Older Folks and Vaping Back Porch - Part 2

[MikeE3]

Well bad news on sis in law. Her lung collapsed while she was in the hospital. They did a colonoscopy and found another tumor. She just found out about the cancer about 6 or 8 weeks ago but I guess the type she has is not one that they can offer any hope. They sent her home and said this type of cancer is so fast moving they can't even keep up with it. So it sounds like it won't be long and she has given in to it. This stuff is really bad and sounds like there is no hope its just sit at home and wait for the inevitable. Seems like every place they look they find more. It is really sad, she was really upbeat at first but it seems to be infiltrating her whole body at such a fast rate there is nothing left to do. I guess all we can do now is pray she doesn't suffer too much.

Bad news indeed legs. Sorry to hear it. Will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[my4jewels]

Well bad news on sis in law. Her lung collapsed while she was in the hospital. They did a colonoscopy and found another tumor. She just found out about the cancer about 6 or 8 weeks ago but I guess the type she has is not one that they can offer any hope. They sent her home and said this type of cancer is so fast moving they can't even keep up with it. So it sounds like it won't be long and she has given in to it. This stuff is really bad and sounds like there is no hope its just sit at home and wait for the inevitable. Seems like every place they look they find more. It is really sad, she was really upbeat at first but it seems to be infiltrating her whole body at such a fast rate there is nothing left to do. I guess all we can do now is pray she doesn't suffer too much.

I am so sorry for your sis in law's prognosis. It should be a reminder that we all have to reset our priorities and make every moment count. None of us know when today will be our last or when we will be hit with a life threatening illness. Funny, but you never think it'll be you, until it is. I pray that your sis in law is blessed with peace, and that she can look back on her life with no regrets. May the angels surround her, give her strength, and, most of all, may she feel loved.

 

[bigbells]

Bigger da Blob, Better da Job...NOT!


Having taught USAF High Reliability Soldering based on NASA curriculum standards, I’d like to share some critical soldering guidelines for ya'll. It's not rocket science; just a lil' physics, common sense and 'touch' (more on that in a bit).

BTW, there was a study that determined that there was, on average, 200 lbs of excess solder on a typical B-52 at the time. Ergo, the soldering course!

Here we go:

- Use 60Sn40Pb rosin-core solder (most common). 63Sn40Pb is ideal due to no plasticity stage, but hard to find locally and not cheap.
- Only use rosin flux for electronics.
- Prep all wires and the soldering tip by using a rosin paste flux and a small amount of solder.
- Dip tip in flux, apply solder, then thermal shock the tip by lightly wiping tip on a water dampened sponge or cotton cloth. This will ‘blow off’/shed tip contaminates.
- Apply a small amount of solder twix the fluxed lead(s) and the tip to build a heat transfer bridge.
- When solder flows, move the solder away from the lead tip to within 1-1½ lead diameter of the stripped wire insulation. Minimal solder with 100% coverage = 'touch'.
- Remove all flux residue from the lead(s)/connection with Denatured Alcohol (DA) using a lint free cloth/wipe. DA does not leave a residue. Rubbing alcohol will suffice, but can leave a slight haze.
- When attaching tinned leads to a circuit board/component, repeat the above steps.
- Add solder to the soldering tip while it’s resting. This minimizes oxidation/erosion of the tip. When you’re finished soldering, just let the blob harden as the tip cools. You will re-prep the tip prior to your next project.

For de-soldering (i.e. circuit boards, speaker lugs), use de-soldering wick to remove old solder. Remember to flux the wicking prior to applying the prepped soldering tip. Also remember to clean the contact point(s) to remove the flux residue. In an emergency de-soldering situation, if ya don't have any de-soldering (wicking) braid, pull some ol' braided shielding off a coax cable (guitar/speaker/TV), stretch it taunt, flux it and suck 'er up.

Do not abrade/scrape the soldering tip to remove solder. You'll be shortening it's life and doing more harm than good.

Do not cut your solder. Use your soldering iron/gun. This seals the solder and prevents rosin 'weeping' and evaporation.

In high vibration and/or stress environments, take extreme care in stripping the insulation. Any nicks that scrape strands and/or removes pre-tinning can be a 'weak link' and a possible failure point.

NEVER reapply heat to a joint without following the steps above. Failing to do so is a common cause for a cold and hazy solder joint. All proper joints should be shiny when using 60/40 solder.

Use an appropriate wattage iron/gun for the job. For cabling, you can use higher wattagse. If you use a very low wattage iron on cabling, you may not have enough heat to melt the solder before contamination occurs, especially for grounding braids. For circuit boards and small leads, use a low wattage iron. The larger ones can, and will fry smaller components.

I have 15W, 25W, 40W irons, a dual 100/140 wattage gun, plus a resistive temp control station. The 25W iron is my go-to for 90% of my soldering. A 15W iron should be just right for your mod circuit board assemblies.

Assuming you follow the guidelines, timing (aka 'touch') is the 'holy grail' if 'saddled' with just one iron. Just establish a good heat bridge and watch for clean solder flow.

I just rewired two mics that had 24 gauge wires (re very small). Had to use the 15 watt pencil iron to prevent insulation burn off.

For circuit board connections, follow the same basic steps outlined above. When de-soldering a circuit board pad that has a hole for component mounting, don't forget to wick both sides of the board.

In critical heat sensitive areas, you can use clip-on heat sinks to protect adjacent micro-circuitry.

In the absence of good ventilation, aim a fan to blow over, not on, your work to remove fumes/smoke.
Do not blow on molten solder! That's another common way to get a cold solder joint. The solder must cool at its own rate for the best connection and maximum integrity.
Cleanliness and proper heat transfer using minimal solder is the key for the best connection! It’s all in the physics, preparations, cleanup and ‘touch’.

Hopefully these guidelines will lead you to zero resistance and reliable connections.

If ya have any questions, corrections or suggestions, please LMK!

Suggested alternate title: "Why Dave doesn't mess around with soldering".

 

[Iffy]

Suggested alternate title: "Why Dave doesn't mess around with soldering".

Hey, if ya could follow da USPS regs up to retirement, soldering is just an UPS drop off store in comparison!

 

[Slots]

Well bad news on sis in law. They sent her home and said this type of cancer is so fast moving they can't even keep up with it.

Legs, I'm so glad you are there with the family at this time.
Our prayers are with you all.

 

[garyoa1]

On government officials:

The same people who can deny others everything are famous for refusing themselves nothing. - (James Henry) Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)

There is a big difference between what we have the right to do and what is right. - Potter Stewart (1915-1985), Supreme Court Justice-1958-81

 

[Janet H]

Legs, so sorry to hear about your SIL. How nice that the family is there together with her. My prayers of comfort and peace are with you all.

 

[Uncle Willie]

On the cusp of another Labor Day, it's high time I did a dedication play list to all the fine, fine Ladies on the thread .. so, it's all about the great women that slave away, night and day, many if not most, maybe all, have experienced "labor" first hand .. so, as we head into the Traditional end of Summer, take a moment to thank your favorite lady .. Uncle Willie offers up a Group Hug ..

And on a side note, my couple days in Ferguson, MO were emotionally quite rewarding .. dusted off the PA system, loaded up the truck, played quite a few hours of solid good times music (as a DJ, not a guitar player) .. helped hand out some food .. it's not the Warzone the Media wants to play it up as ..

Keepin' it light and fresh .. so toss another shrimp on the barbie (they really do say that in Australia) .. tip back a cold one or whatever your personal form of relaxant is and enjoy .. I know I plan to ..

 

[Uncle Willie]

 

[Uncle Willie]

 

[Uncle Willie]

 

[my4jewels]

Nice play list, Willie. Some of my old faves! I remember rollerskating in my teens to Love Grows Where My Rosemary Grows.

 

[Slots]

Uncle Willie offers up a Group Hug ..

Thanks UW, and many hugs back for all the entertainment you provide.
It's uncanny how you can hit the mood so many times and play just what someone needs to hear

 

[Janet H]

Wow, reaching way back for those! I don't remember some of them - well, by later artists maybe. How nice of you to think of us wimmins on Labor Day! But just so you know about the ladies' labor, (at least in my case) it was joyful labor because of the result. Although nurturing the result was overwhelming at times, it wouldn't change it. Well, I'm not always considered to be actually sane either so..

 

[bigbells]

I tried to like those last two, Uncle Willy, but I just couldn't make myself click the button.

Shhh.. Janet, we won't tell anybody.

Ken A recently brought up the subject of rotating mental health diagnoses. I'd kept quiet but have greatly enjoyed the honesty and frankness of those who have talked about things since the death of Robin Williams.

Well, the "changing diagnoses" has rung too loud a bell for me to continue in silence. I spent the 1970s in the clutches of the mental health system but I'm an escapee since the 1980s. When I dropped out of college in 1971, my Dad was not willing to put up with me hanging out at his house doing nothing. I was committed to a mental hospital, where I was put on debilitating doses of thorazine. It was horrible.

I ended up with a shrink who was so susceptible to "fad diagnosis" that every member of his group therapy sessions would change diagnosis at the same time. I've been: a person with drug-induced psychosis, a chronic undifferentiated schizophrenic, a manic-depressive, a depressive, a person suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, everything was Dad's fault, everything was Mom's fault, and other diagnoses that I've long forgotten. Further, this doctor was a fan of experimental uses of medications for conditions that did not have approved use. It was a MAJOR headache for me with DMV that he prescribed Dilantin for me, when I've never had a seizure condition in my life. In fact, his prescribing for me of that medication is what caused me to leave his care and engineer my escape. I have many old friends who are still "in the system" and many who did not survive it.

I still threaten to write a book about the whole thing one of these days.

 

[Uncle Willie]

Since the dawn of Mankind's ability to think, speak and reason (which some would debate has not yet arrived), there are two things that have continued to be a common thread .. music and the sharing of our stories, and in many cases, those two have melded .. I feel confident in saying that even before the advent of a written langauge, folks were telling their stories and putting them to song .. it's easier to remember them that way ..

From the bards, the minstrels, the religious, the troubadours of the past through today, we put our stories out there .. why .. ?? It's a basic human need to share .. share who we are, who we want to be and who we were .. from a bad situation to the joy we get when things just seem to go right .. and everything in between ..

I can't say enough about the need to share .. although, I'll admit, sometimes in my case, I feel it can be maybe just a bit too raw .. but that's me and all the years or baggage that comes with me

So, from the Cavemen and Women that crouched around a campfire on a cold, dark night and told the story of the bear they brought down last year, to the digital campfire that we all sit around today, I just want to again say thanks for a warm and inviting place where judgement is minimal, where acceptance is maximum, where strangers are greeted with open arms and regulars get to know each other over vast distances .. where otherwise, speaking for myself anyway, our lives would not have been so enriched ..

They say you're lucky to have even a few friends in a lifetime .. yet the boundless wealth of fine folks that can and do touch our lives regularly seems almost limitless, and for that, there is a blessing from whatever higher Universal force there may be ..

Just a few ramblings as I once again take my seat around the campfire .. and hope for many more ..

 

[my4jewels]

For the record, I love, love love this song. It reminds me of high school and when life was so much simpler, dating my sweetie, school dances, and my 1st kiss. It's the kind of song that gets stuck in your head. I can't believe some of you aren't familiar with it.

 

[Flowersoul]

Oh, that song brings back some of the loveliest memories of my youth. It's funny, I remember all the words.

My memory should be so good in other areas!

 

[MikeE3]

Since the dawn of Mankind's ability to think, speak and reason (which some would debate has not yet arrived), there are two things that have continued to be a common thread .. music and the sharing of our stories, and in many cases, those two have melded .. I feel confident in saying that even before the advent of a written langauge, folks were telling their stories and putting them to song .. it's easier to remember them that way ..

From the bards, the minstrels, the religious, the troubadours of the past through today, we put our stories out there .. why .. ?? It's a basic human need to share .. share who we are, who we want to be and who we were .. from a bad situation to the joy we get when things just seem to go right .. and everything in between ..

I can't say enough about the need to share .. although, I'll admit, sometimes in my case, I feel it can be maybe just a bit too raw .. but that's me and all the years or baggage that comes with me

So, from the Cavemen and Women that crouched around a campfire on a cold, dark night and told the story of the bear they brought down last year, to the digital campfire that we all sit around today, I just want to again say thanks for a warm and inviting place where judgement is minimal, where acceptance is maximum, where strangers are greeted with open arms and regulars get to know each other over vast distances .. where otherwise, speaking for myself anyway, our lives would not have been so enriched ..

They say you're lucky to have even a few friends in a lifetime .. yet the boundless wealth of fine folks that can and do touch our lives regularly seems almost limitless, and for that, there is a blessing from whatever higher Universal force there may be ..

Just a few ramblings as I once again take my seat around the campfire .. and hope for many more ..

I ain't got no dang fine words like you so .....

 

[Uncle Willie]

I ain't got no dang fine words like you so .....

This coming from the guy that could build a Space Shuttle with a Swiss Army Knife and a soda can ..

.. I just get lucky sometimes .. with words, that is ..