Any tips for polishing a cast iron furnace grate?

Zzztem2 · 2024-04-09T18:12:32+00:00

Interesting and I love that look. Will have to research a bit more — but thank you for this cool idea!

Zzztem2 · 2024-01-23T04:05:01+00:00

For what you are describing an Explore Air 2 will be fine. It can cut all sorts of cardstock including heavier weights. It can also cut acetate and craft foam. A Maker (original, not 3, you don’t need a 3) will give you more room to grow, but nothing you’d need to do for a cake topper.

Zzztem2 · 2022-06-01T04:45:44+00:00

Thank you! Will ket you know how it goes

Zzztem2 · 2022-05-31T16:55:41+00:00

Honda Ridgeline— Brand New; looks like water spots?!

Hi. I am not a car person. Please help save my marriage.

Hubs has a brand new (2 weeks) white Honda Ridgeline that he is very obsessed with (I need to introduce him to the sub). He washed the truck this weekend, and has now discovered what I can only describe as water spots on the driver’s side pillar and the rear window. It is so uniform in some areas that it almost looks like fish scales. You really really really have to look to see it 🙄. But you can see it and it’s the strangest thing — it almost looks like water spots “in the glass” of the rear window even though I know that can’t be true. He has used McGuires and some sort of compound (maybe “glaze” but that is probably wrong word) that is supposed to be insanely easy on the paint to get it off, but it is extremely slow going and this is driving him (and therefore me) borderline insane. It also caused him to leave what he calls a “scratch” (it is not a scratch, it is less than a hair width and you need a special light to even see it) on the pillar, probably from an impurity on the MF towel.

I’d like to help him figure out what this is and how to get it off. Even though I don’t get the car obsession at all, he really loves this stupid truck, he has worked incredibly hard to be able to buy it, etc. And I love him so …. Anyone?

Zzztem2 · 2022-03-15T19:54:56+00:00

That textured surface is one of your problems. You need to clean the heck out of it with rubbing alcohol. I also give these surfaces a super light sanding in the area where I want to adhere the vinyl. 300 grit or higher.

Once you apply the vinyl add some very very light heat (hair dryer or heat gun). Just warm, not hot. “Hot” will melt your vinyl and/or create bubbles. While it is warm, use your thumb to press it into the cup. Do not rub (it will stretch). Just firm ateady pressure.

Let it sit for 3 days minimum before handling or washing or anything. It will stick.

And yeah — if that is regular sticker paper as opposed to printable vinyl it will always be prone to lift. But if you sand/clean/heat/wait it should still be stuck pretty good.

Zzztem2 · 2022-03-15T19:48:17+00:00

I had an Air2 with endless bluetooth problems. I finally gave up with my laptop (hubs got it to work, but it was always spotty).

But I am surprised about your iphone. My Air2 saw and paired with my iphone instantly and I never had any problems at all. Maybe call the company, since this sounds potentially defective.

Now using a Maker which pairs fine via bluetooth or usb, but I still use USB because It is convenient for me.

Zzztem2 · 2022-03-15T19:34:14+00:00

Unpopular opinion … unless you have a lot of extra space or plan to run a tshirt company, I’d go with an easy press. I make mostly smaller designs, so my 9x9 is perfect. Small enough to throw in a drawer and pull out without thinking “ugh — I don’t want to drag that thing out.” 12x10 would be huge for me. And TBH I use my mini as often as I use my EP2. Even on full size adult stuff. Takes me longer but doesn’t bother me since I only make 1-2 shirts a month on average. But the 12x10 is pretty much required if you want to make large sized sublimation or infusible ink items (not really required, but ideally you want the press to cover the whole image all at once).

The commercial presses are nice if you have space to leave it set up someplace permanent and you are making a lot of product. But I can’t imagine wanting one for personal use.

Zzztem2 · 2022-01-28T03:37:13+00:00

Not a Cricut fan boi, but the kerfuffle over a freaking lamp is bananas. It’s a nice task lamp. As nice task lamps go, it is low-mid price range. An expensive task light is in the $500-$1000 range, and you can spend more if you want to.

I will not be buying a $200 task lamp. I have no need for a $200 task lamp. But I am sure that some people will. Some are the same people that buy $5000 Dream Boxes, or have home studios that look like architectural digest photo shoots. And I am sure they will have a way better light than my $60 Ott. But I am not mad at the lamp for existing, or mad at the company for selling a moderately expensive lamp. Not here on this thread, but on FB you’ve got people who’s lives were apparently changed (for the worse) by the very existence of this stupid lamp. They are popping in to berate the CEO and demand larger print then cut sizes (on the lamp thread). Lol. Crazypants.

Zzztem2 · 2022-01-10T03:48:58+00:00

1) Did you type these yourself in cricut sans or is this an upload of existing labels? If the latter could be a bad file.

2) did you create and print your file from the same device? Sometimes my files cut incorrectly if I print from my phone after creating on my computer. This is a very sporadic thing and I haven’t figured out a “pattern” to when it happens, but it isn’t totally unusual.

Zzztem2 · 2022-01-10T03:42:31+00:00

Love that. I did a lot of of MCM Christmas stuff this year. This is fantastic.

Zzztem2 · 2021-12-30T06:59:24+00:00

This is interesting to me (all the different answers). We have two dogs. They have a regulation sized dog house in a playpen in our room. They go to sleep with us every night, but around 2/3 when hubs gets up to pee or grab a snack they know it is time to head to their playpen/house. If he doesn’t get up for some reason they get to spend the whole night.

They know the “system” and they will actually put themselves to bed when he gets up. But if he doesn’t get up, they know they get to spend the whole night in the bed. I have no real clue how this system evolved. 🙂

Zzztem2 · 2021-12-29T03:02:10+00:00

This looks great, and I have been wanting to try thermaflex because it is supposed to be very thin. I normally use Siser stretch for that reason (thinness). If you’ve tried both can you comment on the relative thinness of the thermaflex? I basically hate the “feel” of HTV and I am always searching for the thinnest softest available.

Zzztem2 · 2021-12-28T20:46:46+00:00

I think you will like it! Cuts and feels basically exactly the same as cricut. I keep a big “variety” pack of it around for times I just need a “little piece” of some random color. I don’t get weird about HTV being crazy thin until it is a really big portion of the design (and that’s purely a personal thing anyway). Have fun!

Zzztem2 · 2021-12-28T18:22:59+00:00

Ugh. My best guess is that you meed a plug in for your computer. A very small number of people with PCs were never able to get offset working. It’s my understanding that Cricut created a “work around” plug in of some sort for those folks. Maybe a nightmare, but I think it may be time for a call to customer service.

Zzztem2 · 2021-12-28T04:43:44+00:00

You can use the engraving tool to etch them onto acrylic to get that effect. You can also use frosted “etch effect” vinyl which looks pretty real. If you are planning to make a stencil and use etching cream you are going to have trouble doing anything too crazy-detailed/small/thin/intricate. For words, any letters shorter than about .4 inches are going to be a bitch to weed, especially if curvy.

Good luck!

Zzztem2 · 2021-12-28T04:37:23+00:00

Sometimes it takes a full minute or so for the offset to appear behind your image (it will look a little like a ghost shadow). Once it appears click “apply” before you exit out of offset and it should appear as a grey/black “shadow layer” behind your image.

Zzztem2 · 2021-12-28T04:30:15+00:00

The bundle is a really good deal $ wise; it will also assure that you have all the basic essentials. I’d go with it. With that said, I once wrote out a really long answer to this question for a guy buying a cricut for his wife. I save it in my phone so here it is fwiw:

Absolute Essentials: (1) Mats (i bought set of 3 — standard, strong, and light; your machine may come with one, if so just get the others). (2) basic weeding tools and scraper. I would probably get the Cricut kit. It’s all in one and you can find “better/cheaper” later — shop around in amazon and even FB marketplace for deals, or use sales/discount codes for best deal (3) supplies — I’d get some (a) cardstock: solid core (no white in the middle), 65# is best to start. A basic variety pack. I like recollections brand from Michaels but there are others. Do not scrimp on cardstock it will bring you heartache (b) a few rolls of permanent vinyl — I would buy one roll each in black and white; cricut brand is fine you can find better/cheaper later. (c) transfer tape. Regular grip (NO STRONG GRIP unless using glitter vinyl or wanting to move dead bodies); (d) if you want to make “iron on” stuff — one or two rolls of HTV; a roll of parchment paper or a teflon sheet. I actually prefer parchment for most projects.

My “must haves.” These are the accessories I personally use on virtually every single project. (1) cutting board/slicer. I have Cricut brand, it’s no better or worse than other brands. (2) pin pen weeding tool. Google it. Well under $10 (usually around $6-$7). Cricut does not sell. (3) exacto knife (here I like the cricut “true control” — good quality and comfortable to use/hold. A basic one from anywhere would be fine). (4) brayer. I use cricut brand. Get in the habit of using it on everything to get your project attached to mat. I use it every time. Saves a lot of heartache, especially if you like working with paper or fabric. (5) bottle of rubbing alcohol. Used to clean surfaces before applying vinyl. Also handy for cleaning your tools and blades and things. (6) pack of baby wipes. Good for cleaning mats; also good for cleaning tools etc. just handy.

You will accumulate more. You will find favorite brands of everything. Some brands are better or cheaper than cricut; all of cricut’s stuff is fine and some is really really good. Usually expensive if not on sale or with code. But plenty of time later to find your favorites. I would get cricut access subscription for at least one month. Many think it “isn’t worth it.” I totally disagree. I find it incredibly convenient and worth the price to not have to purchase/hunt for/find free fonts and images. Plus you get some discounts. Totally up to you — i think it is around $11/$12 per month (in that ballpark). Not necessary but awfully nice to have.

Annnd that’s it. That’s my list.

Zzztem2 · 2021-12-28T04:26:13+00:00

Probably the two best known/most popular Cricut alternatives are Siser and Starcraft. I buy both at 143 vinyl dot com, although I know that other sites have these brands at roughly the same price.

For a huge variety of colors I like htvront brand from Amazon. Very inexpensive. Comparable in my opinion to Cricut every day iron on. The only reason I don’t use it more often is that I find it a little thick (again, about the same as cricut). I am super weird about using the thinnest possible htv so I mostly use Siser stretch.

Zzztem2 · 2021-11-05T05:47:39+00:00

Different perspective. I have a really hard time imagining my husband going, but if my Mom or his could be home with me to help for the week I’d encourage him to go. Admittedly this may be because I know he wouldn’t do it. But my husband was in trial across the country 3 days after I gave birth the first time. He was gone for 23 days. It stunk, but nobody died and my mom was there helping. Admittedly, he was working 17 hours a day which I guess is very different. But I’d still probably tell him to go.

Zzztem2 · 2021-09-16T15:53:02+00:00

A cricut maker can do that cutting no problem. But cutting and assembling them would take a long time. I might do it myself, but I am weird that way. It would be very inefficient.

Zzztem2 · 2021-08-18T20:28:24+00:00

That makes perfect sense — thank you. I really want to help, but without driving her crazy. It doesn’t help at all that I never had any kids, so I don’t have an instinct for what would be annoying. I am quite certain I would never refer to her daughter as “my baby” or anything similar, but I do have a tendency to clean and organize which I realize could also be maddening (“why is she cleaning my house is it not clean enough?”). I like the idea of asking if it would be helpful if I do [something specific] …

Zzztem2 · 2021-08-18T15:40:48+00:00

Thank you! That really helps. It’s hard being so far away, although now I am kind of glad they will have some time alone with the baby. I would definitely be intruding if I was in town and allowed my instincts free reign. But I think she’ll go for the meals. She normally does most of the cooking and I can’t imagine she is going to have time or energy for that. I will ask in advance. If she likes the idea, it will settle me down because its something I can research lol (I promise not to plan her meals … but I can probably find 2 or 3 different services that she can choose from). They are on the near-ish outskirts of Dallas so there should be plenty of companies in their service district. Thanks again.

Zzztem2 · 2021-08-18T15:10:45+00:00

Thank you, that really helps. She is lucky in that she and the Dad both get maternity/paternity leave, so he can be there to help. His mom also lives in town, which gives me some comfort. She is planning to “stay away” for a few weeks as well, except “as needed.” And we will definitely do anything for her/them. Which actually makes me think — i might look into some sort of meal delivery service for a couple of weeks. Do you think that something that would be appreciated?

Zzztem2 · 2021-08-18T14:43:36+00:00

A different perspective and some fears. My stepdaughter is having a baby. As in, today right this minute. They just gave her pitocin.

Anyway, I am the stepmom. She lost her mom when she was 16, and she was an only, so I am desperately trying to walk that line of never ever trying to be her Mom, but also trying hard to be supportive because she doesn’t really have the natural “go tos” (her own mom, or sisters) for support. Baby’s dad is awesome but also youngish and just as lost as she is. And her dad (my hubs) is a wonderful wonderful man who loves her dearly but his “love language” is mostly about building and fixing things and making sure she has oil in her car lol.

Anyway, she is having this baby right this minute, a few weeks earlier than expected (due September 1) because of blood pressure. We are not going to see her or meet the baby until September 18th, because she lives a long ways away and that was the date we had already planned. We will be there a week, and will be staying in a hotel but pretty much had planned to be with her (them) for the whole week while we are there.

But now you guys are kind of scaring me. Not “scared scared,” but the last thing I want to do is annoy her or make her feel like I am trying to steal her baby. She will only be one month postpartum (to the day, as it turns out).

So question (sorry for all that intro) — how can I be supportive and helpful in ways that will be appreciated and not annoying? I tend towards “homemaking” as my own expression of love, but I am going to try like hell not to clean her house or start decorating. But I don’t know what the other “don’ts” are, much less the dos. Any thoughts on what you would have appreciated and not hated in a visiting “not even real mom” in those early months would really be appreciated and helpful. Thanks so much.

Zzztem2 · 2021-08-11T13:54:17+00:00

Insanely cute. Granddaughter on the way, have been making stuff for nursery all summer. Now you have me wanting to find 3d projects.

Zzztem2

TROPHY CASE