk on Feb 22, 2017 19:52:37 GMT -5
Madagascar all the way.
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Post by kk on Feb 22, 2017 16:53:02 GMT -5
Dont know Vietnam, but Chinese markets are full with Montana look-alike from Madagascar. So its pretty safe to presume that this is where that one came from.
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