#I am slowly learning handyman skills

[asmolbirb]

I AM THE SEXIEST BISEXUAL IN ALL OF NEW YORK (<<<< just fixed her leaky faucet)

[rosiesdisneydrama]

I am only on the fringes of this fandom but the Pre Series aus (and old man yaoi) slowly sank into me until my brain was tricked into making an au.

Behold! Witch Stanley! (I've been calling it the Witch Way Next au)

Basic idea is pretty simple, after he was kicked out, Stanley stayed with someone he found out was an actual Old Witch. Who, after hearing what happened, decided to all-but-legally adopt him and started to teach him magic. (Bc they were old and, despite being a witch, weren't immortal and have never had a family to pass on their skills to.)

They helped a lot with his mental health/internalized issues while he lived with them. Making him more stable and put together than canon.

They passed away after a few years, but gifted him basically all their tools (like a near-bottomless suitcase and dufflebag to help him carry it all without anyone noticing) to use and self-study/learn after they were gone. A lot of his work while traveling was as a Magic Fix-it/"Handyman" instead of sales work and cons. (Unless someone needed to be taken down a peg or two.)

Now some other notes (Some of which are one the drawing)

He uses the witch's surname most of the time, to denote that he was their student/succsssor. He also has their book of contacts for other magical people/shops they knew around the country (which he's been adding to)

He smokes herbal cigarettes now, which he makes himself. They can be used to cast spells since many of the ones he was taught use smoke/burned herbs as part of their ingredients!

His lighter helps him conjur/fight with fire magic.

Wears a protective talisman all the time. He sleeps with it on, even.

Every hotel/motel he's stayed in smells like lavender and sage when he leaves. (Lavender and Sage are protective/purifying and can keep malevolent and violent magic and creatures away.)

His clothes and health are better when he and Stanford meet again because he's in a better mental state than cannon. (Thanks to lots of soul-searching and identity-grappling while learning to use magic)

His messy mullet-like style is actually semi-intentional because of a spell he uses a lot when he's in a tight spot.

He actually didn't come to Gravity Falls because of his brother. He was asked to go there as a favor to someone he knows and bumped into his estranged twin by accident.

And that's the basic gist of how Stanley is different in this. As you can imagine, a lot of things probably will change from canon, if I continue adding to this.

I would actually like to talk more about it, so please send asks if you want me to ramble about anything in the au!

[5-7-9]

Oh! Good catch! This was the first time seeing a class rank for a fairytail OC (i was scrolling). I consider my OC Collector S class rank, it would be weird to put them so low since they’ve found a bunch of mythological inspired stuff and can wield them relatively easily. Fashionista and Blacksmith are A class rank because i felt they were plenty useful in their skills that are not absolutely based after bullcrap bogus superpower fighting *coughs* AHEM CANON *COUGHS*

Despite Fashionista’s ego, they’re the ones that take up the stealth parts. She’s agile and acrobatic, and those things take a lot of muscles so she has dancer muscles! She’s the best at talking because she talks a lot, good for distracting or being convincing or being a lawyer’s nightmare. Her business background comes in handy. Also I decided she went into aerial silk dancing because it just fits so perfectly with the way i envision her weaving around fabric on parts of her body to increase weight and pull. I should mention her threads and fabrics are thrown around in a manner akin to spider webs🕸️ and I think i was so cool for thinking that up 😎 and obviously know everything about fashion and fabric.

Blacksmith was a staple handyman for most of the paths as they’ve had to shield themselves a lot (i couldn’t figure out a barrier relic, in theory there are plenty of elements like ice or earth to make shields but that is so not protective enough), also nobody except him carries any swords. Collector has a precision knife but y’know… it’s better to cut with a sword. If anybody goes into battle mode, it’s better to rely on him although Fashionista can hold her own. Obviously they know everything about blacksmithing armour, weapons, and fighting.

It’s obvious why Collector is important but I’ll say it anyway. Collector is the one holding all the stuff. They’re always carrying their pocket dimension backpack, using an anti thievery seal so only they can open it. They try to not carry too much, but they have an anti gravity device to make it lighter if they need it. They’re the navigator as they like to research on treasures and therefore can also wield them, and can create and know machinery (I say machines which is true but arts and crafts too, but arts and crafts is vague and sounds stupid). They may know a lot about relics of all different types of objects, but they don’t specialize in any of them. They do talk to many speacialists in certain stuff, or collab with to make a new invention. Besides requip as a caster type, they did manage to also learn telekinesis (basic rules where you can’t lift organic/alive beings), which helps to hold up at least an abnormally heavy backpack but not enough for anything bigger. I think alchemy is a good fit, only because the ability to mend/bend objects would be nice. They always wears gloves because “You should never touch relics with your bare hands just in case of adverse effects.” They learned of multiple sealing magics, but I am more familiar with writing letter magic as a seal type magic so that’s my basis, but I’m sure there are other forms too. The Pegasus celestial spirit key has made me realize just how little use my team needs of them, but then I remembered how much Collector hates walking, then I made it so that they suck at walking. Despite having anti gravity shoes to jump higher (slowly tho) and to walk on walls, plus it’s equipped with a fast magic too although it has to activate separately (since there was no use to combine anti gravity that makes things so with fast magic, i think, idk), why run or jump when legs tired, emergency use only. I get that it’s completely unfair for Collector to be a catch all for every holder type magic, but they’re a nerd that specializes in knowing rather than utilizing, they’re not a master in any of them although they have a large power reservoir to make it seem more powerful. But power without control does not go anywhere. Collector’s whole magic thingy is meant to be abundant but unfocused, as it is the very foundation of their illness. And i rest my case for my overpowered yet balanced flawed OC.

[chmerkovskiyvalentin]

Nancy McKeon is sorry about the sudden whirring sound. She has a protein shake to make, perhaps more cheerfully than one has ever blended a smoothie before, seeing as she's in the heart of rehearsing for her Dancing With the Stars debut.

Best known for her role as Jo Polniaczek on the hit '80s sitcom The Facts of Life, McKeon is so nice it's a good thing her return to TV is on DWTS and not Big Brother. The 52-year-old actress is self-deprecating about her dancing skills, utters "Good gravy!" when surprised, enjoys getting schooled on both footwork and social media from her pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, and, I'm convinced, secretly bakes chocolate chip cookies for her fellow competitors. If this sounds a lot like your mom, that's probably because McKeon took nearly 15 years off to focus on raising her daughters, 14-year-old Aurora and 11-year-old Harlow, whom she shares with husband Marc Andrus.

The break was well deserved. McKeon started working when she was two, first as a child model and commercial actor before scoring roles on TV, and was acting up until the seventh month of her first pregnancy. "I just love what I do, but I have been given this amazing gift of my husband and my children, and I didn't want to not be there for this small amount of time you get with them," she tells ET. "I can't even believe when I say 15 years. It just feels like a nanosecond. I really wanted to give them all my attention that they deserve."

Though she had a handful of smaller, carefully chosen roles, DWTS will be McKeon's first big return to the spotlight since her Lifetime detective drama, The Division, wrapped in 2004, and she knows you're probably surprised to see her name on the list of season 27 competitors. "This isn't something that I would normally do. It really is outside my comfort zone," she admits.

If it weren't for an important family meeting, she may not have even strapped on dance shoes. "The way to affect change in your life is to move beyond your comfort zone, so I had this conversation with [my daughters] and they said, 'Mom, this is going to be great. You can do it.' Having them as my support team and cheerleaders is extraordinary," she says. "As a mom, I can tell them to be brave and I can say, 'This is how you should be,' but sometimes there's no more powerful demonstration than actually doing it. So I just decided, you know what, I'm going to scare the living life out of myself and say yes and just show up every day and see what happens. Everything changes and moves you, so I'm also excited about all the changes and the different things that I'm learning in this venture as well."

She may have found the perfect partner-in-crime in Chmerkovskiy. Not only is there a clear chemistry and sense of humor between the two already, but McKeon is pretty sure they've settled on the team name of "McVal." "I got top billing so I gave him an extra letter," she jokes.

McKeon has zero dance experience and, despite doing hot yoga regularly and living on a ranch where she averages four to seven miles of walking a day, she says none of her previous roles have helped prep her for DWTS. "I don't think anything can prepare your feet for being crammed into a high heel and then dance across a stage," she says. On top of that, social media wasn't a part of the TV landscape the last time she was here.

Luckily, Chmerkovskiy is an excellent teacher. So far, the pair has put in about two weeks of rehearsals. McKeon feels they're doing well as they run their steps and get their stamina up for the big, first number, and her partner is giving her some very important advice during what she calls "a master class every day." "'Don't have the terror look.' That's a big one," McKeon says. "He said, 'Look at me, but not with those eyes that are scared. Smile! Enjoy!' I love him for doing that because when I work, it's focus and concentration. The last [acting projects] had been drama and prepping for that, and this really needs to just be fun."

McKeon says her and Chmerkovskiy's goal for week one is "just sheer fun and love." This is partially to provide some escapism for fans during these tumultuous times but also because, on a personal level, if she's going to leave her family, it needed to be for a good reason.

"[My daughters] are everything to me, and without them and my amazing husband, then nothing really does have much meaning. I've worked a lot and this is really the first time I've gone away and am spending a lot of time doing something," she reveals. "It's uncomfortable because I miss them, but somewhere [down the line], I think this might be very helpful in our conversations as our lives go on, and I'm interested to see where all that lands too."

"It's funny, you maybe wouldn't put a dancing show or something like that in this sort of category, but it really is a lot more than just dancing," she adds. "You develop this wonderful friendship and partnership with, in my particular case, Val. He's awesome and everybody loves him. I think I feel even more pressure now because he's the show's national treasure, but so far I'm thrilled that people seem to be OK with him being partnered with me!"

Holding family as the most important pillar has been essential in helping the dancing partners connect. Though she hasn't met Chmerkovskiy's brother, Maksim, as he's not competing this season, McKeon has met his fiancee, fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson, whom she describes as "dear," "beautiful" and "sweet." McKeon has even dished out some excellent advice for Chmerkovskiy and Johnson's pending nuptials.

"I told him to enjoy the day. I've been married for 15 years, and I can still look back and remember every single moment of [my wedding] day. It was just about 20 people and it was our day, and it was one of the best days of my life," she recalls. "So, my advice to him was, 'It's just got to be about the two of you. After all, the rest of your life is about the two of you.' That's what I did -- there was no stress, no pressure, and it was really amazing. Other than that, I think everyone figures it out for themselves!"

Johnson has popped by rehearsals, bringing smoothies or simply saying hello and providing encouragement, which has helped McKeon have a bit of that familial grounding while away from home. "The family you get welcomed into on this show is extraordinary. Everybody -- from the guys who help you park in the morning and our security to the producing teams -- they literally are all happy to be there and they're rooting for everybody," she explains. "I have never felt like an outsider from day one. What a great thing! I love the atmosphere they've created. Yeah, it's a competition, but everyone's cheering everybody else on too."

McKeon will have some very important faces in the crowd when season 27 kicks off on Sept. 24. Her daughters and husband will be there (she joked that they better be, just in case there's no week two for her!), as well as actress Lisa Vidal, her best friend since they were partnered up on The Division, which also starred then-unknowns Jon Hamm and Taraji P. Henson, along with Parenthood's Bonnie Bedelia.

"I told her, 'Mama, you're going to have to help me with some kind of cha-cha or salsa,'" McKeon says of Vidal. "Lisa is like a sister, but that whole cast -- it really was one of the best times of my life. I loved everybody on that show. We were all supportive of each other and to watch Jon blossom and Taraji just shatter it is so beautiful… It's so exciting to watch such good people get to do what they love to do and just crush it. They're amazing people. It's a joy for me to be an uber fan because [after the show ended], I got to be with the most important people, which is my kiddos and my hubby."

McKeon is the first to admit she's been blessed to work with some incredible people throughout her career. She famously acted alongside Michael J. Fox in the '80s, as well as Mariska Hargitay and Jean Smart in the short-lived sitcoms Can't Hurry Love and Style & Substance, respectively, plus she did take some time out from being a stay-at-home mom to play Demi Lovato's mother on the Disney Channel show, Sonny With a Chance, from 2009-2010.

Though the two haven't spoken in some time, McKeon only had kind words for Lovato, who suffered a relapse and apparent overdose earlier this summer

"I wouldn't presume. I can only send all my love. She seems to be incredibly smart… It was a difficult time during that show and things kind of went on, but I can tell you in my experience, she was genuinely lovely to me and to my girls, who were much younger at the time and very excited to meet her," McKeon says of her onscreen daughter. "I have every confidence that she's going to come back stronger and in a way that is the best for her. She deserves that."

McKeon was side-by-side another big actor during their early days, one whom she gets asked about a lot: George Clooney, whose first real TV experience was as a handyman on The Facts of Life. Though his time with them was short, McKeon says she would see him working on another show on the lot and they remained friends. "He's everything you want him to be," she happily reveals. "He's fun, an incredible talent, and he's loyal as the day is long. He deserves all good things and it looks like that's exactly what he's gotten."

The most important connection she has from those sitcom days, however, was with Charlotte Rae, who portrayed the beloved, wise-cracking redheaded housemother of the fictional Eastland School. She died in early August at age 92 after a series of illnesses, and McKeon chokes up when thinking about her beloved friend.

"That's a hard one for me. It's soon," she says slowly. "Charlotte's one of the most remarkable people I've ever met in my life and we were actually very good friends. If I was in L.A., we were always together and if I wasn't, I came in, even if it was just to see her. She's been at my ranch and hung out with the girls and myself, and I will always be the luckiest person and a much better person for having had her in my life."

The women of The Facts of Life still keep in touch. In fact, McKeon has been texting with Kim Fields, as the actress known as Tootsie danced with pro Sasha Farber in season 22 of DWTS. Though McKeon hasn't watched every season of the dance competition show, she did watch Fields and Farber compete "with joy and amazement."

"She just knocked it out of the park. She's just so amazing. We've been texting and I said, 'Really? Did you have to set the bar this high? Girlfriend, I don't know if I can live up [to that].' She's just a doll and supportive," McKeon says, adding that she's gone back to watch some of Chmerkovskiy's dances with previous partners but had to stop "because he's so good" and didn’t want to get stuck in a brain warp comparing herself to others.

In fact, Fields' best advice had nothing to do with the dancing itself. "'Have fun. Enjoy this week, this day, this rehearsal. Try not to look ahead.' For me, I think that's awesome advice because it's really just got to be about the journey," McKeon says. "There's some amazing people dancing, so it's really not about an end result for me. What I'm looking for is the best I can do on every single day."

"It doesn't matter how sore [I am] -- get up, go back, fight the good fight the next day," she continues. "Have some smile, as my partner would say, and just enjoy that day, because none of us can possibly predict how long any of us have."

Season 27 of Dancing With the Stars kicks off Monday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. 

[valentindaily]

Nancy McKeon is sorry about the sudden whirring sound. She has a protein shake to make, perhaps more cheerfully than one has ever blended a smoothie before, seeing as she's in the heart of rehearsing for her Dancing With the Stars debut.

Best known for her role as Jo Polniaczek on the hit '80s sitcom The Facts of Life, McKeon is so nice it's a good thing her return to TV is on DWTS and not Big Brother. The 52-year-old actress is self-deprecating about her dancing skills, utters "Good gravy!" when surprised, enjoys getting schooled on both footwork and social media from her pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, and, I'm convinced, secretly bakes chocolate chip cookies for her fellow competitors. If this sounds a lot like your mom, that's probably because McKeon took nearly 15 years off to focus on raising her daughters, 14-year-old Aurora and 11-year-old Harlow, whom she shares with husband Marc Andrus.

The break was well deserved. McKeon started working when she was two, first as a child model and commercial actor before scoring roles on TV, and was acting up until the seventh month of her first pregnancy. "I just love what I do, but I have been given this amazing gift of my husband and my children, and I didn't want to not be there for this small amount of time you get with them," she tells ET. "I can't even believe when I say 15 years. It just feels like a nanosecond. I really wanted to give them all my attention that they deserve."

Though she had a handful of smaller, carefully chosen roles, DWTS will be McKeon's first big return to the spotlight since her Lifetime detective drama, The Division, wrapped in 2004, and she knows you're probably surprised to see her name on the list of season 27 competitors. "This isn't something that I would normally do. It really is outside my comfort zone," she admits.

If it weren't for an important family meeting, she may not have even strapped on dance shoes. "The way to affect change in your life is to move beyond your comfort zone, so I had this conversation with [my daughters] and they said, 'Mom, this is going to be great. You can do it.' Having them as my support team and cheerleaders is extraordinary," she says. "As a mom, I can tell them to be brave and I can say, 'This is how you should be,' but sometimes there's no more powerful demonstration than actually doing it. So I just decided, you know what, I'm going to scare the living life out of myself and say yes and just show up every day and see what happens. Everything changes and moves you, so I'm also excited about all the changes and the different things that I'm learning in this venture as well.'

She may have found the perfect partner-in-crime in Chmerkovskiy. Not only is there a clear chemistry and sense of humor between the two already, but McKeon is pretty sure they've settled on the team name of "McVal." "I got top billing so I gave him an extra letter," she jokes.

McKeon has zero dance experience and, despite doing hot yoga regularly and living on a ranch where she averages four to seven miles of walking a day, she says none of her previous roles have helped prep her for DWTS. "I don't think anything can prepare your feet for being crammed into a high heel and then dance across a stage," she says. On top of that, social media wasn't a part of the TV landscape the last time she was here.

Luckily, Chmerkovskiy is an excellent teacher. So far, the pair has put in about two weeks of rehearsals. McKeon feels they're doing well as they run their steps and get their stamina up for the big, first number, and her partner is giving her some very important advice during what she calls "a master class every day." "'Don't have the terror look.' That's a big one," McKeon says. "He said, 'Look at me, but not with those eyes that are scared. Smile! Enjoy!' I love him for doing that because when I work, it's focus and concentration. The last [acting projects] had been drama and prepping for that, and this really needs to just be fun."

McKeon says her and Chmerkovskiy's goal for week one is "just sheer fun and love." This is partially to provide some escapism for fans during these tumultuous times but also because, on a personal level, if she's going to leave her family, it needed to be for a good reason.

"[My daughters] are everything to me, and without them and my amazing husband, then nothing really does have much meaning. I've worked a lot and this is really the first time I've gone away and am spending a lot of time doing something," she reveals. "It's uncomfortable because I miss them, but somewhere [down the line], I think this might be very helpful in our conversations as our lives go on, and I'm interested to see where all that lands too."

"It's funny, you maybe wouldn't put a dancing show or something like that in this sort of category, but it really is a lot more than just dancing," she adds. "You develop this wonderful friendship and partnership with, in my particular case, Val. He's awesome and everybody loves him. I think I feel even more pressure now because he's the show's national treasure, but so far I'm thrilled that people seem to be OK with him being partnered with me!"

Holding family as the most important pillar has been essential in helping the dancing partners connect. Though she hasn't met Chmerkovskiy's brother, Maksim, as he's not competing this season, McKeon has met his fiancee, fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson, whom she describes as "dear," "beautiful" and "sweet." McKeon has even dished out some excellent advice for Chmerkovskiy and Johnson's pending nuptials.

"I told him to enjoy the day. I've been married for 15 years, and I can still look back and remember every single moment of [my wedding] day. It was just about 20 people and it was our day, and it was one of the best days of my life," she recalls. "So, my advice to him was, 'It's just got to be about the two of you. After all, the rest of your life is about the two of you.' That's what I did -- there was no stress, no pressure, and it was really amazing. Other than that, I think everyone figures it out for themselves!"

Johnson has popped by rehearsals, bringing smoothies or simply saying hello and providing encouragement, which has helped McKeon have a bit of that familial grounding while away from home. "The family you get welcomed into on this show is extraordinary. Everybody -- from the guys who help you park in the morning and our security to the producing teams -- they literally are all happy to be there and they're rooting for everybody," she explains. "I have never felt like an outsider from day one. What a great thing! I love the atmosphere they've created. Yeah, it's a competition, but everyone's cheering everybody else on too."

McKeon will have some very important faces in the crowd when season 27 kicks off on Sept. 24. Her daughters and husband will be there (she joked that they better be, just in case there's no week two for her!), as well as actress Lisa Vidal, her best friend since they were partnered up on The Division, which also starred then-unknowns Jon Hamm and Taraji P. Henson, along with Parenthood's Bonnie Bedelia.

"I told her, 'Mama, you're going to have to help me with some kind of cha-cha or salsa,'" McKeon says of Vidal. "Lisa is like a sister, but that whole cast -- it really was one of the best times of my life. I loved everybody on that show. We were all supportive of each other and to watch Jon blossom and Taraji just shatter it is so beautiful… It's so exciting to watch such good people get to do what they love to do and just crush it. They're amazing people. It's a joy for me to be an uber fan because [after the show ended], I got to be with the most important people, which is my kiddos and my hubby."

McKeon is the first to admit she's been blessed to work with some incredible people throughout her career. She famously acted alongside Michael J. Fox in the '80s, as well as Mariska Hargitay and Jean Smart in the short-lived sitcoms Can't Hurry Love and Style & Substance, respectively, plus she did take some time out from being a stay-at-home mom to play Demi Lovato's mother on the Disney Channel show, Sonny With a Chance, from 2009-2010.

Though the two haven't spoken in some time, McKeon only had kind words for Lovato, who suffered a relapse and apparent overdose earlier this summer.

"I wouldn't presume. I can only send all my love. She seems to be incredibly smart… It was a difficult time during that show and things kind of went on, but I can tell you in my experience, she was genuinely lovely to me and to my girls, who were much younger at the time and very excited to meet her," McKeon says of her onscreen daughter. "I have every confidence that she's going to come back stronger and in a way that is the best for her. She deserves that."

McKeon was side-by-side another big actor during their early days, one whom she gets asked about a lot: George Clooney, whose first real TV experience was as a handyman on The Facts of Life. Though his time with them was short, McKeon says she would see him working on another show on the lot and they remained friends. 'He's everything you want him to be," she happily reveals. "He's fun, an incredible talent, and he's loyal as the day is long. He deserves all good things and it looks like that's exactly what he's gotten."

The most important connection she has from those sitcom days, however, was with Charlotte Rae, who portrayed the beloved, wise-cracking redheaded housemother of the fictional Eastland School. She died in early August at age 92 after a series of illnesses, and McKeon chokes up when thinking about her beloved friend.

"That's a hard one for me. It's soon," she says slowly. "Charlotte's one of the most remarkable people I've ever met in my life and we were actually very good friends. If I was in L.A., we were always together and if I wasn't, I came in, even if it was just to see her. She's been at my ranch and hung out with the girls and myself, and I will always be the luckiest person and a much better person for having had her in my life."

The women of The Facts of Life still keep in touch. In fact, McKeon has been texting with Kim Fields, as the actress known as Tootsie danced with pro Sasha Farber in season 22 of DWTS. Though McKeon hasn't watched every season of the dance competition show, she did watch Fields and Farber compete "with joy and amazement."

"She just knocked it out of the park. She's just so amazing. We've been texting and I said, 'Really? Did you have to set the bar this high? Girlfriend, I don't know if I can live up [to that].' She's just a doll and supportive," McKeon says, adding that she's gone back to watch some of Chmerkovskiy's dances with previous partners but had to stop "because he's so good" and didn’t want to get stuck in a brain warp comparing herself to others.

In fact, Fields' best advice had nothing to do with the dancing itself. "'Have fun. Enjoy this week, this day, this rehearsal. Try not to look ahead.' For me, I think that's awesome advice because it's really just got to be about the journey," McKeon says. "There's some amazing people dancing, so it's really not about an end result for me. What I'm looking for is the best I can do on every single day."

"It doesn't matter how sore [I am] -- get up, go back, fight the good fight the next day," she continues. "Have some smile, as my partner would say, and just enjoy that day, because none of us can possibly predict how long any of us have."

Season 27 of Dancing With the Stars kicks off Monday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

SOURCE: www.etonline.com

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by Pat Henry on The Prepper Journal.

Editor’s Note: The following review was written and submitted by Prepper Journal associate Hans Brix. Images courtesy of the author.

For AR-15 lovers, we live in a golden age of price and availability. You can buy good quality, fully assembled lowers for $130, and stripped receivers in the $40 range. Given the multitude of manufacturers of $200 parts kits and $500 complete rifles AR-15s, why would anyone go to the trouble of ordering and milling an 80% lower? Because you can.

The handyman can

I am one of the first to admit that when God was handing out the Handyman gene, I was skipped. The only things I’ve been successful at working on have been firearms and guitars. I’ve assembled several AR-15 rifles from parts kits and a stripped receiver. I’ve added or polished up safeties and sears in several handguns, installed and sighted-in rifle scopes and installed aftermarket triggers and sights on Glocks and 1911 handguns. But a gunsmith I am not. In fact, I have an old “Lemon-squeezer” style revolver I took apart and can’t get it back together right. There’s a limit to my skills.

Drilling the pilot hole

I’d read about the whole 80% lower ‘market’, but never really investigated it since AR receivers are affordable and trepidation with my aforementioned lack of skills. So, when 5D Tactical asked if I’d like to review their new router jig, I thought it would be a fun and interesting project.

The jig is up!

Nevertheless, finishing an 80% AR lower couldn’t have been easier with 5D Tactical’s new AR15 Router Jig Pro. It was so straightforward, I’d say that if you can follow instructions and wind up with a receiver that doesn’t work, you didn’t actually follow the instructions.

When the package from 5D Tactical arrived, it contained the jig, several drill bits, and two specially designed end-mills for the included Rigid router and an 80% lower blank. The instruction manual straight forward and has images to demonstrate how to use the jig. 

Adjusting the bit depth

Nevertheless, I was still worried. I didn’t do well in my junior high school woodworking class and had never run a mill or router before. The closest I’d gotten was Dremel tool I used for smoothing the finger grooves of my Glock Gen 3 frame. I didn’t want to mess up the project.

The folks at 5D Tactical were able to talk me off the ledge and assure me I could do it. “Just go slow, pay attention to what you’re doing, and make sure you use sufficient WD-40 or thread cutting oil. You should be able to get 4-5 receivers completed per end-mill.”

Milling the 80% receiver blank

Armed with that knowledge, I headed to a friend’s shop; the prospect of having aluminum chips all over my garage meant doing at home wasn’t likely, even though it was way more convenient. This wound up being a good decision, because it wound up way messier than I expected.

RTFM!

After laying out the part on the bench, I read the instructions and assembled the jig around my receiver. It’s very straightforward and intuitive, especially if you’re familiar with AR receivers. Once assembled, I went to install the end mill and router base plate to the router.

Here was where I stumbled. Due to the variety of routers available, the instructions didn’t contain any information on HOW to install the endmill and baseplate, and since I’d never used a router before, I had no frame of reference from which to draw. I went to 5D’s website on my phone, since I had no computer and a sketchy LTE connection.

Milling the 80% receiver blank

Their website shows several different end mills available based on the router you have. It’s possible, therefore, to purchase the wrong mill for your router if you don’t pay attention or, like me, know what you’re doing. Since 5D had supplied both the router and endmill, that possible error was eliminated, but it’s something to pay attention to before ordering.

Thankfully, my friend had experience using routers, so he watched to make sure I was installing things correctly. In looking things over, I guessed I needed to remove the plastic router base plate then install the 5D baseplate, using the supplied screws. I almost installed the baseplate incorrectly; the cutout should face the opening in the router closest to you, as you can view the milling process in that gap. This was the biggest issue I faced during setup.

Since sitting down to write this article, I discovered a whole page of instructions, including assembly video and router endmill installation guide, at 5D’s website. I just wish I’d looked over the website sooner, as it would have saved me some grief.

Taking care of business

Once everything was put together, I clamped the jig into the vise. Using the supplied 5/32” drill bit, I took the cordless drill to it after a few drops of thread cutting oil. The drill powered through it easily, just make sure to use an oil/lube. Once that was done, it was time to mill.

Drilling the hammer & trigger pin holes

Making sure I used the shortest pins, I adjusted the depth to match the guidelines on the jig depth adjustment guides. There is a total of 21 passes you’ll need to make, from the very first cut after drilling the pilot hole, to the 21st that cuts the trigger hole.

Adjustments are in small increments (I don’t know the spacing/depth) for a reason. I didn’t have reading glasses handy, so it was difficult to see if I was lined up with the depth markings, meaning a few times I went over…maybe 1.5-2 lines instead of one line.  That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it was VERY noticeable when milling, as the bit cut more slowly and started to chatter. I was able to get through those cuts by going more slowly than I had when I made correct adjustment. After a couple of times having that happen, I made sure to err on the side of slightly less adjustment. While it might have taken longer overall by needing to make more cuts, each cutting step was much easier and eliminated all chatter when I went shallower.

After the milling was finished, I got the cordless drill and the other two drill bits and, using some cutting oil and the bushed guide holes in the jig, drilled the safety selector hole and the hammer and trigger pin holes. The drill bit for the safety selector is long enough to go through both sides, but the trigger and hammer pins needed to be drilled from each side. 

Finishing touches

After about an hour, I was finished. We blew away the excess chips, wiped off the cutting oil and admired my handiwork. Then we pulled out the parts bin and completed my lower assembly. All the internals fit great, and the holes for the safety and trigger assembly pins lined up perfectly. We then grabbed some ammo and a couple of uppers and went shooting. My new lower worked flawlessly. 

Finished & assembled receiver

My friend had several 80% lowers he wanted to finish, so I left the jig with him after I went home. He reported an issue with drilling the plunge hole. Either I had used too much pressure or..something…he said the bit I left looked warped and wouldn’t cut at all. He used one of his own bits and said it worked fine and cannot explain what happened. But on subsequent receivers, he had the same issue with his bit.

For the next two receivers he wound up NOT drilling the plunge hole, and said he got through the process fine. He told me he held router tilted back at an angle, and once the mill was up to speed, would slowly lower it to create the first cut for that depth. When he got to the third step, he made sure to be extra careful so he didn’t mess up the trigger hole. He assembled the three receivers and they worked fine.

Something borrowed, something blue

Router Jig Pro (L) and original (r)

Interestingly, he has the original 5D Tactical jig and likes new jig much better: 

The bushings for the safety selector and trigger/hammer pins in the Pro jig made drilling those holes much easier, since he didn’t have to worry as much about damaging the base blocks when drilling them.  

The larger and heavier support bases were easier to clamp and more secure.

The support for the receiver extension tube ‘ring’ is much easier to attach, is more secure, and has the vacuum attachment.

Overall, I learned a lot doing this project. Given how affordable complete receivers are, I’m not sure it makes sense from a cost-saving standpoint. But that’s not why a lot of people do this. I asked my friend why he likes doing his 80% receivers so much, when finished lowers are so affordable.

Router Jig Pro mounting blocks (R) vs Original (L)

“First, because I can, and I like building things. Also, there may come a day when AR15 rifles are harder to own,” he said. “Having a pile of these finished, or waiting to be finished, is my way of making sure they’ll be available to me. So, paying a little more for an 80% receiver that isn’t in any database is, if you will, a Freedom Tax.”

I can support that.

Lessons learned

Make sure the end-mill is in the pilot hole and has spun up completely to full speed before starting cuts. It’s less likely to jump or walk (I only did this once).

Take your time. When I tried to go faster than I probably should have, the mill would start chattering, even on ‘shallow’ cuts. You don’t have to go at a snail’s pace, but don’t try and do a complete pass in 10 seconds. 

Wear long sleeves – even though they’re aluminum chips, they’re hot when they come off the mill.

Wear a shop apron – this saved me from getting completely covered in chips.

The shop vacuum attachment mostly works – I used the vacuum attachment, and while it mitigated some of the chip flying, especially for the first few passes in guide #1, the mill still tossed ships all over the place, and there were piles of chips on the vise and bench. As the cuts deepened, a lot of chips stayed in the receiver.

Finally, I’d like to thank the folks at 5D Tactical for reaching out and supplying the equipment needed to make this work, without any preconditions. All they asked for was an honest review. 

As a courtesy, I provided them a copy of this review beforehand in order to ensure I hadn’t made any missteps during the process but was clear I wouldn’t change my opinion. I questioned the increased number of depth-adjustment hashmarks in the jig I got versus the jig in the video, and they told me they increased the number in order to make shallower passes and extend the life of the endmill, meaning more lowers per bit.

If you’ve ever had a thought about finishing 80% AR-15 receivers, let me assure you, if I can do it, anyone can. And you can’t go wrong with 5D Tactical’s AR-15 jig.

The post Reviewing the 5D Tactical AR Router Jig Pro appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

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Running in the Sun - 8/?

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing. :)

Chapter 8 – Wily Tactics

“Oh god. It’s gotten worse.”

Jared turned back to look at Kyle, who was staring incredulously at his best friend waving off Sunny and Melanie as they exited the apartment. Jeb had been surprisingly generous in letting Jared keep Melanie out past the previous curfew of 1am and giving Jared the day off. But apparently he was just eager to make sure had a fun summer and thrilled that his handyman/roofer had taken on “Project Melanie” with such fervor. He hadn’t had any suspicions whatsoever.

Not that he needed to have any, Jared reminded himself. Because there was nothing going on.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, determined to look as innocent as possible.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Kyle said, roughly brushing past him to shut the door the girls had just walked out of. He turned around to see Jared looked dumbfounded and confused. “Yes, you do,” he said slowly, as if to a child. “And don’t pretend like you don’t.” He pointed his finger at him accusingly. “Your innocent act doesn’t work on me; and frankly, you suck at it.”

“Are you talking about Melanie?” Jared asked.

Kyle stared at him in disbelief. “No shit.”

“What about her?” Jared asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Kyle gawked, then turned around and headed into the kitchen. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and downed half of it.

“Slow down there, cowboy,” Jared said, coming to stand across from him on the tile floor. “You probably shouldn’t go to the fair drunk.” His smirk easily turned into a grin.

“My shift’s not till 5,” Kyle said. “It’s only 11 am.”

Jared raised his eyebrows, amused. “All the more reason.”

Kyle set the glass bottle on the table and fixed Jared with a look that vacillated between attempted intimidation and the air of wisdom.

“Just answer me this. What happened?”

“Huh?” Jared’s brows furrowed in genuine confusion now.

“What happened? What changed? I know what didn’t change. You’re still into her. Still falling for her faster than a brick into water.” Jared opened his mouth to interject, but Kyle kept going. “But you’re not brooding anymore like you were the other day. You’re all googly-eyed now, and Melanie has definitely got stars in her eyes. So, something had to have happened. What was it?”

“If you’re asking…” Jared began carefully, “why I’m not,” he paused, trying to think of the right word. “Moody anymore, it’s because I apologized and she decided to give me the benefit of the doubt.”

Kyle stared at his friend, trying to decide if he was lying.

“Huh.” He thought that over. “Still doesn’t explain the googly eyes—”                  

Jared rolled his eyes. “I do not have googly—”

“Or her starry eyes.”

Jared started to form words, but suddenly hesitated. Whatever feelings he was trying to muddle through, he didn’t have the slightest idea about Melanie’s.

“Jeb wants Melanie to have a fun summer,” he explained. Even as he said it he knew what the implications might be. Kyle’s raised eyebrows and cheeky smirk said his thoughts better than any words ever could.

“Is that right?” Kyle asked, practically giddy. Jared glared at him. “And…” he cleared his throat, trying not to laugh. “He trusts you to show his niece a good time then?”

“Don’t,” Jared warned. “It’s not like that.”

“No?” Kyle laughed, lifting his beer to take another sip. “Why don’t you tell me what it’s like then,” he suggested, thoroughly enjoying himself now.

“It’s like,” Jared said slowly, as if to a child, “there was an old bike and car in the shed behind Jeb’s house, and he wants me to fix them up and show his niece how to use them.”

“Show her how to—” Kyle stopped, momentarily confused. “Didn’t you say she was seventeen?”

Jared nodded, bracing himself for the multiple revelations that were about to hit his best friend.

“But…wouldn’t that mean she already has her driver’s license? She definitely has to know how to ride a bike. You learn how to do that when you’re a kid.” He smirked. “Sounds like good old Jebediah is trying to set you up with…” His voice trailed off and his smile faded when he saw Jared seriously shaking his head. “He doesn’t want you to be set up with…?”

“No,” Jared snapped. “Melanie doesn’t know how to drive a car or ride a bike. She’s lived in a big city her whole life, even when she studied abroad. There’s no need for those skills there. You take a cab or the subway or you walk.”

Kyle just stared at him for a long time, letting that information sink in. Then, without warning, he burst out laughing. It was not a gradual thing. The laughter was immediately loud and obnoxious. None of Jared’s scolding or yelling made it stop. It was completely out of control, and Kyle made no attempt to tame it.

Finally, Jared just slapped him, effectively silencing him into shock.

“Don’t disrespect her like that,” he said. “She lives in a different part of the country, a different state, a different environment. Not every place is like Lakeland Valley, you know.”

Kyle recovered and took another swallow of his beer.

“Thank god for that,” he muttered, rubbing his cheek. He moved his beer from his lips to the side of his face. Jared said nothing about how the slap didn’t warrant a cold cure and Kyle didn’t defend himself for using one.

“Look,” he said, serious now. “Just so you know, I wasn’t poking fun at Melanie. I was laughing at you.”

“Me,” Jared repeated neutrally.

“Yeah,” Kyle laughed. “You.”

His eyebrows narrowed. “What about me?”

“Oh come on, don’t tell me you don’t see it,” Kyle said, exasperated.

Jared saw it, but he was not going to admit it.

“Okay.” Kyle put out his hand and ticked off the list on his fingers. “She’s from the city – which, really, is your biggest issue. Then there’s the age thing, which also should be giving you flashbacks. And now you’re being put in a situation where you have to interact with her one-on-one for your job.”

Jared wasn’t connecting the dots, but he was getting annoyed.

“Don’t make it sound like a chore,” he barked. “It’s not.”

“It wasn’t last time either.”

The dots were realigning.

“Kyle,” he warned.

“The only reason you like Melanie Stryder is because she reminds of Ellie Carlson and everything that happened with her. Only this time it’s reversed. This time you’re ten years older, not the young and naïve self the sixteen-year-old you were, who fell for a line.” Jared’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Look man, I get it,” Kyle continued, either oblivious or feeling the need to finish his argument. “The past can be messy, especially yours. Who wouldn’t want to recreate a mistake by creating an opportunity where they rewrite the ending? But guess what? You can’t. And if you insist on trying, you are going to break Melanie Stryder’s heart. It’s not fair. To either of you.”

Jared was not usually the violent type, but he had never wanted to punch something as much as he wanted to punch Kyle’s right now. He made myself count to ten slowly before he opened his mouth to speak.

“There’s just one problem with your theory, Kyle.”

“Yeah? And what is that?” he asked casually, clearly not feeling threatened in the least.

“I’m not into Melanie,” he replied for what felt like the thousandth time. This time though, he actually sounded convincing. “Not as an Ellie replacement, who, by the way, I am not secretly hung up on still. What happened with her happened ten years ago. To be honest, I haven’t thought about her in years, even if the girls since then have shared some similarities.

And I don’t like Melanie for herself either. Not in the way you’ve been implying. And it’s really insulting that you have the nerve to compare her to probably the biggest mistake of my life. Melanie and Ellie have a few things in common with the circumstances they were in and how they got involved with me, but that’s it. Melanie is nothing like Ellie.”

“I didn’t say she was,” Kyle said, looking like he’d discovered some big treasure he was cautious to reveal. “Out of curiosity though, what is she like?”

“Why should I tell you?” Jared asked, oddly defensive. “You’ll just use it to prove I’m in love with her. Which I’m not. Ask Sunny if you want to know about Mel. Or talk to Melanie yourself. Find out what she’s like.” He sighed, frustrated. Too frustrated to correct the little nickname he’d subconsciously given Melanie. “I don’t know why you feel like you have to grill me over this anyway. Even if I did have feelings for her – which I don’t – I wouldn’t act on them. She’s leaving at the end of summer. Three months from now, none of this will matter.”

Kyle stared at him for a long time, not saying anything.

“I’m pushing you,” he said, “because you’re in denial. You will not be able to save yourself or Melanie from whatever is bound to happen between the two of you if you can’t at least admit to yourself that there’s something there. You have to take action while you still have a somewhat clear head. Once you’ve fallen for her completely, logic will have no meaning.”

Jared sighed and went into the living room, collapsing onto a big chair. He put his hand to head, preparing for the pounding headache he was sure Kyle’s pestering would induce. He couldn’t believe how far south this conversation had gone. He had expected some teasing similar to earlier in the week, especially given that Kyle had finally picked up that Melanie was exactly his type. But he never dreamed he would connect that to Ellie. Probably because he himself hadn’t made the connection. He’d buried his memories of her so far back that all he had were his feelings of bitterness and a predilection for certain characteristics.

Thinking of it now, he could see how Kyle’s sudden assumption made logical sense. But he’d been completely honest when he said his past with Ellie had nothing whatsoever for what he might or might not feel for Melanie Stryder. The two women were polar opposites. If Melanie had acted in any way like Ellie, even at her deceptive finest, he wouldn’t have delivered an apology to her so quickly. He wouldn’t have been intrigued by her or even found her amusing. It would have been too hard to look past the similarities.

But he couldn’t tell Kyle any of that without him announcing once again that he had feelings for Melanie.

Which he didn’t.

“The way you talk about Melanie…” he shook his head wonderingly. “It’s like you’re convinced we’re inevitable. What makes you think that? Just from the way I look at her?”

Kyle lazily sauntered into the living room and sunk into a chair across from Jared, cradling his nearly empty bottle of beer in his lap.

“That’s part of it,” he admitted after awhile.

“And why is that significant?” Jared asked on a sigh. “How can you tell?” He hoped he sounded borderline sarcastic, not curious. He suspected he was failing.

“It’s the same way I looked at Jodi,” he said quietly.

Silence descended. Jared felt a heavy burden of guilt settling over him due to the unintended pain he’d brought onto his friend just now.

Jodi. The girl his best friend had met on the night he turned nineteen. He said he was in love with her within the week. She was still in high school then and he was attempting to maintain a C-average in the community college one town over. Two years later she was freshman at his school. He’d worked hard to raise his grade when he heard she was considering going there. They hadn’t spoken since the summer they first met, but he was convinced he was going to marry her. Two days after he graduated, he proposed and she said yes. A week before their rehearsal dinner, Jodi went messing. She was never found.

In the last three years, Kyle had gone back and forth between hoping she’d come back and going on meaningless dates that always ended badly. He either would up talking about Jodi and how much he missed her or he got drunk first and became obnoxious.

Jodi was Kyle’s “one”. Jared felt an unexpected excitement and warmth at the knowledge that his best friend was comparing his relationship to Jodi to his own feelings for Melanie. Then, the contradiction dawned on him.

“Wait.” He paused, thinking through his question before asking. “So…first you compare my impending relationship with Mel to Ellie, the woman who ruined my life, saying I could never really love Mel for herself and that I’d only be in it as an opportunity to heal myself or unknowingly take revenge on Ellie by replacing a bad memory with a good one. Then you compare how I must feel about Melanie to how you feel about Jodi, the love of your life, your soulmate, the person you shared, from what I’ve seen, the purest love you’ve ever known.” He stopped again, letting his observations sink in. “There are two opposite comparisons,” he informed him. “You can’t really think both.” His heart twisted, intensely worried what Kyle’s next answer would be, and for the time being ignoring the danger alone in the fact that he was that worried, or worried at all.

After a long moment of contemplation, Jared asked, “Which one do you really think?”

Kyle’s sullen, sad face slowly vanished to be replaced by a sneaky smirk which in no time at all became a full-fledged grin. Jared felt the dread whisper across his senses, though it was different from the feeling swallowing him whole only moments earlier. He knew before he opened his mouth what Kyle was going to say. He told himself he couldn’t have fallen into that trap. He couldn’t have.

But he had.

“I’m guessing…” Kyle began cheekily, “the one you’re desperately wishing I do. The one that made you so unexpectedly warm and fuzzy inside.”

Jared jumped out of his seat, grabbing Kyle’s beer bottle and stalking to the kitchen. He tried to ignore his friend’s second fit of laughter that had occurred since he arrived.

He failed.

Lifting the bottle to his lips, only to find all the liquor drained from it, he asked himself how he could have been so stupid. The assumptions were undeniable now. Kyle had pushed him to the point of admitting feelings he’d tried to ignore by not really making him admit to them at all. And if there was any doubt as to how he felt, it was squashed immediately when he saw Melanie and Sunny sitting, eating lunch across the street at an outdoor café. And his heart raced.

Damn, he thought, setting the glass bottle on the kitchen table, his eyes not turning away. The clink of the glass briefly blocked out the echoes of Kyle’s laughter one room away, but it did not quiet the sound of his heart beating loudly in his ears.

Damn.

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.