What did you do today? (2014)

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

To 'bee' honest they look like puny beansprouts to me.

The psychology of what we eat and don't eat is fascinating.

I was disgusted by the thought of fermented soya bean mush, but actually I enjoy miso so much I eat it by the spoonful… and what could be more horrible than fermented milk allowed to go mouldy (Yum! Stilton?)

The thought of eating pickled whelks or winkles makes me feel ill, yet I once had the choice of eating a plate of assorted shellfish in sauce or starving – and I enjoyed every bit.

The 'tequila worm' went down without touching the sides… and the tequila pre-heat probably helped.

Similarly, why do people baulk at eating any egg other than a hen's egg?

Why does eating six-legged things upset people, yet ten-legged creatures (crab*, shrimp etc.) are a delicacy?

In my meat-eating days I had no problem with faggots yet couldn't face haggis. How odd!

Neil

*As a biologist I say the claws count as legs!

[John DurrantParticipant @johndurrant47282]

This eater wasn't too fussy, plucked it and ate the lot, beak, feet and everything.

We feed all birds in our garden

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

I’ll try anything when it comes to food – except pickled beetroot – yak! My favourite fruit eaten for dinner every Friday evening is a pot of jellied eels mixed with three chopped live oysters, half a bag of watercress and brown bread and butter. Have to say though that she looks the other way while I’m eating. Poor woman doesn’t know what she’s missing.

Rik

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Even animals can be very fussy. I watched a cat hunt down a mouse in our garden the other day.

Just about everything got eaten, except for the gut and four well developed but unborn babies.

Edited For missing words.

Edited By V8Eng on 16/06/2014 17:50:42

[NJHParticipant @njh]

YUK Rik !

I think she has every justification for making you eat your supper in the workshop.

….a nice bit of pickled beetroot though – Lubbly jubbly especially with a wedge of mature cheddar and some thickly buttered bread.

Norman

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by NJH on 15/06/2014 20:03:11:

Good grief Michael !

Never mind modeling the mechanics of these beam engines – how about painting to scale on the columns!!!

< etc. >

.

Norman

Here's a close-up of one of the columns …

Look in my Papplewick album for a few more examples of "attention to detail"

I shall be re-visiting … it's a joy to behold.

MichaelG.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Schnecken is one to watch out for in Germany, at breakfast you will get a sticky bun, but at dinner you will get snails. I orderded schnecken with garlic butter for a starter, the waiter smirked at my order so I had to eat them. I have not forgotten that translation to this day. They were OK but I have not repeated the mistake.

Mike

[wheeltapperParticipant @wheeltapper]

Posted by Clive Hartland on 14/06/2014 22:04:33:

Going back to cats, on the farm there are Feral cats so inbred that the kits are born blind. The adults hunt all over the farm and particularly in the woods. We often found small rabbits gutted out and at first did not realize it was feral cats. It seems they are a big problem and spread the cat disease which is like AIDS for cats. They started trapping but all of them were sick and put down. Another thing was that they did not seem to go for the rats! Then again there was rat poisen put down in safe boxes. As the cats disappeared then the Foxes started coming back in again. Nature has a way of filling all the gaps.

Clive

JUst a point of interest Clive, all kittens are born blind, they open their eyes after about ten days.

Roy.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Yes Roy, I know that but these were more than 6 weeks old and wandering about the yard completely helpless but blind, and when picked up and taken to the vet were put down. This prompted the trapping and capture over a period of time plus the testing for feline aids and the eventual put down. The Feral cat situation on farms close to urban areas is quite serious as people come by dumping their cats thinking they will survive. I was there a month back and the farmer says he's only seen 1 cat since. I have couple of friendly cats in my own orchard, they will come and be petted and they hunt through the sheds and obviously live alongside the orchard. In the orchard I have a large colony of Sand lizards, they sun themselves on the hives. I have also seen weasels. We have a resident pair of pheasants who are very shy and wary of us. As we have a couple of walnut trees we also get lots of Squirrels after the nuts. Some years back I had some WBC hives, double walled and one day I found 2 what I think were Dormice in the space between the nest box and the outer body.

Clive

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Does yesterday count? (Today was spent driving back home)

The Canadian Lancaster was flying around Hamilton, Ontario, in it 's painted colours for it's upcoming trip to England.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Locusts on the braai, glass of wine, what better!

How's your tummy feeling now Neil?

Geoff – I'm a wine man, beer sends me to sleep PDQ

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

John, Nice Beech 18 as well. Ian S C

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Come on, we've all done it. I really need to sort out this tailstock. It is wrong in so many ways, analogue depth stop:

From the stone age to the Space Age, well the latest and greatest. Internally damped Iscar Carbide "supermetal" boring bar 6mm in diameter. Cutting an internal O ring groove:

graham.

Edited By Oompa Lumpa on 17/06/2014 22:18:04

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Thought you were in Brazil Graham ?

Edited By John Stevenson on 18/06/2014 03:04:56

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Graham, I use insulation tape for my depth stops.Like the Boring bar though.

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Posted by John Stevenson on 18/06/2014 03:02:52:
Thought you were in Brazil Graham ?

Edited By John Stevenson on 18/06/2014 03:04:56

Back in the UK and back out again for two days at the end of the week. lovely…..

graham.

(getting a nice tan though)

Edited By Oompa Lumpa on 18/06/2014 10:02:38

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Posted by Bob Rodgerson on 18/06/2014 06:14:45:

Graham, I use insulation tape for my depth stops.Like the Boring bar though.

Ahh, posh depth stops. This is masking tape from the pound shops.

Boring bar is cute, works too but need to make a couple of holders for it. unless someone is selling Iscar holders cheap? (because generally they are not!)

graham.

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Posted by Oompa Lumpa on 17/06/2014 22:09:55:

From the stone age to the Space Age, well the latest and greatest. Internally damped Iscar Carbide "supermetal" boring bar 6mm in diameter. Cutting an internal O ring groove:

graham.

Edited By Oompa Lumpa on 17/06/2014 22:18:04

Graham

Out of curiosity, how far up into the bore is the groove you are cutting?

Also,what size and material is the job? the tip of the tool looks to be a full radius so that would be an unusual groove profile for an O ring.

Ian P

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Hi Ian, material is 6082 aluminium and about 40mm up the bore, this is not critical. The application is unusual, it is being used as a damper, steady and not as a seal so I saw little point in changing the tip for a square section when all the groove is there for is to support as much of the O ring as possible. There is no real pressure being applied to the O ring in the traditional sense.

graham.

[Steve WithnellParticipant @stevewithnell34426]

So square grooves for O-rings? Oops don't tell my dad or he'll be giving me the carburettor back to do a proper job! Well that's what happens when you give a shiny a**e a lathe

Steve

Edited By Steve Withnell on 19/06/2014 19:16:08

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

Finished sorting out my Class 8, new Q4D controller and batteries, runs ok on the bench, tomorrow it will be off to the track to see how it performs under load.

Bob

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

We have been re-decorating and in the mess we had to move the house alarm. I first put in the code to allow me to open the panel and off it went. Panic! It switched off using the remote control. Wifey rang the next morning and got a walk through code and I started to take it off the wall as we wanted it away from a radiator. It has 2 6V secondary cells as back up and I removed them as per instructions but as I pulled the connections one of the battery terminals snapped off, It was corroded by the leaking battery! Did an overnight order for 2 new ones and having done the wall paper moved the panel to its new place. I changed all the batteries in the PIR's and in the door mag. blocks and the remote controllers. Its a wireless system. The 2 batteries arrived on time and I put them in and closed the panel, put the reset code in and it all seems normal To get the 12V power for the panel I drilled right through the thermal block wall into the garage and took the cable to a socket in there. Interesting that I had measured the point to drill through and also on the other side and I was 3" out !

Clive

[michael coleParticipant @michaelcole91146]

I am trying to finish off the jobs on my Little Samson that I put off until later. Later is now, today i have cut the keyway on the crank for the flywheel, two smaller ones to finish the crank and then cut the internal keyway in the flywheel itself. This is about 31/2 inches long so looking for a broach to do the job, 1/4 inch keyway.

Mike

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Just finished adjusting the various angles on the tail fins and front canards on the new steam hydro.

A new design of cylinder head has been made to cure a weakness on the previous one.

It will be a very nervous time once it has been released as I'm always a pessimist with these flash steam hydro's despite possible mechanical mishaps aerodynamics come into play at the speeds it can achieve.

Will it be a high speed submarine or a flying boat on Sunday time will tell.

One way or the other I will let you know hopefully might be able to have a video of it.

Paul

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Interesting that I had measured the point to drill through and also on the other side and I was 3" out ! Clive.

I used to do a lot of this, I once carefully measured where to drill the hole, when I went round the other side I had drilled through the wall, a door and two coats that were hung on the back of it. I did get better with practice. Dave.

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