We would like to thank Rick Tucker (FriarTuck) for giving us the use of his photos and write ups on our 2006 meet.
Bugly
Tools and Services takes it over the top........
Roger and Johnny along with the rest of the Bugly Headquarters staff,
obviously had been very busy making sure that all preparations for Bugly's
April Fools Meet was as good as it could be. According to Roger, this is
the first time he's seen parts of his shop in a long time, and doesn't even
remember some of the stuff he found. Roger will tell you that they just kinda
threw things together, but I saw a lot of attention to taking care of folks
and making sure that everyones needs were attended to. I quess you can say
that sometimes the unexpected happens, and all you can do is punt. Well,
this was one of whose last minute game winning field goals, that eveyone
will remember far after the season is over, and has been entered in the history
books.
Activities Underway
I arrived on Friday afternoon, and there was already a garage full of "Bench
Racers", and I could tell that Roger had already given up on trying to keep
things under control. It's a wise man who knows that control is an illusion.
Gator was already there, Kerry had pulled in and unloaded several machines, and
Mike and Spanky had dropped by Mittler Bros on their way in from Iowa, and brought
a new "bead roller" down for show and tell. Several projects were already
underway. Ron Gibson was getting a Ford Pickup hood ready for the "Lucky's
Louvers" presswork with help from Andy Bird, and Mike Wahl, while Jerry
Kelly was putting a patch panel on another fender he had brought with him.
Matt and Johnny kept themselves busy for a time discussing a "Bondo Buck" that
had been made of a truck dashboard, and an unusual but very versatile "radius
gauge" being displayed, while Bob and Mark pondered the finer details of
Paul's new "multi-purpose metal shaping machine".
'49 Studebaker Pick-up Bed Project
There were several projects going on in different parts of the shop, well two
shops actually. Friday night saw work on Andy's 1949 Studebaker pick-up bed with
a lot of help from Paul and Jerry and others helping to remove the old rusted
out backwall. If my foggy memory serves me right, by the time the shop finally
got closed up for the evening at about 1:30 AM, Johnny, Ron and Matt had joined
in, and they had fabricated a new blank doublewalled sheetmetal backwall all
bent up and ready for final fit.
Bugly's new Post Dolly stand
"Rookie" Phil showed up with his version of Wray's post dolly design,
painted up with the "Bugly" logo and all. He brought along Caleb, Rick,
and Josh. It wasn't long before he was able to talk Chris into laying down some "pin
striping" on his work of art.
The Artists at work
Artist Chris did several "pin striping" projects for other guys including
one of Kerry's E-wheels for Grant (bottom left), a Welding Helmet for Tim D,
and spent a lot of time teaching others the finer point of pinstriping. Top left
looking on is Tim, Phil, Dave, Rick, Nick and Uncle Johnny. On the right, Phil,
Rick and Nick look on as Chris helps Caleb with a little instruction. One of
the outstanding projects was Andy's "Flame-out" which started out as "E-wheel
embossing", then turned into a lesson in "relief by bead rolling",
then ended in "color by flame annealing" and "texture by sanding" (bottom
left). It Really turned out beautiful.
Bench Racing and other Pastimes
Gator had hauled in all the way from Maryland, Keith from Sedalia MO, John "Boogiemanz" Brown
from Tulsa OK,(with stories of 3 flat tires and being stuck in traffic west of
St Louis for hours), and Doug Hawkins all the way up from Oblong, IL. Meanwhile,
Mark who hauled in from Bloomington IL., visited with Roger, who hauled all the
way in from "across the parking lot", with Hostess cupcake in hand.
Friday afternoon and evening was full of "get-togethers" all around
the shop, as old friends and new, caught up and shared "tall tales" and
a lot of good laughs.
Gator and John, Tim and Chad, along with Kerry and Mike, doing a little catching
up. Earlier outside, Gator with Tim and Matt.
At right, Tim was demonstrating the Bead Roller for David, Chad and Nick.
Roger visits with friends Ed Wargo, his son Mike and his girlfriend. Chad and
David chat in the background. Below left, Big Mike caught me snapping a picture
of him and BoogieJohn and Chad.
The Saturday Afternoon Rush
For most of the afternoon on saturday, the shop was pretty crowded with all the
projects underway, and all the visitors and friends that were taking in all the
sights and sound. It was a real "party" atmosphere, and everyone was
having a great time visiting and working together. These two pictures only show
the main shop. There was another whole group in the welding area, and outside
doing some painting. The Studebaker truck bed was moved next door into the other
shop building, and there was a crew working on that project.
The sign-up sheet showed 104 attendees, and I'm bettin' at least a least a couple
of dozen visitors didn't sign in. All in all, it was a huge event.
Lucky's Louvers
Ron Gibsons hood was the first to go under the "louver press" on saturday,
under the watchfull eye of Uncle Johnny. Grant had his done on Sunday.
Metal Shaping 101
As is tradition at MetalMeet events, Kerry Pinkerton gave
his sought after "Metal Shaping 101" seminar, which must have set a
record lasting 3 full hours. The group of attendees kept Kerry busy with lots
of enthusiastic questions and comments. The weather was absolutely beautiful,
and the setting was great, out under the Circus Tent away from all the noise
in the shop.
Welding seminars
One of the activities that drew a huge crowd on saturday afternoon was the impromptu "Welding
Seminar". There was huge interest in TIG and Oxy-Acetylene welding, and
it so happened we had some very accomplished welders that were eager to share
their knowledge with others. Just below, Andy Andrasko demonstrates the TIG process
for several of the crew. Roger and Johnny had a really nice TIG setup, and a
Henrob 2000 to play with. It was a great opportunity for all who were interested.
Second row, Ron plugs up some holes in his hood, and in the third row, Mark cuts
out a blank for a "slapper", and FriarTuck plays
with the Henrob 2000.
The PowerHammer Project
Tim Doty brought all the parts to his mini "Anders Hammer", and was
getting ready to assemble it, when someone said, "why don't you paint it
first". Well, a group pitched in, sanded and prepared it for paint, and
Phil layed on a nice bright yellow, that would be the envy of any safey conscious
tool guy. After a good bake in the sun, Tim assembled it, and had it working
that evening. Great project, came together with a lot of participation from the
group. The only drawback was Tim was in town scrounging up the yellow paint when
I took the group picture. I don't have a clue what Tim and I were discussing,
but I'm sure it was real important. Nick the "Purfman" admires the
finished project.
Individual Projects
Several folks were busy with individual projects which gave others a great opportunities
to learn something new, or discuss various tecniques. Uncle Johnny instructs
Caleb and Josh on the use of a Beverly Shear, as Rick looks on. Jesse takes on
a rather large fender wheeling task while Roger's friend Al from north of the
border looks on, and later, Todd watches as a new motorcycle tank top section
takes shape.
Staunton locals Paul Jensen and Steve Handegan test out Buglys new Anoka style
power hammer, then turns it over to Caleb who gets a feel for the machine, while
Nathan Fenton along with his dad and a friend looks on. Keith talks "Flex
Patterns" with our Canadian visitor Fred.
Tony Goodrich brought along a friend Jim Gloe from St. Louis and spent the afternoon
instructing Jim on the basics of "tuck shrinking", while at right,
Todd puts the new Bugly post dolly stand through a vigorous workout.
Uncle Johnny get a hand from wife Kristi with a "flex pattern", while "Mr.
Bugly" himself has a one sided argument with a hunk of sheetmetal.
Chad brought a fender from his "Hupmobile" project which needed some
work, and is shown here talking it over with Jesse and Tim D. Todd brought copper
for making "Roses", but I believe most of the copper sheet ended up
being pressed into "Rat Rod" license plates.
The Setting
Bugly Headquaters is situated in the rolling hills near
Staunton, IL. It was the first green grass I had seen since last October, since
I've still got three feet of snow in my backyard. The weather was absolutely
gorgeous, T-shirt friendly, under beautiful blue skys. Saturday afternoon dinner
was catered by the Bugly crew (Johnny's wife Kristi and her folks Harry and Jean),
and included Taco Soup, Meat & Pasta dishs, and Brats and Sauerkraut. I've
never seen so many Hostess chocolate cupcakes in one place in my life. The coffee
was alway hot and fresh, and there were two refridgerators full of cold water
and sodas. The hospitality was warm and generous. I can't think of a single thing
that could have been better. (Well, we could have done without the rain squalls
and hail on sunday. Roger said he would try to do better next time). A special
thanks to Johnny's better half Kristi and her folks for putting on such a great
feed on saturday, and for the impromptu Brat barbeque on friday night after so
many folks showed up early. Just another example of the wonderful hospitality
extended to all visitors at the Bugly Headquarters compound.
My wife Barb, being the world renowned quilter that she is, (at least in my world)
decided that it would be nice for the group to be able to give something back
to Roger and Cindy, and Johnny and Kristi, for all the hard work they put in
to hosting such a wonderful event. So she ginned up a Quilt to be signed by all
the folks who visited, to commemorate the event. The quilt was displayed where
anyone who wanted to sign it could do so. I think it was a big hit, and hope
it goes a little ways toward saying "Thanks" to the wonderful Bugly
Headquarters staff.
The Group
This is a picture of a good number of attendees on Saturday about Noon. It was
a pretty fluid group, coming and going through the various areas so it was impossible
to get everyone together at one time. I apologize to anyone who didn't make the
group picture. As you can see by the size of the group, just getting them all
in one location for a picture should have been challange, but Roger just lit
off the siren on his bullhorn, and magically, everything came together. Of course,
since the chow line was about to form up, there was a little more incentive to
gather around. Roger and Johnny were presented with the Momento Quilt, and were
kind enough to pose for the camera.
Later in the afternoon, Roger and the Bugly crew held the Door Prize drawing,
and handed out dozens of wonderful prizes including April Fools Meet T-shirts,
MetalMeet T-shirts, and other items donated by various folks. It was a huge success.
Buglys "Rocky Mountain Region" office had a stack of Posters printed
up so that Roger and Johnny could autograph 'em, and folks could take home a
momento of their visit to "Bugly
Tools and Services" headquarters.
I think Roger and Johnny had a lot of fun with it, or at least they were really
good sports about becoming celebrities and all.
I want to thank Dave Edwards for contributing several really great pictures to
the cause, (otherwise I'd never get in one of these write-ups). Thanks Dave.
It was certainly a pleasure to be part of this great event, and I enjoyed seeing
old friends and making new ones. The group just gets bigger and better every
time there is an opportunity to get together. Folks came in from all over the
country, and from north of the border too! From Wyoming to Maryland, Alabama
to Canada. A million thanks to Roger, Johnny, and the whole Bugly crew.
Copyrighted© 2010 Bare Metal Rods, LTD