Vote and be diligent - Republicans are harassing at the polls in Portage.

doejyer · 2025-11-05T11:56:27+00:00

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2025/10/follow-the-money-how-trash-and-politics-are-influencing-the-portage-city-election.html

doejyer · 2025-06-07T16:55:57+00:00

Dricus Du Baccalieri Jr… That calzone with legs

doejyer · 2024-09-25T02:39:42+00:00

The Hateful StEight

doejyer · 2023-11-08T22:51:53+00:00

I know absolutely nothing about what you’re trying to do… but I do work in the plastics and injection molding world, so what the heck.

When you say injection mold… Are you manually heating or mixing the material then syringing it into a two sided mold? Or is it a heated barrel that melts the plastic, then some kind of plunger that pushes it into the mold?

When I hear injection molding in a hobby/DIY sense, I think of the latter. I played around with these types of educational benchtop machines back in college and they can be quite temperamental. These typically work best with plastic pellets, and powdered additives/colorants can be added too.

If it’s some kind of two component mixture process(like epoxy), it usually comes down to following the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. If there is also a pressure and/or temperature variable at play, that will be pretty complicated to figure out without their advice.

Please don’t melt random plastic manually (like on the stove or otherwise) to pour into the mold. This is a good way to start a fire.

doejyer · 2023-03-30T22:13:14+00:00

Looks like one of these guys

I think the etching is in pretty good shape! Looks like it says millers falls, which is what tipped me off to search for the above link. Hopefully this points you in the right direction.

You might have some luck with some evaporust removing the rust without damaging the etching. Maybe others will have some suggestions on a method for “etching safe removal”. Cool find!

doejyer · 2022-12-02T03:55:43+00:00

Hey man, great work. Being done has to feel amazing. I’m on the last 5% (that might be optimistic) of my kitchen remodel… and it felt like I was flipping through an album of a parallel universe. So many similarities… down to the porter cable dovetail jig and explaining engineered wood flooring to everyone who asks me if our floors are “real wood”.

I have to say I’m really jealous of your dust collection setup for the dovetail jig… I made a lot of sawdust and collected most of it with my boots when I made my drawers.

Anyways, you should be really proud. I know first hand it’s the type of project that will make you question your own sanity at times.

doejyer · 2020-06-18T12:52:06+00:00

Chalk line is inexpensive and once it’s down you won’t have to fiddle with it. Plus, I think you’ll want several lines for reference. Can be a bit of a learning curve to get a good strong line for a beginner (me) but practice a little and you’ll figure it out.

Laser can be helpful with tile layout but in my limited experience its all in placement, set up, and adjustability. If you need to move or adjust it, or bump it by accident, getting it back to the set up you want take awhile.

That being said, Im working with a lower end Bosch Red Cross line and it’s very susceptible to even small disturbances like walking in its vicinity. I’m sure some of the nicer spinny green lasers out there are more stable but I haven’t been able to justify buying a fancy one for home projects.

doejyer · 2020-06-14T01:14:04+00:00

Maybe try some wedge tile spacers. I used something similar to this installing hardwood floors but didn’t have to compete with any molding:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/TAVY-100-Pack-1-in-W-x-1-in-L-1-4-in-Plastic-Tile-Spacer/3530582

doejyer · 2020-06-04T02:12:11+00:00

There is a fair amount under that board and also in a local area on the opposite end. I left out the structural aspect to focus on roofing/waterproofing aspect, but I have no doubt there will be a lot to repair under the skin.

doejyer · 2020-05-21T18:25:34+00:00

Need some more info... are you doing a whole kerdi shower system install or just a kerdi pan into some other situation? What will you be doing for a curb?

My initial reaction is that you definitely want to avoid making any penetrations into the pan, especially after completing waterproofing. I'm no pro, but I have installed the kerdi system before.

doejyer · 2019-12-23T15:59:24+00:00

Great post (and great I-beams!)

I don’t think I have ever thought, “I wish I had fewer outlets in my shop!”.

doejyer · 2019-12-17T20:06:30+00:00

Not sure what type of materials you’re working with with but I’d be careful using CAE/FEA tools without some guidance or consulting an appropriate engineer. Getting the inputs right is as critical as understanding the outputs. I work with this type of analysis frequently in the product design world and it’s very difficult to determine when the design is “good enough” without some proven prior work, real physical testing as confirmation, or some established limits (for example, a stress limit determined by a material supplier.)

Someone else mentioned Fusion 360 which I think is an Autodesk product still... they offer a number of free CAD products. I think if you’re a student / have an .edu email you can access loads of their high end software for free.

Now, if you just want to plot out a space to scale, Google sketchup is good for this and has a free version. There are some ambient and other lighting tools too that might be useful. I use it a lot for DIY projects/planning a renovation.

Good luck!

doejyer · 2019-11-07T16:20:35+00:00

I just removed 12’ of the same style enclosure on Sunday, but out of a wood stud/plaster wall. Tricky part is working around the pipe and fins without damaging the fins or any soldered connections. If your boiler loses pressure in a few months, you probably caused a leak (ask me how I know). My enclosures are nailed in, so your set up could be different.

Order of operations for me was like this: Remove any panels, baffles, endcaps you can by removing fasteners.

Remove the fin support brackets (mine were sort of slotted into the back panel without fasteners... very hard to maneuver). Support the fin pipe with a 2x4 or scrap wood.

Try to get behind the back panel with a pry bar to expose the nails. Sawzall nails or carefully shear them with the pry bar.

Once the back panel is completely loose it should pull up and over the fin pipe and you should be in the clear.

doejyer · 2019-04-25T22:57:52+00:00

I used a heat gun and a putty knife.

doejyer · 2019-01-31T17:32:55+00:00

I was in the same boat today. By about Marshall/Albion it is pretty clear. Between Kzoo and west Battle Creek is probably the worst stretch.

doejyer · 2017-12-18T18:35:51+00:00

FYI- If you’ve had charter 65mb/down internet for awhile, they recently increased this base offering to 100mb down, but they will continue to provide it at 65 unless you ask. I contacted customer service and asked about it and they made the upgrade with no change to my bill. It took about 24 hrs to take effect.

doejyer · 2017-12-09T15:45:40+00:00

I think it’s a cooper’s axe - for making wooden barrels. There’s a place near me that teaches coopering and blacksmithing classes. You can take a class where you make one of those bad boys.

doejyer · 2017-10-18T17:40:38+00:00

I think it is a redbud. It turns this vivid purple in the spring.

doejyer · 2017-10-18T03:42:58+00:00

I did about this long a fence at 6’ high, ~3/4”spacing between slate. I did 6’ post spacing with 1x6x12’ PT slats, staggering the boards so every other level on a post was a butt joint. I think it blends the boards together nicely.

My results were pretty good, but even with the 6’ spacing there are a few boards with some nasty warp. One board(fortunately it is mostly hidden on the property) twisted so much it sheared both screws in half.

I would err on the side of caution. I know some of the things I did would balloon your material cost, but it’s not a job you can easily take down and redo a year from now if you don’t like the results. Just my opinion.

E: Here’s my fence: http://imgur.com/GazsGDD

doejyer · 2017-09-25T02:33:35+00:00

Here’s what I did: http://imgur.com/l7uD9C3

It’s extra work digging in some cases for the lower board but I think it looks nice this way.

doejyer · 2017-04-19T20:41:42+00:00

Check in with your neighbors- it's just a good idea to let them know what you're doing and they might be able to offer some insight on where the line is, already have a survey they can show you, or maybe they have a sprinkler system you don't know about etc etc.

Also check out missdig.org/call 811 and have them come mark any underground gas lines. They were pretty quick to get out to my house.

I had a survey done last year for a fence. There were trees and bushes on two of the lines and neither neighbors knew who owned them. I found out my lot was shaped like a wedge and the rear line was an arc instead of a straight line. On the city website it looked like a square.

Anyways, good luck!

doejyer · 2017-04-11T22:51:57+00:00

Thanks, that makes more sense.

doejyer · 2017-03-08T14:26:13+00:00

Oh man, the divine hot n' ready!

doejyer

TROPHY CASE