How do you stay cool ?

[ausfire]

17 hours ago, iron woodrow said:

The Atherton tablelands- the promised land.

I know that, Woody. So when are you moving up the hill? You can look down on the Pyramid instead of being in its shadow.

We (and the railway boys) could benefit from having a resident consultant steam engineer. And you could take over my demo forge occasionally and give me a day off! I'll even supply you a cold XXXX when the heat is on.

[iron woodrow]

The real answer is; when the mill stops giving me money for playing on trains!

Especially since my masseys are up there too!

[ThomasPowers]

"We do try to stick to the high ground you know."  

Frosty; I thought y'all tried to stick to the lampposts?

[olfart]

I figured Frosty tries NOT to stick to the lampposts (especially his tongue).

 

[Frosty]

Don't have to try to stick to lampposts, they're evil kid traps. 

I'm enjoying this thread fun to see folk trying to keep cool. I'm Frosty I've been cool my whole life. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

He was cool before being cool was cool!

[the iron dwarf]

trees are cool, lots of shade under a tree

[Jclonts82]

My shop area is a 17' x 22' covered area, open walls attached to the side of a 40' shipping container. Inside the container I keep the evenheat oven, wet hand-sanding setup, and drill press with a window AC unit I installed.

 

Outside where the real work happens, I set up 2X 30" cheap, noisy, box type fans from tractor supply and each one has a mister attached to the hose spraying right above it. The fan picks it up and kinda creates an evaporate cooling effect. 

 

with this upcoming forecast though... I doubt I will be doing much daytime work, wait until 7:00 pm when it finally drops below 100

[ThomasPowers]

I can walk out my back door and go probably 60 miles without finding a tree over 10' tall and they are thorny and have leaves that don't make much of a shade to boot. (Mesquite)  I know that's easy to do in the UK---if you back up on a beach...though now that I think of it a lot of France is within a 60 mile transit...

[olfart]

10 hours ago, the iron dwarf said:

trees are cool, lots of shade under a tree

Until a line of thunderstorms comes through and takes out half of your best shade tree.  Fortunately most of it missed the greenhouse.  Guess I won't be staying as cool in the shade of that tree.

 

[the iron dwarf]

78 degrees F here this week, that is warm for this cold wet island

[Borntoolate]

I think one thing to consider is that overheating and managing that is no time for having a "manly" ego.    We flooded in August of 2016 in southern Louisiana.   There was a lot of work just after that getting things back and cleaning up etc.   I was a bit stressed and it was xxxxxxx hot.   Between the two of those things I found myself getting overheated more than the other Man friends around helping me.   It hurt just a little to say it but at one point I just told them that I am not doing well to continue.   I need a rest.   They understood and supported.   Don't let ego ruin yourself for the long haul.    LIFE IS TOO LONG TO GO THROUGH IT WITH PERMANENT AND AVOIDABLE DAMAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ThomasPowers]

I saw that Wales was sweltering at 86 deg F today; it was 106 degF here and I got a nice walk to cross the border and get to our parking lot on the US side.   Pretty normal here and unusual there which makes a lot of difference!

[JHCC]

Amen to that! Especially those of us who do this as a hobby and aren't accustomed to long shifts of hard work or are trying to cram in as much in our limited time as we can!

[SFC Snuffy]

Having spent a great deal of time in the US Army and Army National Guard, monitoring both my health and that of my Soldiers through a variety of exertions and enterprises, a few points to consider, in no particular order:

• Prime indicator of your state of hydration is the color of your urine. A "light straw color" is considered optimal. Darker means not enough water. Lighter means too much.
• Drinking too much water (hyponatremia) can kill you. Your electrolytes become too diluted and your brain and body lose the ability to communicate. Treatment requires hospitalization, but the symptoms can be difficult to differentiate from heat exhaustion.
• A balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables is the best way to supply and replenish electrolytes. Sports drinks are almost universally bad for you and caffeine is both a diuretic/natriuretic and raises your blood pressure, undesirable side effects in high heat environments.
• Environments with very low or very high humidity will affect both how much you sweat and how much you feel like you are sweating. See point one above.
• There is no "right answer" for how often you should urinate, as there are too many variables unique to each individual. However, see point one above.
• Removing clothing (short- vs. long-sleeves, shorts vs. trouser, bare head vs. hat, sandals vs. boots, etc.) makes you more comfortable but often increases the rate of evaporation of sweat from your skin and thus your rate of dehydration. You'll feel better, but lose water faster.
• Sodium tablets can be used in emergency situations, but it's better to eat foods like canned olives, pickles, and tuna which have nutritional value.

TL; DR = Pay attention to your pee. 

[arkie]

15 hours ago, Borntoolate said:

I think one thing to consider is that overheating and managing that is no time for having a "manly" ego.    We flooded in August of 2016 in southern Louisiana.   There was a lot of work just after that getting things back and cleaning up etc.   I was a bit stressed and it was effing hot.   Between the two of those things I found myself getting overheated more than the other Man friends around helping me.   It hurt just a little to say it but at one point I just told them that I am not doing well to continue.   I need a rest.   They understood and supported.   Don't let ego ruin yourself for the long haul.    LIFE IS TOO LONG TO GO THROUGH IT WITH PERMANENT AND AVOIDABLE DAMAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It would be wise if more folks adopted your common sense of self-preservation!!  No good being "macho" than dead.....or having a stroke.

[JW513]

I've gotten sorta sick from heat a few times.. The worst was 4 years back.... Prepping for a concrete pad, no shade, tying down rebar and wire mesh, and then pouring the concrete ... All in direct sunlight on a very hot day, no shade, then after work,  I went to another job, and I don't remember what I did but I was still in the sun (evening sun but still sun)....   I do remember shoveling and pushing  a wheel barrel, I'm pretty fit but I remember being dizzy and struggling to push  it towards the end. I went home, and fell asleep on the couch which I never do. I had cramps in my feet and was beat and weak.... Hasn't happened since, maybe i've learned to pace myself and drink more water.. I really think I was on the brink of needing medical treatment...    Anyways drink water, stay cool, heat sickness sneaks up on you, kinda like shots of bourbon does......

[SFC Snuffy]

I was always told that becoming a heat casualty (or sustaining a cold-weather injury) makes you more susceptible to more of the same.

[Charles R. Stevens]

As I have suffered both I can attest to the probability of that. I can also attest to the fact you get much smarter about managing heat and cold stress. 

I had heat stroke at six wile at Ladmo land in Chandler (unless you grew up in Arizona in the late sixties early 70’s you missed out on the Wallis and Ladmo show). To this day when I start to over expert in the heat I get a tightness in my chest and shortness of breath. Hydrate and work slower.

in the service I frost nipped mynfingers and goes in Graffensveir  in Germany, and on the way to the medics was informed my grandmother had died. Well as I new they would hold me for at least two weeks I went to the showers instead. Nothing like a hot shower in a parka to throw out your hands so you can get undressed. I still suffer from chilblain and arthritis. As soon as the temp drops below 50 out comes the gloves. Upside, Sandy likes the fact I do dishes for 1/2 the year. 

 

 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

At one time I had a high tolerance to hot & cold weather. It could be 30° F outside and I would be in a T shirt. Chemo therapy put and end to that though. Now my comfort range is 50°-75° F any other and I'm adding or subtracting clothing and looking for heating/air conditioning.

[SLAG]

Growing up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada,   winters in the 1950's often got quite brisk. It was easy to get frostbite on ones ears.

It made my ears sensitive to the cold from those days on.

The only bright side is that I dressed very carefully form then until the present.

SLAG.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Surprising what a good hat dose for keeping ones hands warm in winter and ones brain cool in summmer

[ThomasPowers]

I try to warn friends moving from warm climes to cold about how much effort/money they need in purchasing the right clothing for everyone in their family.  Dress right and you get a lot more time outdoors; dress wrong and you spend the winter huddled inside.  (When I was in college I had a long empty stretch to travel through what was a packed summer resort area.  In the winter I had my army surplus down sleeping bag, c-rats and 7 day candles to hand in case of a breakdown or sliding off the road---no cell phones back then.)

[Charles R. Stevens]

True that, wool socks, wool longhandles and a wool hat. I have a set of carhart insulated coveralls and a coat, but unless I decide to go visit Jerry in February I over heat. Most the time I will be just working out side with out a coat.

what surprises folks about the desert is how many snow birds die of exposure every winter because they get lost on a day hike, and shorts and a t-shirt don’t cut it when the temp dips to near freezing. 

[GMoore]

I drink enough iced coffee to stay ahead of the game.