[TheForge] scrap yards

Fri Oct 17 17:33:01 2003

In 98' Deb and I bought a 23' box van to move her stuff from the UP of Mi.
to our new place in AK. We boutgh the van because it was about half the cost
of renting a U-Haul, Ryder, etc. and there were no time nor milage
constraints on the trip. We also sold it for almost twice what we paid and
saved the buyer almost as much on rental so everybody was happy.

We flew into Twin Falls and met the internet friend of Deb's who found the
van and acted as our agent in the purchase, picked up our new livestock
guardian dog a Great Pyranese we named Buran and who rode with us for 21
days as we made the journey.

After we loaded Deb and Julie's stuff in the van Deb spent three days saying
goodby to friends in the UP and I took a little road trip. I spent one night
with Bob Schade who took me to a hammerin at Tunnel Mill where I got to meet
a number of fine folk including Tom Latane, Roger Degner and others my
faulty memory won't provide names for. After spending a wonderful day and a
half with Bob I headed out and had the privelege of spending a night at
Clyde's.

As cool as www.jurustic.com is it's pale in comparison to actually wandering
around his place. Even with Clyde's excellent directions and maps from
Mapquest I did what I often do and took the back way in. I knew I was within
half a mile but was wondering if I'd taken a wrong turn as I was driving
through a well kept if older subdivision and was having trouble visualizing
a metal sculpting shop in the neighborhood.

Well, as I made a last left hand turn I started seeing more open country on
the right and something that nearly made me stop and rub my eyes on the
left. There was this large (6-7' long!) "bird" hovering in the trees maybe
15-20' off the ground. As I crept further down the road I saw it had a 6'+
wingspan and was gently flapping in the light breeze. My focus lengthened
and I noticed the distinctive features of a Victorian Gothic revival mansion
peeking through the trees, then more creatures in and amongst them.

By the time I got to Clyde's driveway I knew for sure I was in the right
place, not only is there this wonderful old gothic revival mansion to drool
over but the woods are filled with some of the coolest manifestations of the
imagination I've seen in years. Oh yeah! Definitely MY kind of place. <grin>
I checked for traffic, swung the old truck over and backed right up the
driveway. As I was easing it into a clear spot where I wouldn't block
anybody in or out a tall thin distinguished looking gentleman comes hoofing
it out of a side building with a look of mild concern on his face. If you'd
seen the old rig I was driving you'd understand anybody's concern at having
it back up your driveway!

Stopping, I poked my head out the window and grinning said, "Clyde?"

Clyde said, "Frosty?"

We confirmed the other's suspicions and I parked as directed. It says quite
a bit about just how hospitible Clyde and Nan are, they didn't run me off on
sight. <grin>

Not only is Clyde and Nan's place a visual treat on a grand scale Clyde's
efforts as a paleometallurgist have given us a rich understanding of the
iron age in Marshfield. He's been able to discern not only what the amazing
critters ate but many of their behavioral characteristics and even some of
their social interactions. If you're ever in the neighborhood you simply
MUST take the walking tour.

Of all the fantastic critters my favorite is the dragon. Not only is it a
masterpiece of paleometallurgical reconstruction it's a stunning masterpiece
in the art of salvage yard relations. It's belly hovers some 8-10' off the
ground and must be a good 30' long with a similar rotorspan. Yeah, I said
rotorspan, it seems not all the flyers of the iron age were winged, the
really large critters had rotor blades and bodies the size and shape of
cement truck drums. Add porportional neck, head and tail and you get some
idea of it's size.

Rub their tummies indeed, Clyde must hold a PHD in tummy rubbing for the
goodies the locals save for him. The bird's wings are machine scissor blades
in the hundreds. Flying turtles, spiders, etc. have bodies strangly
resembling automatic watering bowls. There are saw blades by the hundreds,
springs, welding tanks and so many other things my memory stops up like a 1
gl. per flush, toilet in a mexican restaurant.

If you ever, EVER get the chance to stop by you really must. There's nothing
like it. <grin>

Frosty
------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Freeman" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 5:43 AM
Subject: RE: [TheForge] scrap yards

> Clyde,
>
> So tell us about the work you do...
>
> Bruce
> NJ
>
> >>> [email protected] 10/17/2003 9:13:37 AM >>>
>
> Here in Central Wisconsin the scrap yards charge 15 cents a pound for
> steel
> and are very cooperative and helpful.
>
> The large one, 15 minutes from here, sorts the scrap by lifting it into
> a
> large hopper where it falls onto a belt. Two fellows are up there
> sorting by
> sending motors, cast, etc down separate chutes into large bins. One
> chute
> goes to my barrel where they send things that they know I use or might
> like.
> They catch a lot of things that I would miss by my just scanning the
> outside
> of the pile. They also set larger pieces that I may want aside until I
> can
> look at it.
>
> With this service I periodically rub their tummies with small
> sculptures,
> bags of candy, etc.
>
> When I walk into a scrap yard that I haven't been to before, I bring
> one of
> my popular pieces and show them what I do. I leave the piece with them
> which
> invariably ends up on display in the office and with the staff eager to
> help
> when I return for a look. The cost of the piece to me is only some time
> and
> the return in their help in invaluable.
>
> Clyde Wynia
> Marshfield, WI
> http://www.jurustic.com
>
>
>
>
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