Jack Edmondson

Google says:

https://kansasplantfarm.com/plants/maclura-pomifera-white-shield

A bit pricey.  But ships from Kansas.

Timothy Norton wrote:Are there any thoughts on starting to learn welding on a MIG verses a stick machine?

Timothy,

I can tell you that mig is by far the easiest process to learn; and it will cover most of what us 'home gamers' need to weld.  There are two types of mig welding.  Both use shield gas.  The difference is traditional mig uses a cylinder of gas that flows through the 'gun'.  The other is the same wire feed process (same machine) but uses wire that has the flux inside the wire that burns to create a shield of gas as the wire burns.  There are some subtle differences but mostly the same except for the wire.  

The only thing you need to 'learn' other than basic safety, is the balance between heat and wire speed.  Too much heat and the base metals burn through or undercut.  Bad welds.  Heat too low and you get a surface weld that is not strong.   Heat will also effect your wire speed.  Too hot and the wire burns before it deposits in the weld.  Too slow and it clumps on the surface.  There is a learning curve like anythings else.  The good news is one can pick it up by laying a few beads and letting the metal tell you what it needs.  Mig is super simple after the first few beads.  Youtube and online groups really can teach you everything you need to know for garage welding.  

Get a decent hood.  You only get one set of eyes.  Don't underestimate how long a spark can sit under something combustible (cardboard, rags, chemicals) before starting a fire.  Keep a fire watch for at least a half hour after working if you are not in a cleared area.  Invest in a fire extinguisher.  You may never need it...until you do.  The good news is mig is not as messy as stick welding, but you will be using a grinder and that can shower an area with sparks and hot metal.  Don't grind or weld on galvanized or other coated material without a respirator.  

Import welder have become silly cheap in the past 10 years.  Everlast is a good import brand.  One can get caught up in the Miller/Hobart - taste great less filling debate.  The differences between the brands are subtle enough to be lost on a garage mechanic.  Save your money for consumables.  Most of all enjoy your new skill.

From this source:                          Ag Proud

Anne,

I tried tea with baking soda a few times, since we have had a 'heat wave' in the midwest.  the intersting thing, albeit anectdotal for now, is the tea has stayed 'fresh' longer.  I am a philistine and will make a pitcher of tea and leave it on the counter not refrigerated.  It gets that 'funky' taste after a day or so.  I have not encountered this when using the backing soda.  It may not be related, but a pinch of baking soda beats tossing a pitcher of tea and starting  over it is 'turns'.  Thank you for the suggestion.

Cara,

I expect their response is based on two factors: liability and cost.  The cost of fabrication for a small number of anything is high per unit all in for set up testing and waste.  Doing 1 job may simply not be worth it.  Liability has several factors they must consider.  If it is not a tested or certified part they are not insured if it fails and if they intellectual property belongs to someone else (or they are under a dealer agreement) then something like this could cost them their relationship with the manufacturer.  Hard to tell which.

Can you get a picture of the brackets and post it here?  Also a company name or product number might help do some research.  Before you go down that rabbit hole however ask who will do the work?  Will they stand behind the work?  Are you willing to take the risks if the modifications don't work long term?

Post a picture if your able.  Lot's of handy people here can give you an idea of what is possible.

David,

I don't have the answer if the book is worth the price.  This is the first time I have heard either of them referenced.  I am watching to video now.

I would like to add something if you are learning about these things.  First and foremost swale are a tree growing system; not primarily an infiltration system, although they do to a degree.  When I first started I got that 'wrong'.  My property was in Central Texas and I wanted to catch and soak in every drop of the 16" of percipitation I would receive a year.  Swales are actually not the best way to do that, as I learned over time.

I spent a couple of decades in Western WA, most of it in Snohomish County, so am familiar with the Duval area and the challenges you might be facing.  Swales for water managment, if that is your intent, is not your best option.  You may be better served with a keyline system ( search for P. A. Yeomans) or a hybrid of the 2 systems.  Swales in heavy soil for extended periods of heavy downfall are not great, and can be a problem if not engineered properly.  

Take a look at keyline and ask yourself if it is better to 'arrest' water; or work with the land form to take it where it needs to be, while opening up channels deep into the soil.  See what works best for your specific conditions.  Everyone here is happy to help if you want to kick around ideas.  

Jay Angler wrote: "it isn't a soil building crop if you take any product from it. The whole plant must go to soil building." Does this sound right to all you permies?

I think at the extreme or theoretical level this is 'correct', but misleading.  Yes.  In a closed system all minerals are finite.  Plants health is more than just minerals.  Exodates from microbes, worm castings from the digestion of organic material, etc... go into the equation.  In real terms your plants will benefit from the cycle.  If you are truly 'building soil' then yes.  It would need to be a closed system.  However, that is not the way life and the natural world operates.  

You may be interested in reading up on the Jena Study done in Germany.  There are good youtube videos.  The upshot is they planted test plots in the same field side by side.  The more variety of plants that were included in a plot the higher the yields.  It was mostly a linear relationship, but they found maximum yields above 16 unique plant varieties.  Much like companion planting, it appears the overall health of the soil improves the more species you have contributing to the health of the soil.  So if it were just about cycling one plant the yields would not see variation in yields.  There is something beyond 'just the mineralization'.

Anne,

Thank you for the recipe.  I have never heard of the baking soda in tea.  I will have to give that a try.  Any idea what it adds?

One more caution for anyone reading.  Barbed wire is often coated or galvanized.  This contains zinc.  Welding on zinc coated material (or with coated wire) produces a nasty gas you don't want to breathe.  Use a respirator under your welding hood.  If not you will get sick for a day or so.  Welders call it "zinc flu" because it comes with flu like symptoms for a day or so.  bad juju.  Be safe.

M.

What makes a welding rod work in stick welding is the coating or flux on the rod.  As the metal burns away under current, the flux burns and creates A bubble that excludes oxygen from the puddle and reduces oxidation in the weld, which weakens the weld.  With Mig the wire is either protected by an inert gas or a flux filler inside the wire.  

Rods come in all different lengths, diameters, and coatings.  The barbed wire will melt, but will not make a suitable weld due to voids and contaminants in the finished weld.