The Alleyway

One of my flatmates is brilliant at talking, he spins tales like intricate little webs with such a poker face that the truth is indistinguishable from a lie. One of these stories has earned him an association with the name 'The Alleyway'.

Adin-Jenks http://adin-jenks.deviantart.com/art/Alleyway-Stock-164030882

An Alleyway is a place that summons up all sorts of dark images of grime and criminal activity. Dodgy trade deals, violence, and drunken antics.

When we moved into the flat we jokingly said that we would get him a sign on his bedroom door that said 'The Alleyway' we teased him for a while about it before leaving it to rest a while. In the back of my mind I've been meaning to get on with making the sign and surprising him with it. Last week I finally got on with making the sign.

I sketched out a few diferent layouts on paper. I then grabbed a skinny piece of ply and sketched out the shape of the letters on the ply with Pencil. When the blocked shapes were perfect I drew over them in vivid marker to make it easy to see when I got to cutting the shape.

My workspace filled with tools

I readied the jigsaw, for such a small and intricate shape as a word I needed to turn the reciprocation speed down and ensure that I was using it on the correct setting that allows for curved cutting on wood. I then set to cutting out all of the negative spaces around the letters this was difficult at times. I struggled to clamp the ply in ways that would hold it firmly but allow my intricate maneuvers with the jigsaw. At times small pieces of ply would chip of and I would have to slow down, this tests ones nerves, any further damage would result in the shape being unusable.

First paint job

When the shape was finished I sanded it with my new toy, a 1/3 sheet sized electric finishing sander; this smoothed both main surfaces. I sanded the edges with scraps of sandpaper allowing my fingers to get in and sand the small grooves.

After the first paint job.

When the shape was done I imagined how it would look on the door. I decided to mount it on a larger piece of wood and also to paint it. I painted it black completely on both sides and the edges and then mounted it on the block of wood.

Initially I had planned to screw it to or hang it on the door but I decided instead to save the door and just duct tape it to the top of the door frame, this meant that no lasting damage would come to the door. Another project was achieved with a scrap of ply and a few hours of work.

The doorway

When my flatmate arrived home and noticed the sign above his door he was both impressed and pissed off at me. The sign is a reminder of his ability to spin believable tales from lies and also how some tales will stick and refuse to come off.

The Alleyway.

Our New Flat and the Dungeon.

Shellie and I and three other friends got together and decided we need to get a place to ourselves. We began the flat hunt. After a few good flat viewings, being disappointed when we missed out; and a few terrible flat viewings and counting our lucky stars that we can afford not to have to put up with that level of filth; we found a place in Wadestown on Weld St.
We spent an exhausting Saturday moving in and then over some celebratory beers we fittingly came up with a name for our house “The Forge”.

The forge is the perfect residence for us at this stage of our lives. Each of us has a large enough bedroom. There is enough parking space for our cars and the scooter. There is a space out the front of the house ideal for BBQ’s and sun bathing. The location in Wadestown is close enough to everything, plenty of fast food eateries, a dairy, a bus stop, a taxi stand, and only a five minute drive to the city. There are plenty of green spaces nearby including the Ahumairangi hill, perfect for weekend runs, and Trellisick Park, which has plenty of walking tracks and picnic spots.

The property also includes a space beneath the lounge which had been neglected and deemed a spot for rubbish storage. When I first saw this area of the house I was excited, I could make excellent use of such a space.

Halfway through sorting the junk and adding my own belongings

I spent the night of Wednesday cleaning out the space which has the flat has dubbed “the dungeon”. There were all sorts of lost treasures and junk buried in there. Old benchtops, doors, a bed base, pieces of a couch, a mirror, timber, shelves, a sink, a playstation, a creepy music box, gardening tools, a watering can, storage bins, the list goes on.

A creepy music box

A big mirror

The first thing I did was using a scrap of GIB clear away the masses of spider webs throughout the space. I stacked all of the wood in a corner, out of the way. I didn’t bother to remove the rubbish and other junk, but I did stack it neatly out of my way.

Accumulated cobwebs

Next I gave the place a good sweep. There was years of dust piled up across the floor, hidden within every nook and cranny, and throughout all of the shelves. I just swept it under the floorboards, as underneath is the ground; dust is dirt so to the dirt with the dust.

As the tidy up continued

All along the front wall of the dungeon is a huge display of shelves, these provide the perfect space to put all of my D.I.Y. bits and bobs, and things I usually put in the garage.

Storage and Workbench

The dungeon provides a space for my belongings which I don't mind getting dusty, this includes things like Outdoors equipment, ropes, tents etc.

The mountain of rubbish which previous tenants left behind.

As it is a long room it is ideal for small target practice. I have a toy BB gun and the space is ideal for shooting cans with the gun.

One of the flat mates  has a dart board which he has allowed to be setup in the dungeon. I measured up the hooks and then put a couple of nails into the wall studs. I hung it on the wall and it provides an excellent environment to practice accuracy with darts.

A beautiful piece of artwork.

A couple of things that I haven't gotten around to are fixing the air ventilation system which has been poorly attached and even more poorly duct taped. So with a friends help I'll do a better job of taping it.

Fantastic Ventilation; Yeah Right!

There are also a few wires that hang down from above my head that lead to the lights and other electrical outlets, I want these well away from my head space so that I don't pull them down, removing the light source in there or electrocuting me.

It's my space and I'll put what I want in it

Ultimately the dungeon is a space for me to play with my tools. I am always looking for projects to do with which I can use my tools, I stapled some pieces of cardboard to the wall so I could write up my upcoming projects and have them in front of me as a reminder. I have a few projects planned, so watch this space updates.

Making Rat Traps

Between the 2nd and the 14th of January I dedicated myself to helping out at Venture Inferno. For those who don't know, a Venture is a 10 day camp for Venturers or 'older scouts' (14-18 yr olds).
The venture is split into two phases:
Phase One - five days when you go on an expedition of your own choosing,

Phase Two - five days on site at the main camp with a variety of activities on offer including a party each night.

Inferno was the theme of this years Venture. It was based in Rotorua, and offered a very action packed programme.

For Phase One I helped as a line leader, my job was to look after nine venturers. Our expedition of 80 people were set at Waitomo where we did three days of caving among other activities.

For Phase Two I offered my help at the hands on base, a marquee full of hands on activities ranging from making bracelets, decorating mugs, making nail wire art, and of course making Rat Traps.

We had a couple of piles of wood and a few rolls of steel mesh; some screws and staples; and some hammers and drills. The basis of the trap.

Someone had kindly setup some example traps showing the method of making it in four easy steps.

Step 1. Get first piece of wood, the base, staple one piece of mesh to it about 100mm from the front.
Step 2, Using the drill/driver screw the base piece to the two other pieces of wood to create the boxes sides, staple the mesh to the two added sides.
Step 3, Get two wooden studs and screw them into the top corners of box to hold the trap in place.
Step 4, Cut a hole in one of the bottom corners of the mesh. Cover both ends of the box with more mesh. cut a hole in the front mesh in the opposite bottom corner.
Done.

It took a little bit of time to make my first trap, but as I continued, the process got faster and faster. More people joined and I was able to teach, observe, learn, and adapt my methods. I found that cutting the mesh was the hardest, most tiresome part, so I would work at that so the venturers could get on with the more fun construction part. The mesh was also quite sharp so when handling it you had to take care. It was encouraged that any sharp ends be cut off so that when using the trap the person doesn't cut themselves. We also learned to use any left over bits of mesh too to make the most of the resources that we had.

On the third day Didymo Dave came to help out, he was the one who organized the supplies and would be using the traps to control pests on the Waitahanui River. As well as refining the trap making process he also educated us on the traps and their use. Although we call them rat traps the traps would be used for not only rats, but also ferrets, weasels, and stoats. all rodents that kill our native birds for food or just for fun. The traps are made with the holes cut in the mesh on opposite corners to prevent kiwi from getting its beak inside and snapped off in a trap.

Didymo Dave also encouraged us to write a message on our box to the pests that would be caught within. One creative venturer wrote 'Dear Rodents, Gluttony is a deadly sin'.

Over the course of  four days I have gone from not knowing how to build a rat trap to not only building around twenty of them, but teaching others how to make them, empowering people who usually wouldn't give something like this ago, and allowing them to do it themselves and leave feeling that they have made a positive contribution to the native bird life of New Zealand.

Below is a link to Didymo Dave's facebook page, here you can find out more about the pest control along the Waitahanui River.
Rat Traps made with Didymo Dave

Animal Cutouts

An opportunity arose. I was asked whilst at the Petone Carnival about the animal shapes we had suspended from our Fire Sculpture. Someone was inquiring how much it would cost to purchase similar shapes from me.

For me this is big. HUGE. As a designer interested in D.I.Y. being given a job where I can spend a few hours playing with tools and making things is a dream come true. After the exchanging of details I planned how it would be done.

The Four animals I would be creating were a Kiwi, a Tuatara, a Morepork, and a Pukeko; this would end up in a kindergarten so they shapes had to be easily recognizable and safe to touch (no sharp edges). The Pukeko is a shape I'd not yet created before, this was going to be a learning curve.

I had to find an image of a pukeko and edit the shape to make the outline as recognizable as possible. I had saved the silhouettes for each of the other shapes from when I created them for the sculpture.

Using the same technique, I projected the image using a computer projector onto ply wood and sketched around the outline of all four animals in pencil. Making the most of the plywood I have; with the leftovers I'll be able to create more shapes (Hopefully for another client).

The oultines of animal shapes on the ply, seen resting on sawhorses ready to be cut out.

Tuatara Outline

Morepork and Kiwi Outline

Then it was out to the garage to cut out each of the shapes using the jigsaw. The process is one of time and precision. I need to move my body around the large piece of ply wood to find the best angle for cutting at. 

When cutting with the jigsaw, eye and ear protection is a must.

Finished cutting out the Pukeko

When all four pieces are cut out I am left with a large off cut which I put aside. The four animals are then sanded by a piece of sandpaper held in my hand. This ensures that no heavy tools will damage the shapes. For any areas that need sanding a little firmer, I use the multi-tool which has a triangular shaped sanding head, but is not powerful enough to damage the wood. The edges on each of the shapes were smoothed out making them safe for children to touch.

Pukeko cutout.

Morepork cutout.

Four Animal Shapes: Tuatara, Morepork, Pukeko, Kiwi.

The four native animal shapes were sold. This was a fun project for me, D.I.Y., craft, and working with power tools is something I am passionate about. I enjoy the creation process and I love knowing that my effort is going somewhere where it will be appreciated, loved, used, and built upon; such as a kindergarten. To the best of my knowledge the next step involves the kindy children decorating the animal shapes however they see fit. Brilliant, we are growing our next generation of D.I.Y.ers.

Getting around - Publlic Transport/Driving/Scooter

Wheels

The Situation.

I live in rural Wellington with my partner Shellie, together for the past few years we have relied upon driving a car that has been loaned to us, a red Mitsubishi Lancer. One morning a couple months back we were driving to work through the busy morning traffic; it was a cold winters morning, the windows were foggy from condensation, and there was blinding sun strike hindering our safe progression to the city; ultimately this led to us being rear ended by a little old lady who was also blinded by the sun.

The Lancer

Upon closer inspection, our car got written off, the result of a bent chassis. The insurance money was paid to the owners of the car, and we were left without a vehicle.
Some of you may know I live in an area of Wellington where public transport is not an option. We needed a vehicle as soon as possible to continue going about our daily lives. We ended up buying two vehicles over two weekends.

The old scooter, it putted out and got sold for parts

Perhaps you are to the view point that the use of petrol is killing our world and anyone using a vehicle unnecessarily is kicking their boot in at mother earth. I know that my use of petrol is killing the earth, but I believe that our use of two vehicles is the most suitable mode of transport for our lifestyle.
The first vehicle we purchased is a yellow Honda Fit, the Japanese equivalent of the Honda Jazz. This 'Small Car' "Fits" our needs nicely. Although smaller than the Lancer, it has a lot of storage space, it carries up to 5 people, perfect for driving friends and family around and holding a weeks worth of gear whilst we are away from home. Also, the Fit is more fuel efficient than the Lancer, we save $10 every time we fill it up.

The Fit

For the first week we made use of the fit for all of our needs, but we soon found we each wanted to be self sufficient as far as transportation. The following weekend we purchased a Motorized Scooter; a PGO, PMX Naked 50. I originally wanted to get a motorbike but being sensible we agreed to buy something that both of us could drive.

Our new PMX

In purchasing the two vehicles we exchanged money intended as our international travel fund, into two vehicles, two assets, and in doing so, cemented our residence as being in New Zealand for the next year or so.

Shellie was thrilled with owning our own car; this meant that she could get from one place to another and have the ability to work her jobs as a nanny for two different families, being able to drive children from A to B.
I am thrilled to have the scooter because it means not having to rely on the car; being able to drive through rush hour traffic slightly faster; and most conveniently, being able to park right outside my work building in the middle of the city all day for free.

Two of my least favourite things are getting stuck in traffic and paying for petrol. In a different world I would not have to face either of these daily realities, but instead I live a life that requires my mobility. With my lifestyle the choice of  vehicles that I drive complement the way I go about my daily business.

By driving a car I feel obliged to take into consideration fuel efficiency. Our current car is more fuel and money efficient than the Lancer, and the costs of driving the scooter are almost negligible; I am often taken aback by the fact that I can pay for a weeks worth of petrol for the scooter out of the few coins in my wallet.

I used to stress about having to pay money all the time just for it to turn from Liquid petrol into fumes that become lost to the air; the reality is though, that purchasing petrol has become routine. Whenever the car is empty it gets filled up. I know that this is an extremely privileged situation, but our income from working the lifestyle that we have chosen does allow for our transport costs to be covered.

I still do worry about my fuel consumption, If I lived anywhere else I would happily use public transport or even travel by bicycle. The reality is that having two vehicles opens up so many opportunities for us, yet it retains out desired lifestyle. Firstly we live in Makara, the rural part of Wellington. This place is inspiring, rugged, and beautiful. Living here has enhanced my ability to perform well as a designer and a photographer, it has encouraged my creative output, and ultimately it has promoted my emotional well-being and a happy state of mind, I wouldn't trade all of that in for a cheaper transport option.

Using the train system in Wellington is very efficient.

Vehicles allow Shellie and I to do the things we love, this includes our ability to attend scouting activities. Without a vehicle we would be unable to turn up and be scout leaders for the twenty or so children from the Karori West Scout troop, we would be depriving them of learning life skills and bush craft. We would be unable to attend Rover Scout events, depriving ourselves opportunities of self-development. Personal transport allows me to see my parents most weekends, therefore strengthening our relationship. As an adventurous couple, Shellie and I like to explore the country. Our vehicles allow for this, whether it is a road trip on State Highway 1 in our car, or a afternoon adventure with the two of us on the scooter, our appreciation of our country is made better by the use of our vehicles.

Not neglect for the environment, but passion for living. That is the reason we use machines that consume petrol and output bad emissions. The environmental impact still weighs on my mind, but not enough to change my choice of lifestyle, not yet.