Midway Cafe
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Posts posted by Midway Cafe
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AL G. was out of circulation for 14 months. I had written him off and was getting ready to launch the copy tag.
MC
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I just picked this up at a yard sale for a quarter. Only problem is how to use it as a hide?
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Found this today. From a short distance it was looking as if it might not be a doll. I moved ahead and checked before my daughter saw it, just in case. Still she was a bit creeped out and was ready to leave "Right Now".
MC
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Hey cad-guy,
As you surmised it is really very easy. Once you have placed the TB in a cache and go to log your find, there is a section at the bottom of the page used to drop the bug. Just highlight the one you have dropped if you have multiple bugs or follow the directions listed if you are dropping more than one.
Welcome to the fun,
MC
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Perhaps you are thinking of this one, Quarry Cache .
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New Zealand. I've always wanted to travel there.
Us too. We've sent out a travel bug ("the hermit crabs visit New Zealand") to scout out the area for us
New Zealand would be way up on our list as well!
Congrats on your TB getting there.
My daughters ("Herbert the Wizzard Wanna-Be"), grounded out in MA almost a year ago.
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First drop has happened.
Oh yea, it was in a vert.
Don't worry, It's headed North soon.
MC
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When is the launch going to be? Sorry, I have ants in my pants!!!!
Soon, very soon.
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As the TB moves aroud, people have a chance to earn a new pin.
Heh, thanks for spelling it out for me. Apparently the "cache blindness" that I occasionally suffer from also applies to travel bug descriptions.
No problem, It happens to all of us. I'll bet the mods were ready to move the post out of the TB section at first glance.
Estimated launch date is the first week in April.
MC
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Okay, now, that's cool! Sadly, it sounds like you're going to hop it a long one at the beginning, which doesn't do much for MY prospects.
Don't worry AW,
Long Hop + Long Hop = Round Trip
I wouldn't launch this one without giving my friends and neighbors first crack at it.
MC
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Ok, it's a neat TB but for the life of me I can't figure out what t has to do with sig items.
Hey Team Nazgul,
As the TB moves aroud, people have a chance to earn a new pin.
From the "About this item:" section of the travel bug page.
"To reward those who make a substantial and timely movement, a signature "I helped the movement" travel bug pin is in the works."
Here is a link to one of the Sig items that I have been known to leave in caches around New England.
First To Find Only a few have joined the Gold Club so far.
Once I finalize my idea for the pin and get a hard copy, it/they will pictured on the TB's page.
MC
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Looks like you've suddenly gone bug happy.
Not quite bug happy yet. After our others were sucked into the void, I swore off of them for a bit. Now that winter is over it's time to get a few going again.
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Going to need to hop a plane for me to touch it.
Hi Dave,
Currently you would have to hop a plane, but give it a little while! It's first move will be a long one.
It second move will be another long one. Who knows what it's third move will be? 
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...I believe that there is also a prohibition against organized events as well....
That would be a bit much. Banning cache events would be on a par with banning family reuinions.
I knew that I read it somewhere,
From the 2001 NPS Management Policies
8.6.2 Special Events 8.6.2.1 General
Special events— such as sports, pageants, regattas, public spectator attractions, entertainment, ceremonies, and encampments— may be permitted by the superintendent when (1) there is a meaningful association between the park area and the event, and (2) the event will contribute to visitor understanding of the significance of the park area. However, a permit must be denied if the event would be disallowed under the criteria listed in section 8.2. The superintendent must ensure that appropriate permit conditions are imposed for special events.
The Park Service will not permit the public staging of special events that are conducted primarily for the material or financial benefit of organizers or participants; or are commercial in nature; or that demand in- park advertising or publicity; or for which a separate public admission fee is to be charged. However, park buildings or specially designated locations that are suitable and appropriate may be made available for private, “by- invitation- only” events. Admission fees for, or any other monies associated with the “by- invitation- only” event, may not be collected by the permittee on park premises.
Large scale events will be managed utilizing the NIBS Incident Command System.
I think that this along with many other regulations could potentially shut down an event.
Sorry RK, battle it out with the officials.
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New TB is headed out into the world in the next few weeks.
With the popularity of Sig. items, this ones travels could wind up being interesting.
MC
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This log will explain a bit of the ban.
I believe that there is also a prohibition against organized events as well.
MC
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$2.03 a gal. in RI. Still a lot less than a lot of people pay for their bottled water.
MC
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I have a heap of old brass shell casings, would they be a viable source of metal for casting?
I tried years ago and had such poor results that I sent what was left to the scrap pile. There is a lot of surface area to develop oxides and the brass is has not been alloyed for casting. But give it a try, you have nothing to lose.
MC
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Hi Everyone,
Let's see if these pictures make any sense.
#1 Original model is placed in 1/2 of mold frame on a flat surface.
#2 Drag packed with sand and struck off to level.
#3 Drag is turned over and cope is put in place.
#4 After drag is packed with sand and struck off level, mold halves are separated the model is removed and a sprue channel is cut in the sand. Lightly powder the mold to aid casting.
#5 Cope and drag are placed together and held tight with binding wire. The mold is now ready to pour.
#6 Finished casting is removed from the sand after cooling.
The last thing to cool is where the most shrinkage takes place. The large button base is a solidification head, which draws the heat away from the casting. At the base of the picture, the original model is on the left and the clone is on the right. After a couple swipes with some steel wool the casting is ready to trade.
In response to the original poster, if you are seeking small quantities of lead free pewter, hit the local plumbing supply house or hardware store and pick up some 100% tin (SN) solid wire solder. It will work beautifully for this type of casting.
Cast and cache on,
MC
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This is the best I've managed so far:
Nice job treedweller!
I'm guessing that these were attempts in a wooden die? Very close to my first attempts at casting many years ago.
Get yourself ready to do a little bit of casting that will give results that are closer to your master model. You were on the right track with the clay impression in sand, but you will have much better results if you use the correct sand. The following link will take you to a kit that is available for sand casting that gives very good results with a very short learning curve.
You really don't need the full kit, only the frame (also known as a cope and drag) and a can of the sand. I use standard unscented baby powder for my parting powder and have been using the same can of sand for years. If your item is small enough you can mount them on trees and cast a number of them at once. If you open the mold carefully you may be able to use it several times before you have to ram it up again. All in all an inexpensive and fun way to do a limited production run.
I have to go into work for a few hours tomorrow. While the pots of metal are heating up and the new mold is in the vulcanizer, I'll try to take a few pictures to post illustrating the process and the results, stay tuned.
You could also hit the pet store and pick up a couple of cuttlefish bones. Slice them down the center to make two long thin sections. Press you model inside the two halves then remove. Cut a channel from the outside to the model cavity with a knife (be careful). Then wire the two pieces together and pour your molten metal into the channel. After cooling you will have to cut the sprue off your casting and sand it down a bit. You can get some really great textures from this technique, especially if you rub the mold with a soft brush. It brings out something similar to wood grain.
MC
It second move will be another long one. 
I Was Thinking Of Casting My Own Geocoin
in Trackables
Posted
Hi,
Lots of good info in this old thread. Casting Geocoins
I would recommend working your way through several metals starting with the lowest melt points and getting progressively hotter. Mistakes will happen and there is less time and money invested in the lower melt point metals.
MC