I thought it might be interesting to have a thread where members could post about their non-flashlight hobbies or interests. It could serve as a resource for other members with similar interests.
Since my junior high school days due to the ‘industrial arts’ class which included sandcasting aluminum I have since had an interest in metals. Having acquired a variety of rough gemstones this has expanded into an interest in casting precious metals. Associated with this is an interest in cabbing and cutting rough. A star ruby crystal and rough star sapphire sitting next to me acquired many years ago helped inspire this topic.
I’m also a bit of a rock hound. It’s a good feeling finding nearly fossils hundreds of millions of years old, chunks of material like rose quartz, and tektites in significant quantities where they’re not known to be.
Another interest is brewing. I appreciate a good ale, lager, mead, sake, and wine, and have been working on keg-based equipment but the setup is incomplete due to limited resources. Boil kettle is ready but the mash tun built from a keg in a 30 gallon poly drum insulated with spray foam still needs work on the false bottom and chiller coil.
I also have a long-standing interest in organic farming including tobacco. I am a smoker, and have grown and air cured close to 100 strains of tobacco. One of my best (favorite) experiences is the smell of tobacco aging in the barn, and selecting leaf then cutting and blending a variety of strains and letting them sit and merge flavors before finally enjoying the result. Virginia bright leaf, white gold, and a bit of a turkish strain, cherry red, red burley, and rustica is one of my favorites. Some years ago I was in contact with ‘Sun’ Butler who helped create the ‘Native American Spirit’ brand and if I had more land I would have become a certified organic grower supplying tobacco for the brand.
What are your non-torch interests?
