Another holiday tip by Karen. Filmed and edited by Dave Dugdale (camera enthusiasts should google him).
Just about every year the Alleman family gathers around a pile of fresh king crab legs sent directly from Alaska. Karen’s grandmother was an Aleut native and grew up in Dutch Harbor, Unalaska.
The secret to great king crab legs is in the preparation. King crab legs may be intimidating to fix, but it is really very easy, especially if you have the right tools. You will need a large pot, pruning shears and small garden shears. The first step in preparing king crab legs is to cut the legs in one to two inch chunks, using hand held pruning shears. After the legs are cut into chunks, take your smaller garden shears and make a small slit along the side of the king crab leg chunks. Submerge the crab legs into boiling water for about two to three minutes.
The cooked king crab legs will be easy to peel and even easier to eat!
Make sure to have plenty of butter and cocktail sauce on hand.

Real estate is in the news. There are homes for sale, low interest rates and potential renters everywhere. It may be a good time to look into purchasing investment property. There are a few things to keep in mind while looking at property for sale. A handy way to remember some key ideas can be found in the “three S’s”. Tom suggests considering 1. Site 2. Services and 3. Structure.

Site:
Take a look at the home, condominium or apartment building from the outside. Is the concrete curb and gutter in good shape? Does the driveway need to be repaired? What does the existing landscaping look like? Are there problem trees and/or shrubs that may need to be removed? Is the overall neighborhood a good area? It is important to look at nearby amenities like schools, shopping and public transportation hubs. Also, look at the neighbors adjacent to the potential property. Are there vacant homes or buildings? Are the yards and structures in good condition?

Services:
Another area to closely examine is the public services that fuel the home. How does the water come into the house? Examine the piping in the house and out to the city line. Is the pipe made of copper, pex or is it galvanized? Sewer services will usually be cast iron or clay. Is the servicing sewer line buried underneath the neighbors lawn. If there is a break or a repair needed this could become extremely costly. How does the electric line enter the property? Many older structures electrical panels are an insufficient size. Also, know where gas lines are. What are the phone and television options?

Structure:
It is important to give close attention to the structure of the unit. Take time to examine the foundation. Check for cracking, water stains, flaking and settling. It is a good idea to be familiar with the type of soil the structure sits on as well. Look for cracked walls as well. Do the doors and windows close easily? Where is the furnace and hot water heater located? Is the floor even or are there obvious variations?

A rental property can be a great investment. Just ask a few questions before purchasing.

It is exciting when we get a job into the shop that will remain in the community for decades. Tom was asked to help weld on a steeple for a new church building in town. The congregation at Laramie Valley Chapel has been waiting for the addition of their steeple for several years. A large crane was used to lift up the 56 foot steel structure and then Tom and Colter welded it onto the existing building frame. Also in this video, a local construction company places the all stainless steel cross on the top. Two guys were lifted up in a steel box along with the attached cross. Once in place, the cross was bolted onto the top of the large steeple. All and all, the cross sits about one hundred feet off the ground.
Two guys were hoisted up in a steel box and when in place, bolted the cross onto the top of the steel steeple. All and all, the cross sits about one hundred feet off the ground. Check out the short video of the action. I wasn’t able to get video of the steeple being lifted by the crane. If anyone out there was able to get pictures or video, send it my way!

Trent, from the local diving club (307 Diving Club), contacted Tom about fabricating a dry land diving board that the team could use for practice.
A relatively new trend in diving training utilizes a dry land diving board. The dry land diving board can be used for the same basic purposes as a trampoline, but with the obvious advantage of creating a more accurate simulation to diving into a swimming pool. A dry diving board is a good tool for beginners as well as advanced divers. The dry board allows the diver to repeatedly practice dive techniques without having to worry about how they might land in the water. The dry diving board can also be made to be portable. Trent will be able to move it around as needed. He even has plans to put it in the park for a demonstration during Laramie Jubilee Days.
Tom built this frame out of 2 X 2 X1/8 inch square tube. The metal tube size is a little bigger than most dry board manufacturers use. This makes for a heavier and more sturdier frame. Tom also added steps at the end of the structure. The steps were built out of 1 1/2 X 3/16 angle iron. Trex decking will be added for the stair treads. Trex will work great because it is waterproof and non-slip.
Trade Tool Innovations wishes the best for Trent and 307 Diving Club! Watch a short video of Trent talking about the dry diving board.

This morning Tom and I ventured out to see a large metal frame that had blown over during the weekend. The metal building was being constructed on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie Wyoming. It was to house tennis courts when completely finished. It looks as if the contractor has some cleaning up to do before beginning the building process again.
The first thing we noticed was the large steel frame toppled onto an adjacent building. The adjacent building is similar to the frame and size of the destroyed metal structure. The structure was about 150 feet by 200 feet. It looked as if the entire steel frame had been pushed over like a set of domino’s.

It looked as if the contractor had the main beams up along with the girts and roof perlins. It seemed to have been all tied together at one point. Their may have not been any cross bracing up yet. There also was no tin on the metal structure eitherTin wall on a metal building serve as a big diaphragm that prevent sheer. Metal buildings are designed so the frame has connecting points where the pieces are bolted together. The tin is screwed up against the frame and serves as a deterrent to torquing and twisting of the metal building frame. It is possible that the wind came up and the steel structure began to move slightly. If there were not enough cross bracing in the structure as it was being set up, then if a couple of critical points were effected and the steel webs began to fold a little bit, it may cause the entire structure to topple down. Cross bracing may be the answer to a mess well avoided. Tom describes how he built his shop by first erecting a bay with plenty of steel cable cross bracing. The walls and roof are equipped to handle the load of the unstable beams and perlins. Cross bracing is essential to the building process and also makes for a much more secure structure in the end.

Tom’s brother, Jim, purchased a new Kubota LA 854 tractor last spring. He brought it down to the shop so Tom could build and weld on a few accessories before using it. Tom fabricated a hook and chain holder for the front end loader. The holder is made out of half inch hot rolled steel that was cut using a plasma cutter. Tom then ground down the edges and drilled a hole using a drill bin in a milling machine.
Jim chose a 4740 Kubota tractor. It has 49 horse power. It came with an LA 854 front end loader. Jim also added the backhoe attachment, snowplow attachment and a set of fork lift forks.
There are a few things you should keep in mind when shopping around for a new tractor. First of all, look for a brand name. There are some off brands out there, but you will want to make sure and insure your investment by choosing a reliable company that will stay in business for years to come. I is also good to purchase your new tractor from a local dealer. This makes servicing and maintenance a lot easier. If you are in doubt about what size of tractor to buy, go with a little bit larger machine than you think you’ll need. It is better to have a tractor that does the work, rather than trying to push a smaller one. Most high altitude owners usually go for a turbo engine. It gives the extra power needed, although they will be pricier than a non-turbo. If you live closer to sea level it might be good to purchase a tractor with a bigger engine without the turbo. Tractors also come with a gas or diesel option. A diesel will typically last longer. They tend to be harder to start in cold climates though. They are also better on fuel mileage, but tend to be more expensive to rebuild.
Finally, never rule out purchasing a used tractor. Pay attention to the mileage on the machine, who the previous owners were and how they used the tractor. Also, ask to look at the service records.

Tom and I recently got away with the family over the long New Years weekend. Estes Park Colorado is within a short driving distance from our house/shop in Wyoming. We like to visit Estes Park in the winter because the summer crowds are gone and we can often get lower rates on places to stay. Since we are a family of five, it is nice to find a vacation condominium or house on rental websites.
We found this great downtown loft on homeaway.com. The owners live in Estes Park and were wonderful to work with. There was plenty of space for our family to spread out and relax.
This unit is a two bedroom unit with a t.v. room that can be used as a third bedroom. There is also a pull out couch in the living room that could sleep two. The kitchen, dining and living room area is open and spacious. There is a full washer and dryer located in a closet just off the kitchen. Another great thing about this condominium is that is has two full bathrooms. Each bathroom is outfitted with plenty of towels and a generous toiletries basket.  The condo also comes with free wi-fi.

It is a brand new loft right above a small art gallery and coffee shop at the beginning of the downtown shopping district of Estes Park. Eds Cantina, a good Mexican restaurant and bar right outside the front door. The downtown condo backs the Estes Park River Walk. The Big Thompson River runs directly behind the condo. I can imagine in the summer time the river noise would be very soothing. There is a long stairway up to the loft, so it would be difficult for handicap or older guests.

Our family loved the location. We were able to park the car and leave it there for almost the entire weekend. We did venture up the mountain to St Malo retreat center to see the beautiful stone church.  We also spent some time at the Estes Park Brewery where they bottle their own micro-brews.  The movie theater is within walking distance as is the local Safeway.

Since Estes Park is one of our favorite weekend getaways we travel there at least once a year.  Another must stop in the Estes Park area include Rocky Mountain National Park to see the wildlife and outstanding vistas.  When we visit without the kids we always make time to stop in at Nikky’s Resort to enjoy the great bar there.  They usually have a roaring fire and wonderful live music.  The dinners are hearty and outstanding.  The real reason to go to Nikky’s is the atmosphere though.  The old wooden covered porch is literally littered with old Chianit bottles of all sizes.  We aren’t really wine drinkers, but if you are… they invite you to order a bottle, polish it off, write your name on it, and then they will hang it from the ceiling.  The last time we were there we saw one marked “Clint Eastwood”… hummm.

Estes Park is a remarkable location to visit anytime of year.  The town and Rocky Mountain National Park tend to be more crowed in the summer months.  Sometimes if you go in the winter off season then the lodging rates will be lower.  Some of the downtown shops and restaurants only operate during the summer months, so be aware.

Check out our short “out of the shop” video with footage of the Estes Park condominium and the area.

The week between Christmas and New Year tends to be a little slow at Trade Tool Innovations. We usually take advantage of the time off and pop in and out of town as the weather allows.
This past Christmas day we were up in Boulder Colorado preparing for our Christmas dinner and I (Karen) came up with a tip that Tom acutally shared with me in our early days. I suppose when a man knows how to get all the soup out of a can, then it is definitely time to snag him up! Anyway, really, this tip DOES work! It works with any type of canned good that is packed into the can. Think soup and cranberries… stuff like that.
Since we were taking a break from the shop, I thought this might be a great “tip” to post.
No worries though, we’ll have plenty of sparks, smoke, welding, fabricating, fixing, metal bending and cutting, crazy (and not so crazy) shop projects in the new year!
Thanks to “Solar Dave”, http://www.solardave.com, my brother-in-law for his filming and editing expertise. And all his unpaid website consulting over the years… Krissy, you snagged a good one!
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!

A popular way to prepare holiday turkeys is to deep fry them.  Tom purchased a deep fry kit from Bass Pro Shop for under $40.  The kit came with a burner, stand, hose and regulator with a 20 minute timer, a large pot and lid and a hanger for the turkey.  It is important to follow all directions that come with any deep fry kit.

It is best to use the fryer kit out of the wind.  Tom set up frying operations inside the shop.  Remember, frying indoors is not recommended, but Tom cleard a wide perimeter around the fryer.  A study shop table was handy to hold all the necessary items including a fire extinguisher, marinades and seasonings.  It is a great idea to fry up some mushrooms, cheese sticks and other battered hours’devous while you have your deep fryer out and ready to go.

Tom decided to cook two smaller turkeys that each weighed about ten pounds.  Smaller turkeys are easeir to monitor during the frying process.  An added bonus is that you can flavor each turkey with different seasonings.  Tom ordered his marinade kit from Bass Pro Shop.  The kit came with four different flavors as well as an injector.

Stainless steel welding wire works great when tying the turkey legs together.  It is extremely important to start out with a clean, well thawed, dry turkey.

When the oil reaches temperature the turkeys can be submerged.  A set of welding gloves helps protect Tom from any hot oil that may splatter.  It is also important to slowly lower the turkey in the carfully measured oil.  Most fryer fires occur when too much oil has been added to the pot.  When the turkey is added, the oil level rises and spills over onto the fire below.  It is also a good idea to be aware of pets who may be hanging around as well.

Frying a turkey can be a great way to share the holidays with family and friends.  Several extra precautions should be observed for a successful fry.

Remember

1.  Start with a clean, dry, well thawed turkey.

2.  Fry out of the wind and away from other objects.

3.  Follow directions on the fry kit.

4.  You might want to fry two smaller turkeys, instead of one large one.

5.  Welding gloves work for oil protection.

6.  Use stainless steel  welding wire to tie legs together.

7.  Be aware of pets and children in the area.