TWS (TWS2024-23). 11-2-2024

We held our 23rd Toy Workshop (TWS) for 2024 on Saturday Nov 2, 2024, from 9:00 to 12:00 am.  This was held at the Wood Shop at 910 Wood Ave in Rapid City.  The shop is in the basement of the annex to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Another cool day (60 degrees for the high) with jackets needed outside. We worked inside today handsanding, finishing basketball games, drilling locomotives for stacks, and installing regular wheels. Those working outside were sanding, and routering.

The attendees at today's workshop (22) included Rick, Harley, Bob B, Don, Mary Jo, Frank, Keith, Darwin, Lauree, Lon, Cleon, Gary G, Patsy, Jerry, Ken M, Nick, Jim Brown, Maggie, Grant, Roy E (new), Russ, and Dennis.

Activities today:

• Inventory Control
• Hand sand toys and cradles and heart boxes
• Drill smokestack holes in locomotives
• Wheel Installs
• Machine Sand toys (80/100/120 grit)
• Spindle sand windows
• Router edges of toys after first sanding
• Bring in Toys completed at home (Chalk Boards - 68 - by the Graves)
• Jim Brown (at home) installed the strings and balls on the cup and ball games, inserted them in ziplock bags and brought them into the workshop for entering into inventory today.  Maggie sanded the puppy's ears at home.
• Build basketball games:  Adding string/balls to games, plus spoons with rubber bands

Photos from the workshop:

Harley makes sure the glue bottles are in good working order ready for the wheel installers.  Darwin in putting the pegs into the wheels, so they can easily to inserted in the locomotive bodies.  Today's wheels installers were Keith and Cleon.

Locomotives with stacks are ready for wheels.

Cradles are being handsanded with "wet" 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper.  The sandpaper is actually dipped in water.  This wet paper technique removes only the very small bumps in the finish without removing any finish, leaving a very nice smooth surface.

Basketball Games - Final steps - install ball and string and add spoons.

Spoon selection was made today - we had a sizable donation of 1000 spoons from Sysco.  Unfortunately the triangular shaped handle didn't work with our launchers, so we selected a product called "Diamond - Daily Cutlery" spoons from Menards.  Nick procured a group of spoons from Menards today.  Once the spoons to be used were selected, the final installation of strings with 1" balls could be made.  We finished 72 basketball games with the ball/string and two spoons, secured with rubber bands.

Lon is prepping the games by inserting the strings in the 1/8" mounting hole in the base of the basketball game.  Grant prepped the nylon strings with the flame from a candle.

Frank secured the string with an 1/8" dowel cut to 1/2" long and glued in place.

Nick trimmed the strings from the bottom and secured the string with a drop of glue.

Packing the basketball games in boxes is a work of art.  Proper placement of games in the boxes is as shown (9 to a box).

72 basketball games were finished and put into inventory today

Remaining to do:  28 games

Break time for outside crew

Toys ready to be sealed:  6 boxes

Toys ready to be sprayed:  2 boxes

Cradles are ready for quilts and dolls

Heart boxes are ready for finishing

Toys put into inventory today:  259