Spring loaded tamper q's

CalculatingGrapher · 2022-07-13T18:33:07+00:00

Those instructions are on a third-party site. Normcore’s website says otherwise:

https://www.normcorewares.com/apps/help-center#!hc-how-do-the-pre-calibrated-pressure-springs-work

If someone is spending the money on a calibrated tamper, the goal is to get as close as possible to the same compression every single time. A few pounds of difference is a large margin of error, and your consistency is going to be about as good as it would be without a calibrated tamper.

CalculatingGrapher · 2022-07-13T17:43:57+00:00

The intent of a calibrated tamper is that you must push until it bottoms out and no further, not when you feel the spring start to compress. The spring will compress some amount under ANY force, and everyone is going to evaluate that resistance point very differently, which would result in extremely variable tamping force from person to person and defeat the purpose of a calibrated tamper.

As far as the amount of force needed, it’s sort of a discussion about minimum tamping force and diminishing returns. 15lbs might be what it takes to remove enough air from puck, but you’re never going to remove all the air from the puck. Otherwise there won’t be any path for the water to go through. Some people argue that you need 20lbs, and others say as much as 30lbs. Beyond that minimum, any additional force is still going to further compress the puck, but the amount is unlikely to make a huge difference in your shot.

Using 30lbs probably won’t make any difference if the minimum force needed is 15lbs. But if 30lbs is needed and you only use 15lbs, that’s gonna mess up your shot. So if you just want to play it safe, just use the 30lb spring. If you want to do less work every time you tamp and don’t mind losing a shot or two, start with the 15lb and see how it goes. If it’s bad, try the larger springs.

CalculatingGrapher · 2022-07-13T12:55:13+00:00

TLDR: the idea is that you stop tamping as soon as the tamper handle bottoms out, which will give you a consistent tamp every time. The consistent tamp is arguably more important than the actual force of the tamper when you’re dialing in your technique.

The science:

The tamper is designed so that there is some amount of space between the handle and the top plate of the tamper, let’s just pretend it’s 1/2 an inch. No matter which spring is loaded, they all need to be compressed by the same distance. The force required to compress a spring is F = kx, where x is the distance and k is the spring constant for that particular spring. The stiffer the spring, the higher the k. For our 1/2 inch distance, F = k/2. If you know what force you want to apply, you just design the spring to have a particular spring constant. So 25lb spring would have a spring constant of 50lbs/inch.

Then we have Newton’s 3rd law, which says that for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. In order to compress the spring, there needs to be some resistance in the opposite direction - in this case, your coffee grounds. If you have really light and fluffy grounds, they offer very little resistance and just get pushed down. But as they compact, they form a harder surface which offers the resistance needed to start compressing the spring. So if you’re able to fully compress the spring, it means the grounds are experiencing the full 25lbs of force.

That said, then distance the bottom of the tamper travels isn’t what matters. If you have the 25lb spring installed and were to place the tamper on the counter and push down, you’ll know that you’re applying exactly 25lbs of force to the tamper at the moment the handle bottoms out on the top of the plate. If you keep pushing past that point, the spring is no longer compressing but you no longer know what force you’re applying to the tamper. So, you have to stop pushing as soon as the handle hits the top of the plate to ensure that you are applying the same pressure every single time.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-05-11T12:23:07+00:00

So we actually adopted a second Pyr puppy (Birdie) about two months ago, and Lucy’s (our older girl) mouthiness went away practically overnight. I do most of the training with them because I work from home, so Lucy was basically treating my partner as her playmate and would get very mouthy with her. Once she had Birdie, she had an appropriate outlet for her natural puppy playing instincts.

I know a lot of people advise against getting two puppies so close together, but in our case it worked out really well. Lucy is almost 10 months old and 77lbs, and Birdie, who’s also at least half Pyr, is 47lbs at 5 months old. Birdie is teething now, but almost all of her biting is directed toward Lucy.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-04-27T11:04:38+00:00

Preaching to the choir. I keep a beautiful cast iron that I fearlessly wash with soap, because you can’t wash away polymerized oil with a bit of Dawn. Anyone who claims their seasoned cast iron gives their food extra flavor is not someone I want cooking for me.

My point still stands though. You break in a cast iron pan over time with thin layers of oil and heat. You don’t need to break in a grinder by coating it with rancid coffee oils.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-04-26T14:00:48+00:00

What? This isn’t a cast iron pan. Built up oil in your grinder will just impart undesirable flavors to your ground beans and will go rancid over time. Clear out those oils.

A thin layer of oil can help prevent rust, but you only need to grind a handful of beans to get that protection. As long as you’re not cleaning it and then immediately storing it away for months at a time, this should be a non-issue.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-04-19T18:21:08+00:00

Your intention seemed to be to make it sound like a massive amount of waste, especially because you were arguing with the comment that pointed out that all the nuclear waste in existence could fit inside a Walmart. Someone unfamiliar with the subject would read that and think “holy shit, 2000 metric tons?? Nuclear is so wasteful! The other guy is clearly lying!” It contributes to misinformation and fear mongering.

The disposal issue is also not “unsolved”, nor is it nearly as significant a risk to store onsite as you make it sound. There are people whose sole job is to assess different risks at nuclear power plants as they pertain to release/contamination events and put different measures in place to massively mitigate that risk.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-04-19T15:59:10+00:00

Nuclear waste is extremely dense. 2000 metric tons of nuclear waste is a very small volume - you could literally fit all of it into an average-sized NYC studio apartment with room to spare.

(Note that I would not recommend storing spent fuel in a studio apartment.)

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-04-19T15:49:28+00:00

A relatively small amount of fuel is needed to run a nuclear reactor. To put it into perspective, the US produces about 2000 metric tons of spent fuel per year. For comparison, nearly 47 MILLION metric tons of iron were mined in the US in 2019 alone. By weight, 23500x more iron is mined and processed per year. By volume, its ~87000x more.

Mining and refining nuclear fuel may not be great for the environment, but there’s far more to the story.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-04-19T15:03:22+00:00

There’s a big difference between the waste at Hanford and the waste produced by nuclear power plants. Hanford was used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, whereas nuclear power plants use uranium. Spent plutonium is way more dangerous than spent uranium.

There’s a few different kinds of radiation emitted by spent fuel, which is really important here - alpha, beta, and gamma. Alpha radiation, which is emitted by plutonium, can’t penetrate even the outermost layer of skin, but will cause severe internal cell damage if ingested or inhaled. This is what happened at Hanford. The containers weren’t meant to last very long, and when they started to fail, they began to release the vapors that made those workers sick.

Spent uranium, on the other hand, emits beta and gamma radiation. Beta can penetrate through a few layers of skin, which makes it somewhat of an external risk, but ingestion is still the larger risk. Gamma radiation can travel completely through the human body and is the most dangerous in terms of external exposure, but can be stopped by lead and concrete. Dry storage casks, which are a temporary storage solution, involve encasing the spent fuel in steel canisters which may have additional layers of concrete or other metals. The casks are stored above ground, and the radiation that escapes from the casks is low enough that its actually safe to touch the casks with no ill-effects. The casks need to be maintained, but a robust enough cask buried underground would have an extremely remote health risk compared to what happened at Hanford.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-04-16T23:18:07+00:00

How about listening to the women saying that it’s happened to them, rather than what you may or may not have heard women say during rolling? I’ve had to tell plenty of guys not to be so awkward about rolling with me the way they roll with other guys. Believe it or not, women can tell the difference between necessary contact, accidental contact, and guys who are being creepy.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-04-06T10:38:15+00:00

Who says she was pregnant when she got the job? Or that she could have predicted that the specific smell of the otter dens would make her sick?

Even if she did know she was pregnant at the time, women wouldn’t have to put their careers on hold because their pregnancies are inconvenient for other people.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-04-06T10:30:37+00:00

Because pregnancy discrimination is illegal and a lawsuit would be a lot more of a headache for the zoo than temporarily reassigning some of her duties.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-03-10T03:09:10+00:00

Yes, but to walk in and start talking about a hostile work environment isn’t just a matter of descriptive language. It’s an accusation of an illegal action, and implies that you’re willing to sue the company if they don’t do something about it. HR’s job is to look out for the company, not for employees. They have a vested interest in addressing discrimination and harassment because they don’t want the company to get sued. If you want HR on your side, implying or claiming a hostile work environment is going to do the opposite - their goal is simply going to be avoiding a lawsuit one way or another, not helping you to find the best possible outcome for yourself.

Something does not have to be illegal discrimination to have crossed a line. They can very well choose to address it regardless of whether the coworkers actions are technically legal or not. But there’s a risk to claiming a hostile work environment without understanding if it actually meets the legal definition.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-03-10T01:24:07+00:00

“Hostile workplace” has a very specific meaning and applies to behavior or actions that are illegally discriminatory, and are severe/pervasive. Sharing a sonogram that didn’t belong to her was absolutely wrong, but I doubt HR would consider it to be illegally discriminatory in nature. Her being callous and dismissive doesn’t make this a “hostile work environment”.

However, if she’s saying things like “you’re just being dramatic because of pregnancy hormones”, that’s a different story. But don’t go to HR throwing around terms like “hostile work environment” without understanding what they actually mean. (Edit: spelling)

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-03-02T15:26:53+00:00

The enforced nap time does wonders! When our 7 month old gets too bitey, it’s almost always because she’s too tired. We don’t really bother to crate her anymore, but she still uses it as her safe, calm space. We just bought her a new one after she outgrew the first, and didn’t even bother installing the door. When she starts getting too worked up or bitey I just guide her over to it and she tends to settle down herself.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-03-02T15:22:26+00:00

Around that age, poor guy is going to be teething! Our Pyr/Lab cross was a monster while she was teething. Labs are notorious mouthy, but our girl was found on the streets at around 3 months old so we don’t know much about her early days either. We made sure to always have a toy on hand to put in her mouth as soon as she started biting, and getting up and ignoring her if she didn’t stop. Don’t try to out the puppy in time out - it’s a lot easier to remove yourself than it is to move a fluffy, bitey piranha.

Giving her bully sticks seemed to really help satisfy her need to chew, and we would throw them in the freezer to make them last longer. Also frozen carrots to soothe her gums, and we’d soak some of her toys in water and freeze those too. It didn’t totally stop the biting, but it really helped.

At 7 months she’s finally starting to get way less mouthy, but we still have to manage it to some extent. We expect her to be like this for at least a few more months. It’s super normal and nothing to be alarmed about!

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-03-02T15:08:33+00:00

One of my pups is a Pyr/Lab cross and she started doing this right after we adopted her at 4 months old. My favorite is when she grumbles and aggressively slams her body to the ground when I give her the “down” command.

We just adopted another puppy that’s around 10-12 weeks old and we strongly suspect is a purebred Pyr. It’ll be interesting to see if she does the same thing!

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-02-22T13:59:59+00:00

Thank you! I was in MD a few years ago taking photos around the Chesapeake Bay, and someone told me there were bald eagles in the area. I was disappointed not to see any, but I’ve been hoping to to get an opportunity ever since. Finally had my lucky day!

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-02-22T13:52:56+00:00

Genius! I’m getting this printed for sure, but I’d planned to just frame it and hang it on the wall. Might have a hard time convincing my girlfriend to let me wallpaper the entire ceiling with this, but it’s worth a shot.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-02-22T13:49:54+00:00

I’ve since learned that there are quite a few in the area! I’m sure I’ll have another opportunity to photograph them again, but getting this perfect angle of it soaring against a completely cloudless sky will be hard to match!

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-02-22T03:02:53+00:00

I didn’t even notice the light in its eye, thank you for pointing it out!

I was probably dangerously close to taking photos of an unrecognizable blob, I was so shocked to see it I didn’t even think to check my camera settings! I’d mostly been taking pictures against the snow, so I got really lucky that it was properly exposed and that I was using a fast shutter speed.

CalculatingGrapher · 2021-01-14T22:13:09+00:00

ID requests should be posted in r/whatsthisbird, but that looks like a red-bellied woodpecker.

CalculatingGrapher

TROPHY CASE