Chit Chat in VOLTVILLE Thread #2 :)

[Tritium]

Good morning all!
Roland i believe that may be normal, price ranges also define the class of the tool, i think milwaukee tools are very good, at least the ones i've seen and they are not cheap.
I think that milwaukee is in the same category with hitachi and makita, above bosch. The germans have some good tools too but they are too expensive.

 

[Tritium]

btw Roland you were working on car bodywork!!!
Any expert advice cheap (or free better) to repair scratches on plastic panels? LOL I restored black unpainted plastics (sun burned-faded) using heat.

 

[awsum140]

'moanin everyone. The old grey mare ain't what he used to be. This working for money thing isn't what it's cracked up to be and I've got to got back and finish up today.

I thought you were a Bosch guy. I've used Makita tools and have had mixed results. Their battery drills were OK, but failed too soon if used heavily and the same with their skilsaw. On the other hand I have a Makita miter saw that is still going strong after almost 30 years of fairly heavy use. Skil and Black and Decker are consumer grade, same with Ryobi. I have mixed opinions on Milwaukee as well. I have a skilsaw that just keeps going, another 25 or 30 year old tool, but their batteries for their drills are crap. So far I've had two out of two crap out with minimal use. I have had one "rebuilt" and that one is far superior to even a new Milwaukee battery for half the price. Those batteries are fairly expensive so it kind of ticks me off that they only last under 50 cycles.

Fixing scratches in plastic body parts can be a pain. I did it for about five years. If you're lucky, a wet sand and buff will work wonders at times but be careful not to sand through the clear coat.

If the scratch is down into the plastic the only way to do it is with filler and treat it like actual body work. The filler has to be a flexible type since plastic flexes but that is readily available. After filling and sanding, prime, paint (have fun matching unless you mix yourself or have access to a commercial paint supplier), clear coat then add a blender to hide the new clear coat. It's a killer with high metallic paints since the metallic in the paint will probably not "lay" like the original paint did, but if you "feather" the edges it will not be real obvious.

Another trick, if the damage is a crack, is to use a hot tool, like a broad bladed screwdriver heated with a torch, to kind of "putty knife" the crack back together. I also have a plastic "welder", basically a hot glue gun that has variable temperature, changeable nozzles, and takes all dins of different plastic "welding rods. Sometimes you need to get behind the piece and use fiberglass fabric and fiberglass the part back together, then weld it back together on the front side. After it's back together, the regular body work gets done, fill, sand, prime, paint clearcoat, blend. It is a little work, but way cheaper than a new bumper for example.

Overall, without a good detail spray gun, 1.5mm nozzle, dried and filtered compressed air, a trusted source for paint and basically a full set of basic body repair stuff I wouldn't get involved. Too much can go wrong.

Oh yeah, I understand paints have changed since I was doing it and now are water based to be eco-friendly. According to the salesman, my wife's Honda is painted with a water based lacquer and is not clercoated. Beats me, I've been out of it for a while.

 

[Evie Luv]

Good morning Voltvillepeeps, I hope you have a wonderful day.

 

[Wuzznt Me]

Good morning Evie. Hoping the same for you. I've got to go see the sawbones today so I took the whole day off lol. I'll be playing indoors today with a heat index of 112.

 

[Evie Luv]

I'd plan on staying indoors too with that heat Wuzz. I'll see y'all later, I'm headed to work.

 

[Renolizzie]

Good morning, Voltpeeps.



The BBQ was a success. The pork roasts didn't get done until 7pm. For some reason, they refused to get done. By then I had already served the corn and the salads. I made potato salad from the potatoes in the garden and cuke/tomato/onion salad also from the garden. Of course, the corn was from the garden. Hubby served up a big watermelon that the kids helped him pick. We sent melons home with all the guests. I still have about fifteen melons to freeze sometime soon.

I forgot about the chili which was still in the crockpot on low at 8pm. I put it in lunch size containers and froze it.

The backyard is kind of a mess. I'll have to work on that I did get most of the dishes washed up and there wasn't very many since we used paper plates and plastic knives and forks. I do have some large pots and platters and bowls that need to be washed up.

Willie and Sassy did good. They did manage to steal a few paper plates off the top of the trash can but they mostly behaved themselves quite well and they were fine with the children. Penny managed to avoid being stepped on. She loves kids. Rusty did not knock a single guest over

The outdoor speakers we bought made the party more fun. Good music will do that!

One guest brought tree chippings for the garden pathway. Nice! I need that. The wheel barrow is a lot less work when you have a firm pathway rather than the sand.

The party peeps were very impressed with the veggie garden.

The guests arrived mostly on-time and left as the sun was going down at 7:30.

It was good to see people from the neighborhood interacting. That was one of my main goals. To make sure we get together and make sure that we know one another. It's nicer when you have friends you can count on nearby. This is a small community and we need each other

The mini lady was not impressed by my minis. I asked her what she thought of my little guys as she was leaving. She said, "I was more interested in everything you have done around your house and yard. I see minis all the time." She wants to come back because she wants to show her husband some of my projects. He didn't walk around with us since he was busy talking with the guys. I told her that would be fine.

Right now I have San Juan melons, French cantaloupes, cantaloupes, two kinds of watermelons and Haogen melons coming out of the garden. The Lilly crenshaws are still quite green. Those are my absolute favorites and I hope they start ripening soon.

I wish that all of my Voltpeeps could have been here. It would have been wonderful to see you in person.

 

[SandySu]

Good morning, Voltpeeps.



The BBQ was a success. The pork roasts didn't get done until 7pm. For some reason, they refused to get done. By then I had already served the corn and the salads. I made potato salad from the potatoes in the garden and cuke/tomato/onion salad also from the garden. Of course, the corn was from the garden. Hubby served up a big watermelon that the kids helped him pick. We sent melons home with all the guests. I still have about fifteen melons to freeze sometime soon.

I forgot about the chili which was still in the crockpot on low at 8pm. I put it in lunch size containers and froze it.

The backyard is kind of a mess. I'll have to work on that I did get most of the dishes washed up and there wasn't very many since we used paper plates and plastic knives and forks. I do have some large pots and platters and bowls that need to be washed up.

Willie and Sassy did good. They did manage to steal a few paper plates off the top of the trash can but they mostly behaved themselves quite well and they were fine with the children. Penny managed to avoid being stepped on. She loves kids. Rusty did not knock a single guest over

The outdoor speakers we bought made the party more fun. Good music will do that!

One guest brought tree chippings for the garden pathway. Nice! I need that. The wheel barrow is a lot less work when you have a firm pathway rather than the sand.

The party peeps were very impressed with the veggie garden.

The guests arrived mostly on-time and left as the sun was going down at 7:30.

It was good to see people from the neighborhood interacting. That was one of my main goals. To make sure we get together and make sure that we know one another. It's nicer when you have friends you can count on nearby. This is a small community and we need each other

The mini lady was not impressed by my minis. I asked her what she thought of my little guys as she was leaving. She said, "I was more interested in everything you have done around your house and yard. I see minis all the time." She wants to come back because she wants to show her husband some of my projects. He didn't walk around with us since he was busy talking with the guys. I told her that would be fine.

Right now I have San Juan melons, French cantaloupes, cantaloupes, two kinds of watermelons and Haogen melons coming out of the garden. The Lilly crenshaws are still quite green. Those are my absolute favorites and I hope they start ripening soon.

I wish that all of my Voltpeeps could have been here. It would have been wonderful to see you in person.

It sounds like a great party! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Are you going to make it a yearly event?

 

[Renolizzie]

It sounds like a great party! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Are you going to make it a yearly event?

We probably will have it again next year. It's nice to be able to give away fresh melons and fun for me to get to cook for a large group. We have the room in the yard for large groups of people!

 

[rave]

Hey Folks

I'm so relieved to read that Cindy is okay. That had me really worried.

Hey Tritium!! Good to see you again!

Beautiful autumn foliage shots, Sandy!! WOW!

Sure am glad that you had a good time at your BBQ, Lizzie; and that Rusty didn't knock anyone over. I wish that we all coulda been there too.

************

I'm alive and well, but sore from my toenails to the roots of my hair. My adventure at Squire Boone Caverns was ... AMAZING! It also physically and psychologically pushed me to extremes. There were a few things that I simply hadn't thought of or known about. For one thing: There was a 73 step spiral staircase that takes one deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth - roughly 90' deep. That business of goin' round and round kinda got me a bit discombobulated. You are forced to look down to traverse the stairs. You can see beneath them because they are open weave metal. There's this whole fear of heights thang that I had to struggle with. Not to mention the simple fact that it was 73 freakin' stairs. Not so easy whilst using a cane either.

And then there were MORE stairs going yet deeper. At least they were straight. I couldn't sit down to take a break because we had to keep up with the guide and the rest of the group. There was really no taking a break until the tour was over 45 minutes later ...... after we had to go right back up those

73 stairs!! 8-o

It was so very worth it though. When you look all around at the natural formations it takes your breath away. Especially when you do the math. I don't do math (unless forced), but in this case, I simply had to. The guide told us that it takes roughly 100 years for a stalactite to grow 1/4". So it takes 400 years to grow an inch. Then you look at the delicate "soda straw formations in front of you and focus on one maybe 12" long. A simple touch could shatter it. But when you do the math, you realize that fragile formation has been growing for 4,800 years! Then you look at The Rock of Ages which is about 33 feet. 33 X 4800 = 158,400 years old. It's unfathomable to me. How can I even comprehend that many years? I'm a speck of dust in comparison. It's humbling and awe inspiring.

Please pardon the fact that so many of my photos are blurry. It's a minor miracle that any of them came out reasonably well because I was trembling violently. But, y'know what? We enjoyed it so much that we're probably going caving again this coming weekend. Sooo ... we're either a.) masochists b.) insane -or- c.) just too stubborn to let some stress and physical discomfort prevent us from having another really awesome adventure. I'm most comfortable believing that it's option c.

*************

Warning!! Mass Photo Barrage!!​

 

[rave]

This is the Squire Boone grist mill. I dunno the story on it. But it was neat!



An example of a stalactite formation that is called a "drape".



This was the largest formation in the caverns. It was called "The Rock of Ages". I'd say that's appropriate considering that it's roughly 158,400 years old! I'll show it from the other side later. Notice the people on the walkway for scale. It's about 33' floor to ceiling.



A nifty formation. I like the texturing and the delicate "soda straws" behind it.



Lotsa "soda straws"



A "fried egg" formation. The size was appropriate for a fried egg too.



Just a breath-taking two story view. Ya shoulda been there. Just sayin'.



Shows how the stalactites form along the cracks in the ceiling



The grate bridge over the waterfall 8-o



More stalactites along cracks in the ceiling



Just cool "flow stone"



A double layer natural dam. You can't see it in this picture, but the water flows out of a tunnel that goes waaaay back. The lip of the closest dam is formed like the top of a heart shape. The water flowing over is backlit artificially.



more to follow ...​

 

[rave]

This shows the tunnel going back and the top of the heart at the bottom of the picture.



A view of one of the walkways



A beautiful, graceful formation



Another fascinating formation



A ceiling view with wonderful "drapes"



This picture is confusing, and I was confused upon viewing it. I thought that the blue was a reflection in water. Nope! It's a chasm that is backlit from beneath that goes waaay the heck down!!



I wish there were something to show the immense height of this ceiling. No way to even estimate how many stories high it is.



The Rock Of Ages from the other side on the return trip. Note the sillouettes of peope at the bottom for scale.



Squire Boone, a younger brother of Daniel Boone, took refuge in these caverns to hide from an attack by Native Americans. He considered it to be a sacred place and wanted to be buried here. Some of his bones, including his skull, were dug up later and placed in a coffin. A few of the bones have been stolen. The monument has had to be replaced because of the conditions in the caverns.



Any guesses what this formation is called?

It's BACON!!

​

 

[Renolizzie]

That is my kind of caving. No squeezing through tight holes, no flashlight needed!!!!! The formations were awesome.

That is a lot of stairs, Raven. My goodness. I would have been wiped out.

I have the whole dizzing fear of heights, too. Glad you made it down into, and back up from, the caverns

Gotta go. Day four of my way to busy 6 days in a row.

 

[rave]

By the way - you cannot touch any of the formations here or it will stop the growth of the "living" stone. It must be the oils in the skin. There were two pitons driven in The Rock of Ages where someone had climbed it. The pitons stopped the growth in those locations.

I've got a doc appointment this afternoon too, Wuzz. What fun, huh?

 

[3mg Meniere]

Squire Boone lived to a ripe old age!! If I remember right Dan'l died at the Alamo. Absolutely impressive photos, Rave. Hope you will have recovered enough by next weekend to be able to go again.

 

[Wuzznt Me]

Wow Lizzie. Sounds like my kind of party. I love good food and mixing with people. Next year I'm flying to Nevada lol.

Rave those are awesome photos! I've never done the cave thing but you're giving me the urge for my next vacation. We've got some caverns here in North FL if I remember correctly so it wouldn't be that far.

 

[rave]

Squire Boone lived to a ripe old age!! If I remember right Dan'l died at the Alamo. Absolutely impressive photos, Rave. Hope you will have recovered enough by next weekend to be able to go again.

I hope I will have recovered by then too! I don't feel quite so bad cuz my BF is in the same sorry shape. But, dadgummit, we did it!!

Wonder if Terry would like to see those caverns. Her BF is a history buff ...

 

[rave]

Wow Lizzie. Sounds like my kind of party. I love good food and mixing with people. Next year I'm flying to Nevada lol.

Rave those are awesome photos! I've never done the cave thing but you're giving me the urge for my next vacation. We've got some caverns here in North FL if I remember correctly so it wouldn't be that far.

You should do it! Life is an adventure if we want it to be. I say go for it!

 

[JerryRM]

Squire Boone lived to a ripe old age!! If I remember right Dan'l died at the Alamo. Absolutely impressive photos, Rave. Hope you will have recovered enough by next weekend to be able to go again.

Nope, it was Davey Crockett who died at the Alamo.

Good afternoon, Voltpeeps.

Nice pics, Raven.

 

[tmcase]

I hope I will have recovered by then too! I don't feel quite so bad cuz my BF is in the same sorry shape. But, dadgummit, we did it!!

Wonder if Terry would like to see those caverns. Her BF is a history buff ...

You bet I would but I'd hate to put you through that strain again. The pics were awesome and thanks for posting so many. Glad you survive to do another trip.