Choose a state where the food is great, like New Mexico,
And not too much snow.
Quick update. I got my pound can of Kasenet, which is a surface hardening compound. I have to heat the metal parts (sear bolt and tickler) cherry red, then coat that area with this stuff, then reheat and quench in clearn water. There is way too much snow (4 feet or so) outside, so I have to wait a bit to do it outside.
The plug is cut and just has to be glued in, then shaped and sanded to match the contour of the tiller. Later, I will make lock plates out of rawhide or wood, so the plug is effectively hidden.
The biggie is of course waiting to get my prod and tickler, grrrr. I hope those come soon, as I pretty much can't do much more work until I get those parts. So, I am working on a Neolithic bow replica, some atlatls, an ash table for the outside deck, and other stuff. I wish I could post more on progress, but am in this holding pattern for now. I also picked up some steel shelving and will spend some snowbound time reconfiguring the shop area. Part of me wants to do some carving on the tiller, but since I have never really done any serious carving, it would be probably ill advised at this point.
Dane