Is the above esteemed forum member still making these? There used to be a side advert with a link to order one, but it's disappeared. I'd be grateful for any contact information.
I've been waiting all summer too, but it look like we'll have to wait a little longer - http://home.comcast.net/~bigdog660/Bluewater_Stove_Restoration/Orders.html]Link[/url]
Morning, Guys, Don't worry, BernieDawg WILL fill your orders, as soon as he can do so! As you can imagine, he is very busy in doing this, and once he began trying to renovate his shop, to make things easier, I am pretty sure it was like pulling a thread on a sweater!! You never really know how much work such projects will end up costing you!! In any case, hang tight, and please be patient. Gary will definitely take care of you, as soon as it's physically possible to do so! I've always found that any and all waiting period, after I've ordered a cap from BernieDawg, was WELL worth the effort!!! 8) Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi Robbie, David and Doc I have been a very bad boy about communicating what is going on with silent caps and other stove stuff. Since you've brought it up, let me briefly bring you guys and others up to date. I asked Ross to take down the banner ad as it was bringing in more traffic than I could reasonably handle. It was very kind of him to have made the ad and I certainly appreciate his efforts in doing so. Thanks Ross! My website is still listed in the "Links" section here at CCS in case you need to find me. http://home.comcast.net/~bigdog660/Bluewater_Stove_Restoration/Main_Page.html]Link[/url] Or, PT-ing works, too. As I had mentioned last spring here on the forums and also at my webpage, I took a summer hiatus from cap building. Two factors motivated this hiatus. The first being that it rains here 7-9 months of the year and I try to recreate as much as possible during the summer dry months. The second factor was that my shop had become unusable. Originally envisioned as a wood shop, it had, over time, become clogged with boxes, equipment, scraps and just lots of junk. Not to mention stoves! It had actually become so thick that I could no longer move about in the narrow aisleways. It was driving me mad! (Yeah, I know. Short drive.) The plan was to get the shop cleaned out of all the junk. And, then refurbished with new ductwork and gates for the dust collection system and also to bring in some new metal working equipment in time to build caps in October. This just took (is taking) a lot longer than I had ever imagined. It's a mess! Plus, I have to confess that I get lured into fooling about with stoves as I'm moving them from place to place whilst reorganizing and cleaning. I'm trying to get things squared away so that I can produce some caps in November. I also plan to open an eBay store soon wherein I will sell caps, stoves and stove parts/accessories. Some of you have already discovered that I took possession of a large number of 111 stove related parts and I am selling those behind the scenes via PT-ing at the moment. I'm going to be very busy with shop work until I (hopefully) reopen November 1st. Cap production is going to be at a reduced level this year as I found that last year it was pretty much all I did. (There are already over two hundred of the quiet little beasties out there in the world somewhere.) I need some time to do other stove-related projects, too. I also have a handful of special projects that remain for me to complete for CCS members from last spring. (Sorry, guys. Hang in there!) In the meantime and for the future, too, if anyone would like to build their own caps, you are certainly welcome to do so. There is no copyright or patent. I've posted dimensions of minicaps already Link and am willing to help with any information you might need on other cap styles. I've considered a do-it-yourself kit that would have the parts rough cut with some silbraze filler and instructions. I'm not sure that would really be of interest, though. Anyway, that's the update. Hope this clears up the mystery. Now I'm off to do more shop work. Ack! A big thanks to all of you who are being so patient. And, thanks, Doc, for the vote of confidence. Cheers, Gary
BD, I would suggest that you retract the statement And replace it with "free to reproduce for individual use". I appreciate the leg work that you have done on the cap projects and would personally feel wronged if a major corporation introduced my ideas as options on a new stove model. Respectfully, AR
Two hundred? Is that all? Mine must be worth a ton of money since they were made before you stamped them with the paw print. Limited amount in circulation, like rare coins. Get that place in order.
Gary, Thanks for the heads up and no problem. My main concern was that you've been so snowed under with orders you'd done a "Reggie Perrin"! (That's a UK joke by the way, you might have to Wikipedia it.) All the best and take it easy.
You vultures you! Give a retired man a little rest All he needs is a half Viagra in the afternoon, so he wont roll out of the bed. And the other half in the morning so he wont piss his slippers I know you can take it Gary But i know from PT's that house painting and loads of other maintenance stuff dont go away just because you retire, so be patient guys. The man will fulfill your wishes given time.
Best of luck to you Gary!! I cleaned out the man cave this summer. Found that Corvette I bought. Thank you for the update! Cheers!!!! Jeff
I am one of many(?) that's been patiently waiting for the production to start up again. In september I got an email saying that workshop mayhem was going to delay production, so I happily put on some more patience-grease. Until today - when I noticed that caps will not will be made to order anymore, but sourced out through ebay. With caps now selling in the range of 140 USD - it's become a joke, as that's more than many of these stoves cost us. I would have appreciated an email stating the fact that my order was not going to happen. Lucky bastards you who got the first 200.
welcome to the forum, nice 1st post Gary's been working his arse off making these for us stovies, the lucky first 200 bastards as you put it are indeed lucky, we and i include myself are lucky that he under priced his craftsmanship so we could afford them, the blokes worked himself into the ground making them and has decided to ease up and i for one don't blame him ebay prices are set by the bidders not him, go bitch at the other bidders hope your 2nd post is better than this one as i doubt you'll last long here with that attitude atb Bill
bill - you are a hard man, but i understand... i feel quite fortunate to have acquired several of Mr. G's caps (my 123 and Hiker Plus are *quite* happy)... ebay bidders should understand that it takes quite a number of manual man-hours to construct these caps, and even at the bid prices, are still reasonable... Mr. G is an honorable man, and has generously shared his knowledge about cap construction... i just wish i had the skill and knowledge to build these...
sorry i didn't think i was being hard on the newb, a mate was being slagged and i think unduly, so i spoke up, it seemed the least i could do for someone who has helped me out no end atb Bill
Greetings, All, Personally, I send along sincere and humble thanks that Gary did us all a huge favor by offering those original caps to us here at CCS!! If someone else just got on board, and missed out on that, I'm sorry, but that's just the way it goes. I'd suggest you keep your eyes peeled on Dawg's site, and bid often, until the roll of the dice tumbles your way and you win one. You will be very happy you were patient and understanding, when your own cap arrives, and whatever price you have to pay, will be worth it. Just my two cents, but there have been plenty of times when all of us have missed one boat, or another, in getting some neat goodies that are no longer as readily available. I can't recall anyone getting oddball about it, in the least. Just the way it goes, sometimes. Good luck, and I hope you score a Dawg cap. If not, then hey, there are plenty of other neat stove goodies out there, and just like the rest of us, be happy about that!! 8) Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. If you choose not to be patient and understanding, just do a search for the exact instructions on how to make your own version of Gary's wonderful caps! He's so darned mean and evil, that he took the time to show us all how to do it, should we wish to do so!!! Darn him, for being so sharing!!!!
For anyone who desires to make their own, and has the time, or wants a machine shop to make one for them, all the info can be found here: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/13757 Now--having said that, and having lathes, mills and the like here at my disposal, it would STILL take some substantial work to produce these, even with incorporating ways to simplify manufacturing on a large scale. And we haven't even touched on tool breakage making all these small ports! When you figure on all the man-hours spent on these mini caps and midi caps, and all the research spent on making the ones that DIDN'T work, his pricing of his work IMO is a steal!!! Murph
Yep, slap that newbie, all up to how many bid. I can't believe how BD makes them so neat, didn't realize how long it takes to produce one though. I'll hang onto my two, maybe in a few years I can retire early on them.
Hi Papercut I'm not sure who you are. But, please consider emailing me to discuss what order you are referring to. I thought I'd gotten all the orders I had agreed to do under control, but perhaps I missed you. I suppose I should have composed another email and sent it out to interested parties. I got busy making caps instead. On the other hand, if you sent me an email telling me what you wanted and never heard back, then perhaps I may have let it slip. Sorry. To my ardent defenders, thank you for your support. You're the best! These were all rough when I started this morning. About six hours of sanding and buffing leads to: Oh, wah! Poor me! Just kidding! Cheers, Gary
I too was a lucky recipient of a few BD caps and they are the first item I admire in my stove cabinet each and every time I open it (Thanks again Gary) . I can fully understand the demand for them, especially after using them but I for one will never sell mine. When you think of the hard work that Gary put into these highly crafted caps I think of them as a usable piece of artwork and not an investment as they were practically given to most of us when considering the time Gary spent hand building them. We CCS members were very fortunate that Gary offered them to us for the super low cost that he did. Gary had 6-8 hours into each one of them plus materials, but we were able to do our everyday jobs and pay for them using the pay that we received after possibly just a few hours if you are fortunate to have a higher paying job. Its too bad that some members dragged their feet or just discovered them and didn't receive their caps before BD made his decision to offer them on ebay, but thats life and now maybe Gary will have a life of his own to enjoy his hobbies,family and things that are important to him instead of spending hours after hours fabricating silent caps that keeps him away from his family and passions. Just my two cents. Dan
Brother Dan, I could not have said it better!! Well done, and HUZZAH!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc (who will NEVER sell his cherished BD caps!!! They ARE a great piece of art, as well as being highly functional!! Also, since they came from a true and honest friend, they are not for sale, at any price!)
