Warden Callaway

I worked in a large transfer factory for 33 years. Every nameplate had a line that read, "no PCB oil". Our facility never used the PCB additive but required to add that note. PCB were outlawed as a cancer risk. Old timers who had worked in older factories told of workers dipping their hand, elbows, etc in the PCB oil to relieve arthritis.

It's my understanding the early lead mining was mostly picking up chunks on the surface. After the Louisiana Purchase, the Spanish and French land owners were geven several years to refile their land holdings. Many failed to refile their claims and lost their properties to filibusters. The best locations were already known and often stolen.

Laurel and Hardy doing carpentry work.

Son was coming down from Minnesota to visit and taking back oak firewood. But laws prohibit taking firewood across state lines persuaded him to stop. But with sawmill, I sawed out 4x4s he would haul back and cut up. Then last year he didn't talk about getting 4x4s. I asked why. He told his wife had him buy a cord up there for $700.

We ran a mom and pop sawmill for 24 years. We bought a Blockbuster firewood processor thinking we could sell firewood in the winter made from cull logs and such. Sold some for a couple of years until the sawmill business got to busy to keep up making firewood to sale. We still have the Blockbuster and use it to make our firewood.

Neighbors down the road cuts and sales firewood to pay for propane to heat his house. Said gas furnace gives more even heat whiteout the dust and smoke, etc from the firewood.

One thing for sure, you can't afford to burn the camp firewood sold in bundles outside convenient stores. In our area it's $7 for about a shoebox size bundle. All from standing dead trees. The closest pile is red elm. Middle white oak. Big logs mostly red oak.

More pretty than mine.

We have over 100 acres of mostly oak on the farm. There is an abundance of dead trees to pick from. We try to keep one year ahead in firewood put under roof drying.

Here is a real stupid parody of pioneers being attacked by indians on bicycles.

We were going south out of Mexico Missouri yesterday about 1:00pm and could see a big dark storm to the east.

Mary went to the library so I pan lubed the last 50. All went well. A couple pulled out a little bugger but overall very acceptable. I remembered that I had scrounged up some 40 S&W ammo box inserts from the range after some law enforcement did some training. The inserts worked perfect for racking up the bullets.

Whin I was in technical college, we still used slide rules. Hand held calculator were avaliable but very expensive. I showed my slide rule to an inturn from the Rolla School of Mines and she snickered at it. I showed her some simple calculation and she acked like it was something magic.

I thought I was in great shape finally the Lee 454 sizing die box. Opened it and the die and pusher deal were missing. But I went down to where I have the Lee APP press set up and they were there and the die already mounted in a collet. The bullets are goopy with that soft lube so I didn't try to use the feeder - just put one down at a time by hand. I have 50 more to do but need to wait until Mary is occupied outside.

I'm cheap. I made one out of denim.

I faced the same problem some 10 years ago. My old jacket just completely worn out. Well, I'll just get a new one from any of the many farm and home supply stores. What? None to be found anywhere. Strolling through Wally-World, there were some in women's fashion! Had lace and embroidery on them. But nothing like what I was looking for that had been common. My daughter-in-law found out that I was looking for one and ordered one off Amazon or some place. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for and a little big but I figured it would shrink some. It was stiff as a dried cowhide. Well, I wore it and washed it many times and it didn't shrink and never got soft. It must have been treated with epoxy or something. It's stuffed in a closet some where. I had the same problem with bandanas. I looked through men's clothing at Wally-World and found none. Asked the lady stocking in that area and she looked where I had looked. "I'll go ask." She said. Another lady got involved. We made a trip around the store and found none. She made a call. Oh. They're with the ladie's handbags. Off we go. Women use them as accessories and patches.

I made another attempt. Mixed in a big dollop of Cisco. I maybe didn't let it cool enough and some bullets pulled out with a big skirting of lube. But at least half are passable.

History: Maybe 10 years ago I walked into Grafs retail to pick up something and while waiting I checked the folding card table loaded with stuff marked down. Broken packaging and odds and ends. There was a brick of SPG - I'm remembering 5 lbs but maybe 3 lbs. It was priced pennies on a dollar. They also had SPG in sticks for a $1 each. I didn't need it but knew it was a steal at this price. I bought the brick and a couple of sticks. I ask why they were getting rid of it (not something they carry), he said it came in as samples. I soon traided it to Lonesome Ryder for a decapping tool he had. Pretty good grin on his face. Both happy.

This wasn't my first try at mixing lube. Years ago I mixed up lube using 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 tallow and 1/3 paraffin. I used it to make homemade wonderwads.

I did let it "set up" not knowing the timing. I tried a 45-70 case to cut them out. Lube still didn't stay in the grooves. Then I pulled the whole mess out and tried from the base side. That's when it broke apart. I've used Javilina for 55 years in smokeless and black powder and it had worked fine. I just wanted to try this.

And probably the last. I have a Lyman lube/sizer but wanted a more black powder lube so I decided to try pan lube method. My lube is homemade 50/50 beeswax and tallow. The lube didn’t stay in the grooves. Now I have a mess. I can press the lube in with my fingers but what a messy and tedious job.

Rob D'Graves

Slim pickering this week. Here is something different. Old early talking picture that still used cards to tell the story. Get a load of those costumes. Huge chaps. Yakima Canutt is packing some kind of double action guns. Get the best look right at the end. Only 37 minutes long.