Ok, except for the last part of yesterday, all in all, it's been a pretty good experience. However, the bike ride where I was clipped and catapulted over my bike by a old lady and her car, was not so good. I came out remarkable good for having been hit by a car. I think it was only her mirror, as it was all busted up. I remember thinking: I'm hit, helmet*, get out of the road. Other then the expected aches and pains of doing a sudden flip on pavement, the only (I hope) injury I sustained was a bashed and tore up left elbow. It was enough to prevent me from using the arm for anything but the most limited of activates. With that limitation, I came home. I'm hoping to go back Monday, but unless the arm starts healing fast, I think I'll be out of heavy work for the next week. That's ok, I can catch up on my paperwork and some letters I've been meaning to write.

* I lost my helmet and so spent the first week in Baltimore riding without before I got a new one. Something my experience has taught me, NEVER EVER to do again. I was aware enough to feel my head making contact with the road as I landed. Neck is a bit twicked but other then that, fine :-)

So let me go over the oil finish again, this time I spent a couple of days applying it and getting clarification. First: descale with a torch, if you're not doing this yet, man will you like the ease in which the rest of the scale comes off with the wire brush. Second: Heat the metal up until it's too hot to hold and apply the wax / linseed oil* mix. It should lightly smoke as you rub it on. Third: Let it sit and dry/cure for a day. Fourth: Apply a coat of wax, not the mix, but just wax and let dry for at least a hour. Fifth: Rub to a nice low luster shine. If needed apply a second coat after installation.

*Because you're heating the metal to that high of temperature, I don't think adding Jap drying is necessary. How much thinner is a matter of choice, controlled by how thin you want the mix. I would say, just enough to make it workable.

Hummm... this reads like a bit of rambling. Wonder if I didn't hit my head harder then I thought :-)