I need to be less antisocial.

[Altreac]

I'm a strange one. No question.

I signed up here in 2016. Was super hyperactive for a short while. Then disappeared.

Not just from here, but from social media entirely. I kept all my accounts intact, but refrained from using it for the better part of 5 years altogether. Save email...

It's been a rollercoaster since I left here and quite a lot in my life has changed. Kinda looking for some friends and support, not gunna lie.

So after I left here...Basically nothing is the same. I'm a civilian again now for one. With an entirely different Lady. Live on the total opposite coast from when I checked in last time. When I type. I still type too much, so I figured I'd drop this thread in the Barbershop.

I got medically released from the military for mental health. In that process I ended up separating from my wife after getting posted back to Ontario. Dog had to be put down. She took the cats and through that whole sequence I was still dealing with military release administration.

Just kept my head down for a year after that, and was coming up to the end of a 3 year Period of Retention during my release and had a vocational rehabilitation available to me. After over 100 emails between my Chain of Command and other release administrations, I managed to negotiate a full-time 6 month Blacksmithing apprenticeship for the end of my contract.

COVID wasn't where it was at at the time, and I ended up getting online and meeting my current partner (for the short version) and we chatted while I was finishing my apprenticeship in Ontario. After that 6 months, I was released, and having been living in military housing at that point, also technically homeless. But crazy enough...she flew to Ontario, and we drove 6700 km back to Masset, BC together...and I've been here just over a year now.

I'm slowly building a shop. I have a year of income left before I have to work again. I've got pretty much all the tools and metal I need to get started making money again, but with my pension, I should be able to only work part time and still blacksmith.

Haida Gwaii is a great place for me. It's remote and wild, with very few people here and I think that's what I need.
I grew up in the GTA (Scarborough) and have been to many places in Canada (including CFS Alert) and have driven from Halifax to Masset over the TransCanada Highway.

The internet sucks here, it's really slow. Waiting on StarLink to deploy here, I'm on the beta list with my deposit in.

I have 2 step-kids now. 2 boys, 8 and 10.

I think I'd enjoy sharing some of life here with you folks as it's very unique.

Haida Gwaii is an archipelago that split off Canada's coast during a previous ice ago, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. It remains a genetic isolate ecosystem.

I have been learning about traditional hunting and gathering and a lot about the ocean. In Halifax, I didn't have the time to spend on the Atlantic that I've had so far on the Pacific.

There are Dungeness crab, cockles, scallops, halibut, salmon, mushrooms, berries, deer...It's a prime bird watching locale and rockhounding for agates is quite satisfying. I'll try post stuff in appropriate threads as my bandwidth allows. Last upload I did, 444mb/80 some pics took almost 90 minutes.

---
I kept at wet shaving. I'll never go back. Straight Razors for me, although I've shaved my head with a DE a few times now.
I decided to grow a beard from 2022, and of course, in my research, it led me back here, because of course it did! You folks know your stuff and are a great community.

I hopefully will stick around a bit longer this time and also...hopefully I don't annoy anyone.

After everything I learned here before, I'd also like to share back...at least some experiences I've had. If nothing else, I have some fun stories.

 

[Vulcan Bubbles]

Welcome back!!

I too joined during a time of transition. It was a challenging and difficult time and I needed a bit of extra support and a healthy distraction. B&B was by no means the only source of support, but I did find a happy little online community here. It’s a bit of an oasis in that respect. Many wonderful folks here.

Shave Long and Prosper Friend!

 

[JCarr]

Welcome back! B&B is a veritable treasure trove of useful information. You'll be glad you returned!

 

[thombrogan]

Welcome back!

I had to read further and see your life had many tumultuous experiences shaping it and hope you’re able to build on what you’ve learned for an even better future.

With just the title of this thread beforehand, my original — since corrected — thought was:

 

[Lightcs1776]

The military life can be rough but moving on from it can also be rough. It sounds like you are in an incredible part of your country now with some positive things happening. Glad you are back on the forums.

 

[Flanders]

Cool read man and welcome back. I have taken the "Excess Verbosity" title, you may have to work harder to get it back!

 

[njpaddy]

I'm 75 and never found being antisocial to be a problem, although I prefer the term "reclusive". Other than a paddy-punk music forum in the 90s, and B&B, I have no internet presence. My wife insisted I have a cell phone, but it's been on airplane mode 24 hours a day for 15+ years. My wife, kids, grand and great-grand kids, accept my weirdness, because I'm a nice guy in my own cocoon.

In my working years, I stuck to jobs that suited my personality. My first 5 years out of college, I was a social worker and assigned areas no one else would go into. Any parent that threatened to kill their social worker, became my case. It was stressful, but I got along, because I was honest, treated them with respect, and also because many thought I was crazier than they were. Years later, when I did environmental enforcement, I also drew cases where other inspectors were threatened and kicked off site. My last case before retirement, was a guy who actually told a Superior Court judge he would only clean up the site on the condition that I was the only one allowed to supervise and document the cleanup. I agreed, the site got cleaned up, and I retired.

 

[luvmysuper]

Separation from the military can be one of the hardest things that people go through even under the best of circumstances, let alone when there are complications.
Welcome back to B&B, we're glad you decided to return, and we look forward to many hours of time sharing interesting stories and laughs!

 

[njpaddy]

I should have stated that the downside of being obnoxious and antisocial, was spending 6 years as a truck driver in the Army reserve and almost 40 years in civil service without ever getting promoted. No regrets. I did it my way.

 

[GNR]

Welcome back. Transitioning from the military can be stressful and you’ve had some real challenges recently. Hang in there.
I hope that you can find a support group for your mental health issues.
I served 22 years, including 4 years and n combat, and struggle with PTSD.

I spent almost five years standing watch in my basement every night. Believe me, I understand antisocial. Every day is a challenge.

I found a Veteran PTSD group that I’m a part of and it really helps.

I also coached a ton of Youth Sports, because those smiling kids forced me to interact and have fun.

Now, I’m able to talk to Veteran’s Groups and schools, just giving back some for my many blessings.

Congratulations on learning the blacksmith trade. That’s a great accomplishment. Try to celebrate each small victory. Life can be a battle, but it’s the one worth fighting for.

If you need anything, please reach out.

 

[Altreac]

You folks rock.

I'm gunna do my best to stick around this time.

 

[Altreac]

Welcome back. Transitioning from the military can be stressful and you’ve had some real challenges recently. Hang in there.
I hope that you can find a support group for your mental health issues.
I served 22 years, including 4 years and n combat, and struggle with PTSD.

I spent almost five years standing watch in my basement every night. Believe me, I understand antisocial. Every day is a challenge.

I found a Veteran PTSD group that I’m a part of and it really helps.

I also coached a ton of Youth Sports, because those smiling kids forced me to interact and have fun.

Now, I’m able to talk to Veteran’s Groups and schools, just giving back some for my many blessings.

Congratulations on learning the blacksmith trade. That’s a great accomplishment. Try to celebrate each small victory. Life can be a battle, but it’s the one worth fighting for.

If you need anything, please reach out.

I want to coach baseball here. I got the boys into it and there's limited resources here... But there are diamonds. I played ball as a kid and think, like you, working with kids is satisfying.

Before the military I was a swimming instructor and lifeguard. Taught 15000 kids how to swim and helped design swim programs. Miss working with kids and this place needs it.

 

[KeenDogg]

Welcome back. I wish you many blessings and centeredness on your journey.

 

[Mr. Bonney]

Being more social might only take a change of aftershave. If I wear Clubman Special Reserve too often I find people stop talking to me.

 

[Altreac]

Being more social might only take a change of aftershave. If I wear Clubman Special Reserve too often I find people stop talking to me.

Rofl. I am waiting on a Dr. Harris sandalwood aftershave. I've used TOBS for so long... Maybe that'll help.

 

[T.Orso]

Welcome back. I figure you can be as social or antisocial as you choose, and the internet will deal with it.

It sounds like you have found a great place and situation, and things will continue to be good and better.

I rode a ten speed out to PR from Alberta in my distant youth, took the ferry over, rode up island, broke an axle, camped on someone’s land. Before long I had met some wonderful people, eaten my fill of salmon and deer, and saw some the prettiest places I have ever seen. I left sooner than I really wanted, on the last ferry before there was going to be a strike. I want to get back out there sometime.

All the best to you.

 

[Fletchtj]

Thank you for your service to the country. Spend a bit of time on B&B. Not sure if one could so far to say it is therapeutic but I haven’t come across a group of more accepting and mannerly people as this. Shaving is the obvious draw for most but there are lots of places on here you can spend some time. My take is that if one of the members offers help it is scincere.

I don’t see any sub-forums on Blacksmithing. There may be some folks who have similar interests.

 

[Altreac]

Welcome back. I figure you can be as social or antisocial as you choose, and the internet will deal with it.

It sounds like you have found a great place and situation, and things will continue to be good and better.

I rode a ten speed out to PR from Alberta in my distant youth, took the ferry over, rode up island, broke an axle, camped on someone’s land. Before long I had met some wonderful people, eaten my fill of salmon and deer, and saw some the prettiest places I have ever seen. I left sooner than I really wanted, on the last ferry before there was going to be a strike. I want to get back out there sometime.

All the best to you.

Thanks.

That sounds like quite an adventure! That's quite an ambition bike ride.

The hospitality is still the same here now. We've gotten deer, halibut, and salmon all gifted and it's the type of small village where everyone knows everyone else. I think there's only 800 people in Masset and 5000 on the island.

I agree, this is one of the prettiest places I have ever been.

Hopefully you get to make it out this way again. The resorts are expensive, but I already know places to camp here already if you're interested.


I'd say the three hardest things to get used to for me so far are: 1) The super slow internet. 2) almost no restaurants and 3) A combination of limited availability of items and being at the end of the mail routes.

Growing up in big cities, Island Time takes some getting used to.

 

[Altreac]

Thank you for your service to the country. Spend a bit of time on B&B. Not sure if one could so far to say it is therapeutic but I haven’t come across a group of more accepting and mannerly people as this. Shaving is the obvious draw for most but there are lots of places on here you can spend some time. My take is that if one of the members offers help it is scincere.

I don’t see any sub-forums on Blacksmithing. There may be some folks who have similar interests.

I definitely agree with your opinion on this group. I learned quite a lot here that I've been using for years and years now.
I feel like I'm not a newb wet shaver...save when I'm here in the face of this much info on the topic!! Since 2016, I've only met one other person offline that wet shaves!
I think I commented the first time around that this is the most well-spoken group I've ever been in.
The sincerity has been noticed for sure.


I'd chat about blacksmithing, but it can sometimes be a touchy, opinionated subjected sometimes that oft degenerates into blacksmithing vs bladesmithing and discourse on which modern super alloys are the best. I don't really have reasonable access to super alloys, or even a reasonably priced metal distributor. So I'm working with junkyard steel. Leaf and coil springs, axels, what sheet and plate I can find. I have a good collection of railway spikes that I plan on making more garden tools with.

My most successful items so far have been bread lames.

So far, the hardest thing I've done was a "drop-the-tongs" forge weld on my first pair of tongs. To forge weld the reins to the jaws, you technically need three hands. So you use the cool end of the rein to pin the scarfing on the jaw to the anvil (while fluxed), then drop your tongs, pick up your hammer and tack weld the scarfing. Then reheat, reflux and finish your weld.

I'm retrofitting a dilapidated 20x40 carving shed into a shop. I've got the roof on and temp windows up. I need to get the doors built still and then fix up the work tables. Putting up my temp windows, I was standing on the work table and it broke. So I need to replace that too!!!

 

[SharpieB]

Welcome back!

Fellow Scarberian here (grew up around Birchmount and Sheppard)!