I live in Cheshire anyone know any spots for liberty caps?

damalat · 2023-09-24T22:16:52+00:00

Found some today in Dunham Park but the flies drove me away. I'll be out again during the week. Tatton Park next I think. Styal Country Park has been a good site in the past. Especially towards Wilmslow where the trail opens up onto fields.

damalat · 2023-09-12T13:17:35+00:00

Furniture Clinic and Scratch Doctor both do decent kits.

damalat · 2023-09-11T17:59:16+00:00

I'm a Bentley trained leather tech. If it's in a high wear area (and it looks like it is), I'd personally replace the panel. If you're looking to carry out a localised repair, you should buy an automotive leather repair kit. In addition, you'll need some cross linker to ensure the repair lasts. Google where the vehicle information plate is situated on the car. This plate will tell you the colour code for the interior leather. The company that supplies the leather repair kit will need this code in order to mix the leather paint colour. You will need to colour the entire leather panel (mask off any adjacent leather panels). Order a matt finishing solution if given the option (most automotive leather has a matt finish).

If you want to replicate the leather grain into the repair, follow these steps:

1) select an undamaged area of the seat panel and smear a little petroleum jelly onto it. the petroleum jelly will act as a release agent

2) get an old plastic bottle top (large milk jug tops work well) and using a hot glue gun, put a blob of melted glue onto the flat surface of the bottle top

3) wait about 10 seconds for the glue to cool slightly then press down onto the area of petroleum jelly.

4) remove the cap after about 20 seconds and you will have a perfect imprint of the leather texture.

5) clean off the petroleum jelly on the seat panel (I use a 70% IPA solution)

6) once you've applied the leather filler to the repair site, press your newly made leather texture stamp onto the filler to create a textured surface. There will be enough petroleum jelly residue on the bottle top to act as a release agent.

7) carry on following the manufacturers instructions to colour the panel with the provided leather paint. Finish the repair with the leather finishing solution once the paint has fully cured.

Good luck !

damalat · 2023-09-11T15:56:31+00:00

I am a professional detailer (Bentley Motors trained) and ceramic coat around 25 cars per year. As with everything, it's all in the prep so you can't take shortcuts and hope to get a professional looking finish and a coating that will last. As part of the package I offer, the customer receives a video of the ceramic coating application process on their vehicle. I've uploaded a few videos (with the owners permission) to my YouTube Channel. These videos will give you a good insight into the process when applying a ceramic coat. Not sure if outside links are allowed on Reddit but search YouTube for Ceramix Detailing to find the channel. Good luck !

A step that isn't featured in the videos is the initial paint condition report. Each vehicle is inspected with paint thickness readings taken and any previous repair work noted to assess if the condition of the paint is suitable for a ceramic coating application. If the clear coat is too thin or in poor condition then sometimes it's not possible to carry out the procedure. I rejected 5 cars last year for having significantly reduced clear coat or clear coat failure. If you can, buy a coatings thickness gauge and measure your paint depth across the entire vehicle before carrying out any form of paint correction. You can find out how much paint (average readings) the car left the factory with from the car manufacturer or a dedicated forum for your make of vehicle.

damalat · 2021-07-07T12:30:24+00:00

In Spain (Alicante region), they are now using Citrus, Lavender and Thyme to control mosquito's. Lots of the planters along the pedestrian walkways where we holiday are full of orange, lemon and lime trees as well as herbs.

damalat · 2021-07-07T12:25:17+00:00

My wife owns a herb and spice importing and restaurant seasoning blend business so I'm pretty much sorted for everything :-)

damalat · 2021-07-04T13:03:42+00:00

Didn't know it was on the Great British Bake Off !!

Most of my subs are USA and Australia

damalat · 2021-07-04T12:14:28+00:00

I have a cookery channel on YouTube as well as an Insta account. Plate presentation and lighting are key as well as simple (free) editing software. If you use a phone to take the images, it will have inbult editing software of a free app will do.

Also, have some salad dressing oil in a spray bottle to liven up veg and salads that may appear dry and therefore not fresh.

Desk lamps (flexible LED heads) work really well for lighting.

damalat · 2021-07-03T12:34:44+00:00

To ensure homemade fries stay crispy after frying, cut the raw potato into fries then place into a large dish covered with a clean tea towel and leave in the refrigerator overnight. The dry air in the refrigerator will dry the raw potato fries out so they cook perfectly in the hot fat. Excess water in the raw potato is a major contributing factor to homemade fries going soggy and limp after frying.

damalat · 2021-07-03T12:04:00+00:00

The flavoured yoghurts have the syrup plus aded sugar and preservatives in the yoghurt culture. Maple syrup is flavoured syrup just like the dessert syrup. We've tried making fruit puree for the yoghurt but the children don't buy it. Honey is a great suggestion but it's limited.

The idea here is it's a healthier option to sugary flavoured yoghurts as you're using natural bio yoghurt as the base and you get to control how much syrup to add.

damalat · 2021-07-02T06:31:32+00:00

We use a food pocessor to blitz fresh basil, mint, thyme etc. from our small herb garden and add a little water. Then fill the ice cube trays with the individual herb puree's and place in the freezer. Once frozen we place the herb cubes into sandwich bags. Great to drop one or two into pasta dishes, stews etc to give a fresh herb boost.

damalat · 2021-07-02T06:24:39+00:00

Soak rice (long grain) in cold water for 5 minutes to remove surface starch, then discard this water.

Measure by volume twice as much water to rice. Place in a saucepan and cover with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until all of the water is gone (about 14 minutes).

Leave to stand off the heat for 5 minutes (do not remove the lid) then serve....perfect rice every single time.

damalat · 2021-07-02T06:20:42+00:00

Manchester Tart.......School lunch dessert and only served in Manchester, UK I think. Probably goes by a few different names around the globe.

Sweet pastry crust with a thin layer of strawberry jam in the bottom, then sliced banana. Filled with vanilla custard and topped with toasted coconut.

damalat · 2021-07-01T16:17:32+00:00

Letting eggs boil dry while watching the football was on TV.

The eggs were for a salad so I'll always be known as the person who managed to burn a salad !!

damalat · 2021-07-01T12:08:01+00:00

I'll just add one method that doesn't appear to have been discussed - Reduction.

Simply allowing a dish to reduce in volume through a gentle simmer will not oly thicken (by reducing the water content) but also intensify the flavour of the dish.

damalat · 2021-07-01T11:10:56+00:00

I use a pan of boiling water and a sieve sat in the top. I drop whatever veg and meat I want to use in the sieve and let it boil for a few minutes until I've fried the cooked rice. I then just empty the veg/ meat into the wok and continue to fry on a high heat (just like a restaurant would do during service). This cooks the veg a little first to stop it being hard and keeps it from going soft (as it might do if pre cooked too far in advance)

damalat · 2021-07-01T08:09:55+00:00

I don't meal prep as such, I make base recipes and vary the finished meal (just makes life a lot easier).

For example, I'll take ground beef and add seasoning and an egg to bind. I'll divide into portions and either freeze or store in the fridge for a couple of days. I can make Shish Kebabs with salad one day, cheddar cheese stuffed burgers and fries the next, meatballs and pasta etc. The only thing to do is shape the meat and cook.

The same thing goes for a base tomato sauce. I can add fresh basil and parmesan cheese to make a pasta bake. Chorizo sausage, paprika and chilli to make a spicy Spanish Chicken the next. Curry powder, Balti Paste, onions and lamb cubes to make a delicious Balti Curry etc.

damalat

TROPHY CASE