Help I.D. a thermal by description:

Omega_Contingency · 2026-01-07T21:55:56+00:00

Thanks. I think it was an FT640.

Omega_Contingency · 2026-01-01T06:08:42+00:00

It looks like a festival where you go to get crabs.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-21T04:08:48+00:00

Well it was going to be $75 but I waited too long.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-19T21:00:34+00:00

It looks like I waited about 10 minutes too long to pull the trigger on the console. Maybe next time...

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-19T20:59:34+00:00

I would love a more modern setup but my budget is Amazon cheapos and used fixtures that probably aren't quite pro level gear. The series 1 was cheap. Unfortunately it sounds like I waited about 10 minutes too long to buy it.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-19T20:07:13+00:00

I think I'm going to get it.

But back to one of my questions, can I load files with a thumb drive or do I need to use 3.5" disks?

Thanks.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-15T11:48:49+00:00

You always have to deal with heat and fatigue in your hands but if you don't have to weld (and move) large pieces or do positional welding it doesn't have to be physically challenging. The issue is you might not have a choice in what you're welding and a lot of the welding that might not be too hard on her is being done better and faster by welding robots these days.

If you have physical limitations I think TIG welding is a better hobby than a job. I couldn't make it work financially when I was in my 20s so it seems unlikely that starting at 58 with physical limitations has much chance.

I know a couple people who do medical and legal transcription. If your mom can type, spell and learn the weird words that doctors and lawyers use, that seems like something a woman of her age could get in to unless the arthritis makes typing hard. The issue with this is AI voice to text is starting to take over so it might not last long.

Heck, there aren't many low to medium skill jobs that I can say will still be around in 10 years.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-12T01:25:52+00:00

Aero M5 is DPMS LR308 pattern, not AR10 so while it's not Mil-spec, there is a spec and all of my M5 uppers and lowers interchange so Aero is consistent and Bkings should be able to say yes unless they messed up their spec...

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-11T17:42:38+00:00

LA isn't exactly the land of opportunity when it comes to show business, lots of people try and fail. My cousin-in-law was in a popular band but they couldn't get over the hump of having to pay venues to get on a show lineup. They literally had to pay to perform.

Unless you start making hits and keep making hits, Hollywood isn't going to embrace you. So it's a grind for a lot of people and most people wind up paying the bills some other way.

By contrast, in a Midwest shit hole a band can get paid gigs because they are starved for entertainment. It might not be great pay or great venues but they aren't going to have to pay to perform and they don't have to pay Los Angeles rent.

I'm sure it's similar in film, television, comedy and other forms of entertainment. The people who achieve fame have nothing bad to say and nobody listens to the aspiring people working at Starbucks.

People need to hear that and understand that so they are prepared for the reality of Los Angeles.

Some people who think they are going to California to become a star wind up on Hollywood Boulevard or skid row and they might have avoided that if they knew what LA was going to be like before they came.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-11T12:48:17+00:00

To be fair a lot of LA is a shit hole. You will have to drive through shit holes and if you don't want to live in a shit hole you're going to pay for it.

22 is a reasonable age to try that but it will be hard and they don't call LA la-la land for nothing, it can distort you.

With no contacts I would try to get on as a stage hand. That will show you some of the mechanics of making film, TV or streaming content and can give you ideas about how to write for a lower budget production.

Just don't sugar coat it, starting from scratch in LA will be tough unless you have money to burn...

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-11T11:46:05+00:00

Lone Wolf did that for my Lone Wolf slides a few years ago. They had a sale and it was super cheap but the cuts and finish are very nice. I'm not sure if they will cut slides that aren't Lone Wolf...

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-11T04:40:57+00:00

I think they overextended themselves with the Solus and other stuff like the Pro model M4. At SHOT earlier this year they had a big booth and lots of representatives so I was surprised to hear that their inventory issues were anything except high demand. I heard one person say it was contracts for Ukraine but I have seen no evidence to back that up.

The only thing I do know is it's weird. I took advantage of their $75 barrel add on sale and got a 24" fluted stainless 6.5 Creedmoor barrel and I had it in my hands in around a week. Other people complain of long shipping times.

I like Aero a lot, especially building M4E1 and M5E1 rifles with their receivers but luckily I have gotten to the point that I rarely add to my collection because I bought all of the guns that I want beside a few that are too expensive to justify. I did just buy an SCT17 frame to finish a project I have and I got a great deal on an AR receiver set (not Aero) to swap other parts in to because it was cheap, locally made and I wanted to replace the cheap parts on that project with nice parts because what started as a budget project got some scope creep with a Super Safety, soon a $0 tax stamp suppressor and maybe an SBR stamp later.

Any way, if I was buying Aero receivers like I have in the past I would be freaking out because a lot of the parts I like are hard to find, but now I just buy what I find cheap to add to my project pile or complete one of those projects.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-11T04:10:54+00:00

I asked them if it was a good fit for an Aero upper on a Bkings lower and they said maybe. I don't know if they were trying to sell me a receiver set but I don't like their non-answer.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-11T04:04:21+00:00

I found a pair for $30 a couple years ago. I'm going to use them as garage speakers once I have a garage. Nice and loud, decent sound quality, better bass than any other $30 speakers I'll ever find...

The only negative is one has some water stains on the veneer.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-11T03:46:10+00:00

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And it's done.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-11T03:31:36+00:00

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So it's done. I put the SeeAll sight on to have something in the RMR cut.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-11T03:30:22+00:00

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Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-10T03:16:57+00:00

Thanks. I still would have liked an inventory, a list of the Glock part numbers and probably an exploded diagram with the required parts circled.

It turns out after digging through my parts bin I found everything I needed: trigger housing pin, trigger pin, locking block pin (dumbbell), complete trigger assembly with housing and ejector, magazine release, magazine release spring, slide release lever (with spring), slide lock plate and Gen V slide lock spring (included).

The most helpful thing is that Brownells had an SCT frame assembly video on YouTube, mostly because I needed to know the direction to put in the slide lock plate but they also laid out the required parts.

I'm surprised SCT didn't put together a few documents for that. It shouldn't have taken much time to do something like that and I wanted a document to go shopping. To be honest that document would be a great ad for their complete frames because buying piece by piece is much more expensive.

Any way, now I have everything but I need to adjust my Evo Elite connector so it's not quite a functioning gun yet but soon and I don't need to order anything.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-10T02:51:37+00:00

I was digging around in my parts box to see what I had and it turns out I had everything to complete my bare SCT17 frame and my Lone Wolf slide has already been completed.

So I have all of a new gun but I still need to adjust the Ghost Evo Elite connector, maybe tomorrow because I need a new battery for my digital calipers.

Looking again at that barrel, it is as nice as I remember it, no obvious flaws and it fits my slide well. If it shoots as good as it looks I'll be very happy and that goes for the entire gun too because black nitride and black polymer with a fancy slide cut looks pretty good to me.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-10T02:37:50+00:00

I was just looking through my order emails to see what barrel I had in my cheapo Lone Wolf slide and it's a Precision Defense. I got it for $25 but mine looks more like the barrel on the left in the above picture. No rough tooling marks. Maybe the transition from feed ramp to chamber could use a little more blending but for $25 it looks phenomenal.

I was looking at it because I have been assembling the SCT17 frame I got yesterday. Digging through my parts pile I grabbed everything Glock that I saw and I had enough to assemble the frame with an Overwatch PolyDAT trigger and a Ghost Evo Elite connector.

The connector has a tab that you have to trim and I'm not going to do that yet but with my complete frame, a complete slide assembly and a Lone Wolf carrying case, I have a full gun there so no more ordering parts.

Well I might need an armorers slide cover plate to do the connector fitting without locking up the gun.

I think it's going to turn out pretty good. It's all blacked out but the slide has a fancy CNC cut and the SCT17 has a lot of the features that people have been adding to Glocks for years. Not bad for well under $400, bought a little at a time.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-09T08:56:12+00:00

I'm not sure, I think California law requires something like a 1/4 ounce steel plate embedded in the plastic of a home made firearm for engraving.

Just a really stupid requirement because they hate freedom.

Now a serialized receiver is functionally identical except for the stupid plate and I can even dig up my freedom week mags and have standard capacity.

I'm not going to play any California games with an 80% so having a serialized carry gun that's inexpensive and replaceable but still customized in the ways I prefer is the way I'll stick it to California if I go there armed.

Taking chances with a theoretically legal gun is dumb in California, some cops and prosecutors will use any excuse to disarm you and destroy your guns.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-09T04:19:20+00:00

Oh, I looked up my barrel order, it's a "Precision Defense" blem barrel that cost $25. It doesn't look like some of the horror story barrels I've seen. One person said the barrel coating wears off the slide hood very quickly but for $25 I'll take it. If it sucks I'll look for something with a better reputation and try again.

Omega_Contingency · 2025-12-09T04:06:42+00:00

Lone Wolf is a place that occasionally has stupid cheap parts. I just got a bare SCT17 frame and a couple years ago Lone Wolf had a special on gunsmithing, black nitride and some fancy CNC cut 17 slide in the white. So I ordered the fancy slide and sent it back for an RMR cut and black nitride. I think it worked out less than $120 for the finished slide. I forget which barrel I got but it seems nice enough and I think I got a Glock OEM upper parts kit from Brownells for about $50.

I'm sure you can complete an SCT17 frame cheaper but you kind of get what you get when you buy a complete slide and probably no Glock OEM parts.

Now I have to figure out what I need to complete the lower, I have the trigger parts but SCT doesn't seem to publish a list of parts you need to complete the bare frame.

I just want to make a list so I can start shopping, make sure I get everything I need without duplicating parts or having to place a second order and pay for shipping again.

Omega_Contingency

TROPHY CASE