Welcome To Planet Whizbang

My wife Marlene has been crafting soap for the past eleven years. It took her a couple years to really learn the art of soapmaking and to refine her own recipes. There was certainly a learning curve but she stuck with it and now turns out a remarkably nice product. Sure, I'm biased but it's not just me that likes this soap—the woman has a following; the same people buy her soap time after time, and they have done so for years.

Once you've used Marlene's soap, I think you'll agree that it really is something special. And now, after a lot of urging from her biggest fan (me) she has put together a quantity of Morning Glory Soapworks gift boxes and we are making available here for the 2011 holiday gift-giving season.

From the beginning, Marlene's objective was to create bar soaps that were full of wholesome goodness but not fancy or showy. This is a reflection of our own simple, down-to-earth interests and values. So, all these soaps are made with a blend of olive, coconut, palm and castor oils. This combination makes for a rich, creamy, cleansing lather that is full of moisturizing glycerine. Essential oils are used for the scents, not fragrance oils, which are cheaper-priced chemical concoctions. Beyond that, Marlene adds "botanicals" to her recipes, as I explain below in the different descriptions of the soaps.

Marlene makes her soaps in small batches and pours the mix into "brick" molds that I made for her. After the mixture hardens, I cut the soap out of the molds and then slice each bar off the brick. Then the bars are set aside to cure for at least 30 days. It takes a long time to make a good bar of soap!

Because these bars are hand-sliced they are not perfectly uniform. We like to describe them as "unassuming." To look upon them is to know they were hand made, with each bar having something of a character all it's own—unlike all those bars of factory-made soap that you get in the grocery store. But this simple-looking soap is packed with wholesome goodness.

By way of personal testimony, I'd like to tell you that I have not used a bar of factory-made soap in my home in eleven years. All I use is Marlene's bar soap. And I'll have you know that I have not used any storebought shampoo in probably ten years. I use these bar soaps as a shampoo and am very pleased with the results (this might just be a "man thing" because Marlene doesn't like it as a shampoo on her longer hair). I have also not used any storebought shaving cream for that long either. As far as I'm concerned, this soap does it all and I'm so glad not to have all those synthetic chemicals from factory-made soap & shampoo concoctions on my skin, seeping into my pores, ever again!

So that's my little sales pitch for this wonderful soap. Now let me tell you how we are selling Marlene's Morning Glory soaps. We have put together gift boxes, like pictured above, with four different bars. I have cut these bars bigger than usual so you'll be getting 4-ounce bars, not 3.5 ounce, as the labels say. The bar size is about 2" x 3" x 1".

The gift boxes sell for $24.95 and that price includes the cost of shipping. There is an order button at the bottom of this page. But before that, I need to tell you about the individual bars that will be in each gift box.

Rosemary Spearmint

Exhilarate and invigorate your hot, tired self with this soap's naturally cool blend of rosemary and spearmint, blended with bits of mint leaves. The green color comes from powdered parsley.

Cinnamon-Oatmeal

Spicy and antiseptic cinnamon with the addition of oatmeal makes this a gentle exfoliating bar. Though not clear in the picture, the cinnamon makes the bar a mahogany red in color. Our sons have discovered that this bar cleans their hands surprisingly well after doing mechanical work.

Gentleman Farmer

An invigorating blend of lemongrass and cedarwood essential oils, along with the gentle abrasiveness of cornmeal. This is perfect for hardworking hands.

Lavender Calendula

A wonderfully mild soap that offers the pleasing scent of lavender and the healing properties of dried calendula petals (Marlene actually infuses the calendula petals in the olive oil to extract maximum benefit from the calendula). This is a perfect facial bar for women—and I like it too!

Availibility:
Out Of Stock until November 2012

Price: $24.95

The Whizbang Shebang Plucker Parts Package

2007-12-16T08:37:00.016-05:00

Complete details (and online ordering) for the Whizbang Plucker Parts Shebang Package (pictured above) can now be found at this link:

Whizbang Shebang

(click and go)

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Anyone Can Build A Whizbang Apple Grinder & Cider Press

2007-12-16T08:35:00.022-05:00

Updated Second Printing!

Description: 8.5" x 11", Paperback, 46 pages, 58 illustrations
(revised 2nd printing)
Availability: In Stock
Price: $21.95 (postage paid)

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINT & MAIL ORDER FORM

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF THE WHIZBANG APPLE GRINDER & CIDER PRESS

Imagine how nice it would be to easily make gallons and gallons of your own fresh, wholesome, sweet apple cider at home without spending a small fortune on equipment. That dream can be a reality with the plans in this newly-revised second printing of the "Whizbang Cider" plan book.

If you have some basic handyman skills and tools, you can build your own easy-to-use, amazingly productive, apple grinder and cider press. This book tells you everything you need to know to get the job done.

The Whizbang apple grinder is built around a common kitchen garbage disposal. The grinder will quickly turn bushels of apples into bushels of juicy mash, ready to press. No tedious hand-grinding is required. Just feed your apples into the electric grinder and beautiful mash will flow out the drain pipe. Nothing could be easier. No other home-scale apple grinder on the market produces apple mash as fine and juicy as the Whizbang!

The Whizbang press does not utilize a big ACME screw to put pressure to the mash. Instead, it employs a basic automotive scissors jack or small hydraulic bottle jack. Such jacks are inexpensive, faster, and far more efficient at putting the squeeze to a tub of mash.

Make sure you check out all the Whizbang cidermaking action shots at www.whizbangcider.com

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CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF THE WHIZBANG APPLE GRINDER & CIDER PRESS

Thank You For YourShebang Order!

2007-12-16T08:35:00.019-05:00

You have just purchased a Whizbang Plucker Parts Shebang, and I thank you for your order.

Part of the Shebang package is a Whizbang book of your choice. If you did not let me know your book choice during the PayPal process, please send an e-mail to let me know. Send it to: hckimball@bci.net

You should receive an acknowledgment e-mail from me within 24 hours of this purchase. If you don't hear from me, please check your spam filter. Many spam filters don't like the word, "Whizbang."

If you still don't have an e-mail from me, please contact me by e-mail at: hckimball@bci.net

Your Shebang will be shipped promptly. I typically get these out in the mail within one business day (Mon. to Friday) of getting the order. If things are especially busy here, it will be within 48 hours.

I ship using UPS Ground. I do this online and UPS is supposed to e-mail you with tracking information. If you don't get the tracking information from UPS, just e-mail me and I'll get the tracking number to you.

I wish you the best with your Whizbang Plucker project. If you have any questions or concerns along the way, feel free to e-mail me.

Remember this as you are building your plucker...

Plucking chickens is going to be FUN

when you get your Whizbang done!

Best wishes,

Herrick Kimball

P.S. Have you been to all my Whizbang Web Sites? Here are some links:

Planet Whizbang Wheel Hoe
Whizbang T-Post Trellis
How To Butcher A Chicken
Whizbang Cider
Whizbang Garden Cart
Whizbang Row Cover Hoop System
The Deliberate Agrarian Blog
Jax Hamlin's Chickens
Whizbang Gardening
Old Farm Almanacs
Diary of an 1892 Farmer's Wife

Anyone Can Build A Tub-Style Mechanical Chicken Plucker

2007-12-16T08:34:00.007-05:00

Description: 8.5" x 11", Paperback, 66 pages, 60 illustrations
Availibility: In Stock
Price: $19.95 (postage paid)

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINT & MAIL ORDER FORM

This book tells you everything you need to know to easily build your own Whizbang Poultry Plucker. A homemade Whizbang plucker will pluck all the feathers off a chicken in about fifteen seconds. It will pluck two or three chickens at the same time just about as fast. All you do is turn the machine on, drop the scalded birds into a tub, and watch the show. The birds tumble around as rubber plucker fingers flail the feathers off--even the pin feathers. Nothing could be easier or more fun.

For more information about the Whizbang Plucker, please check out my new Whizbang Plucker Web Site

And if you're new to butchering chickens, make sure to read my online blog photo-tutorial-essay, How To Butcher A Chicken

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PayPal test buttons

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No more buttons

The Complete GuideTo Making Great Garlic Powder

2007-12-16T08:32:00.011-05:00

Description: 6" x 9" Paperback, 40 pages, 17 illustrations
Availability: Out of Print.
Please Note: We still have a few new copies of this book available at our Scratch & Dent Specials Page

If you love garlic but have never experienced the remarkable flavor of homemade garlic powder, you're in for a delightful surprise. No storebought powder can compare to that which you've made yourself. This book takes a fresh look at the third most popular food seasoning in the world (next to salt & pepper). You'll learn the sad truth about all those store-bought garlic powders and why their flavor is so lackluster compared to homemade. You'll learn my garlic growing techniques (organic, of course) and exactly how to make your own garlic powder. Your homemade garlic powder will be a family favorite. And it makes great gifts too!

Note: I have written several internet photo-essays on the subject of planting garlic, harvesting, curing the bulbs, and making garlic powder. The essays are based on what I've written in my book, but they do not take the place of the book. If you have an interest in growing your own great garlic, and making your own great garlic powder, you really should get the book to go with the essays. Then you've got the complete "package" of garlic powder information. Here are links to the essays:

How I Plant My Garlic

Harvesting Garlic

Curing Garlic Bulbs

And if you would like to learn all about growing garlic as a home business, check out this Whizbang Books resource:

Garlic Powder Profits: The Herrick's Homegrown Story

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Whizbang Soap Display Holders

2007-12-16T08:32:00.008-05:00

Description: One assembled soap display holder as shown above (without the yellow labels).
Availability: In Stock
Price: $24.95 (postage paid)
CLICK HERE FOR A PRINT & MAIL ORDER FORM

I designed the Whizbang soap display holders shown above for my wife Marlene. If you sell handcrafted bar soaps, you should give these displays a try. They allow you to easily and attractively present your soaps. If your experience is anything like Marlene's, you will sell more soap with these displays.

Use the single sample holder as a pattern to make your own displays.

You can read all about the holders at this link: Make Your Own Whizbang Soap Display Stands.

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Garlic Powder Profits: The Herrick's Homegrown Story

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Description: 8.5" x 11". Comb binding, 27 pages
Availibility: SOLD OUT AS OF 1/18/11
Price: Currently Unavailable (I may make the information in this report this available online sometime this year. Check back here periodically for updated information)

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Growing garlic and processing it into garlic powder can be a profitable home business. I know this because I've been doing it for several years. My garlic powder typically sells out each year within a couple of months after I make it available. In my book, The Complete Guide to Making Great Garlic Powder, I tell you how to grow great garlic and turn it into remarkably good garlic powder. In this report I share with you the details of how I market, price, and package Herrick's Homegrown Stiffneck Garlic Powder.

This Profits Report also includes actual samples of the labels I use, the bags I use, the yearly postcard I send out to customers, the Herrick's Homegrown info sheet I include with every jar or bag of powder I sell, and lots of ideas and advice for successfully selling your own garlic powder.

If you are looking for a profitable little agricultural niche business, this may be just right for you. Locally-grown and homemade garlic powder is unique and the market is virtually untapped. The demand is there. Once people know what you are doing, they will give it a try. Once they give it a try, they will be your customer year after year. The open page on the right side is a copy of my Herrick's Homegrown information sheet.

Please understand that this is not some get-rich-quick, easy-money scheme. Growing your own garlic and processing it into garlic powder is downright hard work, and you aren't likely to make a fortune at it. But you can make an honest dollar for your effort and have the satisfaction that comes with providing wholesome food to appreciative customers.

Here's another picture of the Garlic Powder Profits Report showing samples of bags and the postcard I send to my customers when the powder is ready each year.

I package my garlic powder in gift jars or bags, as shown in this next picture.

Most of the garlic powder I make each year is sold to friends, neighbors and relatives, or friends of friends, friends of neighbors, and friends of relatives, or...

...so on and so forth That's how word-of-mouth and people giving the powder as gifts works. And most sales are conducted via mail order. But I have also sold at the farmer's market. You can read about me selling my powder at the Ithaca, N.Y. Farmer's Market HERE.

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Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Garden Cart

2007-12-16T08:31:00.010-05:00

Description: 8.5" x 11", Paperback, 45 pages, 60 illustrations
Availability: In Stock
Price: $14.95 (postage paid)

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINT & MAIL ORDER FORM

Build it Easy. Work it Hard. Love it Forever....The Whizbang Garden Cart.

The Whizbang Garden Cart has all the best features of expensive, ready-made carts, and more!

Just like every other good cart on the market, the Whizbang is well balanced, easy to operate, and has plenty of cubic-foot carrying capacity. But, without any additional weight gain, the Whizbang design is far stronger and more durable than any of the competition.

Better yet, the Whizbang Garden Cart can be built with readily-available materials by anyone with basic handyman tools and skills. And best of all, you can build your own Whizbang Garden Cart for less than the cost of a store-bought model.

This book tells you everything you need to know to easily build your own Whizbang garden Cart. Everything.

Your Whizbang cart will not only be the best cart you'll ever own, it will probably be the last cart you'll ever own. That's because, if properly cared for, the Whizbang is an heirloom-quality tool that your grandchildren will be able to put to good use.

To see pictures of the Whizbang Garden Cart and read all about it, I invite you to go to The Whizbang Garden Cart Blog

Note: Building a Whizbang Garden Cart is an excellent woodworking project for kids and dads.

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Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian: One Man's Ruminations About Faith, Family & Livin' The Good Life

2007-12-16T08:30:00.006-05:00

Description: 5.5" x 8.5", Paperback, 133 pages
Availability: In Stock
Price: $12.95 (postage paid)

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINT & MAIL ORDER FORM

Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian is the least-known but best-loved book I've ever written. It contains 32 short stories that revolve around my home, my family, my Christian faith, and the rural self reliance we enjoy on our little homestead.

But this volume is far more than a bunch of feel-good personal stories. The book is an introduction to, and celebration of, Christian-agrarianiam. As such, it provides a clear and compelling solution to the many ills of our selfish, shallow, materialistic modern culture.

In other words, this is a countercultural call for revolutionary change. I don't mean revolution in the violent sense, or even the political sense. I mean revolutionary change in the personal and family sense... by getting back the basics of faith, family & simple rural life.

A secular book distributor I sent the book to told me I should find a more "religious" distributor to market it. A Christian book distributor has told me (in so many words) that the book does not fit with the kinds of books they sell. Well, no, I don't suppose it does. That being the case, it would appear that I have written an "underground" book. Some might even consider it subversive. I just call it my life.

Those who have "discovered" Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian, and have read it for themselves, have given me some remarkably heart-warming feedback. People tell me of the emotions that the stories evoke in them. Anger, surprise, sadness, joy, and laughter are the typical emotions. One reader told me that if anyone can read the book without shedding a tear, they have no heart.

Most readers mention how the book made them think very seriously about the kind of lifestyle they live. A few have disagreed with my beliefs and conclusions but said they liked the way I presented them. I take that as a compliment.

My sister-in-law loaned the book to a man in my town. He saw me at the post office one day and remarked that he had just read the book. I asked him what he thought of it. "oh, it's very...[hesitation while he thinks]...INTERESTING." He said that with a friendly, but ever-so-smarmy, smile. The point being, some people aren't quite sure what to think about it.

The most surprising thing to me about this book has been the number of families who have read it aloud as a family, and then discussed the stories. I never expected that, but the book certainly is "family friendly."

Some people have bought a copy of the book to give to their local library. That's neat. But better than that was when a woman bought a copy of the book to give to each of the teenage girls in her Sunday school class.

Many readers have mentioned to me that they made their way through all 133 pages of the book in one sitting! And then they read it again.

All of which is to say: If you buy a copy of this book, I think you're going to appreciate it. At the very least, you'll find it....INTERESTING. :-)

Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Chicken Scalder

2007-12-16T08:29:00.009-05:00

Description: 8.5" x 11", Paperback, 65 pages, 82 illustrations
Availability: In Stock
Price: $23.95

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINT & MAIL-IN ORDER FORM

My chicken scalder plan-book tells you how to build a deluxe chicken scalder. The Whizbang scalder allows you to easily set the precise water temperature you want. An electronic temperature controller will then automatically maintain a 4-degree temperature range. A digital temperature display provides for easy temperature monitoring. The insulated water tank holds water temperature remarkably well, thus conserving energy. With the automatic dunker feature, you can scald three chickens at once which translates to 120 chicken-per-hour scalding capacity. The Whizbang chicken scalder has wheels and is easily transported. A portable propane tank (like used on a gas grill) fuels the scalder for many hours and is convenient to use.

You can get all the details about the Whizbang scalder, and see lots of pictures, at thilink: Introducing My Deluxe Automatic Whizbang Chicken Scalder

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS BOOK

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Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian: Chapter 1

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The Breakfast of Agrarians

There are all kinds of good foods that agrarians can eat for
breakfast.

Eggs come to mind right away. I’m not referring to those perfectly uniform, perfectly clean, perfectly prosaic eggs found en masse at the supermarket, the ones with pale, flat, yolks and watery whites, laid by chickens which have never seen the light of day, let alone scratched in the dirt and eaten an insect, or swallowed a genuine stone for their gizzard, but real eggs, laid by down-to-earth country hens, eggs that come out of the nest in a variety of sizes, with a variety of imperfections, and sometimes a smear of wet soil (from a muddy hen’s foot) or, horror of horrors, a spot of manure. Fresh from the nest are best.

Bacon is good too, as is sausage. Homemade bread, toasted, with some real butter and, perhaps, some fruit preserves are also fine agrarian breakfast foods.

My grandfather Philbrick, a potato farmer in northern Maine, would often go just up the road, in the dawn of the day, to catch his morning’s meal in the stream. He loved pan-fried brook trout for breakfast.

Yes, there are plenty of hale and hearty breakfast foods from which agrarians may choose. But there are also lots of breakfast foods that Agrarians will not eat, such as the vast majority of breakfast foods found in a modern supermarket. Froot Loops and Lucky Charms come to mind, as do Pop Tarts, pseudo-juice drinks, white “Wonder” bread, and nondairy dairy products.

I understand you can even buy egg substitutes now: eggs without the shells and, for that matter, eggs without the egg. It is remarkable, really, the myriad ways the industrial providers can morph natural food into something unnatural or—worse yet—a synthesized copy.

This fare of the industrial providers is food foolishness. These people, these companies, these forces, exalt themselves and their fake products, boldly proclaiming that their creations are better than the unadulterated bounty created and provided by the Sovereign God of all creation. What gall.

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I had a perfect agrarian breakfast a few days ago. It was the exact breakfast that prompted me to write this story.

The first thing you need to know about this particular breakfast (for it is no small matter) is that it was made for me by my wife of 25 years, The Lovely Marlene.

Picture in your mind a bowl of oatmeal—that is where we will begin. No, not that cook-it-in-the-microwave-in-3.7-seconds oatmeal, the stuff that comes in little prepackaged envelopes, complete with processed white sugar (or brown, which is white
with something else added to make it brown), artificial flavors, and special chemicals to preserve freshness.

I’m speaking of oatmeal that consists of nothing more than rolled oats; the flattened flakes that result when oat kernels are run through steel rollers, the kind of oatmeal that requires a couple pinches of salt and several minutes of cooking on the stovetop.

This bowl of oatmeal I ate the other day was cooked to “Baby Bear” perfection: not too hot, not too cold, not soupy, not lumpy—it was just right.

To sweeten this heavenly bowl of cooked grain, Marlene poured on some maple syrup. Aunt Jemima’s is my favorite! Okay, so I’m being sarcastic. The maple syrup on my oatmeal was not factory-made, caramel-colored sugar syrup, it was one hundred
percent boiled-down sugar maple tree sap. I know this because my family and I tapped the trees, gathered the sap, and cooked it down over a wood fire in our back yard. No sweetener on earth can compare to the amber nectar that is real maple syrup.

Marlene then poured just a little cream over the oatmeal. The cream came from Esther Thornton’s cow. I think it is a Guernsey. Twice a week, we get fresh milk from Esther’s cow. The thick, rich cream rises to the top of the container and we skim it off. Cream just doesn’t get much better than that.

Next, my dear wife added a small handful of walnuts. These were store-bought halves, but I’m quite certain they were the real thing. It’s hard to mess up walnuts. But just give ‘em time; I’m sure there are scientists all over the world working to create an artificial substitute for tree-grown nutmeat, cracked out of its hard shell. Whoever achieves this noble goal will be fêted as a hero by the industrial providers. Maybe he or she will win a big prize. Most importantly, though, they will get rich! Whatever.

There was one more element to my breakfast. It was, as the French say, the pièce de résistance: fresh strawberries.

Only moments before, Marlene had carefully selected a couple dozen plump, dew speckled, sun-ripened, melt-in-your-mouth-sweet berries. They came right from our
garden. These deep crimson beauties were rinsed, hulled, sliced in half, and piled on a small plate beside my bowl of oatmeal. They were there for me to eat in whatever way pleased me; I could have them in my oatmeal (which I did), or I could eat them individually (which I also did).

I did not eat this meal right away. I sat and marveled at it. I felt as if I were a great agrarian king . . . king over the 1.5 acre dominion that God has granted to me. I gave Him thanks for the simple, yet wholly indescribable, beauty of the bounty that I was about to receive.

Amen

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Whizbang Chicken Scalder Parts

2007-12-16T08:28:00.006-05:00

Description: Dunker Arm
Availibility: SOLD OUT as of 5/30/11
Price: ~~$50.00 (postage paid)~~

My book, Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Chicken Scalder, tells you where to get all the different parts you'll need to complete the project. If you are going to build the scalder with the auto-dunker attachment, you will need a dunker arm (pictured above). The arm is described in detail on page 53 of the book. It is the only component of the scalder that requires welding.

A lot of people, myself included, do not weld, so I had a bunch of dunker arms fabricated by a local welding shop. The flat stock is 1/4" steel (early copies of the scalder book specified 1/8" flat steel and that was a misprint). These arms have some surface oxidation but they are very well made. I have a limited supply and will probably not have more made after they are sold.

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Internet Essays by Herrick Kimball

2007-12-16T08:28:00.001-05:00

I've been blogging on the internet for awhile. I write about Faith, Family, and Livin' The Good Life at my blog, The Deliberate Agrarian. I welcome you to read some of my essays. Here is a selection of past essays:

What my Grandmother Did For Me

The Charging Woodchuck

Goodness, Beauty, & Loving The Earth

My Experience As a Government School Teacher

Crunchy Cons & Christian Agrarians

Light in Our Dwellings

When Me & Ed Made Apple Cider

Pilgrims & The Christian-Agrarian Exodus of 1620

The Sermon I'll Never Forget

Earl The Bee Man & My Forst Hive

Can You Feel The Energy?

Great Agrarian Vacations

The Wife of My Youth

They Are Not Human

Every Bean's a Blessing, Boys!

My Agrarian Family Vision

2007-12-16T08:27:00.078-05:00

Yes, We Sell Whizbang Plucker Parts!

Kent C-25 Plucker Fingers

Aluminum Featherplates

Flanged Drive Shafts

Shaft Bearings

Idler Arm Hardware Kits

Tub Plastic

16" Driven Pulleys

CAUTION Stickers

Complete details and online ordering buttons for these parts are now at this link:
.

Whizbang Plucker Parts

(click and go)

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Other Books by Herrick Kimball

2007-12-16T08:27:00.002-05:00

>

I worked in the building trades for 20+ years before changing my occupation in 1999. I did everything from jacking up old barns, laying concrete block, and roofing, to finishing drywall, doing interior trim-work, and making custom furniture. Over time, my specialty evolved into kitchen & bathroom remodeling. I've remodeled hundreds of kitchens & bathrooms.

Back in 1988 I submitted an article to Fine Homebuilding magazine and it was accepted. I discovered I had a natural talent for writing and I pursued it. Several more magazine articles followed. Then I wrote three books for The Taunton Press (two are pictured above).

In 1997 I created and published a cabinet refacing trade journal, in newsletter format, called Professional Kitchen Craftsman. I got a lot of subscribers and the little publication achieved a decent measure of critical success. Unfortunately, it was also a total business failure (but a valuable learning experience).

Most of my writing "legacy" from those days can be found in the four books pictured above. Only one (Refacing Cabinets) is still in print and easily purchased elsewhere. The other three are available here, while the limited supply lasts. Here are the details....

Making Plastic Laminate Countertops

Description: Paperback, 164 pages, 197 photos, 39 illustrations
Item Availability: In Stock
Price: $32.95 (postage paid)
CLICK HERE TO ORDER

This book is a complete A to Z guide to working with plastic laminate (a.k.a., Formica). It explains how to fabricate new, square-edge countertops, resurface old tops, install custom edges, properly attach backsplashes, make awesome seams and “impossible” fits. All my techniques are geared for the small-shop fabricator using basic woodworking and laminate tools. Technical reps at Formica and Wilsonart praised this book when it came out. Reader response was nothing but positive. You simply will not find a more informative book on this subject.

Nevertheless, it turns out that the target audience for such information is very slim. Sales were disappointing (in the eyes of the publisher) and Taunton Press discontinued the book after a few years. I bought the whole inventory of remaining new copies. There are not many left. When they are gone, they will be gone for good. There are no plans to reprint this book.

Note: The original list price of this book was $19.95. I have seen used copies sell for as much as $89 at Amazon.com. Because this book is so rare and I have only a few remaining copies, I am charging more than the list price. If you want to learn this craft, $32.95 (postage paid) is a small price to pay.

Refacing Cabinets: Making an Old Kitchen New

Description: Paperback, 160 pages, 130 photos, 50 illustrations
Item Availibility: In Stock
Price: $19.95 (postage paid)
CLICK HERE TO ORDER

If you think cabinet refacing is nothing more than a cheap and hokey kitchen remodeling "cover up," this Taunton Press book will change your mind. The high-end cabinet refacing techniques and professional insider tricks I explain in this book will enable you to do such a quality job that everyone will think you bought all new cabinetry (Really!). A properly refaced kitchen will look as beautiful and age as
gracefully as any new cabinets. Better yet, you can save thousands with refacing.

Note: You need not be a prodfessional woodworker to do a remarkable job of refacing your old kitchen cabinets. My book tells you how to do the job with basic skills and tools.

The Successful Cabinet Refacer

Description: 8.5" x 11" comb-bound, 74 pages, xx illustrations
Availability: In Stock
Price: $21.95
CLICK HERE TO ORDER

As I've already mentioned, I did a lot of differnet things when I worked in the building trades. But nothing I did was as easy, satisfying, and profitable as refacing cabinets. I often entertain the thought of getting back into the business. But I digress....

This book is a compilation of articles and letters gleaned from early issues of
Professional Kitchen Craftsman(PKC) newsletter. With input from 40 professional refacers from across the United States, The Successful Cabinet Refacer contains 50 articles (30 reprinted from PKC and 20 new ones that never made it into the newsletter), 15 informative feedback letters, and lots of my “Random Thoughts,” which was a regular column in PKC.

If you are a new cabinet refacer or just thinking of getting into this lucrative niche market, The Successful Cabinet Refacer will cut years off the learning curve. It introduces you to the language, the history, the major players, the business aspects, and the advanced craft skills of professional cabinet refacing. Even if you are an established refacer with years of experience behind you, you’re going to enjoy the reading and benefit greatly from the vast amount of professional insights, professional opinions, and professional advice that I have compiled in The Successful Cabinet Refacer.

Note: This book was originally published in 1999. It is a low-budget production and some of the information, especially that related to pricing, is dated. But the majority of information is still pertinent and well worth the cost of the book.

Winning With References: How to Sell Yourself and Your Professional Services With a Well-Written and Powerfully Persuasive Reference & Resume Handout

Description: 8.5" x 11", paperback, 47 pages
Availability: In Stock
Price: $8.95 (postage paid)
CLICK HERE TO ORDER

If you are in any kind of a service business, the most incredibly powerful sales and marketing tool you can have is a Reference & Resume handout. I know this from my own experience. This book tells how to easily make and strategically use your own highly effective R&R handout, using my own as the example. The information in this book is proven. Follow the directions and you can’t help but land more of the jobs you want at the price you need to make a decent living.

Note: This book is another of my early, amateur book productions. Buy it for appearance and you will be disappointed. Buy it for the money-making idea it contains and you won't be disappointed.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER ANY OF THE BOOKS ON THIS PAGE

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Whizbang Books Home Page
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Whizbang 5

2007-12-16T08:26:00.006-05:00

ADD TO CART FOR TUB PLASTIC

Robert’s Plucker Fingers

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My son Robert has his own small business selling rubber plucker fingers. You can read about the enterprise HERE. Pricing & purchasing information is below.

Please note that you can purchase plucker fingers directly from Robert, as explained below. Or, if you are purchasing other products directly from Whizbang Books, you can include payment for the fingers you want with your Whizbang purchase. I will see that Robert gets the money. Combining purchases just makes it easier for you.

All About The Plucker Fingers I Sell
By: Robert Kimball (with some help from his dad)

There are all kinds of rubber feather picking fingers on the market. But the Kent, C-25, medium durometer hardness fingers are among the best general purpose plucker fingers you’ll find. They have proven themselves over decades of use to be very effective at removing chicken, turkey, duck and goose feathers.

If you’re making a Whizbang Plucker, you’ll need 70 plucker fingers for the “featherplate” and 50 fingers for inside the tub. Most folks buy 125 fingers. That gives you a few spares to have on hand. Or you can just put the extras in the tub. (Note: these fingers are designed to fit into a 3/4” diameter hole.)

I sell 125 fingers for only $99. Check around and you’ll find that is a decent price for top quality, made-in-the-USA plucker fingers. Better yet, that $99 price INCLUDES the cost of Priority Mail shipping ANYWHERE in the U.S. And I ship orders out the next business day after I receive payment. That means you’ll get the fingers FAST.

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UPDATED INFORMATION
(27 June 2010)

As of the above date, my plucker finger business has merged with my father's business, Whizbang Books. You can read more about the plucker fingers we sell and order online at this link: www.WhizbangPlucker.com
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CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE WHIZBANG BOOKS HOME PAGE

—Scratch & Dent Book Specials—

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"Scratch & Dent" books are new books with minor cover flaws. The flaws might amount to a small tear or crease or print smudge or scuffing. But the books are new and the interior pages will be clean and unblemished. I will list scratch & dent books here as they are available.

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Prices include First Class shipping to any U.S. Address.

(If you order from a foreign country I will request additional payment for the additional cost of shipping.)

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Making Great Garlic Powder

(click HERE for details about this book)

"Making Great Garlic Powder" is now completely out of print except for these "scratch & dent" copies. Retail price for the book was $6.95. I am now selling these last remaining copies for $8.95 (postage paid).

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Anyone Can Build A
Whizbang Garden Cart

(click HERE for details about this book)

Retail price for the Whizbang Garden Cart plan book is $14.95.
Scratch & Dent price is $11.95 (postage paid).

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Anyone Can Build A
Whizbang Apple Grinder
& Cider Press

(click HERE for details about this book)

Retail price for the Whizbang Cider plan book is $21.95.
Scratch & Dent price is $18.95 (postage paid).

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Writings of

A Deliberate Agrarian

(click HERE for details about this book)

Retail price for the Deliberate Agrarian book is $12.95.
Scratch & Dent price is $9.95 (postage paid).

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Mail-In Order Form For Whizbang Books & Project Parts

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If you would like to order books and parts by mail with a check, just print a copy of this page, checkmark or circle the items you are ordering, make notes in the margins if needed, and send it along to:

Whizbang Books
P.O. Box 1117
Moravia, N.Y. 13118

Sales Tax
If you are a New York state resident, please include 8% sales tax. If your purchase is tax exempt, include the exemption paperwork with your order.

Shipping Information
If you live in the continental United States, there is NO ADDED COST FOR SHIPPING. All prices below include shipping. I send books by first class. Project parts are typically shipped via UPS.

CLICK HERE for information about shipping to Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, and the rest of the world.

Your Address Please...
Give me your postal address if you are ordering just books. If you are ordering project parts, I ship by UPS, so I’ll need your street address.

NAME:____________________________________
ADDRESS:_________________________________
TOWN:_________________________________
STATE:_________________
ZIP:____________________
PHONE:_________________
E-MAIL_________________

Whizbang Books
Note: All books are signed by the author, Herrick Kimball.
[ ] $21.95--Whizbang Cider Plan Book
[ ] $19.95--Whizbang Plucker Plan Book
[ ] $23.95--Whizbang Chicken Scalder Plan Book
[ ] $14.95--Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Garden Cart
[ ] $ 7.95--Making Great Garlic Powder
[ ] $12.95--Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian

Whizbang Plucker Parts
[ ] $174.00--HDPE Featherplate (Includes Flanged Shaft)
[ ] $55.00--Flanged Shaft Only (without featherplate)
[ ] $32.95--Two 1" Shaft Bearings
[ ] $37.95--Idler Arm Hardware Kit
[ ] $69.00--16” Diameter Pulley
[ ] $55.00--HDPE Tub Plastic
[ ] $108.00--125 Kent C-25 Plucker Fingers

Whizbang Stickers
[ ] $3.00--For one Whizbang CAUTION sticker & one Plucker Bumper Sticker

Whizbang Chicken Scalder Parts
[ ] $50.00--Dunker Arm

Whizbang Soap Display
[ ] $24.95--Sample Display Stand

Other Books by Herrick Kimball
[ ] $19.95--Refacing Cabinets
[ ] $32.95--Making Plastic Laminate Countertops
[ ] $21.95--The Successful Cabinet Refacer
[ ] $8.95--Winning With References

Questions?
Please e-mail me if you have any questions about products, pricing, or ordering any of the items on this order form: hckimball@bci.net

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Whizbang Books Home Page
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Whizbang Shipping Outside the Continental United States

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Whizbang Books

to Foreign Countries?

YES!

Books To Canada:
There is no additional charge for shipping books to Canada. Just order with the online ordering buttons. The only exception is if you are buying a "scratch & dent" book. Then I will send you a money request for $1.00 additional per book.

Books to the Rest of The World:
Using a Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope, I can ship Whizbang books to just about any country in the world. Delivery time is 6 to 10 days. Better yet, I can send more than one book (as many as fit in the envelope, up to four pounds) for the same low price. To order, simply use the order buttons on this site. When I get your order I will send you a PayPal money request for $12. You can pay the money request with a credit card, just like any online purchase (and you do not need to be signed up with PayPal to do so).

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Whizbang Plucker Parts

to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, and All Other Countries?

YES!

We are now shipping Whizbang Plucker Parts everywhere in the world that the US Postal service delivers to. There is, of course, an additional cost for this shipping. Send us an e-mail telling where you live and what you want to order and we will get back to you with the cost for shipping. hckimball@bci.net

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Whizbang Poultry

Shrink Bags to the World?

Yes!

You will find convenient online ordering buttons for poultry shrink bags to Canada and the rest of the world at THIS WEB SITE

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Kent C-25

Plucker Fingers to

Canada & The

Rest of The World?

Yes!

If you are looking to purchase just plucker fingers, there are convenient online ordering buttons for buying and shipping anywhere in the world AT THIS LINK.

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Whizbang Books Home Page

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