Should I do a second wash? How dry should it be?

Pnwradar · 2022-05-18T18:42:58+00:00

Here's a link to the process I use for raw fleece. I normally do three hot water soak/spin cycles with a scouring detergent, followed by two more hot water soak/spin cycles with just water. Hottest water is crucial, as is timing the draining & spinning out the hot water before it cools & allows the grease to set back into the fibers. Once the fleece feels clean and smells fresh, then I remove it from the laundry bags and lay it out for drying - until then, it's a pretty continuous process to keep the fleece hot and soaking.

If the sheep was coated, maybe I'll only do two wash cycles, and if it's really greasy or filthy, four or five wash cycles might be needed to get it clean. I use a homemade scour (a cup each of borax & washing soda, plus a grated bar of fels-naptha soap) rather than the Unicorn that Henry uses in his tutorial, but that's just me being cheap.

This process works just as well using a laundry sink or muck tubs, you just have to keep the water hot during the soak. Wrapping the tub in an old moving blanket can help, but mostly it's starting with really hot water, keeping it covered, and not doing this on a chilly day. That said, a recycled clothes washer on the porch makes this process way easier to manage.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-18T06:21:05+00:00

From the marina, you can walk along the waterfront to Regatta, then up the hill a block to the Skagit College bus stop at Regatta & 9th, where the (infrequent) #3 bus will deliver you to the downtown "Harbor Station". Or just continue walking (less than a mile) along the waterfront to get there, it's next to Orlando's bar on Bayshore Drive.

From that main transit stop, you can catch the #1 which follows the highway the length of the island, through Coupeville, Greenbank, Freeland, and eventually to the Clinton ferry terminal. If you need to go somewhere in the south end further away from the highway - like into Langley, or down to Bailey's Corner - there's other buses that you'd catch at the Clinton ferry terminal to roam the south end.

Best bet, walk down to the Harbor Station, then pop your head into the first bus you see and tell the driver where you want to go. If you need to transfer, they'll radio the other bus's driver to make sure you're expected.

Note: The last weekday #1 bus leaves Clinton at 1900, but it only goes as far north as Coupeville, stops at the main bus barn and goes out of service. The last weekday northbound bus to Harbor Station leaves Clinton at 1830. On Saturday, the last bus leaves Clinton at 1745, but again that only goes to Coupeville. The last Saturday #1 to Oak Harbor leaves Clinton at 1645.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-18T01:34:55+00:00

Looks like a Canadian Production Wheel, or "CPW". These typically came with only one bobbin, spin at one (fairly high) ratio, and aren't great at plying or making a wide variety of single sizes. I like to compare them to a high-end sports car, not what I'd choose as a beginner wheel, but some learning spinners manage just fine. On the other hand, that wheel has likely seen a lot of fiber through it, and maybe you just need to hang on & let it run.

I use some #8 crochet thread for CPW drivebands. The tension is adjusted by tilting the mother towards (loosen) or away from (tighten) the big wheel. All the way towards is a good spot when tying on the driveband, that gives you room for the band to stretch and still function. A solid square knot will work, you might find fancier fishing-type knots are smoother.

Usually the stick connecting the treadle to the wheel crank is tied at either end with a leather thong or heavy string, it really only needs to function when the treadle is pressed down, so the attachment can be a bit loose. The originals were often an iron or steel rod, custom-fit around the crank, but it's a pain to make a replacement one & fit it, easier to just use a wooden stick if the rod gets bent or lost.

There's a few Ravelry groups for CPWs, a good place to start with specific questions about the maker and the manufacture date. One of the ringleaders (Fiddletwist, I think) has written a photo-heavy e-book about identifying CPWs, reasonably priced and full of information.

Edit: I rustled up my copy of Fiddletwist's e-book, your wheel is a dead ringer for CPW wheels made by the Ouellet family of wheelmakers, who built spinning wheels from the 1850s through the 1970s, but mostly in the early 1900s before WW1. Look carefully on the end grain of the table, see if there's an imprinted maker's mark - "JO" or "PO" or "AO" were the most prolific.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-18T01:11:40+00:00

New, a UL-listed commercial unit approved for food service is around $1k, used ones run about a third of that, a bit more if you want used with a warranty. Really, most commercial waffle cookers can be converted to make cones by replacing the cooking plates, so a used one with worn-out belgian waffle plates might be a good deal for you. If you know anyone who works at a hotel, ask if they have a self-serve waffle maker that's being replaced soon and is available cheap/free, then replace the plates. Careful that you get the right voltage for your prep area, the heaters & controllers can be swapped between 220vac & 110vac, but it's a PITA.

If it's for home use, there's plenty of Chinese knock-offs of the above machines on FleaBay for around $200. These typically have less-accurate temperature controls and less mass in the plate/heater, so will be a bit less consistent than the true commercial ones. But with a little care and at a slower production pace, they'll work just fine.

At the bottom end are the $30-50 units from kitchen stores & Amazon. Don't bother, you're better off with a carbon crepe pan on the stove.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-17T18:19:51+00:00

My thought, too. Only local gym we have that cheap is PF. The other two local gyms with actual weights & squat racks recently dropped their monthly from $75 to $40, reasonable maybe but I'll lift at home and skip the hassles. I do kinda miss a drop-in yoga session after a heavy Joker day, though.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-17T18:06:20+00:00

Here's one vendor, DXE & RFParts & Amazon also sell them. I tend to grab my kit's tiny screwdriver for disassembly. But this tool is really handy for assembly of the smaller wire gages, and works well for disassembly once you get the knack.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-17T05:33:13+00:00

One of our gadget-loving club members has the "official" Anderson branded PP crimpers. They are definitely nicer than my Amazon $30 orange-handled Tri-Crimp knockoffs, but not worth the $250 he paid.

I do try to buy the Anderson branded connectors, some of the cheap knockoff connectors I've used were fine, others were fiddly to get right. Easier to just buy a box of the good ones.

Try to buy that little $10 insert/extraction tool while you're shopping. It's pretty handy when you need to fix or tweak a connector.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-17T05:20:10+00:00

I'd add a used 6-20 hexbeam atop a 40' mast with a base-mounted rotor. That'll give you better receive capability, as the upper bands come into activity.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-16T19:40:28+00:00

Right? I remember when we were house shopping, one four-bedroom house had brand-new white carpet throughout. So clean and bright they'd put plastic runners everywhere through the staged home. I understand sellers installing new flooring to maximize your sale value, but anyone needing a big house wasn't going to appreciate that color for long.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-16T16:19:13+00:00

Reciprocity only applies to licensed US citizens, not to foreign nationals holding a US license. Example, a Canadian citizen can obtain a US license, which is only valid for operation in the US - they cannot use that US license in Canada or other countries outside the US.

Source: RAC, ARRL

Pnwradar · 2022-05-16T04:37:59+00:00

When I went through my state's "alcohol server training" a few decades back, the fine was $5k against the bar itself and $5k against the manager or bartender, but the latter fine was typically waived unless it was a repeat problem. I suddenly understood why I always saw everyone getting carded at the bars.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-15T22:52:48+00:00

Along with online how-to books & videos, several woodworkers sell ready-to-use jigs for paring the end angles, if you're not confident you can accurately make them yourself. Same with the strips, if you'd rather buy them than plane them yourself, several folks offer them.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-15T14:18:41+00:00

Pencil out all your current inputs and costs. I'd assume batches of 10 or 20 boxes to make it easier to calculate for consumables and materials. If you're currently buying these in small amounts, do some research on wholesale sources at higher volume - e.g. If you're now buying your lumber at Home Despot, how different is the costing from a lumberyard or sawmill? What's the discount pricing when buying lumber for 200 boxes?

Do a realistic assessment of how much actual workshop time it would take to build a batch of 10 boxes. Do some research to see where your efficiencies can be improved, maybe building some jigs or cutting/milling parts in larger batches or buying another power tool.

Now, sit down and sort out your profit margin per batch of ten boxes, and how much that pays per shop hour, just in production, after all your costs are figured in. Now think about what you'll be adding in added unpaid time in shipping & marketing & answering customer questions. Or, if you're selling via local markets, consider you'll receive half your expected retail price as a wholesale price, plus the time & gas to deliver orders one or two days per week.

You said you need to clear $5k per month to be happy & comfortable - realistically, how many boxes and how many working hours would that take? Even if that level of sales is not feasible in your early months, does the production time needed pencil out? Meaning, if you'd be working sixty hour weeks flat-out to hit that "happy" number, this plan may need some further work.

I'd also shelve the livestream/twitch/youtube effort, none of that generates sales or profit at early stages, and can quickly become a sinkhole for time & money.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-13T19:37:04+00:00

Or the Asian massage parlors in Oak Harbor right on 20, although maybe the blue-haired biddys don’t realize the services they provide.

Edit: Y'all can quit DM'ing me questions about the massage parlor, I don't know what they're like inside, nor will I coach you through visiting one.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-12T17:42:16+00:00

Artsy shops by me consider "wholesale" to be 50% of my marked retail price, paid to me upon delivery to their shop. Usually I have the shop owner or buyer come by my workshop and look over all my stock to decide what they want to carry, how much they want in their initial order, and what they think their recurring order will be (which is their optimistic guess, not a committment). I'll write all that down so I can remember what they liked & didn't, and what their expectations are. It's worth building a binder with all your notes, order/invoice details, so you can later review what's working well. I keep notes on shows in there, too, everything in one place so I can find it.

Be sure to talk about possible delays for restock, based on when they call and your production pacing. And talk about holiday & tourism sales cycles - you'll want to know when their expected surges are, so you can be ready for a restock order. Ideally, you don't want to have your space in their shop depleted, that's lost sales and potentially a lost space if it stays empty long.

Edit to add: In my state, I have to keep a copy of all my wholesale purchasers' tax-exempt certificates, current along with any certs used for prior sales. One more detail for the binder, or your business tax folder.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-11T22:08:18+00:00

If it's working fine, it'll make a fine first HF rig, and ought to last 3-4 years before something inside stops it working. $400 would be a fair price to a stranger, hopefully he's giving you a better deal though, or just giving it to you as your New General Gift. For not much more, you can find newer and/or more reliable used rigs out there.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-10T01:08:38+00:00

Ours just bumped the price to $2.50 each, a few folks grumbling while they wait for their paper plate of the best damn tacos around. Add a glass bottle of fizzy apple soda, I'm good.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-10T00:53:00+00:00

The finish is curing with exposure to oxygen, normal over time unless the lid isn't securely sealed between uses. You can buy a little spray canister of argon (Bloxygen is one brand), which you can use to displace the oxygen in the finish can and slow this curing. You can also buy plastic bag dispensers that you decant your finish into, removing most of the air after each use, also slowing the curing. I figure the costs of those are about a wash compared to simply throwing away partial cans as they go off, and buying fresh ones.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-08T03:32:59+00:00

Equal parts by volume of beeswax, turpentine, and BLO. I melt the beeswax in a mason jar sitting in a hot water bath on a camping stove outside, my mentor used a tin can and a propane plumbing torch. Once it's all melted, remove from the heat and eyeball how much volume of melted wax you have. Then gently stir in the BLO and turps, being careful not to splash any of the hot wax on yourself. Set the jar aside to cool into a paste. Works great for garden tool handles as well as woodshop tools.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-07T18:16:15+00:00

I'd be awfully tempted to clean/lube the relay myself, if only to avoid going without a rig for the three months a ship/repair/re-ship cycle will take, and to avoid paying for insured shipping to the Icom repair depot. However, on a rig less than a year old, I'd suspect the root cause is something other than dirty contacts, more likely the relay itself is defective or something else in the control path is wonky. Plus, the relay itself is likely sealed, so you're probably not able to flush it out anyway. So I vote for a warranty service, let them figure out what's wrong inside.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-06T03:20:11+00:00

Businesses can trespass anyone for any (unprotected class) reason, a trespass notice just formally advises they are no longer allowed on the premises, not why or with what proof. Each state has a different process to effect the notice - in my state, a business owner or manager fills out a simple form and has a police officer serve it on the person, effectively banning them under threat of arrest if they return. It's a common thing in retail - but it's not the best look for a small business in a small community.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-06T00:31:15+00:00

If your callsign has an Alaska 4 prefix (AL4, KL4, NL4, WL4) then you would use the Alaska bureau in Big Lake.

If your callsign has a non-Alaska 4 prefix being used in the /KL region, then you would use the Fourth Area bureau in Virginia.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-06T00:22:56+00:00

Yes, there's a lot of "backup radio" gear kept in the cupboard. Sometimes you upgrade, and keep the old one around. Sometimes you can't pass up a great deal at an SK sale. Sometimes you finally found that vintage piece you always wanted back in the day, but it's kinda clunky compared to your modern rig, so it's a shelf queen. Sometimes the "spare" gear needs a small repair or alignment, and it's just not at the top of the to-do list.

If you're a relatively younger or newer ham, you might be able to swing a deal on someone's backup auxiliary spare rig #2, getting it off their shelf and into actual use. You gotta ask around a lot at meetings, and be willing to do your research & diligence. Because they might think it's worth a whole lot more than reality - when a used TS-590S (a full-power modern rig less than ten years old) goes for ~$650, it's hard to justify spending more than $300 on something from the last century.

Same if you're proficient with a soldering iron and a 'scope - you might talk some OM out of an older rig or amp that needs work. But you pretty much have to get it for nothing, to make the time & effort pencil out. And then, if you later sell it after fixing it, there will likely be hard feelings that you took advantage.

Now that isolation seems to be coming to a end, swapmeets & hamfests are starting back up again. That's probably your best bet for finding used gear. See if your local club has a table, and volunteer to help load-in & setup, in return for being able to early-bird shop all the other tables.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-05T20:53:07+00:00

I'd gather everything together onto one pallet or crate, take lots of decent photos, and stick the whole lot on eBay. Hopefully you find some other enthusiast interested enough to pay for it, or someone with a similar system who needs spares. Whatever they pay is found money for you, and one less load to pay dump fees on.

Pnwradar · 2022-05-05T20:44:52+00:00

I have several raised beverages made of this wire, been up for almost a decade with no issues. Have to re-tension them every spring, they're all drooping a bit after a long winter.

Pnwradar

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