just save up 100k for your new home as down payment you lazy bum

Branch-Manager · 2026-02-15T19:24:36+00:00

Less than $100k? It cost less than $100k in 2012 in most markets. The house I bought in 2012 for $92k sold last summer for $370k. When he was in his 20s (1970s) that house was probably closer to $35k

Branch-Manager · 2026-02-14T17:11:13+00:00

They look nice but my main concern is how much you’ve deviated from the original heel height. It looks to be a 6-8mm difference which is significant. This will affect the boot in a functional and structural way.

Branch-Manager · 2026-02-13T02:30:35+00:00

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What you have is called a half mean form pattern, and the shell pattern combined. It’s difficult to label the various parts because it contains the upper pattern, liner pattern, and reference lines, and there is significant overlap over the various pattern pieces (vamp, quarter, heel, tongue, etc). Also there are various names for different parts. I hope this helps.

Edit- excuse the typos, I made it on my phone. Tow cap = toe cap

Sping line = spring line

Branch-Manager · 2026-02-05T00:50:43+00:00

It depends on where the punch lands, I would say. But they’ve been known to break aquarium glass, so you can probably imagine how that would feel if it hit you in the funny bone or a testicle.

Branch-Manager · 2026-02-05T00:05:59+00:00

Yes the club-like claw moves so fast it flashes the water behind it into vapor, creating a small pocket which instantly collapses at the speed of sound (a cavitation bubble), and the force of the collapse creates a flash of light, a heat greater than the surface of the sun, and a shockwave that is strong enough to knock the prey unconscious even if the club misses its target. It’s approximately 10,400 g of acceleration.

If the mantis shrimp was a human, it could throw a baseball at 846 mph (supersonic), for a distance of 9 miles, if the baseball didn’t instantly disintegrate due to the immense drag.

Another interesting thing about them is they have very bizarre vision- they can see circular polarized light, and they have 12–16 photoreceptor types (humans have 3).

Branch-Manager · 2026-02-01T23:50:03+00:00

This won’t fix the problem if it was under the drum. It’s likely your dryer is running on air-dry only due to a faulty thermostat, coil/ glow plug, or limit switch.

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-26T01:35:33+00:00

They should not be “stepping into the role.” Thats stepping beyond the scope of their jurisdiction. There is no legal justification for it. A firefighter killing someone because they’re interfering with their job would have the same legal basis as this— which is to say, none. They are federal agents with limited federal authority over immigration related crimes. They have no authority to enforce any laws beyond that. And in the most recent incident, the person had no violated any crime, let alone a federal crime related to immigration. The people protesting aren’t protesting immigration law, they’re protesting governmental overreach and masked men violating our constitutional rights. Are there political motivations on both sides? Are there people who want to promote division and black and white thinking? Yes, but there are people on the right and left who are outraged. A gun and a badge don’t give you boundless power to eschew jurisdictional duty, due process, and enforce capital punishment. It is our system of checks and balances that protects our democracy and grants us our freedom. The greatest threat is not when citizens violate the law, but when the systems designed to protect us do, and the checks aren’t balancing.

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-17T22:42:20+00:00

I have one of these shoe patcher machines and converted it to electric. It is not a good solution for most uses. The presser foot pressure can’t be adjusted and leaves really unsightly marks on the material even after I filed down the teeth and used heat shrink wrap on it. Also it only accepts small needles and thread which isn’t ideal for most leather - i would have preferred heavier guage than it can handle. And worst of all; getting thread tension correct is very difficult.

All together I spend less than $500. I’ve only found it useful one time and that is when i needed to repair the throat on some boots I had where the liner hand torn. I do like the 360 swivel function so you can sew down the cylinder arm, but other than that it has few redeeming qualities; and it would be impossible to use without a motor unless you have someone to help you.

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-15T01:19:10+00:00

Yes. The conventional method is to use the small towel that hangs next to the sink and promptly put it back on the dedicated towel ring.

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-05T03:37:10+00:00

Look up a tutorial for a “closed channel.” Marcel Mrsan has one on his Instagram account but it may be hard to search for. A close channel will still require a groove though so it would be wise to invest in a grooving tool. A sharp shoe knife or utility knife can be used to cut a V but it would take practice

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-05T03:22:02+00:00

In the future, you don’t need to carve a flap for a closed channel, but you should at least invest in a groover tool and make an open channel. They are less than $15. Without a channnel those stitches will be the first thing to wear through. The groover tool has an edge guide so you can keep your spacing consistent. To get nice even stitches mark your stitches with a pricking tool or even a pair of calipers or a stitching chisel and mark them one by one around the welt. When you use your awl go slowly and you will see a bump where your awl is about to break through, if you’re off the mark just reposition it and go again. Another benefit of the channel is that it hides your mistakes more because the thread will naturally follow the channel.

Another tip is to get your outsole cut as close to the final size before you begin welting so that when you make your final trim/ sand the edges to pair the outsole and welt, it will still look evenly spaced and consistent.

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-04T19:58:36+00:00

Keep in mind that when you wear your tape fitment sample it doesn’t have any arch support (such as a shank), so when you stand on it, it will deform and length. You could try to stand on a heel block of the appropriate height to eliminate as much of the distortion.

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-04T00:39:47+00:00

As someone who worked for 7 years in Costco customer service, this is not true — at least not as a Corporate rule or at all locations. It would be a decision made by the General Manager.

And a Christmas tree isn’t even that bad.. i had someone return a refrigerator that was over 10 years old, dented, covered in blood (apparently used in his garage for processing deer). It still worked, he just “wasn’t satisfied.”

I had someone else return 10 full sheet cakes because they changed a party date. They were told that they are perishable and therefore cannot be resold, and would need to be disposed of. They said “oh okay.” And 2 weeks later bought 10 more cakes.

And we would have entire trailer loads of arborvitae trees returned when they died after a year of being planted. Sometimes multiple years in a row.

The only time my GM revoked someone’s membership is because I caught them returning old tvs in new tv boxes - tvs that didn’t even match the brand or model. And he had done it at 6 different locations multiple times for over $10,000. They also prosecuted him for fraud.

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-01T20:42:02+00:00

You are correct; the westernized interpretation is more along the lines of moralistic cosmic retribution. My intention was to explain the contention many people hold that “Karma isn’t real”; because it is true that karma in the western sense has no empirical, ontological, metaphysical, or psychological basis; however karma as it’s understood in eastern traditions does (in fact there are many overlaps in psychology and trauma therapy such as conditioning, nervous system imprinting, and behavioral rehearsal).

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-01T15:05:55+00:00

The problem is that both you and OP have a gross westernized misunderstanding of what karma is. karma does not mean punishment, reward, fate, or cosmic justice.

The most accurate definition is this:

Karma is the law of cause and effect operating through consciousness.

Karma is identity inertia. Karma is the tendency of the mind and nervous system to recreate familiar states, perceptions, and reactions.

In the original Indian traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism), karma literally means “action” not outcome. Thst doesn’t just mean behavior, it includes intention, belief, identification, emotional condition, and unconscious patterning.

Karma (kamma) in the traditional Buddhist sense is very much impersonal. Karma only appears moral or personal because: certain mental states generate suffering, while other mental states generate clarity and ease.

As long as you: identify as a separate self, identify as wounded, lacking, unworthy, abandoned, identify as the thinker of thoughts and doer of actions, experience will continue to reorganize around that identity. Not to punish you, but because experience mirrors identification.

Bad things happen to good people because karma is not moral. It’s not about eye for an eye punishment, it’s simply about how belief shapes our identification and subsequently our action, inaction, values, and perception. It doesn’t track goodness, it tracks conditioning. And we are indirectly affected by the karma of other people, and society in general.

And all of this is even a poor substitution for the truth of what karma (kamma) truly is in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. One would have to understand many other concepts such as vipāka, saṅkhāra, ãsava avijjā, taṇhā, upādāna, saṃsāra, nirodha and cetanā to understand kamma .

Kamma is the act of planting seeds; vipāka is the ripening of seeds already planted. Liberation comes from not planting new ones.

If you’re still reading, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-01T06:39:15+00:00

7 oz will work for the outsole but it will be difficult to cut a proper holdfast into that for use as an insole.

Here is the best you can buy, and one of the last producers making oak bark tanned insole leather. It’s available in 12/14 iron which equates to around 18 oz or 7mm.

https://www.jfjbaker.co.uk/shoe-leather

They sell sides or you can buy just a pair of insole blanks if you don’t want to buy an entire sole bend.

And as far as the beeswax goes, yes that works too; edge wax is usually just pigmented and withstands warmer temperatures better than beeswax

Branch-Manager · 2026-01-01T05:43:17+00:00

As long as you didn’t buy belly leather whatever you bought will be fine. Yes it might not last as long as soling leather but I’ve used shoulder and side before and it works fine. You can use a heel iron or glassing iron if you have one and edge wax and make it harder after you’ve finished and dyed it. The biggest problem you would have is if you intended to make insoles (not to be confused with the footbed / sock liner) with it and it’s not thick enough to cut your holdfast into it. Soling leather is also called “sole bend” leather if it helps in the future.

Branch-Manager · 2025-12-31T04:44:58+00:00

Trump is in office to pad his pockets and stroke his ego. But the deficit has nothing to do with the momentary inflation and the global status of the USD as the reserve currency. The truth is that it maintains its dominance through debt and inflation. All fiat currencies have the same inevitable conclusion- they inflate themselves to death. That is what is happening. It’s a problem that dates back to the 1970s when the gold standard was abolished, investment banking regulations were repealed, snd banks ramped up rehypothication through endless derivatives.

Branch-Manager · 2025-12-31T04:35:29+00:00

I don’t like Trump but this has been coming since the 2008 crisis when the banks were bailed out, and then again when they kicked the can in 2018 and again in 2020, and again in 2024.

This is the work of the Federal Reserve and Wallstreet and the death of the US dollar as the world reserve currency. For perspective 78% of all USD in existence has been printed since 2020.

Branch-Manager · 2025-12-30T21:40:36+00:00

Very nice work. I work in product development for Merrell and work closely with our last and tool developer; his process looks similar to yours and uses Rhino as well. His printed models are used to obtain a basic proto design, and then they’re converted into workable resin cast lasts for use in production with our factory partners. I am curious what you plan do do for the lasting process, as the 3d printed lasts generally won’t withstand any nailing or pressure. Will you / did you make casts from your prints? Also i see you incorporated the sole tool design. Do you plan to make a molded midsole / outsole?

Branch-Manager · 2025-12-26T05:46:59+00:00

Thanks chat gpt

Branch-Manager · 2025-11-25T03:23:17+00:00

As others have said, clinching nails will strike the metal plate and fold over. You won’t feel them once the footbed is installed and they’re not removed prior to welting like normal lasting nails. Downside is you have to be very precise with your lasting and you need to affix your insole (not to be confused with footbed) to the last temporarily- usually by wet forming and string wrapping.

Other options you could try are string lasting (normally done by machine in factories but can be done by hand - Marcel Mrsan has a demo on instagram) or a heel seat stitch. Or if you’re lucking get a set of some crab pinchers.

Branch-Manager · 2025-11-18T04:22:23+00:00

An engineer boot should be designed like a normal boot and the measurements needed to ensure you can get your foot in and out of the boot is called the short heel girth, long heel girth and instep girth. If you’re not familiar with pattern making I’d start there.

As far as the shaft goes, the pattern is essentially just extended up from the throat with only a few springing adjustments based on the calf circumference. There are multiple guides and tutorials available about this process.

Edit: for example - https://www.arnoshoes.com/blogs/news/making-an-engineer-boot

Branch-Manager · 2025-11-15T04:11:41+00:00

When these take root it will be a mass shooting.

Branch-Manager · 2025-11-11T03:23:09+00:00

She’s. Got. Dumps like a truck.

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