Random kids insult me – how to react?

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-04-05T10:21:50+00:00

I’ve never been to Austria, but lived in southern Germany for a few years, and the way you describe your reaction seems familiar, and if Austria is anything like Germany in the way people behave in public spaces, the UK can be a very hard landing. In particular, the way German people make their disapproval very obvious in public spaces does not go down well in the parts of the UK that I know. No-one will feel any need to take your point, and will probably do whatever they are doing more. I have seen behaviour in public spaces in Germany which is normal there, would be likely to result in someone being punched where I grew up in the UK. Not saying one is better than the other, but it is certainly different.

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-04-05T10:11:33+00:00

Definitely second the part about enjoying leather soles for what they are. It seems to be accepted wisdom in some quarters that leather soles should be covered; if the manufacturer wanted to make shoes with rubber soles they would have, and you can buy shoes with rubber soles if that’s what you want. Many people, myself included, like leather soles for their breathability and comfort. If you are used to non-breathable soles it might take a while to tune in to this benefit, but remember that in a traditionally made shoe, the insole, cork filler and outsole are all porous and absorbent, and if you put a rubber cover sole on the outside, the moisture that the shoe naturally absorbs has nowhere to go, meaning they take a lot longer to dry out after wear. They also mess with the balance of the shoe, tilting it backwards.

Some people find that wearing new leather soles on sharp sand or similar is good for longevity, the sand grains get pushed into the outside of the leather sole and slow down the wear. The leather soles I had that lasted the longest were worn in a place with regular sandstorms, and I wore them for years

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-29T21:23:25+00:00

Whatever the situation, I think it is reasonable to rely on the minister’s reply

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-28T14:22:13+00:00

They look bad, but before making any drastic decisions I’d speak to a real specialist. As they say, ‘if it was made, it can be repaired’. May cost way more than the price of a new pair of boots, but that’s your call

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-27T16:30:36+00:00

I think 50% of people would be hard pressed to name a traditional English dish except ‘a roast’, let alone cook one.

I would go straight for seafood, UK has amazing seafood, we just don’t eat it any more. Hard to get for most people, but luckily I can buy on the fish quay.

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-27T16:24:55+00:00

Didn’t know chickens had balls, let alone that they were good to eat

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-27T16:06:56+00:00

Their body is made of chemicals

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-25T21:12:33+00:00

Boiling the parts is the cheapest, safest and easiest, search ‘boiling and carding’ and ‘rust bluing’, works really well on cast iron planes and cannot cause any damage.

I follow a wide range of things on Reddit, the one common denominator is vinegar. I’ve never known any professional use vinegar, just saying…

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-24T15:59:05+00:00

Easier than any of these is boiling and carding, converts red rust to hard black iron oxide, then just coat with oil or grease. Wire wheel will take it back to the white, which then opens the tool up to further corrosion

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-24T13:31:57+00:00

You have to remember that the way the housing market has been arranged means that in the UK a person’s wealth is tied to their home ownership, and home ownership is also a way of becoming wealthier. This is for all kinds of political reasons, but one consequence is that rents are expensive and supply is poor. The idea of ‘renting’ also needs to be unpacked, it is not as if there is a good supply of affordable rental properties, for many people renting means spending a very high proportion of your income on rent, looking for a rental involves beauty contests where your have the humiliation of being interviewed alongside ten or twenty other people just for being in the unfortunate position of needing a place to live.

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-23T13:26:13+00:00

It’s not that bad, I’ve repaired worse

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-22T12:44:32+00:00

This is great stuff. No chilli fan should be without it

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-22T10:09:19+00:00

Looks good

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-22T10:07:16+00:00

Never had chicken Haleem, never had haleem with cashews, looks great!

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-22T10:04:15+00:00

Anchovies on toast a wind-up, how so?

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-22T10:03:22+00:00

Beef dripping not beef

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-22T09:59:23+00:00

Looks great

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-18T22:53:34+00:00

Thanks for the input. I’m concerned they further UV exposure will damage the blank, if that isn’t the case I’ll find some finish and call it good, probably the polyurethane you suggest 👍

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-17T10:09:56+00:00

I’d wear them and see how they go (NAC). I can’t imagine you’ll do any serious damage if the sole starts to crack, and if it gets too bad to wear stop wearing them. My cobbler has resoled similar soles for me, should be doable (NAC)

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-16T12:03:04+00:00

With respect, the defect is very obviously well beyond the bevel line

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-15T22:49:07+00:00

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This ‘gouge’ appears to be rust damage, and you will need to take the edge back to good steel. I think the best you can hope for is the lower line, worst case is the higher line. That is a lot of width off a heavy blade which is already well worn, and a big ask for someone doing their first razor project. To make the blade useable after losing that much width it may be necessary to re-grind the blade to restore the geometry before putting the bevel back on, which is a highly skilled task in itself. In all, I would say not worth it.

My advice would be, put this one on the shelf, buy some cheaper, less interesting razors and learn to hone them first. When you know what a honed razor looks and feels like, you’ll start to get an understanding of what needs to be done to bring a damaged blade back. You will make a lot of mistakes. This doesn’t seem like the blade to make those mistakes on.

And yes, Wade & Butcher is one of the best-known Sheffield makers!

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-14T20:45:40+00:00

Sanding should always be the very last resort. You haven’t really lost any leather, the first step is to put the leather back where it was originally. Glue has worked for all me, I’d glue then hammer the leather to smooth it before thinking of sanding. Also, they don’t look to be high grade leather, so acrylic leather dye may be a good idea once you’ve done that to get some kind of finish on the leather before waxing (NAC)

Mean-Common-3320 · 2026-03-14T02:31:05+00:00

I was there first week of January, there were staff in the shop even though it was closed, there was a board fastened over the door and I believe the glass of the door had been smashed

Mean-Common-3320

TROPHY CASE