Sax Strap

The traditional saxophone strap can be annoying. 

I looked into the fancy harness things that are available but before getting very far came a little improvisation with what I have on hand. 

Lo and behold my first try ain't half bad. I don't know if this is some kind of luggage strap or what, but all I had to do was bend that hook from a bit of sturdy wire (I think it may have been a fly-swatter handle).

Tie Dye by Ilene Weisberg

Do not attempt to adjust the controls of your television set. 

I added this goofy pixelated picture just because I always liked this effect.

Update: This isn't the end-all. Today I'm using a combination of what's shown with the trad neck strap.

A me-looking-down view. 

The Buescher

To get a concert C I have to finger a Bb on this horn (should be A). 

That puzzles me, as since I've owned it I thought it was an alto, presumed to be an Eb instrument. Note: I'm not a sax player, haven't touched this in decades.

MYSTERY SOLVED: I wasn't pushing the mouthpiece on far enough! 

But maybe my mouthpiece's opening is too small, going to try a new one. Sid the repair man was certainly able to get his to the right place.

Case measures 10-3/4" x 24-1/2".

This part of the horn measures 21-1/2".

Online lookup tells me this is a 1923 horn.

Phone Holder Project

Problem: phone holder won't expand to hold 6.125" length phone.

Challenge: design a solution which is reversible (avoid drilling holes, cutting etc); don't remove existing capability (example, extending the top bracket - my first thought - may solve the initial problem but remove the ability to hold a smaller phone or horizontally positioned phone).

My second idea was something like this. Even though the screw could have been replaced with a tie-wrap (zip-tie) I felt it needed a more rigid piece of metal than I had handy or could mock-up quickly.

My third idea was to suspend this piece from the existing lower supports. It is cut from some scrap sheet metal. The plastic edging prevents scuffing the existing supports. I hope the following pictures are self-explanatory. 

Submitted for evaluation, I need to know if this works. 

Two possible complications come to mind: phone angle may now be somehow unsatisfactory; position in vehicle with phone lower may inhibit connection of power/data connector.

If I'd had a larger piece of scrap on hand I might have extended it so it could have been tied in place to hold it more rigid when phone is removed. Prototype could easily be added to in this way.

2021-06-06_PatioParty

I wish I'd got the camera out before Laura Nick and Cindy left.

Richie and Gareth

Left to right: Richie; Christine; Pete; Alan; Gareth; Nancy; Emmett.

PET Diffuser Project

 April 2021

This is a very bright spotlight, too bright sometimes.

A diffuser I added to mellow it out. However, more mellowing was needed.

Picture if you will the very 3D shape of what I cut from this old PET bottle.

Since I wanted a flat disk I put it in the oven (cookie sheet with parchment paper) at maybe 250F. That softened it up and maybe would have been good enough. I wasn't sure so I bumped it up to 300 or maybe 350 which turned out to be a bit too much, the edges started to melt. 

Then I attempted to squash it flat between two cookie sheets and got what you see below.

Haven't tried the brightness test yet.

Damaged Lens

March 20, 2021

I think this Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM  remains the most expensive lens I have ever purchased. Sadly (OK, heartbreakingly) it fell off the tripod a couple of years ago.

As you can see the glass is intact but manual focus and zoom are now very tight. They can move but not without a great deal of effort. Meanwhile, autofocus appears to be unaffected. I snapped the below shots with Canon T6s in JPG "L" mode. They are unmodified except by scale and/or cropping. 

Note: this lens can work with the Canon 1.4 extender (see below).

Approx 9.5 feet, cropped and scaled 50%.

IMG_6912 1/640 sec. f/5 190mm ISO 100

Approx 43 feet, cropped and scaled 80%.

IMG_6920 1/320 sec. f/7.1 190mm ISO 100

Approx 9.5 feet, cropped and scaled 50%.

IMG_6921 1/320 sec. f/6.3 190mm ISO 100

Approx 9.5 feet, cropped and scaled 50%.

IMG_6924 1/320 sec. f/6.3 190mm ISO 100

Approx 30 feet, cropped and scaled 80%.

IMG_6934 1/320 sec. f/7.1 190mm ISO 100

Summer '20 Part III

Even more Summer 2020 (some of which I posted on FB). Newer stuff at the top.

September 15 - I thought the hummingbirds had all gone, hadn't seen any for a few days until this little lady tonight about 7pm. That's a flash shot, it wasn't really that dark outside.

Penitent Underwing (ID thanks to folks on iNaturalist) appeared in the kitchen window late tonight. I coaxed it indoors for photo-op where it was cooperative, to a point. Wouldn't let me pry the forewing to see the colourful underwing.
 

September 13

September 12. Hibiscus time-lapse spans 55 minutes.

This stereogram may be difficult on a computer screen (it is for me) but I can do it on my phone and get a nice 3D effect.

Nancy saw this hawk today (presumably same as recent visits). I didn't but the trailcam caught it. I'd rotated the camera hoping for a fuller view. Folks tell me it may be a juvie Red-tailed Hawk.