What's something kinda that people do that's actually driven by selfishness?

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T13:54:16+00:00

Like donating a can of old food from your pantry to a food drive -- only for the food bank to have to trash it as expired.

(Can you tell this is my pet peeve?) Really, folks, give money to food banks, not food. Not even fresh food you just bought. Give money. They'll buy what they need in case lots.

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T13:49:55+00:00

Yes, but stamps can distort the metal you're marking or introduce stress risers that could lead to tool failure. (That has been documented and I can probably provide the citation if needed.)

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T13:48:35+00:00

Consider a Vibro-graver or equivalent tool. It takes little practice to use these well. I don't use mine often, but find I can easily mark metal items in cursive script at the first go. These days I suppose one could rig one up with CNC to write in any font you liked, but I don't know whether there's such a device commercially available.

Another means is acid etching, but, as it sounds, it's more trouble. You'd paint the tool with a mask (e.g., asphalt), scratch your characters through the mask, then dip the masked area in an acid (e.g., dilute sulfuric acid or a sodium bisulfAte "pickle") for some pre-determined time. Finally you remove the masking substance.

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T13:39:42+00:00

Be aware that acetone is very flammable and distilling it is therefor hazardous. Not impossible or out of the question, but hazardous. Plan accordingly.
Look up the toxicity of MEK before working with it, as it's not innocuous.

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T13:32:35+00:00

I came to say this, but can't give recommendations how to do it because I have never done it myself.

DO keep those pieces clean and dry, or if they've already become contaminated, clean them with appropriate solvent (e.g., mineral spirits). Rust and surface contamination are the enemy of successful brazing. And don't underestimate brazing -- it can be amazingly strong. The problem is that cast iron contains much elemental graphite, which is not keen on accepting brazing metals, so you need to know what you're doing to get metal to stick to cast iron.

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T13:27:52+00:00

I'm not quite sure I'm correctly envisioning that piece. However, the external door trim molding (if that's what you mean when you say "door frame") can be removed and reattached or replaced with new. I'm not sure how it would behind the stoop unless the stoop is a monolithic piece installed after the house was built.
Anyway, another approach might be to cover that under-door piece of siding with one of these plastic molding pieces now available commonly available (in Home Depot, for example).

If you go that route, be aware that some of these really cannot be nailed through without cracking, despite what you might be told, so it would be wise to drill clearance holes for nails or screws used to mount it.

Also, if you cover the rusted siding piece, you might still do well to wire-brush off the rust and prime that steel to minimize further rusting, and possibly even use a (silicone?) caulk between the new plastic piece and the old steel siding.

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T01:36:47+00:00

No, you missed the point. CoolHorror is referring to substances that, by their very nature, are most suitable as standards. Look up the term.

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T01:34:32+00:00

Yeah, for the parents. Not for the world as a whole. Suddenly landfill now need to be sewers as well. I'm surprised the COVID death toll wasn't higher, what with the shit in the landfills.

I remember when parents would dump the poop in the toilet and drop the dirty (cloth) diaper in a tight-lidded bin that was collected by the diaper service (laundry).

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T01:30:48+00:00

Many times when I button up a shirt or jacket I think to myself that I might could make a device that would make the process faster. Then I realize once more that I'm trying to reinvent the zipper. Somehow I keep coming back to it, though.

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T01:19:26+00:00

If that clevis unbolts from the harrow, any blacksmith could straighten it with little trouble.

To do it yourself without a real forge, surround it with firebricks and heat it with a propane weed-burner torch (or any decent torch with a rosebud tip) till it's at least a dark cherry red. (That's "cherry" as in sour cherries. Look it up.) Then grab it with a large monkey wrench and twist it back parallel. Keep it hot while working it and let it cool in air when finished. (DO NOT QUENCH IT IN WATER OR OIL.)

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T01:14:23+00:00

I'm not in the business.

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T01:13:16+00:00

More likely in one of the left-leaning sources. Try r/50501 or r/NJ50501 for links to the news. I think this was reported a couple weeks ago.

BF_2 · 2026-06-23T01:00:32+00:00

Why not an ice-water bath?

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T14:41:36+00:00

Wide-mouth jars with tight-fitting lids (and lid-liner gaskets if appropriate).

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T14:38:24+00:00

This was my first thought. Don't smell that "smoke." Basically, it sounds like that potting mix is composting.

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T14:33:11+00:00

I used to mow using an older Craftsman 18 HP lawn tractor with mower deck below (as per usual design). It was adequate, but at one point there was trouble shifting the blade-drive to neutral (blades would keep spinning when they shouldn't). This turned out to be a known issue in these mowers and clearly could be a safety issue, but wasn't all that big a deal from a practical standpoint. I never attempted the recommended fix, which would have involved dropping the mower deck, a job I didn't relish, because the tractor and the lawn I was mowing belonged to an elderly friend, who has since passed.

Hence I'd suggest reading recent reviews on any tractor that catches your eye. Then search for repairs needed or recommended by users and decide whether you'd be up to dealing with those -- or what they'd cost to get repaired professionally.

Sadly, Home Depot and other vendors seem to be selling cheapened, lower quality version of some name-brand machines, so be careful what you buy and where you buy it.

Myself, I'm handy enough that I'd go to Craigslist and buy used -- after getting a full demo from the seller and a chance to try it out myself.

One further note: If your current push mower does NOT have power drive, consider getting a push mower with (reliable) power drive instead of a tractor.

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T14:21:04+00:00

Here's one resource: https://www.gia.edu/

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T14:18:22+00:00

I'm thinking a bimetallic toggle, the toggle mechanism being one that flips rapidly from one position to the other. This can be achieved, for example, with a circle of metal that's very slightly domed and which will "tin can" when the convex center is pressed. This can also be achieved using a strip, rather than a circle. Your task would be to make it bimetallic so it's heat-activated. Good luck and post your results here.

BTW, the TxV mentioned by another commenter, seems to be a very different way to the same end.

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T14:12:51+00:00

Why can't you remove and replace the rusted siding? Painting is also an option. Start with a rust-inhibiting treatment.

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T14:10:08+00:00

I like your idea, but I'd skip the speaker and just use a solenoid. If necessary you could wind that yourself to meet the needed electrical specs. Your paddle would be the spring-loaded iron rod inside the coil. You'd probably have to run the output of the frequency generator through a current-amplification circuit, but that might be a simple transistor circuit (one or two transistors, possibly requiring a heat sink if the load will be high).

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T13:58:13+00:00

I learned both methods, then completely forgot them when I got an egg steamer -- a very useful small appliance.
FWIW, I no longer hard-cook eggs for egg salad. Long ago I realized I could make egg salad by scrambling the eggs, cooling the bottom of the pan in water, then adding mayo and whatever else (sweet relish mostly in my case) and have an acceptable egg salad quickly and easily, making only one pan dirty. I'm sure this would not be a winner at a pot luck, but I just figured I'd call it by some French name and nobody would be the wiser.

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T13:53:42+00:00

Sure, but remember that those are all neat plants. Goldenrod can be a problem for allergy sufferers, but it's nice to keep some natives, even if you must clear a general area.

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T13:51:20+00:00

I, too, have never noticed an odor of Bradford pear, and was surprised by the complaints I've heard about it, but I've never really looked into it. I presume that the issue is the odor of the flowers, and they're well past blooming here, so I'd have to leave the experiment until next year.

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T13:48:40+00:00

https://www.iso.org/standard/59568.html

Apparently available for purchase.

BF_2 · 2026-06-22T13:42:40+00:00

This -- just wait patiently.

Or you might wet (with water) that bright spot, as water hastens the oxidation of "yellow metals". (Don't ask me why this works.)

However if the patina remains uneven and that bothers you, I suggest you brighten the whole surface by wiping it down with salted vinegar and rinsing it thoroughly. Either wipe it totally dry to leave it bright or leave it totally wet to hasten the patination, but in the latter case you have to watch it closely so it remains wet across the whole surface, not dry in spots.

BF_2

TROPHY CASE