SHC

I wouldn’t be surprised at all, it sounds like some of the same places I’ve been in the Corps. I’ve learned you can usually tell how good a time you’re gonna have by how poorly equipped the facilities are. If you need a tetanus booster to get in and a penicillin shot on your way out, that’s the kind of place where memories are made and scars are born!

Nodebt, I’m a water and wastewater specialist and a total nerd about my job, I also love history. Many countries in Europe have buildings that are older than our country by a couple hundred years or more. Toilet paper didn’t become commonly available in our country until around the mid 1800’s. I don’t think it was commonly used in Europe until a bit later. Many of the really old buildings all over Europe have such primitive indoor waste plumbing that they can’t even handle single ply paper. And as a professional poo stirrer, I’ll attest that paperless wastewater is just the way to go. First time I encountered a bidet in the wild, I was on some really high quality pain meds after my motorcycle wreck. It was an add on device, and I thought it was a flusher designed to conserve water. I made my standing head call, leaned over and twisted the knob, and the toilet hosed me right in the face. I kinda lost my mind a little when that happened.

My tongs have 18 inch reins and I feel that’s just right for me. My hand was severely damaged in a motorcycle wreck, 18” is long enough to give me a secure grip and not so long that it’s clumsy to handle.

If that’s the case, based on what I’ve seen with actual broom holders of similar design, I think it would allow too much side to side action to really be beneficial.

I have seen broom holders similar to that, but never so large and heavily built. The ones I’ve seen, If you stand them on the end as you have, they’d be a couple inches tall. You would mount them to the wall via those holes at the base. Stick the broom handle into the slot from below, and the weight of that ball would hold it in place with that wedge shape. To remove, you’d lift the ball to release the broom handle. It seems to me that one so large and heavy duty would surely get in the way when doing the housekeeping. I would guess it’s for holding some sort of tool in the same way, maybe in a shop instead of a cramped broom closet? If that’s the case, and I think it is, something looks a little “off” about it. Like maybe it’s been disassembled and put back together wrong. Do you think that knob and handle are original?

Garden sprayer. The hand pump, spraying wand thing… field expedient bidet. Just saying.

I had one of Frosty‘s “lawn darts”. It was a ‘67 and was more of a barn dart. I’ve got some actual lawn darts around here somewhere…

I’d rather just have a sword AND a plowshare. I guess the M16 and garden tiller qualify.

Y’all do all that math mess and ima charge ya both a buck!

Well, as mentioned, I have one. It works and works well. It’s cheap. The refractory has held up now for 17 months without needing patching or replacing. I’m not a full time smith like many here, I’m not even a part time smith by my own standards. I’ve never opened the regulator all the way and it. Just. Works. I don’t see a need for facetiousness. Dang that’s a big word… kinda surprised I spelled that right. Surprisingly, the manual says the outside may get hot. I think it says “can get up to approximately 600 degrees”. I can place my bare hand on the outside of the forge. Uncomfortably warm, yes. But I can do it. That’s 1” of wool and the satanite for ya. (disclaimer: I highly discourage anyone else from trying this. As always, your mileage may vary.)

I prefer the Johnny Depp version of Sweeney Todd, just has better visual effects in my opinion. My wife and I went and watched the local drama club at University of Louisiana Monroe perform it. They did an amazing job of it.

Found some actual wrought iron. I was making some coat hooks and noticed a texture I hadn’t seen yet, so I grabbed a piece of the stock I’d cut from and did that there green break test. Sure enough, matches the description and the pictures I’ve seent on the innerwebs. My forge was running low on gas, so I kept working and it took longer and longer because I was having to soak these pieces quite a while to make sure they were good and hot. When the gas finally ran out, I discovered a bad valve on my replacement bottle and it wouldn’t open. So, forging is done for the day. I jogged out behind the big shop where all the scrap metal is and started dragging out bits and pieces and checking them out. I found a few long bands, ten feet long and about 3/4”X1/4”. And a 3/4” bar about 4 feet long. Now it’s time to go inside, fix my toilet and then take a shower. Just for reference, I have a shower, I don’t bathe in the toilet. I’m actually mostly housebroken. After that, it’s off to the DMV to get my handicap Veteran tags and handicap Veteran driver’s license. I wouldn’t generally bother with the handicap tag, but it’s free for life and I can get a good parking spot on the bad days. I’ve had a bad two weeks lately, funky weather has the full body degenerative arthritis flared up. I’ve got the geezer shuffle going on. But I’m trying to stay busy. My mom has just recently been diagnosed with cancer and it don’t look good at all. I honestly don’t think she’s going to make it, but old cowgirls like her don’t ever quit. She’s going into the most aggressive treatments the doctor’s will give her, said she don’t give a darn about being sick and losing her hair. My step dad just recently beat prostate and bladder cancer, so they know what to expect. He’s still pretty weak from the ordeal, so My oldest boy is gonna move in with them to help manage the farm. Lambing season is right around the corner and they got a bunch of pregnant sheep gone be dropping lambs. sorry for going off topic.

I have the one you describe. It gets metal hot enough to shape in what seems a respectable time to me. Bear in mind it’s the only forge I’ve used too. I light it and put some metal in, then start laying out some tools, step out behind the shop to water some bushes, have a smoke and drink some water…. By the time I’m actually ready, the metal is too. I haven’t tried a forge weld and I don’t actually know exactly how hot it gets. I have no complaints, but to be fair I probably don’t know what I should be complaining about. Took me a couple days to set it up following the directions for cure time and such, that may have been because I was diligently exercising patience to make sure I didn’t screw something up. If you need a first forge and you’re on a tight budget, can you really go that wrong with something that fires up and heats metal reliably? I don’t know how many hours are on mine, but it’s been a lot of propane run through it. The refractory and fire brick are still there and holding up just fine. I am careful not to scrape the sides when placing or removing metal too. So far the thickest stock I’ve heated in it is about 1.25”. That did require that I let it sit there and soak for a bit. There are others out there that are prettier, look to be a bit better built, and are still fairly affordable. But none as cheap as the Volcano, and it works.

Ain’t worked in the shop in a week, but it looks like I’m getting famous at work.

Well that’s not exactly a bad thing if you’re making long pork pies. I’ve got some recipes in my survival library. If ya haven’t seen Sweeney Todd, it’s pretty much the only musical I like. Grease is on my “I don’t hate it” list.

I measured a stone once. 5mmx8mm, with the surface texture of rock candy. I’ve had a heat stroke and heat exhaustion too. My job is all about water too, from producing and treating drinking water, maintaining the distribution system for several communities, to collecting and treating the wastewater. I handle it from start to finish! Water is a necessity of life.

Mmm… fried green maters is a great side with any dish? Especially pork dishes!

You wouldn’t happen to be a barber would you? This sounds a little too familiar.

The mistake I made with my first was using thin stock. They still work though, they’re just really flimsy. I’ve actually been meaning to bring them in for use in the fire place.

I try not to be picky but that feller looks like he’d be a bit stringy.

A great one I’ve seen is a smoker made out of an old water heater. Several tutorials on YouTube. I’ve got a Masterbuilt gravity series 550. It’s almost like a cross between a pellet smoker and charcoal grill. There’s a hopper on the side that holds the charcoal, and a blower that blows the heat and smoke into the cooking chamber. It’s digitally controlled too. I can sit in my living room and control the temperature and set the timer, check the temperature of my food too. Also, it’s been set on fire and came out unscathed. It was kind of stupid. I had planned to clean out the grease tray one day when I came home from work, but I found a bunch of chickens on it thanks to my wife and oldest son so I said “whatever, one more cooking ain’t gonna hurt…” Thankfully, the gates to hades waited until the chickens were done and removed from the grill before they decided to open and belch forth fire and brimstone. Flames six feet high, cast iron grates were turning red. Had to use a fire extinguisher to put it out. I know that doesn’t sound like a glowing review, but that grease tray was full to the brim. It was totally my fault for not cleaning it out. I removed the electronics and cleaned everything with the pressure washer, now you can’t even tell it happened. I cook on it 2-3 nights a week. Cooked steaks on it last night.

Didn’t know this thread was here, I see it’s really old and been resurrected. I’ll throw in my two cents. My shop floor is crushed concrete and sand. My stand, for now, is several 4X6” posts buried around a foot and a half deep. It’s quick and easy to adjust MY height by either kicking some of that mix up around the stand’s base, effectively lowering the anvil or kicking some away from the base of the stand, effectively raising it. It’s the work of just a few seconds.

Thanks for that, I could definitely use those!

I’ve taken no real precautions against Covid other than being my usual reclusive self. Thankfully the few friends that come over have been careful too. Didn’t stop the hospital from trying to diagnose me and treat me for Covid when I got pneumonia though. I really hope this social distancing thing just becomes the norm forever. I call myself reclusive mostly because I don’t go out much except for work, but I’m generally pretty friendly. I’ll talk to anyone, but I like my personal space. My kids don’t even invade my personal space except for a hug when it’s time for bed or when one of us is leaving or returning from a trip. My wife and dog are exceptions though, I’m usually sandwiched between them in bed and barely even able to move.

I chipped the stuff out, it appeared to be old plaster. There is a small hole dead center of the bottom, less than half an inch and perfectly round. That spot appears slightly thicker than the rest of the steel. No hole through the lining though so the hole was covered up. Also found a steel bed frame (minus headboard and footboard) at the dump on my way home today. No idea what I’m gonna use it for.