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Another 20 IQ Points I'll Never Get Back
Last night I tried out some casts from the RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanising) silicone molds I had made on the long weekend. A few successes but frequent spills of molten metal because the molds were not well supported - no sand available so I tried bases of modeling clay, which promptly melted. No one got burned though, and Aki ran into the centre of the yard every time I melted down a new batch of linotype metal.Also used part of a coil of lead-free solder I had bought, the castings come out with a strange yellow patina. One big problem is pouring too much metal into the molds, which are all one piece and rather shallow. I'm going to try spreading the molten metal around with a wooden stick in the mold; tried it with a nail but it sticks.
I made up 11 different molds for the first run, using up about half of the tube of RTV material (bought a grade of stuff that takes a 700F degree intermittent temperature - buy it at auto parts stores for gasket material). Burning Man shapes in three different sizes, a Jesuslike medallion, a Burning Man medallion marked "MMIII", The Order of the Giant Robot, two bar-shaped ones stamped "AWE" and "AWRY", and three weird-looking man-shaped things by Akito. The molds did not come out well in one or two places, probably because I had not thinned the RTV material enough, or had thinned it too much. Many of these castings will need cleanup work and hole-drilling with a Dremel tool.
We also used some properly made two-piece molds I had bought from someone a while back of a chicken and a Japanese lady in kimono, 1" tall.
This all reminded me of the times I spent while a teenager, casting pils of lead soldiers alone in the garage, inhaling Lord knows how much airborne lead oxide. Too bad; I could have lost those IQ points drinking cough syrup or popping Mom's 222s or huffing glue, in much more amiable and pneumatic company. Ah well, youth is wasted on the young, whether they try to behave themselves or not.
My Mom dropped in for a surprise visit last night too, and as I was standing at the side window declaiming about my plan to plant a row of evergreen trees along the side of the yard facing the Fuckwads (the Croatian Landlords chopped down a large bushy tree that used to grow in the space between our houses, so now every car that rounds the corner on our street shines its brights into our bedroom window, and when the neighbour's Critter Light snaps on, it's like someone aiming a searchlight in the window), they happened to arrive home in the SHINY NEW DARK RED PICKUP TRUCK. She immediately moved back into the centre of the room so as to be invisible, while Aki and I stayed at the window, staring and talking while they got out of the truck and wandered into not-really-their house. She doesn't understand that I WANT these people to feel vaguely uneasy and doubtful and weirded out, maybe it will lead them to question other aspects of their lives.
I have to think of a new name for them, Fuckwad is too abusive. I thought maybe the Monos, a combination of their self-absorbed nature and "mono", the Japanese word for "thing". Or maybe I'll just call them the Sims, since they seem to be happy with the kinds of inducements players of that video game use to keep their digital charges happy. Yes. That's it. My new neighbours are now dubbed Rob and Wife Sim.
Some Constant Readuhs are perhaps becoming a trifle concerned over the monomaniacal nature of my disdain for the Sims, but fear not - I really don't spend much time thinking about them, and in due course will probably forget that they exist at all. As long as they keep the fucking noise down. Oh, in case you were wondering, they managed to get that huge stupid white couch in the house after all - Mxo said they removed one of the windows so they could get the monstrosity into the living room.
I also had some strange dreams last night. In one it was like I was watching a movie that featured a modern Genghis Khan type who had to make a decision over what to invade next or something. He excused himself to go into his private study and a moment later walked back on camera with an erection and started wanking onto a large brass globe in the study, spreading his jizz over Mongolia. Later I dreamed that some Gothvic friends and I were over at Kevin's new house, which he said he had bought for $15,000. It was much too large for that price, even as a down payment, so after testing the shower faucets I asked him how many people he had had to kill to get the house, and that I hoped none of them were innocent. Well, it rained last night, whaddya expect from me?
I made up 11 different molds for the first run, using up about half of the tube of RTV material (bought a grade of stuff that takes a 700F degree intermittent temperature - buy it at auto parts stores for gasket material). Burning Man shapes in three different sizes, a Jesuslike medallion, a Burning Man medallion marked "MMIII", The Order of the Giant Robot, two bar-shaped ones stamped "AWE" and "AWRY", and three weird-looking man-shaped things by Akito. The molds did not come out well in one or two places, probably because I had not thinned the RTV material enough, or had thinned it too much. Many of these castings will need cleanup work and hole-drilling with a Dremel tool.
We also used some properly made two-piece molds I had bought from someone a while back of a chicken and a Japanese lady in kimono, 1" tall.
This all reminded me of the times I spent while a teenager, casting pils of lead soldiers alone in the garage, inhaling Lord knows how much airborne lead oxide. Too bad; I could have lost those IQ points drinking cough syrup or popping Mom's 222s or huffing glue, in much more amiable and pneumatic company. Ah well, youth is wasted on the young, whether they try to behave themselves or not.
My Mom dropped in for a surprise visit last night too, and as I was standing at the side window declaiming about my plan to plant a row of evergreen trees along the side of the yard facing the Fuckwads (the Croatian Landlords chopped down a large bushy tree that used to grow in the space between our houses, so now every car that rounds the corner on our street shines its brights into our bedroom window, and when the neighbour's Critter Light snaps on, it's like someone aiming a searchlight in the window), they happened to arrive home in the SHINY NEW DARK RED PICKUP TRUCK. She immediately moved back into the centre of the room so as to be invisible, while Aki and I stayed at the window, staring and talking while they got out of the truck and wandered into not-really-their house. She doesn't understand that I WANT these people to feel vaguely uneasy and doubtful and weirded out, maybe it will lead them to question other aspects of their lives.
I have to think of a new name for them, Fuckwad is too abusive. I thought maybe the Monos, a combination of their self-absorbed nature and "mono", the Japanese word for "thing". Or maybe I'll just call them the Sims, since they seem to be happy with the kinds of inducements players of that video game use to keep their digital charges happy. Yes. That's it. My new neighbours are now dubbed Rob and Wife Sim.
Some Constant Readuhs are perhaps becoming a trifle concerned over the monomaniacal nature of my disdain for the Sims, but fear not - I really don't spend much time thinking about them, and in due course will probably forget that they exist at all. As long as they keep the fucking noise down. Oh, in case you were wondering, they managed to get that huge stupid white couch in the house after all - Mxo said they removed one of the windows so they could get the monstrosity into the living room.
I also had some strange dreams last night. In one it was like I was watching a movie that featured a modern Genghis Khan type who had to make a decision over what to invade next or something. He excused himself to go into his private study and a moment later walked back on camera with an erection and started wanking onto a large brass globe in the study, spreading his jizz over Mongolia. Later I dreamed that some Gothvic friends and I were over at Kevin's new house, which he said he had bought for $15,000. It was much too large for that price, even as a down payment, so after testing the shower faucets I asked him how many people he had had to kill to get the house, and that I hoped none of them were innocent. Well, it rained last night, whaddya expect from me?