Good morning!!!!

[RoyJackson]

2017-08-14, 0313

52 right now...high will be about 80.

Nice weekend, got a lot done

Nice looking pistol, I believe you have a nice collection now

Yeah, I've bought a few this year...sold a few too. My reckon I'm going to quit buying for a while.
The next thing I'm expecting in is a .22 suppressor which is already paid for. I'm just waiting for the ATF to do their part.

 

[Eric Salop]

Good morning. No meteors last night, although with no wind either, it was still pleasant to sit out on the slider and watch as the clouds slowly closed up the last patch of clear sky above our heads.

Roy, hope you enjoy your suppressor when it comes. Suppressors have made a huge difference to what I now expect when I squeeze the trigger. Now I hear the bullet strike, not the gun shot. The difference is even more noticeable with sub-sonics, with them the only sound I notice from the rifle is the firing pin striking the brass.

Talking of guns, a good few months back I was in a local gunshop and mentioned that one day, I would like a 28 gauge shotgun (many years ago my wife bought me a 28 gauge cleaning kit, in a nice wooden box as a sort of promise that one day ...). My wife had a knowing smile on her face when she told me there was a message on the house phone on Saturday, it said they have a used over-and-under 28 bore in immaculate condition, so I will go and take a look at it today.

 

[RoyJackson]

Roy, hope you enjoy your suppressor when it comes. Suppressors have made a huge difference to what I now expect when I squeeze the trigger. Now I hear the bullet strike, not the gun shot. The difference is even more noticeable with sub-sonics, with them the only sound I notice from the rifle is the firing pin striking the brass.

I'm sure I will!
As far as sub-sonic .22LR, cycling in a semi-auto may not be reliable...I reckon I'll find out when the suppressor comes in. They should work with the SR-22 pistol...not so sure about the 10-22 rifle. However, I did buy a Ruger American bolt action rifle (with a threaded barrel) too. There's a Youtube video of this rifle with a suppressor, and you're right. All one hears is the action of the rifle.
Are suppressors legal to buy over the counter in the UK?

Talking of guns, a good few months back I was in a local gunshop and mentioned that one day, I would like a 28 gauge shotgun (many years ago my wife bought me a 28 gauge cleaning kit, in a nice wooden box as a sort of promise that one day ...). My wife had a knowing smile on her face when she told me there was a message on the house phone on Saturday, it said they have a used over-and-under 28 bore in immaculate condition, so I will go and take a look at it today.

I hope it's the gun you want! Keep us posted and, remember, if no pictures...it didn't happen!

 

[riptides]

71 outside this AM. Mid-80's expected today. I might get on the lawn mowers today. Yesterday I got a serious side-track with pruning some bushes. Problem was they are all around 20 feet up and very overgrown. I managed to lop off about 4 feet, but am thinking chain saw to get them back down around 6 feet in length. I may wait until fall as it looks horrible and I need to read up on what kind of bush they are. They were a low driveway screen in the 70's and look like they have not been touched since that time period.

Have a great day all, be safe.

 

[Thomas]

53F clear mid 80's for high.
Did more than I plan for yesterday,back to the grind today.
After work may do some ditching w/tractor if ground hard enough.

Enjoy the day all.

 

[wngsprd]

63 going to 82...good outside work day weather.

Need to mow the trails and bush hog a couple plots to get ready for tilling for fall planting.

Roy, I like the way that Ruger works...wasn't aware of that set up.

Eric, hope that O/U goes home with you.

Drew, how's your ankle doing? I've been lucky, still only seen one yellow jacket all summer...on one of the hummingbird feeders. I tried to catch it but missed (with a net) so it wouldn't go home and bring his buddies back.

 

[Buppies]

72 this morning high of 74 cloudy chance of showers later. Got drain cleaned out at shop real ordeal full of mud and rotted leaves. Got mirror hung for wife worked on hot tub cover estimated two jobs back to work so I can rest

 

[ronjhall]

Need to pour second cup of coffee. 57° with some clouds this morning. Heading to 81° with thunderstorms in afternoon. After friends left yesterday. It was mostly a lay back day rest day. Not much planned for today. Clinic for quarterly blood test. Then put a few things away in barn from last project. Wife had a toothache yesterday. May have to run her into dentist.
Good Morning All.

 

[daugen]

74 and very humid, was so muggy and sticky yesterday I stayed inside the whole day.
Which meant I needed something to do so I cleaned and put a coat of finish on my hallway hardwood floors. Engineered wood, required for dampness in this area.
Didn't have the right sized mop/applicator so down on my knees I went. An hour later it looked shiny and new and should last for quite
a while with the little foot traffic, mostly mine, it gets. I was quite pleased with myself that I didn't mess it up.

Today I set up my welding rig and practice welding while it likely will be raining out. A bit of this mower deck needs to be rebuilt/refabbed, so here
goes nothing. I expect to do a great deal of grinding of nasty looking welds, which when smooth and at least adequately strong, will hide under two coats of primer
and two of Gravely red a laughably poor weld. So some archaeologist looks at this rather rare Gravely wing mower a thousand years from now and wonders what primitive
species did this welding. Of course this is when the tunes of Sinatra fire up and at least I've got "my way" to hum.
I've watched a hundred YouTube videos, had a welder come show me how to use my machine, and today it's time to weld some practice pieces together.
Actually first thing I'm doing is building the six foot tall welding spark screens so I can partition off the barn. And for sure weld on the other end away from gasoline and other things that
don't do well with sparks.

RNG, good eyes, I have a Hobart blanket and the cheap HF one. Figured I'd wreck the cheap one...though my "table" is a plywood sheet underneath. Might get exciting if I got the wood on fire.
Pressurized water extinguisher literally three feet away. I was going to use the Hobart one on the floor to cover the rubber matting in spots. Can't imagine those rubber horse mats will like welding sparks on them. Otherwise a dirt floor.
I have a thread on this Gravely renovation but I promise to post a picture of my nastiest looking weld for your entertainment. I don't dare post it on the welding forum.
those guys are serious..., and I think they are all trained on the Lunar Rover. Actually those guys are super helpful, even if they are intimidatingly good at what they do.

off to do a little food shopping and then back to wait for thunderstorms. This is more like August weather than the lovely days we've had.

foot and ankle much better today, red parts gone back to white, yeah. Guess I'll keep that foot a while longer.
Two African bee stings (I looked them up-yup sweet little honey bee looking things but boy they aren't) within same area of ankle and one
on arm. Three shots of that bee venom thankfully on appendages was all I could take without a trip to the ER, and that was taking some leftover medicine
they gave me the last time. I have no idea when to use the Epi pen, but I think if I got stung three times again, I'm going to use that overpriced thing just to be safe.
Particularly if I get stung near the neck.

 

[txdon]

Good morning! It just barley dipped below 80˚ last night, that means a 100 plus day. If it doesn't get done before noon it wont't get done kind of day.

I did not find any lost part on the road, my Ford may have to go without a name emblem but the mower lever is ordered.

I'm looking to order a solar battery charger for my Dad's tractor. Has anyone bought a charging solar panel and controller lately? Any recommendations?

 

[Ed of all trades]

A definite highlight to my day too. Rejoice!

That is my first thing to do as well and the best part of the day.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Good morning all, 64 now going to 79 wit a 40% chance of showers. Hope to get some more done on my wife's loom today, we will see. Do need to go and get some groceries today. Other than that same old stuff.

Don, Not sure of the % on the vinegar, just got some white vinegar and went at it. It did rain about 4 hours after I sprayed. I have heard that vinegar just kills the foliage and the weeds and grass come back in just a few days.

Have a great day. Ed

 

[rswyan]

57.2F and partly cloudy @ 06:45, headed up to a high of 83F supposedly.

Got valves set and oil changed on the 'bota yesterday. Still need to do the fuel filter but I'll need to run to the dealer to pick one up.

Will probably go a little faster next time around ...

Glow plugs came out fairly easily - ferrous cylinder head (thankfully NOT aluminum) and PB 'blaster. Anti-seize compound when I put them back in.

The first real complication was there was a clearance issue in removing the valve cover - it was hitting the muffler when I tried to lift it off ... so I had to remove the muffler and tailpipe assembly. That had the potential for not going very well, as the muffler was bolted to the exhaust manifold with 4 studs and nuts ... 15 (?) years old and never been off, repeated heat cycling, very rusty, etc. ...

But I just hit them with some PB 'blaster and they broke loose and came off fairly easily, although one of the nuts didn't and instead the whole stud (with nut) came out. Anti-seize compound when I put them back together.

Next issue occurred when I went to lift the valve cover off. In my excitement, I tried to just lift it off ... without removing the 4 copper sealing washers laying on top of the cover under the hold-down nuts. One fell on the head itself, one hit the floor, one stayed on the valve cover ... and the 4th one was MIA ...

After that I gave my neighbor (who is a heavy equipment mechanic) a call to help me locate TDC. He was eating when I called but came down after he finished about 15 minutes later.

The sight window for the flywheel/timing marks is in a very bad location ... just in front of the brake pedals, behind a pipe and a number of hoses (fuel, hydraulic) ... and to add insult to injury, it's pretty much impossible to see the letters/numbers thru the window.

Near as I could tell from the Workshop Manual there are three marks, each with a line: 1TDC, 10, 20. The only thing that's easily visible is the tip of the line/mark for each one. But knowing the order that they occur on the flywheel is how we determined which one we were on.

Got No. 1 set on TDC on the compression stroke and started checking clearances on the valves. They were a little loose but not real bad ... set the first group and then rotated the engine 360 degrees to the overlap position and did the rest of them. Then started putting it back together and buttoning things up.

Told Jeff about the missing sealing washer and we spent probably 10 minutes looking for it ... engine, floor, etc. ... finally he, being the voice of experience, asks ... "Did it end up sticking to the bolt/nut ... ?"

Sure enough ... it was stuck to the bottom of 4th acorn nut ... :thumbsup:

About that time The Woman showed up on her way out wanting a progress report ... so we gave her an update on all the fun we'd been having, fired it up ... and then sent her off for beer.

When she got back with the goods we spent about an hour or so just chewing the fat and solving the World's problems.

After he left I drained the engine oil, changed out the oil filter, and refilled it with Mobil 1 0w40. In doing that I discovered that the plastic cover for the drive shaft going to the front axle was broken ... probably got punctured by a stick mebbe. So that's another item that will have to be addressed ... not looking forward to it, as it looks like it could be a PITA.

Last thing I was going to do was change the fuel filter. Pulled it and it was seriously crudded up. I had an aftermarket filter I had picked up from TractorSmart awhile back but it didn't seem to fit in the plastic bowl and I ended up breaking it trying to push it in ... so I'll be heading to the dealer first thing this morning to pick one up.

After that, probably put the MMM on and mow the front.

Last thing I did before leaving the shop and locking up was kill a seriously large wasp/hornet that had appeared and was buzzing around the lights. A good squirt of carb cleaner put him down. Thing was huge ... probably a 2 1/2" - 3" wingspan ... the stinger looked to be around 3/8" long ... nasty.

 

[rswyan]

Drew,

Just remember to hang around for around for 15 to 30 minutes after the last sparks fly ... and be looking for smoke.

 

[txdon]

Don, Not sure of the % on the vinegar, just got some white vinegar and went at it. It did rain about 4 hours after I sprayed. I have heard that vinegar just kills the foliage and the weeds and grass come back in just a few days.

Have a great day. Ed

I have had mixed results but then just read where the acidity has to be greater than 17%. The vinegar in the store is 5%. I'll order a 20% gallon from Amazon and report back. On the reviews they are mostly good with a few grow backs. Some add soap or orange oil also. I may have to do a three way test. Home depot sells an organic weed killer with 20% vinegar (acidic acid).

 

[daugen]

Drew,

Just remember to hang around for around for 15 to 30 minutes after the last sparks fly ... and be looking for smoke.

thanks, sure will. I am paranoid about fire.
Two things to do first. One build the spark screens, second put the anti glare screen inside the welding helmet.
then practice with 7014 if I remember my numbers right.
I have my Hobart shirt also to not catch on fire too...thing looks hot to wear.
likely fully accessorized with clamps and gizmos, now to see if I can see what I'm doing through
that helmet.

I guess I'd better post this last picture over in the welding thread. I have cleaned out the cracks as
instructed and drilled holes at the end. In the wrong spots apparently in several cases. Perfection is overrated.
Most of the small metal cracks, and there are many, will be covered by a heavy steel reinforcing plate, which thankfully was
covered in grease and in very good shape. So the first part I'm doing "won't show". I expect to do a lot of grinding...
Will have a fan blowing all the results outdoors.

 

[PJSprog]

66°F and raining this morning, going up to 86° today. Looks like the August heat and humidity have finally arrived here this week.

Had a really nice weather weekend. Got out Saturday and exercised the loppers along the south fence line to remove a bunch of overgrowth of garbage treed and thorny miniature rose bushes. In spite of my leather gloves, the thorns found a way to snag in my right hand ring finger. Needed to stop to stem the bleeding, and decided to have lunch then as well. Got a bunch of other minor tree trimming done around the property, mostly mowing annoyances here and there. Used that as a good excuse to get out the tractor and use it as an expensive wheel barrow.

Wife and I played a little golf Sunday morning, then had a nice lunch at Applebee's. The rest of the day for both of us was either puttering around doing little things, or sitting in the sunroom with all the windows open enjoying the nice breeze.

Congrats to Kekoa, David! Our oldest border collie Evey is a CGC, so I know that's quite the nice accomplishment.

 

[CWB Wyo]

The low was 46*, yesterday high was 85*. All the thunderstorms missed us yesterday. We have a chance again today.

Eric
Hope the over and under is what you are looking for.
The grandkids had a surprised look and their faces when I told them that the poles were their great grandfathers. It took a second for them to figure it out. We had good laugh over it. But how they want to use them to see if they can catch a fish. And I told them the difference between a rod and pole. Thanks for pointing out the difference.

Hope everyone has a nice day.
CWB

 

[hawkeye08]

We finally got some relief from the heat... cooled off Sunday, almost rained (sprinkled for a few minutes)... stopped the combines harvesting wheat locally. Expected to be in low 80s this week. Put a new set of blades on Ferris over the weekend, cleaned out under the deck... need to sharpen old blades.. We had moved a carport shelter a week ago, got it anchored down so it doesn't fly away in the wind..

 

[farmer2009]

71 this morning and headed to 82 today. Currently 79 with some rain headed in.

Sitting here at doctors office waiting my 20 minutes after my allergy shots. Then go back and pickup oldest from phase in day at preschool and take him to daycare. Then I get to go to work.

Drew. Look forward to pictures. 7014 is an easy rod to learn. 6011 is also easy but likes to stick for beginners and does very good on rusty/dirty metal. 7018 is the masters rod. 6013 likes clean/new metal.

Ed. Never have had much luck with the organic sprays. Tried this one a few years back and it did ok but not great. Avenger Weed Killer
Just pay attention to what states it's labeled in. Biggest reason I won't use it anymore is I found out it wasn't labeled here. Too many of the enforcement guys know me. I can't play dumb. Been in industry too long already.
It's a citric acid. The stronger it's mixed the better it works but dam does it get pricey with as much as I have to spray. Weedeater and high schooler is cheaper.
One thing that does work is salt. About a 1/3-1/2 pound per square foot. Watered in. 1-2 applications and weeds are controlled for the summer. I used a livestock grade feed salt.