Henry Coles
@pitest.bsky.social
Fiction: Scottish Book Trust New Writer 2023. SCWBI Undiscovered Voices 2024. Repped by Lucy Juckes at @jennybrownagency.bsky.social
https://henrycoles.com
Tech: Made mutation testing popular - Java Champion
https://pitest.org https://www.arcmutate.com
https://henrycoles.com
Tech: Made mutation testing popular - Java Champion
https://pitest.org https://www.arcmutate.com
Back in the 80s my parents used to transport sheep and goats around in the back of a Citroen 2cv.
It was a fetching yellow colour and we called it "Buttercup"
Don't think the roads have become remarkably steeper and more rugged since then.
It was a fetching yellow colour and we called it "Buttercup"
Don't think the roads have become remarkably steeper and more rugged since then.
October 30, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Back in the 80s my parents used to transport sheep and goats around in the back of a Citroen 2cv.
It was a fetching yellow colour and we called it "Buttercup"
Don't think the roads have become remarkably steeper and more rugged since then.
It was a fetching yellow colour and we called it "Buttercup"
Don't think the roads have become remarkably steeper and more rugged since then.
Since record bluesky seems to be finding this post, here's the turntable, a Dual 1209 made somewhere between 1969 and 1972, before and after I did a bit of work on it.
August 31, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Since record bluesky seems to be finding this post, here's the turntable, a Dual 1209 made somewhere between 1969 and 1972, before and after I did a bit of work on it.
I'm meant to be doing structural edits, so of course I spent the evening making a knife out of a nail.
It's surprisingly easy to do.
I'm not very good at sharpening things, but have got it cutting slightly better than the exacto style knife it's designed to replace.
It's surprisingly easy to do.
I'm not very good at sharpening things, but have got it cutting slightly better than the exacto style knife it's designed to replace.
July 3, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I'm meant to be doing structural edits, so of course I spent the evening making a knife out of a nail.
It's surprisingly easy to do.
I'm not very good at sharpening things, but have got it cutting slightly better than the exacto style knife it's designed to replace.
It's surprisingly easy to do.
I'm not very good at sharpening things, but have got it cutting slightly better than the exacto style knife it's designed to replace.
Had a lovely father's day so far. Kids made me brunch and art, and I got the wood lathe out for the first time in ages and turned a handle for a fish tail gouge I randomly acquired.
I'm very out of practice and left some nasty tool marks, but still feels good in my palm.
#woodturning
I'm very out of practice and left some nasty tool marks, but still feels good in my palm.
#woodturning
June 15, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Had a lovely father's day so far. Kids made me brunch and art, and I got the wood lathe out for the first time in ages and turned a handle for a fish tail gouge I randomly acquired.
I'm very out of practice and left some nasty tool marks, but still feels good in my palm.
#woodturning
I'm very out of practice and left some nasty tool marks, but still feels good in my palm.
#woodturning
I will now not be making the thin parting tool I've been meaning to bodge together for some time now as I found one at the Meadows Festival for the bargain price of 50p.
Just needs a bit of a sharpen and cleanup... and maybe a nicer handle.
#woodturning
Just needs a bit of a sharpen and cleanup... and maybe a nicer handle.
#woodturning
June 7, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I will now not be making the thin parting tool I've been meaning to bodge together for some time now as I found one at the Meadows Festival for the bargain price of 50p.
Just needs a bit of a sharpen and cleanup... and maybe a nicer handle.
#woodturning
Just needs a bit of a sharpen and cleanup... and maybe a nicer handle.
#woodturning
Not finished wiring it yet, but my latest (somewhat experimental) keyboard build has turned out ok despite a whole string of mistakes.
Switches (cream alps) and keycaps are recycled from a couple of broken apple ADB keyboards.
Base is cherry on top of a piece of oak too cracked to use on its own.
Switches (cream alps) and keycaps are recycled from a couple of broken apple ADB keyboards.
Base is cherry on top of a piece of oak too cracked to use on its own.
May 22, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Not finished wiring it yet, but my latest (somewhat experimental) keyboard build has turned out ok despite a whole string of mistakes.
Switches (cream alps) and keycaps are recycled from a couple of broken apple ADB keyboards.
Base is cherry on top of a piece of oak too cracked to use on its own.
Switches (cream alps) and keycaps are recycled from a couple of broken apple ADB keyboards.
Base is cherry on top of a piece of oak too cracked to use on its own.
Bit of a long shot, but does anyone know where I can find another ring like this one?
May 15, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Bit of a long shot, but does anyone know where I can find another ring like this one?
I seem to be making keyboards at the moment.
Finished a build last night. Staggered columns combined with a more traditional layout in a piece of solid cherry wood.
Not sure if I like typing on it yet.
Finished a build last night. Staggered columns combined with a more traditional layout in a piece of solid cherry wood.
Not sure if I like typing on it yet.
May 10, 2025 at 8:02 AM
I seem to be making keyboards at the moment.
Finished a build last night. Staggered columns combined with a more traditional layout in a piece of solid cherry wood.
Not sure if I like typing on it yet.
Finished a build last night. Staggered columns combined with a more traditional layout in a piece of solid cherry wood.
Not sure if I like typing on it yet.
Mini keyboard now has a housing for the microcontroller made out of chunk of firewood (cherry, I think).
I could probably have carved out space for it in the main board, but decided to take the coward's route and not risk messing up what I'd already done.
I could probably have carved out space for it in the main board, but decided to take the coward's route and not risk messing up what I'd already done.
April 26, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Mini keyboard now has a housing for the microcontroller made out of chunk of firewood (cherry, I think).
I could probably have carved out space for it in the main board, but decided to take the coward's route and not risk messing up what I'd already done.
I could probably have carved out space for it in the main board, but decided to take the coward's route and not risk messing up what I'd already done.
WIP new keyboard built out of a scrap of solid oak and some old black alps switches.
Might be a little too minimalist for my liking, but if the layout feels ok after a little use I might invest in a bigger chunk of wood and build a v2.
Might be a little too minimalist for my liking, but if the layout feels ok after a little use I might invest in a bigger chunk of wood and build a v2.
April 25, 2025 at 5:54 PM
WIP new keyboard built out of a scrap of solid oak and some old black alps switches.
Might be a little too minimalist for my liking, but if the layout feels ok after a little use I might invest in a bigger chunk of wood and build a v2.
Might be a little too minimalist for my liking, but if the layout feels ok after a little use I might invest in a bigger chunk of wood and build a v2.
Easter project with my youngest is progressing nicely.
Just the small jobs wiring it and building a body left to do.
Just the small jobs wiring it and building a body left to do.
April 21, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Easter project with my youngest is progressing nicely.
Just the small jobs wiring it and building a body left to do.
Just the small jobs wiring it and building a body left to do.
I think it may finally be time to update my profile picture. The current one is about 15 years old, but seems to have somehow aged a lot less than my actual face.
The new one was taken by Rob MacDougall for the Scottish Book Trust. The ham-fisted cropping is all my own work.
The new one was taken by Rob MacDougall for the Scottish Book Trust. The ham-fisted cropping is all my own work.
March 5, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I think it may finally be time to update my profile picture. The current one is about 15 years old, but seems to have somehow aged a lot less than my actual face.
The new one was taken by Rob MacDougall for the Scottish Book Trust. The ham-fisted cropping is all my own work.
The new one was taken by Rob MacDougall for the Scottish Book Trust. The ham-fisted cropping is all my own work.
Bad things are happening to our neighbour's roof.
January 24, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Bad things are happening to our neighbour's roof.
Age yourself with your first computer.
Acorn Electron for me, on which I played and wrote a lot games.
Found it in my parent's loft a couple of years ago. With a bit of encouragement, it still runs.
Acorn Electron for me, on which I played and wrote a lot games.
Found it in my parent's loft a couple of years ago. With a bit of encouragement, it still runs.
December 22, 2024 at 11:02 AM
Age yourself with your first computer.
Acorn Electron for me, on which I played and wrote a lot games.
Found it in my parent's loft a couple of years ago. With a bit of encouragement, it still runs.
Acorn Electron for me, on which I played and wrote a lot games.
Found it in my parent's loft a couple of years ago. With a bit of encouragement, it still runs.
Every year around about Christmas I go looking for a book my partner remembers having read to her at school.
This year I found it!
It's Rebecca's World by Terry Nation - the first edition with illustrations by Larry Learmonth.
I bet she's bought me socks.
This year I found it!
It's Rebecca's World by Terry Nation - the first edition with illustrations by Larry Learmonth.
I bet she's bought me socks.
December 20, 2024 at 4:28 PM
Every year around about Christmas I go looking for a book my partner remembers having read to her at school.
This year I found it!
It's Rebecca's World by Terry Nation - the first edition with illustrations by Larry Learmonth.
I bet she's bought me socks.
This year I found it!
It's Rebecca's World by Terry Nation - the first edition with illustrations by Larry Learmonth.
I bet she's bought me socks.
With a bit of oil on the wood, the rust cleaned off, and a spanking new goat's skin its come out looking ok. Frets really need replacing and the action seems high, but hopefully playable.
3/3
3/3
November 22, 2024 at 8:24 PM
With a bit of oil on the wood, the rust cleaned off, and a spanking new goat's skin its come out looking ok. Frets really need replacing and the action seems high, but hopefully playable.
3/3
3/3
It's about 100 years old - I picked it up for £10 on gumtree
Didn't do much too it except replace the skin, clean off some rust and file down the frets at the edges as they'd become exposed as the neck shrank over the years.
Nice to find the signature of the last person to skin it on the back
2/3
Didn't do much too it except replace the skin, clean off some rust and file down the frets at the edges as they'd become exposed as the neck shrank over the years.
Nice to find the signature of the last person to skin it on the back
2/3
November 22, 2024 at 8:20 PM
It's about 100 years old - I picked it up for £10 on gumtree
Didn't do much too it except replace the skin, clean off some rust and file down the frets at the edges as they'd become exposed as the neck shrank over the years.
Nice to find the signature of the last person to skin it on the back
2/3
Didn't do much too it except replace the skin, clean off some rust and file down the frets at the edges as they'd become exposed as the neck shrank over the years.
Nice to find the signature of the last person to skin it on the back
2/3
Spent the evening restoring an old Banjo Mandolin (one of many instruments I cannot play).
Picked this up a while ago for my eldest's birthday, which is now only weeks away.
Forgot to take "before" photos when I took it apart months ago, except this.
#restoration
1/3
Picked this up a while ago for my eldest's birthday, which is now only weeks away.
Forgot to take "before" photos when I took it apart months ago, except this.
#restoration
1/3
November 22, 2024 at 8:12 PM
Spent the evening restoring an old Banjo Mandolin (one of many instruments I cannot play).
Picked this up a while ago for my eldest's birthday, which is now only weeks away.
Forgot to take "before" photos when I took it apart months ago, except this.
#restoration
1/3
Picked this up a while ago for my eldest's birthday, which is now only weeks away.
Forgot to take "before" photos when I took it apart months ago, except this.
#restoration
1/3
This thing is almost there. Just some messing about to do with the countershaft and pulleys, then into the fiddly alignment stuff.
74/n
74/n
November 18, 2024 at 12:18 PM
This thing is almost there. Just some messing about to do with the countershaft and pulleys, then into the fiddly alignment stuff.
74/n
74/n
Spent lunchtime slapping primer onto the lathe stand with minimal surface prep. Also started on the tailstock.
The top coat needs a full week between layers, but hopefully will have it cosmetically complete by the end of the month.
73/n
The top coat needs a full week between layers, but hopefully will have it cosmetically complete by the end of the month.
73/n
November 18, 2024 at 12:15 PM
Spent lunchtime slapping primer onto the lathe stand with minimal surface prep. Also started on the tailstock.
The top coat needs a full week between layers, but hopefully will have it cosmetically complete by the end of the month.
73/n
The top coat needs a full week between layers, but hopefully will have it cosmetically complete by the end of the month.
73/n
First (very poor) turn with a piece of mystery metal and a random (blunt) tool with the entirely wrong profile.
It works though.
Now taken apart again to start painting the stand.
72/n
It works though.
Now taken apart again to start painting the stand.
72/n
November 18, 2024 at 12:14 PM
First (very poor) turn with a piece of mystery metal and a random (blunt) tool with the entirely wrong profile.
It works though.
Now taken apart again to start painting the stand.
72/n
It works though.
Now taken apart again to start painting the stand.
72/n
And with the back gear and lead screw engaged - the apron that rides on it is still awaiting a coat of paint.
That loud recurring sound is a chip on one of the gears. Hopefully won't be a problem but I know nothing about these things.
71/n
That loud recurring sound is a chip on one of the gears. Hopefully won't be a problem but I know nothing about these things.
71/n
November 16, 2024 at 2:14 PM
And with the back gear and lead screw engaged - the apron that rides on it is still awaiting a coat of paint.
That loud recurring sound is a chip on one of the gears. Hopefully won't be a problem but I know nothing about these things.
71/n
That loud recurring sound is a chip on one of the gears. Hopefully won't be a problem but I know nothing about these things.
71/n