pvtschultz
Blackhawk
It's been a long while since I have been active in the Ruger community. I found myself falling victim to my tendency to not say no and life got way too busy. I became involved in so many things that I allowed my "home-work" business to suffer due to not getting the attention needed to thrive. The fast paced life made me yearn for my youth, when times were a lot slower and simpler. I'm not in a position to relocate again, there's too many roots to dig up where I'm at now. I did end up reducing my commitments outside of family and that has greatly freed up my time for the things that really matter most in life. As a result, I have found myself falling in love with grip making again. I have a renewed drive that resulted in a new website and a much better end product.
Every once in a while I get the time to trace my roots back to a tiny town in southeast Minnesota where the dirt is black and the water is cold. On a recent trip, I spent a half day splitting firewood for my cousin who graciously hosts us on his tiny farm. During that soul-cleansing time, I stumbled on a few large chunks of spalted white oak that was harvested near a river bed. My cousin and I agreed to trade my labor for the wood and the end result has been amazing.
I stabilize my own material to keep costs down which also allows me to experiment a little bit. I sawed the blocks of oak with my Stihl and dried them over the course of a week in my electric smoker set to ~100 degrees. I then let the wood normalize for several months to reduce stress. From there they are baked at 220 degrees for a day to completely dry. Once cooled, they and placed under full vacuum and the resin is drawn into the wood once the vacuum is removed. A few more hours in the oven solidifies the resin giving strength the soft wood from the rotten blocks.
Every once in a while I get the time to trace my roots back to a tiny town in southeast Minnesota where the dirt is black and the water is cold. On a recent trip, I spent a half day splitting firewood for my cousin who graciously hosts us on his tiny farm. During that soul-cleansing time, I stumbled on a few large chunks of spalted white oak that was harvested near a river bed. My cousin and I agreed to trade my labor for the wood and the end result has been amazing.
I stabilize my own material to keep costs down which also allows me to experiment a little bit. I sawed the blocks of oak with my Stihl and dried them over the course of a week in my electric smoker set to ~100 degrees. I then let the wood normalize for several months to reduce stress. From there they are baked at 220 degrees for a day to completely dry. Once cooled, they and placed under full vacuum and the resin is drawn into the wood once the vacuum is removed. A few more hours in the oven solidifies the resin giving strength the soft wood from the rotten blocks.
