What to do! What to do!

It's been a while since I've been able to post anything here, but having acquired a job that pays pretty well and also taking extra time out of my day to commute, I haven't had much to share. And if I have something to share, I just can't seem to find the time to tell about it. So with that said, I need to get back to a fun project and reduce it s I can put a recreational enjoyment time here. I like to share my experiences with whomever chooses to read them. Why not? If it gives a reader an idea or some information they need, then that's what it's all about for me. 

So what else is the problem then? I have gotten hung up in another hobby that I need to move away from so I can get back to this one. This one requires time spent doing more enjoyable things than the one I need to get away from. But what's the hobby that's taking up my time? I've gotten back into buying stuff that will sell for a good profit on eBay. The problem here is not getting the time to get it listed and sold. It's a viscous circle! But it doesn't help that I go buy more stuff and not getting it listed.

So I'm going to say this - I'm setting a goal to get about 75 to 90 percent of the stuff sold that I've bought, as well as the things I've collected out of here so I can put some effort into spending more time out at car shows, taking vacations, and getting myself back into my photography and videography. Also, I need to get myself into building me a sweet custom ride now that I'm getting some experience working at a Machine Shop. I'm going to take that experience and put it to good use and do something I've always dreamed of doing. Now the time has come for me to get it together and push myself into the right direction. It'll also make my wife happy to see this stuff out of our home. Thanks for reading! Post a comment if you feel like giving me some encouragement. 

Mattels Exclusive rights with Ferrari are coming to an end.

Well the time has finally come for the relationship with Mattel and Ferrari to come to an end. As a long time collector of Ferrari Automobilia, I am actually not surprised that it is finally ending. I have read several posts in various places online where collectors weren't really that happy with the product Mattel was releasing in the 1:18 scale world. There are companies out there that I used to have resale accounts with when I had my Automotive Collectibles business, as well as other companies that I have collected over the years that as small companies, they out out some phenomenal product.

So with the demise of this relationship, I am in hopes of Ferrari signing some deal and getting some too notch models released by these smaller, higher quality companies to to be released. I think this will get the 1:18 collector market a good boost and it will be greatly appreciated. Why a boost! Well, I actually stopped collecting for the reason that I really wasn't happy with what was being released by Mattel. I also honestly didn't have the funds to continue my collecting hobby either. So maybe, just maybe in the future I will see what comes out and is something I just can't live without. But before I make that decision, I have a more important hobby to address. The build of my Kustom 1990 Chevy S10. That's another story to come down the line when I starts. Until then, thanks for reading my little rant. 

Missing Photos! What Happened?

So as you can see at the moment my blog is in need of some updating. Why? Well the photos I had on here are missing. The Cool shot up top and several from the bottom of the main page. What Happened? The photo hosting site that I had been using shut down. A little upsetting as I had a lot of photos on it. But not too upsetting as I was contacted by the page owners and was sent all of my photos on a thumb drive. Now I need to get working on updating my Flickr account. I had started on it a couple months ago when I knew about Razzi being shut down. But I have so many things going on right now that I just can't keep up. But first things first! I need to make a living. I am also in need of finishing up my courses at the local Community College. For now the courses are on hold until I can return in the Fall. Hmmmm! What to do?

What I have been doing? For the last two months of 2013 I was asked to do some work for a company a friend manages out at Stanford. So for the money I was being paid, I just couldn't resist. So I stayed busy with that job. What else did I do?  I went to go to Southern California to visit my parents as I hadn't visited them in over a year. Two weeks taken away from other things I need to do. But my family is more important. What else did I do? So now that all this is done, I need to get back on track. I was supposed to have made some changes for my eBay business, but that seems to be falling apart for now. So I will just be re-organizing everything I have for inventory so I can make it easier to list in a more manageable way. So once I get things in order again, I will be updating the blog with more Car Show adventures and other Auto Enthusiast things. Until then, Thank you for reading! I hope to get at least the photos fixed soon.

School Project: Vintage 1950's Kitchen Pieces - Part III

When I returned on Monday to school, I had to wait to see how things turned out as I had my Welding class to go to first. After about an hour or so, I couldn't wait any longer. Since my autobody instructor had shown up, I just had to walk over and have a look. Things looked rather well, so I went back to my welding class. When the welding class was done for the the day, I went back over to remove all the pieces from the booth. After I had removed most of the Kitchen Cart pieces, the instructor informed me that he needed to leave. So I wasn't able to get it re-assembled. I laid out my moving blanket on the frame rack and put the pieces on it. Then I covered them up and left.

The next morning I running a little late and got a call from a fellow student that was working on a Mustang. He needed the booth to primer the car, and I needed to get the parts out for the step stool as they were still hanging up in the paint booth. So I let him know that I would be there and was on my way. When I arrived, I laid out a second moving blanket, removed the pieces for the step stool and set them out. Finally I was able to get these put back together. So I did just that, and I was very excited to do it.

I started out first putting the Kitchen Cart back together as it was the simpler of the two to get done. While putting it together, I was getting some complements from other students that were there for there class. It was pretty cool to get some comments too. Yes they are just students, but so am I. It will be a long time and a lot of experience before I know I'm doing pretty good, so until then, it's nice to get feedback and complements. Once the cart was together I moved on to the stool. This however was not easy and i put most of it together, only to pull it apart again. Once I got it figured out, it was all back together again. I was careful, for the most part. Things looked very good, so I set my moving blankets up as a backdrop and took some photos with the iphone. At this point, my instructor was around, so I asked him what he thought. He really liked how they had turned out and I was satisfied with his approval of my work. Then they were wrapped up and put in the back of the truck for the ride home.

When leaving the school, it had popped into my mind to go to the store I had bought the stool from. So I headed that direction. They had moved locations recently, and I didn't know where it was. Only remember what street they were on. So after finding the store, I went in. The employee that I had actually bought the stool from was there, so I showed the photo on my phone of the cart and the stool. After looking around for a bit, the owner was around and was bringing more items in and putting them on the floor. So we said our hellos, and I showed him the photo as well. To my surprise he says, "You know we have another one of those stools?". I was all happy and asked him where it was. He showed me and I asked how much. The price was one I couldn't pass up. Even though it was a little bit more than I paid for the one I had just completed, it was still an awesome deal. So of course I didn't have the cash in my pocket to buy it. So I went around the corner to a gas station, grabbed something to drink and a snack, got my cash and went back and it is now mine.

So, now I have another stool to show off when I get to it. Hopefully this week I'll get it disassembled and media blasted. Then I will need to do some straightening/flattening on the seat as it is a little bit concave. Once I get that all fixed, it will be in the booth and painted. I also plan to put in a couple other items to get them repainted. I'll blog about that later. Thanks for reading! I appreciate it very much. Check back soon for more. Until then, here are the photos of the stool and cart. I will also update when I get the wheels for the kitchen cart and the step pads.

To view the entire set of photos, click here - MJC Independant Study Fall 2013

Hanging up after Metal Prep. Ready for Etching Primer.

Etching Primer laid out

Nice White Legs!

More Nice White Legs!

Love me some Color!