Painting Nails

When you need a glossy green coat of paint with sparkles where do you buy paint? We shop the finger nail polish aisle! Surprisingly green was not a color in very many shades. But when you find one named Go Go Green, it just screams to be a pinewood derby car topcoat.
At first I tried airbrushing it on but couldn't achieve a glossy finish because it dried too fast. So armed with a lot of patience and the tiny applicator brush included with the bottle cap, we HAND PAINTED the little green monster. And with nearly half a bottle left over there is plenty for the entire pit crew to color coordinate on race day.

Sandman

Part of the fun of the AWANA Grand Prix is working with the kids. Some dads do all the work but I prefer to have the kids do as much as possible. I keep them away from the power tools and knives but the job of sanding is all theirs. Staple the paper to a couple pieces of scrap wood and send them off. I tell them to sand until they're happy with it. The girl has sanded her car for a week. It's SMOOTH.
This is the rough cut shape partway through the sanding process.
The boy's won't be so smooth since he has less patience :)

2009 Prototypes

Once again, the AWANA Grand Prix is here and thankfully, the kids have picked out easier projects. For anyone new to the idea of the Grand Prix (also known as a pine wood derby) the goal is to build the fasted or best-looking car. We are required to use the wood, wheels and axels that come with the kit but can modify the body in any way. My kids usually start with a Hot Wheels car to emulate. Some turned out better than others did, and only a couple times was I able to talk them into a unique design.

Here are this year's prototypes:

The girl chose this little green gem from her personal collection. She even picked numbers "00" so it will match. Obviously, I have another tail fin to construct.

The young man selected this sleek road monster. It has a simple shape despite all the added extras. He does not seem as excited about the race this year especially since I am having him do more of the work. The glamor is not worth hours of sanding.

More articles coming soon!

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Just Big Enough

I love how our Honda minivan is just big enough for a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Fold down the back seat and remove the two middle seats, throw all the junk into the front seat and you can slide a sheet on plywood right in, barely.

The Mrs has this "antique" cardboard Santa Claus that she wanted mounted onto some sort of wood so that he can stand up without damage to the flimsy cardboard. So today I braved the Black Friday crowds and went to Lowe's to pick up a backing board for Santa. I chose a 1/4" 4'x4' Birch panel with really nice grain and just a couple small knots. I also picked up a 4x8 sheet of aforementioned plywood for the ongoing racetrack project.
And since Santa required some delicate cutting, he picked out an early Christmas present of a new jig saw! My old one would knock your false teeth out if the blade didn't fall out first. The new one is a basic Black and Decker with no bells or whistles but it worked beautifully.
With Santa's backing traced and cut, I spent a couple hours hand sanding the edges. Finally a quick coat of spray adhesive and he was pressed into place. Imagine Santa's surprise coming down the chimney and finding himself waving back!

Needing Attention

It had to happen sooner or later. My total lack of blogging, or more to the point my lack of working on the house, has caused it to pout. There have been little things, hints at needing attention but I chose to ignore the broken sash weight by propping the upper sash into place with a stick. Weeds are now buried under leaves needing to be raked. But there is no ignoring the dryer that refuses to heat up - especially since I'm wearing my last clean (and dry) pair of underwear. Yes, it seems one of the thermostats has blown preventing the heating coil from activating. Somehow, cold air just does not dry clothes as well.
This is the second time I've replaced the thermostat. The first was justified as the Mrs thought cleaning out the lint trap was optional. You might recall a fellow blogger came with an Ohm meter to help identify the errant part. This time I tried a more daring approach. THIS IS FOR TESTING ONLY!!! Do not ever bypass safety equipment. Dry clothes are nice but not at the expense of burning down the house.
After turning off the breaker, I removed the cover panel. Then one at a time I took one of the red power wires off each thermostat and alligator clipped it to the opposing wire, effectively bypassing the trip switch. First was the one on the exhaust. Pop the power back on and start up the dryer. No heat. Replace those wires and move to the coil switch. Nope, still no heat. But the final check brought results. With it bypassed, the heater kicked right on.
I called a couple local big box stores, but no one carries parts. Last time I ordered replacements from PC Appliance Repair but this time I went with Appliance Care Store. No real reason other than they were $3 cheaper. We'll see how fast the parts arrive. Hopefully it will be soon or I might need to run to the store for a package of clean undies!