Michael Kelly Nostalgia N1

I was previously shopping for a guitar that was affordable enough that it wouldn't matter if it was lost or stolen and something I could just throw in the car and go but of course I wanted something that was decent enough to play. Most of the time if you find a guitar cheap enough to take anywhere and not worry about it it is either cheaply made with inferior materials or it just isn't worth playing. I did a lot of investigating before I made my purchase and I traveled a lot of stores manhandling their merchandise. What I came up with was A Michael Kelly Nostalgia N1, it is a full size dreadnought style guitar for about $100 that lacks nothing. The guys at Michael Kelly really did a great job on this guitar; the top, neck and body are solid mahogany with a rosewood fretboard and bridge. The finish is excellent on this guitar, the action is low and solid wood, not cheap plywood. I love this guitar!! I have never experienced such quality on guitars that cost 3 times the price, it sounds good, plays good and keeps tune, the action is low and fast and it is just.....playable as heck. I actually find it hard to just throw in the car because it is one of the best guitars I have ever had and not to sound repetitive but for $100. My Kelly is my new full time player and I have logged many hours on it and still have only tuned it less than a handful of times. The dark mahogany color of the entire guitar sets it apart from other acoustics too. So if you're looking for a really nice guitar at an even better price check out the Micheal Kelly N1, there are several online sites that sell them with free shipping, you won't regret it.

Duracoat Firearm Finish

I figured a good thing for my site would be a few product reviews. I have the experience so I may as well share my experiences with anyone who wishes to know. My first review will be something in which I have a lot of experience with Duracoat. Duracoat is made by a company called Lauer Custom Weaponry ( we'll call them LCW for now) and is a firearm finish available in almost any color you can think of. Duracoat can be applied on woods, metals and plastics; so far I haven't found any part of a firearm that it couldn't be applied on. This finish is meant for average joes without expensive equipment, time or experience in coating application; not only that but it is inexpensive compared to other methods of firearm finishing and a heck of a lot less expensive than sending you firearm in to the shop for a finish job. It can and must be applied by an airbrush, conventional spray gun, preval sprayer or HVLP sprayer; or course most hobby shops carry airbrushes pretty cheap. Application is a breeze, and with the reducer or lacquer thinner cleanup is a breeze. This is a permanent finish however and once it cures the only thing you can really do is apply more. I use it pretty much every time I need a firearm finish and recommend it to my friends. It can be bought in most firearm catalogues and online at several websites that cater to gunsmithing.

The preparation before application is as critical as the application itself. First thing you need to do is remove all rust and then clean and degrease the firearm, remember to use rubber gloves and a respirator and also make sure you are in a well ventilated area. For rust removal it is almost bettor off to do this step in a garage or outside as the chemicals let of noxious fumes. Several manufacturers have a blue and rust remover commercially available, LCW has one as well, remember your gloves and respirator and follow manufacturers instructions until the rust has been removed. At this time you can bead blast the firearm but stay away from glass beads, I think the recommended is alumina oxide for blasting however I don't usually blast prior to application. For wood parts you will need to take the extra step to lightly sand the surfaces, if you sand down to bare wood you may have to sand and repeats as the grains tend to rise. Next step is to clean and degrease the entire firearm, even though it isn't necessary to disassemble the firearm (I always do) you need to make sure and get into all the little nook and crannies and make sure the firearm is free of any grease or debris (even a fingerprint can cause a spot application failure). Hang it up, let it dry and prepare for spraying.

As I mentioned before you need an airbrush, conventional spray gun, preval sprayer or HVLP sprayer (high volume low pressure) to apply this coating. This is a two part chemical coating so you must add a hardener to the color or else it won't work, measurements aren't exact as it varies according to humidity, temperature and etc.. Mix your two parts and go, that easy. If you have problems with your spray gun sputtering or application you can add some Duracoat reducer to help thin it out (in fact I would recommend adding some reducer to your order as it makes cleanup easier as well as easier application of the Duracoat). Once you have applied your finish to the firearm hang it up and let it cure. Duracoat dries to the touch in about 20 minutes and can be handled in about an hour, it can be used overnight but takes three to four weeks to acheive full cure. It'll be worth the wait, trust me.

Time for the dreaded cleanup. It's actually not that bad, run lacquer thinner through your sprayer onto anything else you may have used for mixing or whatever until everything looks clean, you may have to repeat this a few times, I even use a shoptowel to help cleanup a bit. Once everything looks clean run some Duracoat reducer through your sprayer and everything should be fine. Cleanup is a snap.

I always wait until full cure before I reassemble the parts, but all that is up to you. Enjoy your new finish. If you can handle that and want to go for a little more gusto there are templates available to camouflage or tigerstripe your favorite firearm, or you can make your own template. If I was giving out stars for this product and I was scoring out of a possible five then I would probably give this a 4 3/4 but it's the best finish I have ever encountered bar-none. Good luck with your new finish!!

Thoughts about Craigslist

I've been trading on Craigslist for over a year now, I'm not exactly addicted to it but I visit the site on a daily basis to find supposed "deals". I love the site, don't get me wrong but some of the people trading or selling on the site just aggravate the heck out of me. Multiple times have I arranged for someone to meet me to buy or sell and the person I am supposed to meet doesn't show, or they list "new in box" and they show up with something very well used. Or when I arrange to meet up with someone and I send all the information, pics and even agree upon a clear price and when the person gets to the meeting site they will offer less money, my favorite of those situations is when a person had agreed to buy something for $100 and when he showed he said he didn't have enough and offered $70, when I accepted he asked for change of his $100 bill. Of course the thing about Craigslist I hate the most is the flagging system, I'd say 90% or greater of my posts are flagged off within an hour, it doesn't matter what I am offering or how many pics I put up, I've even went to the flag forum before I posted to insure that everything was good to go only to get flagged within minutes of posting. I wonder if it's just my area.

I used to be addicted to ebay but waiting by the mailbox for the newest treasure to come in was the least appealing trait there was, I am a guy that when I want it, I want it now. That makes Craigslist very appealing to me, despite all the con artists and beggars on the site. If I like it and catch it in time it's mine, but of course sometimes I wonder if the trouble is worth it. Of course I haven't been burnt every time, My cockatiel JJ was gifted to me through Craigslist, and I love her very much. Not to mention some of the friends I have met on Craigslist through either good trades or just the back and forth of emailing finding out that we have similar interests. It's like flipping a coin as to whether you will have a good or bad experience with it or at least it has been my experience.

I know I won't quit trading on the site, but I wish they would get rid of the flag system, I can deal with the people but the flagging I can't stop, all I can do is silently whisper curse words under my breath and growl, Grrr. I just don't know. To anyone that uses the site, good luck trading and I hope my ranting doesn't dissuade anyone from using it, I'm just P-Oed as I had some good ads up last night and today that were flagged off quickly as always and I'm aggravated. Thanks for anyone that has read this, and hopefully you don't have similar experiences but I would love to hear from anyone that has. Until next time, have a good day.

Blog Virgin

Well this is my very first Blog ever, I don't know what to write about but I will just write and see how it goes.
I guess I can start off this ordeal with a small introduction to myself. My name is Greg and I am a thirtysomething father of 2 boys and expecting another child in a few months. I like to play musical instruments even though I'll admit I'm not the greatest, I play percussion and stringed instruments and I dilly-dally with a harmonica. I do the MySpace thingy, but I don't go there everyday. I play video games every chance I get, but I don't get many chances anymore. I like martial arts and practice semi-regularly. I am a supporter of second amendment rights and yes, you guess it, practice those rights as well. Overall I believe that I am a very happy person and that I enjoy myself and my company every chance I get, I love my children and my girlfriend and I love every minute I share with them.
I'll be adding to my blog whenever I get a chance and hope that if anyone reads this that I don't bore them to death with my personal experiences, I know that I enjoy my life but that doesn't exactly mean you (the reader) will share such enthusiasm. If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading my rambling. Until later.