T Melville

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since Nov 16, 2015
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SW Missouri • zone 6 • ~1400' elevation
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Recent posts by T Melville

Another reason to keep a trap installed: if something small like a ring gets dropped in the sink, getting it back from the trap is better than taking apart greasy pipes in the crawl space.
2 days ago
Boom-Squish:

thomas rubino wrote:We call it boom squish when water flashes to steam and explodes... not something I wish to experience in person.

source

Mark Brunnr wrote:The first response given to someone new to RMH and wanting to heat water with one is "BOOM-SQUISH", that being the sound of the water supply exploding due to a sudden pressure change, and your body absorbing the brunt of the force. Like, "wasn't there a cabin out here last week?" kind of force.

source

The MythBusters demonstrate boom-squish:



Learn about boom-squish in movie #3 (Boom-Squish) of the Wood Burning Stoves 2.0 4-Movie Set.

Kim Wills wrote:I still don't understand what those 2 pipes are for or how exactly to use it.



Looks like a water jacket. Could be repurposed in a number of ways if it's still watertight. I suspect it was originally for heating water. It's old, plus I don't see a safety valve, so please don't seal it airtight and heat it.

On the other hand, find a stainless vessel that fits pretty tight in that burn chamber with good surface area contact. Freeze some VERY salty water then let it thaw, circulating the melt liquid through that water jacket. You just made yourself probably the steampunkest ice cream maker ever.

Or circulate hot water (below boiling) through there and you've got yourself a crockpot/ chafing dish/ steam table.
5 days ago
I like the simplicity. I didn't have any trouble with the program as it was (besides not having a good platform to share links on), but the page did what you said it would do, and required NO work on my part.

The only thing I noticed that I would change (And it's a wiki; I WILL change it unless you'd rather I leave it for you.) is that in step 3 you say:

Use your link to go to the permaculture cards page.


The link goes to the Garden Master Course page.

Greg Martin wrote:

T Melville wrote:
Guess # 1: Is it a "word" I use if I type out a URL?
Guess # 2: Woolly?


It is a word you'll find in the dictionary.  Woolly is a good example of 2 consecutive double letters ( OO  LL )



I hoped it was a trick question, so I counted the double "U" as well.
1 week ago

Greg Martin wrote:What English word has three consecutive double letters?


Guess # 1: Is it a "word" I use if I type out a URL?
Guess # 2: Woolly?
1 week ago
I did that once when I'd gotten several kinds of bean seeds in trading. We wanted to know what we liked best, so we'd know to plant more. I think someone was already cooking store bought dry beans in the crockpot, but it wasn't full, so I made up several 1/2 pint jelly jars (uncovered) of different kinds of dry beans with a little water and salt and put them in. It worked great.
2 weeks ago
As seems to be my usual, I have chickens in my brooder that are ready to move out. I've been waiting for frost danger to be past, and it pretty much is, so hopefully they'll go outside soon. In the mean time, they've developed a habit of needing to be "fed" about 4 times a day. Why the quotes? Because they usually still have food, but they can't find it due to the wood chips they've covered it with. So I took an old cutting board that got partially melted on the stove and melted it more, into a trough that can sit on the floor or be hung, which I've done now. Just installed last night, but so far it's stayed pretty clean. I was surprised at how long it took them to find out they'd BEEN fed and quit trying to jump out and find food. Two had found it and were trying to eat out of it, but the others kept landing on them. The dominant bird jumped over it at least twice while nobody was eating from it, and still took almost a minute to find the food while I held her right next to it.

My
My brooder chicks at the trough

If anyone asks, my son made it in second grade art
If anyone asks, my son made it in second grade art

Hanging trough
Hanging trough
3 weeks ago
Got some actual pinking shears. Now these look a lot more finished, though I could've used a touch more care in cutting.

Pinking shears make 'em look finished.
Pinking shears make 'em look finished.

Don't look too close. Did I mention total noob?
Don't look too close. Did I mention total noob?


The two I've made so far were meant to be 12"x12", though I cut imperfectly and then trimmed them later. Gonna make some more, and some will be 12"x12". Any recommendations for other sizes? Or on how many and which sizes to pack together, or price point?

Also picked up some new fabric. Mostly just based on what I liked the looks of.

New fabric for the next round.
New fabric for the next round.
3 weeks ago
Got it for $15 at the ReStore. I decided to fill it for the first time in something to catch any leaks. I guess that was smart. You can see in the picture what it holds. I filled it almost to the top. I was going to pour in two more liters, when I heard splashing. I don't know if there was already a leak there, or if it was so near failure that it started leaking after I went three or four inches above.

Bargain aquarium. Bet you can't guess where the leak is...
Bargain aquarium. Bet you can't guess where the leak is...


So now I need to decide: do I want to scrape away some of the silicone and try to reseal? Do I fill to just below the leak and find a way to use the top for plants and/ or filtration? Do I get something that lives in and out of the water and build a climbing/ basking area above just a little water? Other ideas?

For what it's worth, I've never siliconed a tank, nor have I done much else with silicone. I'm willing to try if folks say it's easy, but if all of the old silicone has to come off and I have to build it like I'm building a new tank, I'm out. I'd sooner do one of the other ideas.
1 month ago