[AT] OT - Cider Mill update

[Keith Kinney]

Thanks for all the nice comments about our cider mill 
restoration.  It was a great project and it having been in the family 
makes it especially rewarding.

Both my kids have completed 10 years each in 4-H where our local 4-H 
association has a project called Americana.  The Americana project 
encourages kids to display a antique in one of many categories 
ranging from household items to farm equipment in either original 
condition or restored.  It's purpose is to help the kids develop an 
appreciation for their heritage.  With my dad and I collecting old 
engines, tractors etc. my kids have taken on many projects around the 
barn with the cider mill being the last.  It ends up being a family 
project with my dad, son, wife and friends pitching in to assist in 
the projects.  It is a terrific learning experience for the kids.  On 
this particular project we milled the lumber on our sawmill from logs 
cut on family property.  We dried the lumber in our wood kiln.  Then 
we machined the wood parts in our workshop.  About the only thing we 
farmed out was the cleaning of the metal parts.  These we took to a 
local company called Redi-strip that dips the parts in a vat of 
chemicals. When they come back they look like they just came from the 
foundry.  From there we worked on repairing the broken or worn parts, 
painted and reassembled the parts.  It's would be hard to list all 
the different skills Isaac learned, or was at least exposed to , on a 
project like this.  We still plan to cast a couple of minor internal 
parts and add some pin striping but I'm as proud of Isaac and this 
mill as about any other project we have taken on.

Someone asked about the log structure in the background.  That's 
another one of our restoration project.  It is a log house that was 
originally built in 1840. We tore it down and moved it and rebuilt it 
behind my parents house.  My wife and I lived in it for the first 
year and a half of our marriage.  Here is a web page with more of the details:
http://www.herculesengines.com/logcabin/logcabin.html
If anyone is in the area and needs a place to spend a night or two 
let me know.  The cabin us usually available and it is only 50 or so 
feet away from the barns that house our treasures.  We like sharing 
it with like minded folks.

I'm not sure if we will be taking this mill to any shows.  I'd love 
to but it's not the easiest thing to haul around and we would need 
lots of water for cleanup if we were to make cider at a 
show.  Anybody have any experience with this sort of thing?

Thanks for looking and for all the nice complements.

Keith

PS:  Here are some of our other 4-H Americana project if you're interested.
http://www.herculesengines.com/NewAdditions/default.htm
http://www.herculesengines.com/Superior%2025HP/
http://www.herculesengines.com/mills/Default.htm



Keith Kinney
Evansville, Indiana  USA
www.HerculesEngines.com