Signs of Spring

I recently have been hired to teach the 5th Grade Bicycle Education Program for the Corvallis School District, which is a 10-week full-time job in the Spring. I also have been hired as a mechanic at Corvallis Cyclery, though I haven't started yet.
I just really need to make some income. I haven't been able to support myself in even a frugal lifestyle by running this metal fabrication business, so I need a real job or two, at least for a while to get my feet under me again.
I enjoy making things, and I'm definitely getting better at making money at it, but it's not getting better fast enough to prevent me from being broke.
That said, feel free to approach me with project ideas. I have been making a lot of railings lately, as those tend to be reasonably lucrative for me. And I love the fun, artsy stuff, it just has to be supported by a reasonable budget on your part, because that kind of thing usually takes a lot more time, backtracking and experimentation to get to the finish line. The fun creative stuff is one area in which I have really lost a lot of money. That's ok if it's a "labor of love" so to speak, but it doesn't make for a sustainable business plan.

Anyway, here are some pictures of what I've been working on since my last update.

I got asked to make a big world map for a driveway gate out in Blodgett. It's about 3m long. The first step was to have it printed full size at a local print shop downtown. Then many hours were spent with a razor blade cutting out the paper.

The paper template was then traced onto 18g sheet steel and cut out with a plasma cutter. Here's part of Eurasia:

Then the continents and islands got welded to this 4x4" wire mesh fencing.

The finished map:

Lots of other random projects. Here's an adjustable-height burner stand for Oregon's oldest beer-brewing kettle at Oregon Trail Brewing:

The clamping mechanism for a disassemblable swing set frame:

Boutique nutcrackers for Mark of McGuire Mechanism (www.mcguiremechanism.com)

Using a friend's forge to bend some handrail cap into lamb's tongues:

Decorative railing end-pieces, or "lamb's tongues". These get welded on to the ends of railings. This was my first attempt at forge work.

Fancy railing system for a porch and steps:

Bike repair stand height adjust counterweight mechanism. The repair clamp bolts to a slider that rides up and down on a 3" post. There is a 50lb counterweight inside the post attached to a cable that runs over the pulley and down to the slider. My bike is very heavy and I am very tall, so it's nice to have help raising it up to an ergonomic working height. It works ok. There's a bit too much friction in the sliding action, but I have a plan to use adhesive-backed slippery plastic strips on the post.

I always like to watch for signs of Spring, come January and February. I've heard some distant frogs, seen the daffodils coming up and daphne getting ready to bloom. There's a good daphne bush on the East side of the Valley Library if you need something good to smell.