SitRep

Another one!

  • Bike seat is done. It came out pretty well, I think- though, to my eyes not perfect. That’s ok, as I’m just going to park my butt on this thing and pedal, so perfect was only ever going to be a temporary condition anyway. I ended up using some vinyl to cover it (instead of leather), as it was cheaper, readily available, and would bother me less if I screwed up. I figure if I’m wildly dissatisfied I can always rip everything off and start over. [edit: held up on the first ride!]
  • My dad and I have been working on a IoT project for my garage doors- it’ll give me the ability to monitor their state remotely. I’ve got most of the hardware installed, and now it’s on to debugging.
  • Three shoe projects in the works, now.
    • One: me finally getting around to finishing a resoling project on a pair of Jeans Shop shoes I’ve had for ages. I’ve decided to convert them to treaded soles while I’m at it too, for a bit more all-season traction. I need to grab another 8-10 1″ Spring Clamps (and remove the rubber from them) to finish this.
    • Two: My customization of a pair of sneakers is slowly moving forward. It’s looking more and more like I won’t be able to get a pair of the shoes I’ve coveted for so long, so it’s time to start looking at DIY options. Side note: did you know you can totally just buy big sheets of cork in specified thicknesses? Super useful.
    • Three: A pair of Tim’s-Not-Tom’s shoes for my wife are starting to come together, too. I’ve got materials for the uppers, lining, footbed, and midsole. Still looking at options for the outsole, though- I’ve not been overly pleased with what I’ve found for this previously. Tom’s combines the midsole and outsole in their shoes- it appears to be EVA foam with rubber strands baked in, and I’ve not found a source for that directly. Wouldn’t mind a bit more traction for these, too.
  • Shoulder bag v4 is still on my brain. I’m trying to design it to retain the features and functionality I want, but with a less “tactical” look to the thing. Less black Cordura and webbing; more earth tones and subtlety. That means some of the fabric I had earmarked won’t work anymore, so back to sourcing that.
  • Starting another long-term project for my bike. I’ll be a hand built part of the drivetrain, and I’ve already got the slab of brass I’ll need to build it. I’m going to need to actually get my vise mounted again to do this one, though. And some soft jaws for it. And my wits about me, as it were. And maybe upgrade some of my files.