Dad's 78rpm Records: a transfer to digital project

 I am in the process of transferring my dad's collection of 78rpm records to digital format using Garageband Software on an Apple Powerbook. The collection contains several music genres, including: big band, texas swing, classical, and tex-mex. Many of the songs and artists are well-known while others may be more obscure recordings, and I'm hoping to find a few rare goodies here.

I have used filters and equalizing to try and clean the sound of these recordings, yet a certain amount of white noise hissing and popping remains. These are old records, having been pressed between the 1930s and 1950s! There are a variety of record manufacturers represented in this collection and, likewise, a variety of materials used in the records' compositions. Rules governing the correct way to care for, and to conserve, the quality of these various records require that shellac, acetate, and  Condensite - all common materials in 78 rpm recordings - each need a different method of care. For example, never use water to clean acetate or Condensite records, but only an alcohol based cleaning solution!

There are some good online reference guides regarding conservation of 78rpm records. See The 78rpm Home Page: http://78rpmrecord.com/repair.htm

After cleaning the records it's time to record them! There are several fine models of Crosley turntables currently on the market, with the ability to play records through your computer using the USB cord. But because those models don't usually come equipped with the proper needle to play the old 78rpm records, I used a Birmingham Sound Reproducers turntable with a brand new Tetrad T5HS stylus. The BSR turntable is my dad's, but I found the new needle online at Jerry Raskin's Needle Doctor: http://www.needledoctor.com/ . 

I have posted some recordings from this transfer-to-digital project on SoundCloud so that, maybe, I will get some feedback regarding the quality of playback. Check it out! 

Dad's 78rpm Records: http://soundcloud.com/redmoonmedia/sets/dads-78-records.

Barn owl boxes: home for our pest-catching friends!

   It is said to be a wise thing for a grower of fruits and vegetables to welcome barn and/or screech owls into their orchards and gardens. Barn owls are one of the world's most common birds but are rarely seen because the do their work mainly at night. A full-grown barn owl can eat two to three (2-3) rodents per night, and a family of barn owls could eat up to 3,000 rodents per year! 

   Barn owls feed on many pests like gophers, mice, rats, and squirrels. These birds adapt well to man-made environments and the use of barn owl boxes is recommended by preservation and education groups such as Backyard Barn Owls (http://www.barnowlvideo.com/index.html) and Owl Brand Discovery Kits (http://obdk.com/). Check out their sites for cool information and plans for building barn owl boxes.

 This is my first project of building a barn owl box, for Feser Cold Springs. It seems that there is debate as to which model is most effective in retaining a family of barn owls, and I plan to try a few. This first model is rather basic. It is usually recommended that 3/4" thick wood boards be used to keep the weight light, as you have to hang the box 20' above ground (or higher) for it to work. I used 1" thick boards because I believe that the final product will be more durable, and because you take what you can get when shopping for wood from trash cans. It will be heavy to lift.

With a little spare time and energy I was able to collect materials, build, and hang my first barn owl box. Thanks Keith Wise for your help. Now all I have to do is wait for a mama owl to move in and lay some eggs. It is said that once a group of barn owls moves in to your box that it will be like having a new pet for years to come. Also, with baby owls the mama often has to hunt and feed during the day, so it is suggested that you hang your barn owl box within sight of indoor viewing, for the show!

 More interesting photos to come!

farm stool restoration no. 1

Garbage. Is it really? If you do a double take it's worth asking yourself. If it is in fact garbage, turn back around and move on as if nothing weird just happened. If it's not really garbage then you possibly have a restoration job to do! Cheer up!

One day you will be able to tell within a matter of seconds whether a discarded item you find has any real value. In the meantime check out some of my projects. Here is a tore-up farm stool that I thought had some charm and was worth the effort of a restoration. Let's just say I found it abandoned in an old barn.

The fate of this stool was to be slowly destroyed by the elements before I found it. A lot of rust but no real deterioration to the metal, and only a few minor dents to be hammered out. But first, I let it soak under a light spray of WD40 for a couple of days to ease all screws and connections loose. After that the pieces were MUCH easier to disassemble.

Once all the pieces were taken apart I had to strip the old paint and rust off of everything. Kleen-Strip brand paint stripper works great, but so does some elbow-grease and sand paper. The idea is to create a smooth surface to which the new paint will stick. Be patient and do it right.

While cleaning the individual parts I discovered a manufacturer's logo behind one of the legs that read Cosco. I see a sign with the name Cosco - same font - off of the 170 fwy near San Fernando, so I know that the company is still around. I ask myself: if I am to do a professional job of restoring this old stool then should I contact the company to 1) identify the exact shade of yellow used, and also 2) to obtain some new no-slip vinyl pads for the folding steps?

It turns out that I had an abundance of Rustoleum Satin Amber spray paint left over from a previous project, and so I decided to use it. The steps have grooves in them so I haven't convinced myself of the need to track down new no-slip vinyl pads from Cosco. I have foregone the artsy restoration project in order to create something that is functional, and that will last a long time with ordinary use. Back at the ranch.