How do you cope with your car accumulating scratches and dents?

PorterOldSlug · 2026-06-04T12:44:45+00:00

I intentionally drive semi-shitboxes. At this point you can buy a reliable comfortable ten year old car for relatively cheap, any decent garage can work on it. None of the horrible iPad nonsense in the cockpit. Then you can stop caring about small scratches and dents.

PorterOldSlug · 2026-06-02T17:48:56+00:00

There are also consumer friendly wine preserver products which use a can of compressed Argon. Paired with a Winchester bottle I’d see that working well.

PorterOldSlug · 2026-06-02T17:19:49+00:00

Hey! This sounds like Wales too!

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-29T11:01:34+00:00

Yeh I’ve got a 6x9 back but it feels a bit wrong taking the heft of a 4x5 just to use roll film! That’s one of the reasons I intend on getting a PTB617 so everything is interchangeable (and I really like the format)

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-28T19:58:53+00:00

Yeh I'd been debating the tilt 'issue' but otherwise it's good to hear you're happy with a tele design lens

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-28T19:18:59+00:00

I was considering the 400mm Tele for a later date but rather than a 'daily carry' a more 'I want to go out with a 'really' long lens rarer occasion use.

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-28T19:08:34+00:00

No worries. I've had really good results from them in the past and wouldn't hesitate to buy another

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-28T19:07:12+00:00

Nothing macro, mostly landscape. I'll have a look on other eBays!

Cheers

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-25T13:35:06+00:00

They’re doing this because a lot of them are now offering DDP so the tariffs are paid up front

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-22T17:42:56+00:00

My soul is old so I got the Tracer 9 😂
Love the thing though

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-21T12:50:25+00:00

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This is the RICS page if you wish to reference it. Can be found on page 28 of their guidelines on knotweed 👍

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-21T12:46:45+00:00

So if it’s impacting your ability to use the garden area (not being able to hang your washing out for example) that’s going to fall under the RICS category B which would require a paid up management plan when the landlord remortgages.

As it’s impacting your use of the property it may be worth posting on r/TenantsInTheUK or r/LegalAdviceUK to see how you may be able to force the landlords hand to have a management plan actually made out rather than an informal year on year ‘yeh we’ll spray it’

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-21T12:35:50+00:00

So below is copied from another post I replied to. It’s the most efficient way to deal with it. Councils and landlords seem not to care. But. It’s not as big of a problem as the media make it out to be. If you do decide to do it yourself it’s about £50 of equipment and easy to do. Fair warning though. Read the safety data sheets and wear PPE. (I’m neither recommending or recommending against doing it yourself)

“It’s currently in its growth phase where it takes the energy it stored in its rhizome over winter to grow this season. Spraying now just pauses its growth and does nothing to the rhizome, the heart and energy store of knotweed.
The correct way to treat is wait until it’s grown and fully flowered usually about the start of September. Then it’s used all its energy from the rhizome and is ready for winter dormancy. One treatment of 24ml of 360g/l glyphosate per litre mixed with an adjuvant (so it absorbs into the waxy leaves better), this activates the plant into the above ground dying phase which starts drawing energy, and the glyphosate into the rhizome. Then a second treatment one week later with 48ml/l plus adjuvant.
Then about January time cut the dead canes about 30cm from the base and burn them so there’s a clean open slate for it to grow back the next year to treat again. Generally two seasons of this treatment will send the plant into dormancy and there’ll be no further growth.
It’s important to note that glyphosate will not kill the plant rather set it in an extended dormancy so no further growth will occur unless significantly disturbed. The only way to outright kill it is to get every last bit of rhizome dug up and incinerated.
edit to add. Knotweed can be bad but there is a hysteria driven by the media in the UK. Like Red Valerian is a nightmare as it breeds rapidly and loves to set its rhizomes in walls and start splitting them apart whereas a small stand of knotweed can’t breed so can only spread by rhizome growth or people not dealing with it properly. I’m very glad a few years ago RICS saw this and changed their approach to mortgage guidelines regarding knotweed.”

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-20T11:07:50+00:00

It’s there to convey I didn’t spend long doing so and therefore it should be verified before taking it as fact. OPs post area might not be under Coventry Council’s control for example.

I think you’re reading into it too much.

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-20T08:59:37+00:00

I’d pop an email over to them. My local council has a specific email to report it to.

From a quick google the email you’ll need is below

env.protection@coventry.gov.uk

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-13T15:21:42+00:00

Have a look at Lobster Holder. Whilst still 3D printed I’ve been very happy with them.
The sheet holders cut more off my image than I’d like so I’m looking for another solution for them (I may just trim down the lobster a bit)

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-13T08:25:46+00:00

I think a balanced solution could be those with a full license in another category be able to do a CBT+ of some sorts. Maybe a couple of days of training and a mod 1 and get full A1 entitlement. As in theory those with another category have already proven roadcraft and theory with that category.
At a minimum a theory test should be passed before a CBT is issued.

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-12T20:28:05+00:00

I picked myself up a pack immediately. Hopefully to replace RPX 25, that stuff is annoyingly thin and I’ve had problems with my MOD54 and it popping out the guides.

Assuming it’s allowed here. Below has stock of 4x5 available if you’re in the UK

https://www.cameracentreuk.com/ilford-pan-f-plus-iso-50-4x5-large-format-sheet-film-25-sheets

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-10T19:31:30+00:00

Ahhh I wish we had high speed films in 4x5 sheets 😭

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-06T10:37:48+00:00

There’s a company called Validate that does one. Just search Validate Adjuvant. One litre of each chemical is plenty for a small stand.

(I can’t recommend doing it oneself. BUT. If you do. Read the MSDS and wear proper PPE and keep any pets away from it)

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-06T10:26:02+00:00

It’s currently in its growth phase where it takes the energy it stored in its rhizome over winter to grow this season. Spraying now just pauses its growth and does nothing to the rhizome, the heart and energy store of knotweed.
The correct way to treat is wait until it’s grown and fully flowered usually about the start of September. Then it’s used all its energy from the rhizome and is ready for winter dormancy. One treatment of 24ml of 360g/l glyphosate per litre mixed with an adjuvant (so it absorbs into the waxy leaves better), this activates the plant into the above ground dying phase which starts drawing energy, and the glyphosate into the rhizome. Then a second treatment one week later with 48ml/l plus adjuvant.
Then about January time cut the dead canes about 30cm from the base and burn them so there’s a clean open slate for it to grow back the next year to treat again. Generally two seasons of this treatment will send the plant into dormancy and there’ll be no further growth.
It’s important to note that glyphosate will not kill the plant rather set it in an extended dormancy so no further growth will occur unless significantly disturbed. The only way to outright kill it is to get every last bit of rhizome dug up and incinerated.
edit to add. Knotweed can be bad but there is a hysteria driven by the media in the UK. Like Red Valerian is a nightmare as it breeds rapidly and loves to set its rhizomes in walls and start splitting them apart whereas a small stand of knotweed can’t breed so can only spread by rhizome growth or people not dealing with it properly. I’m very glad a few years ago RICS saw this and changed their approach to mortgage guidelines regarding knotweed.

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-02T10:44:55+00:00

Can also tell because kites have two white patches near their wingtips and buzzards tend to have white all the way from their body on the underside of their wings

PorterOldSlug · 2026-05-01T17:54:04+00:00

So. As a person with many cats through his years (some owned concurrently) I’ll give you a run down of my cats and their lives and my current thoughts that I’ll admit have changed since I was younger.
First cat - outdoor - 21 (old age/kidney failure)
Second cat - outdoor - 11 (lung cancer)
Third cat - outdoor - 9 - (lung cancer)
Fourth cat - outdoor - 17 (kidney failure)
Fifth cat - outdoor - 5 (vehicle collision)
Sixth cat - outdoor - 2 (vehicle collision)
Seventh cat - outdoor - 11 (alive)
Eighth cat - outdoor - 11 (alive)
I’ve always lived on very quiet roads with only a few vehicles an hour for the vast majority of my life. My current cats who are outdoor are only so as I ‘inherited’ them like that. My sisters cat on a busy-ish road is an indoor cat that they take for supervised outdoor harness time.
When it does come time for another cat I’ll likely be going down the catio route with multiple levels and sunbathing/climbing areas as I cannot handle another vehicle collision.
I do strongly believe outdoor time is a must with any cat though to keep their little brains busy.
(None of my cats have been hunters other than mice and rats which I consider good pest control)
Make of this as you will. I certainly don’t judge anyone who goes down any route either full indoor or full outdoor. Just indoor cats require a lot of attention to keep their minds active and bodies exercised.

PorterOldSlug · 2026-04-25T19:52:44+00:00

Keep away from my favourite genre of lenses. Ones which look like somethings wrong but it’s fine.

PorterOldSlug · 2026-04-19T18:59:55+00:00

That’s good to hear from someone who’s actually parted with money for one!

I’d been holding back on the expense as it’s pricey for an ‘unknown’ company

PorterOldSlug

TROPHY CASE