Hobby Thread - January 18, 2025 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread and we are rolling out the red carpet.

We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies(TM) a spin and the result shows the Wheel pays attention to current events. It said PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY. Hail to the chief!

Update: At the time of posting, DJT is currently in the air en route from Florida to Washington DC (SAM47 for those tracking the flight which is a nod to DJT being the 47th President of the United States).

How is Presidential History a hobby you might ask? Let me count the ways...

Are you a collector of election memorabilia? Buttons, bumper stickers, pennants, etc.? Tangible election ephemera might be mostly a thing of the past, but most antique stores or malls have at least one election themed display case.

Are you a collector of White House memorabilia? Notecards, playing cards, State Dinner invitations or menus, and anything with a White House seal is unique. While not rare, many collect ornaments from the White House Historical Society.

Have you toured the White House? Have you been there for a special event like the Easter Egg roll? Have you been to the White House for a State Dinner or ceremonial bill signing? Have you toured though to see the full Christmas decoration treatment?

Are you a visitor to Presidential birthplaces, homes, or burial spots? The old joke for many colonial era residences is that "George Washington slept here." Perhaps so, but he also built a swank estate on the Potomac River called Mount Vernon. Do you have a favorite?

Are you a visitor to Presidential libraries? FDR's library in Hyde Park was the first official Presidential Library. Others before him took measures to collect their papers, such as Rutherford Hayes in Fremont, Ohio. My unofficial count is 13 official physical libraries open and operating. Do you have a favorite?

Are you intrigued by Presidential aircraft? Fixed wing and helicopters are on display at various locations around the country. Air Force One and Marine One designations follow the President rather than the aircraft. Some retired aircraft live at presidential libraries but others are scattered elsewhere.

What are you hobbying these days? As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Your participation does not need to limited to the theme. All hobbying is welcome. However, politics, current events and religious debates can live in threads elsewhere. Given the subject matter, let us discuss the office without focusing on the questionable conduct or judgement of the occupants. Play nice. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls. Please dress appropriately in the oval office.

We start with Presidential history via song:

The East Room at the White House:

The National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida has a VH-3A Sea King helicopter that was used by Presidents Nixon and Ford. A similar helicopter - the one in which Nixon departed the White House after resigning - is on display at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California.

The Presidential Libraries of George H. W. Bush and Ronald Regan have helicopters used as Marine One during their terms. Together with Nixon, I think those are the only three with a Marine One chopper.

The Navy Museum in Pensacola also has the S-3 Viking President Bush used for his "Mission Accomplished" trip to the USS Abraham Lincoln. It was designated "Navy One" for the trip.

A major part of the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright Patterson near Dayton, Ohio is comprised of Presidential aircraft. The museum has some other cool stuff too...if you're into that sort of thing. Which I'm sure you are, right?

TRex asked Grok for the three most underrated US Presidential libraries. No idea what the reasoning is, but the answers are Ford (Michigan), Hoover (Iowa), and Truman (Missouri).

The Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California is consistently the most frequently visited.

This is Richard Nixon's Library in Yorba Linda, California:

This is LBJ's Library in Austin, Texas:

The Beast of the Ronald Reagan era:

Learn birthplaces with music!

Five very random trivia bits about Presidential burial sites:

1) Only two U.S. Presidents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. You know Kennedy, but did you know Taft?

2) Woodrow Wilson is the only President buried in Washington, D.C.. He is buried at the Washington National Cathedral.

3) John Adams and John Quincy Adams are the only Presidents to share a burial site. They are both buried in a family crypt at the United First Parish Church in Quincy, Massachusetts.

4) As per his wishes, Andrew Johnson was buried in Greeneville, Tennessee with his copy of the Constitution and his body wrapped in the American flag.

5) Seven Presidents are buried in Virginia, the most for any single state.

Do you collect campaign buttons? Here is an Abraham Lincoln button from 1864:

It is part of a collection at the University of Delaware.

The original MAGA - Ronaldus Magnus. Button from 1980.

It is part of a 3,000 button collection at Harvard.

Abraham Lincoln funeral flag sells for $525k

President Abraham Lincoln’s coffin flag, used in the funeral-train procession after his assassination in 1865, sold for $525,000 Friday at Guernsey’s. The high pre-sale estimate was $1.2 million.

The flag, which sold for the first time publicly, was draped from Lincoln’s coffin during the journey from Washington D.C. to his burial site in Springfield, Illinois.

Help for hobbying Horde: Request received from BifBewalski:

I'm considering getting a Falcon 2 40w laser for making parts for my rockets. Centering rings, bulkheads, electronics sleds, deployment charge holders, parachute protection bays (keeps them from melting when the deployment charges fire).

This is the model, I'm thinking about.

Basic question...does anyone in the horde have experience with these, what are the wish I'd done it differently things they noticed? Would a three-axis hobby cnc be as good at the same-ish price point?

I like the idea of creating intricate puzzles, doodads, and maybe a naked pendulum wall clock.

What say you Horde? Can you help?

Solid Brix Studios spent two years crafting this enormous diorama of a scene from the Clone Wars using over 250,000 Lego pieces. Nuts. Professional large scale Lego assembly challenges the foundational principles of the Hobby Thread, but thought some among the Horde would enjoy seeing.

Interested in watches? How about macro photography? If so, this video is for you:

Being able to see activity at a micro scale is fascinating. It often shows a remarkable amount of intricate activity in its own micro world. Among other things, the contact between gears in this video caught my attention.

Scott sent this fascinating video showing the development and painting of custom treatments to Aurora Monsters Kits:

Thank you!

For the automotive inclined among the Horde, the ex-Steve McQueen Gulf Porsche 917 failed to sell on the auction block this afternoon. It reached a high bid of $25 million. Still could sell through a negotiated deal but $25m was not enough to buy it on the block. Some guy named Seinfeld is the current owner.

Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week with a theme of model trains? The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

Notable comments from last week:

Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, hijack the thread for your hobbying as you see fit. We will feature a different theme next time. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.

posted by Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

| Access Comments