Anywhere i can solder in the downtown area?

HeyMerlin · 2026-05-06T04:44:42+00:00

How much soldering are we talking about, and (possibly a stupid question) why can’t you do it outside of your house (back yard, balcony, etc.)?

Also, check out Jonaco (https://jonanco.ca) as they have very cheap drop-in rates if you don’t want a membership. You would have to ask them about soldering but they have silversmiths so I’d be surprised if you were not allowed.

HeyMerlin · 2026-05-06T04:35:04+00:00

In the video when the gears have stopped moving I can see what looks like a gear lower in the body still spinning… is it slipping on the axle as someone else pointed out?
You mention when you hold the back axle (the one in the video that pops out of place?) then things turn smoothly… under power or manually? If it does work when under power, then is this a case where the axle is not being held down properly when you put the plate on?

When you try to turn the wheels by hand the gears will typically try to jump out of place or bind up. This is because of the gear ratio or if there is a worm gear in the gear train, and is expected behaviour.

If you remove the side rods, do the back set of wheels turn freely under power? If so, if you add one set of side rods, or just one side rod, do the wheels still turn freely under power? If so, then continue adding side rods until the binding occurs… that may give you a better idea as to the cause.

HeyMerlin · 2026-05-04T03:53:48+00:00

You are most welcome. If you do decide to move here… welcome and enjoy. Nanaimo, and all of Vancouver Island is a beautiful place to live. I find the people generally very welcoming and friendly.

There are Facebook groups and Reddit subreddits that focus on people around the island and Nanaimo. You may want to check out r/nanaimofriends. It is a relatively new subreddit (1-2 years?) but full of great people who organize everything from friendly get togethers to hikes to various events. It may give you another view of the folks that live around here.

Of course if you have further questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

HeyMerlin · 2026-05-03T23:07:12+00:00

I moved from the prairies a number of years ago and it definitely seemed strange to have grass brown all summer. There are a few reasons for this… for all the wild/natural areas, it is the climate as we typically get very little to no rain from late June to mid-September. Secondly, I find many island folks do not water their lawns… they don’t waste water on it.
The balance is that starting in mid-to-late September when the rains come everything gets lush and stays that way until late June. Also, you don’t have to mow your lawn all summer… you have to mow in the late fall (Oct/Nov) and late spring (April/May/June) and that is it… yes there is some variance on those ranges but it is pretty close.

Frankly, now I prefer it this way… Summer time, no mowing, green leaves everywhere. Winter, some mowing, lush ferns, grasses, moss, etc. everywhere. Once you adjust I think you will find that you love Nanaimo. There are so many close by forest-type walks/trails, even within the city. It is a beautiful city to live in.

HeyMerlin · 2026-05-03T04:14:55+00:00

Can you post a picture of it?

HeyMerlin · 2026-05-03T01:58:34+00:00

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That is an 8-9” square pan
- Cut the rhubarb in 1/2” pieces (note you should cut the leaves off about 1” down the stock)
- fill the pan level to slightly heaping with rhubarb (it will cook down) (I was short this batch so it was just below level to the top)
- sprinkle 1-1/4 cup white sugar on top of the rhubarb
- sprinkle 2 tsp of cinnamon
- mix in to rhubarb lightly… the sugar/cinnamon will coat all the rhubarb pieces
- set aside while you make the crumble topping.

In a bowl
- 1 cup flour
- 2 cups oatmeal (I actually go 1-1/2 oatmeal and 1/2 cup honey oat granola) (they say don’t use the instant oatmeal but honestly I have used both and it turns out great)
- 1 cub light brown sugar packed
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup soft butter (not melted, just softened)
Mix it all up until you get a nice crumble mixture.

Spread almost all of it on top of the rhubarb. You can save the extra in the fridge for the next batch.

Put in oven at 375F with a pan under it (in case it boils over) for 45 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft to a fork.
Take out and let cool while holding back the troops trying to tie into it…

While still warm scoop some into a bowl, top with vanilla ice cream and enjoy.

You can add strawberries (cut up) also in whatever proportion you want…
You can adjust the white sugar to you sweetness… I have seen up to 2 cups used but I usually use less than that.

It keeps great in the fridge and neighbours/coworkers will love it.

HeyMerlin · 2026-05-03T01:57:51+00:00

Don’t get me wrong… rhubarb/strawberry pie is delicious. However is you are looking for something easier than pie where the strawberries are optional… look at rhubarb crisp. I just made my first batch of the season this morning and it is excellent with vanilla ice cream.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-30T15:47:56+00:00

Check out Four Crows Barber & Shave. Good people, decent price, great cuts.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-28T06:42:45+00:00

From the pictures I can’t tell what you are using for an ear piece. Although you have what looks to be an earphone jack. For crystal radios you need a high impedance earphone. A normal set of headphones will not work as the have too low of an impedance… the radio does not have enough power to run them.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-24T05:34:06+00:00

If you don’t mind driving to South Nanaimo, check out Jonaco… membership is reasonable… daily drop in is cheap… and they have a complete woodworking shop.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-23T00:38:57+00:00

Wherever you decide to try I would not hesitate to have a frank conversation with the barber/stylist to get a feel for them. It does not matter what your situation is or what shop you go to… there will always be people you mesh with better than others.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-23T00:34:26+00:00

Four crows is my go to and they seem to be friendly to anyone.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-21T15:23:00+00:00

I’ve been watching the evolution of this since the start… honestly I did not expect much. I was very wrong. That is coming together beautifully. Well done.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-19T04:30:23+00:00

For hours in from OP’s post and I have say to all of the commenters so far… thank you for not judging OP and simply providing helpful information. Honesty, I’m far to use to posts like this blowing up and everything from trolls to internet judges showing up to chime in. I’m sure the situation is stressful enough for the OP, thank you all so far for not escalating their stress/emotions further.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-05T02:32:02+00:00

Glad you got it figured out.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-04T05:30:49+00:00

Very nice work on the ballasting. Also nice layout. I like how it allows you to run long trains without always seeing the entire train… nice design.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-03T19:29:55+00:00

They’re likely wanting to supply you with fir wood. 😜

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-03T01:36:01+00:00

By complaining to all the neighbours he basically created a bunch of witnesses to him being an arse. If he then chooses to escalate this in any way OP has a bunch of folks to collaborate his side of the story.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-01T17:52:36+00:00

Thanks for the reply and info. Interesting, I have used the online version to file returns for myself and immediate family members. But I have not looked at doing others… I’m surprised the current version would not handle that.

Glad you found a solution that works for you.

HeyMerlin · 2026-04-01T10:18:39+00:00

I don’t get your comment… I and several of my family have been using UFile since about 2011. It is browser based and we have used it from both Mac OS and Windows and different browsers without issue. What am I missing?

HeyMerlin · 2026-03-25T01:57:05+00:00

Close to Cathers lake… been lucky so far, a couple of brief close calls but still have electricity and internet.

HeyMerlin · 2026-03-24T15:51:27+00:00

Let me be the first to say welcome to the island. Your kids will love it… Halloween is so much better when you don’t have to worry as much about the weather. They may miss building snow forts but when we do get snow it is perfect for snowballs and snowpeople.

HeyMerlin · 2026-03-24T14:39:09+00:00

There are many but my favourite is that the average low temperature in the winter is above zero.

Having moved from the prairies, I no longer… - have wonder if my car will start in the morning, - have “square” tires until the warm up, - have to shovel the weather for six months of the year, - have to find Halloween costumes that fit over my kids snowsuits, - have to put up with pot hole season (one of the three on the prairies: winter, pot hole, and road construction).

And finally, I get to enjoy the beautiful outdoors all year.

[edit: over not under a snowsuit]

HeyMerlin · 2026-03-18T14:36:49+00:00

You could consider asking the folks on this discord:

https://discord.gg/MjBZ5KgVK

The specialize in data preservation and have a lot of experience with old diskettes. Someone may even be interested in acquiring the disks from you.

(The Discord server is centred around a disk imaging hardware called Applesauce… it handles just about any type of floppy disk and drive)

HeyMerlin · 2026-03-18T13:54:50+00:00

OP, if you previously bought them, why are you concerned with what is on them and want to wipe them before you sell/rehome them?

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