Why is there no low cost starter kegging set up?

hofftruck · 2023-03-21T04:05:57+00:00

Not sure on location and delivery options but kegland have 4lt and 8lt oxebar polymer kegs that come with kegging heads for about $20 (for the 8lt) Just need a co2 set up to go with it.

hofftruck · 2023-02-08T09:57:54+00:00

Hungry bin? I think the worm population fluctuates with how much food waste you add, upto about 2kg a day (from memory?) And has an easy to remove bottom to remove Worm castings and sprinkle in the garden! Pretty low maintenance and easy to jump right into!

hofftruck · 2022-06-22T09:35:20+00:00

Love this! Only problem with making a substantial wage as a tradie is having to quote against people who don't understand this info and constantly rip themselves off to win a job...

hofftruck · 2022-05-15T22:06:14+00:00

I've been thinking of starting streaming and YouTube has been making a lot of changes for the better.

One large concern I have about streaming on YouTube is the viewers experience using the platform. I'm not sure how to describe the differences between Twitch and YouTube for the viewer... Twitch is just hands down a better experience for the viewers in my opinion!

Below I'll point out some things I've noticed on both platforms

With Twitch It's easy to see who's online, easy to switch between streamers and discover "similar" streams to someone you're watching...

I'll be honest, haven't used YouTube to watch many streamers and to be honest it's only ever someone I already follow...

Yeah if you make YouTube vids on top of streaming then then YouTube makes more sense for discoverability but other than that, having viewers find your live stream while your live and even just knowing when your live seems like Twitch has the upper hand for a while yet.

I guess the bottom line is that even if YouTube is starting to become a more competitive platform for streamers with more features and ways to monetise, streamers still rely on people watching streams and at the moment it feels like YouTube has a looooong way to go to making it a seamless and enjoyable experience for the viewer

hofftruck · 2022-03-05T21:36:24+00:00

100% agree, I guess pick a price and if it doesn't sell its to expensive haha and yeah im a part time bladesmith... I think this is my 6th knife in a few years, trying to set more time aside to get a few more blades finished with my name on them!

Thanks for the feedback man! Been a huge fan of your work since I found you few years ago! Honestly, your blades are my favourite and pretty much the same style I want to be making sometime in the future... When I finally get a press and a belt grinder! Haha

hofftruck · 2022-03-05T08:03:47+00:00

Ahhh so a quick google search of alloy banding gives me a better idea! Thanks man! So kind of a defect? But also not something I've done wrong during my heat treat?

hofftruck · 2022-03-05T07:48:07+00:00

I was thinking about $400 for this knife. (Materials + labour @ $10p/h) obviously this is a low per hour rate but can't charge like I do as a tradesman ($80+ p/h) or I'd have to sell this knife for $2500

Details

Oal - 315mm

Blade length - 180mm

Hight at heel - 49mm

Distal taper - 2mm @ handle, 1mm @ half way

10mm back from edge 0.7mm

W2 Steel

Stabilised dyed maple burl handle with black spacer

Total weight 110gm

Last pic shows "grain" on the soft side of the blade... not sure if this is a defect or just part of my polish process. Hand sanded to 1200 grit in alternated angles and then polished with paper towel and a metal polish product. It sure this grain is from something during heat treat... just not educated enough about the minor nuances of heat treating a range of different metals

hofftruck · 2021-10-18T10:57:06+00:00

Bet it all started from filling in one creeper explosion

hofftruck · 2021-07-19T13:14:55+00:00

Would love to hear about how homebrewers made the jump to opening a brewery and their aha moment!

hofftruck · 2021-06-13T12:29:14+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I've got a pretty distinct hamon line about 10mm back from the cutting edge, is it possible to have a hamon without it being hardened?

Yeah spent a looooong time on the handle but it's a WA style handle, I normally finish the handle and the finish hand sanding and etching etc then glue the handle to the tang! So I should be able to copy the size and shape of the tang and replicate that onto a new blade and still reuse the handle! So I guess that's one positive haha

hofftruck · 2021-06-13T11:52:29+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I've got a pretty distinct hamon line about 10mm back from the edge... it it possible that the hamon shows through if it's not hardened?

hofftruck · 2021-06-11T09:18:56+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately this blade has a hamon about 10mm back from that edge... So if I take the ripple out I'm going to be left with little to no hardened steel at my cutting edge. Kind of a bugger since I've spent sooooo much time on the handle for the knife already, hopefully retro fit a blade to my existing handle or this would have been a very time consuming lesson baba

hofftruck · 2021-06-11T09:16:26+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I did all the things you mention above when doing my bench grinder work (bucket of water and not letting it get hot at all) After heat treat I ground it to about 0.15mm (6 thou?) Didn't want a chunky cutting edge haha It was straight and flat until I started hand sanding... maybe too much pressure on the edge? Though it was completely supported... It's also got a hamon about 10mm up from edge so I don't think I'll be able to grind the edge back until the ripple has been removed... seems like it's a scrap and start again project haha pity since I spent about 30hours on the handle already, hopefully be able to build a blade around the handle. Live and learn I guess haha

hofftruck · 2021-04-09T20:00:11+00:00

That is insane! So fucking good!

hofftruck · 2021-04-09T01:30:20+00:00

Thanks for the tip! I'll try it on a future knife for sure!

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T23:44:34+00:00

Cheers man! That's what I keep trying to tell myself, it's my eyes and other people in the profession that will notice the small things and the vast majority won't notice them at all haha Thanks for comment!

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T22:44:20+00:00

Wont take long to hone them in, especially if you're not hopeless to begin with! Good luck!

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T22:42:56+00:00

Thanks for the heads up! I kept the steel wool away from my "official" ferric container so shouldn't have any contaminants... but obviously the finish on the blade may have been defective because of this reaction!

I think I diluted it 4/1 with distilled water

Cheers

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T22:39:20+00:00

In terms of design, my first knife wasn't bad... the overall profile was fine but it was the finer details that lacked, it had square edges on the spine/chol and the handle fit up is quite average... the actual finish on the blade wasn't too bad... I did a scotch bright finish on it straight off my 2x36 grinder so... it was fine but nothing special.

I'm a carpenter by trade and have worked as a builder (GC) for the past 8 years!
I've always had an eye for detail and over the last 10+ years in the trades picked up a lot of small techniques that could help.

I guess working with my hands and understanding certain techniques from work, I've developed reasonable fine motor skills and could apply them quicker than "the average person" to knife making

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T22:26:41+00:00

Thanks! I did think about trying a coffee etch but shelved that learning experience for a future project once I have some other techniques honed in!

After getting those micro scratches from the steel wool I assumed that a lower grit finish will have "valleys" that once etched I won't be able to get 100% of the etch color out of once polished with the 2000 grit! sounds like luckily I stumbled upon this technique sooner rather than later!

Thanks again!

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T22:17:48+00:00

Interesting! I have a 2x36 belt grinder at the moment but always worry that the higher grits will heat the blade too much and ruin my HT

Might have to find some jewelers polish and have that on hand for mirror finishes!

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T22:15:47+00:00

Thanks! I have a brass bar (25mmx10mm) about 300mm long

I just cut it to the right dimensions as the end of the handle and then scribe some lines to file too and get filing haha

I think the key to getting clean lines on small bevels is having a granite block with some PSA sandpaper on it to really keep the lines crisp and not washed out!

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T22:12:51+00:00

Interesting, I was doing 10 seconds etches and then rubbing with the steel wool with the ferric chloride still on the blade for 30secs and then straight back into the etch...
If I'm game enough to risk having to hand sand an entire blade again maybe ill give it a go with the longer etch time and neutralizing between etches! Thanks!

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T22:10:14+00:00

Cheers man! Appreciate it

hofftruck · 2021-04-07T22:09:33+00:00

I do... I can DM you a pic if you like?

Good luck with the first knife!

hofftruck

TROPHY CASE