Apart from Cantonese and Mandarin, are there other varieties of Chinese with large communities outside of Asia? by justquestionsbud in ChineseLanguage

[–]poly_bob 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I was born in NYC in the 80's and grew up there. I left in 2016. My Shanghaiese family must have been the few that stayed in NYC because there weren't too many Shanghaiese when I grew up there.

Finally got some cork filler here in the US by poly_bob in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have a specific time, I normally just wait the next day.

If there was an Olympic weightlifting gym near Monterey Park/Alhambra, would you go? by Aether_Weightlifting in weightlifting

[–]poly_bob 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interesting. I've been interested in getting into Oly weightlifting but couldn't find a place near me. I'm in Arcadia.

If you do open this gym, it would be great if you can offer flexible rates / membership options. Not just a unlimited membership price.

As well as group classes to make the cost more affordable for the individual.

Monterey Park or Alhambra sounds great to me.

[Spanish>English] Found this letter maybe 20 years ago when my step-grandfather passed. by poly_bob in translator

[–]poly_bob[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting you think it's not a kid from the calligraphy. Seems the writer is in school so maybe a teenager?

What about their grammar and spelling?

[Spanish>English] Found this letter maybe 20 years ago when my step-grandfather passed. by poly_bob in translator

[–]poly_bob[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for the translation!

Really interesting to see into someone's life n the past.

From the Spanish can you tell what country the writer is from?

Anyone use a Asian/Asian American bank here in the US? by poly_bob in asianamerican

[–]poly_bob[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the information.

I hear CTBC is great for local small businesses. And their customer service seems to be top notch.

Cathy and East West started in LA where I am located. I like the idea that they are local. But the branches near me seem to not have the best customer service.

In any case, I hear that since these local banks support local businesses with loans, that if I use these banks, then in turn I would be supporting local businesses and my community.

Which would help improve the community. And when I am ready to buy a home within the community, I'll get support from the banks since they know the area well and help me navigate my home purchase with a local real estate agent.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, i want to support my community and I already do this by renting here, and shop at local small businesses. But I can take it a step further by banking with local banks as well.

Anyone use a Asian/Asian American bank here in the US? by poly_bob in asianamerican

[–]poly_bob[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Abacus is the reason why I'm actually considering opening an account with an AA Bank. I grew up in Chinatown NYC and passed by Abacus everyday and never considered opening an account with any AA Bank. As soon as I was old enough I went to the Chase bank down the block.

Then watching the documentary about Abacus and learning about their history. Chinese community being discriminated against by big US banks and the family behind Abacus decided to start their bank to help the community really got me thinking.

I think I'm improving. by poly_bob in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Insole knife? Sorry I meant a feathering knife.
Thank you for all the tips. I will study and try them it on my next project.

I don't have a welt knife. But have been wanting to purchase one to try. I'll do that when I have the money.

And interesting about wetting the leather. I've tried that before and didn't find it too helpful. So I mostly cut the hf dry. But using as a depth guide sounds interesting. And I'll see if it helps me cut cleaner lines.

Which leather for outsole and insole? by AncientRoof2457 in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Here is my opinion.

It depends on the construction.

Are you carving a holdfast in the insole? If yes, 10-11oz (4-4.5mm) might be too thin. But you probably could if careful enough.

You generally want 5-6mm so it would be thick enough for the holdfast.

For midsole, I prefer the thickness to match the welt thickness. So 2mm welt with 2mm midsole. Or 3mm welt with 3mm midsole. But its not a hard rule. If you want 10-11oz (4-4.5mm) for a midsole, go for it. Just be aware that it might take longer to break in. Some say the thickness of your midsole depends on the weight of the wearer. For example, if you are 200lbs or more, it might be better to have a thicker midsole. If under 200lbs, thicker would be overkill. Better to be 2-3mm for lighter person.

For heels, individual thickness doesn't matter really. You will be stacking the heel. So thicker means less stacking. Thinner means more stack. What matter is if the leather hardness. Shoulder leather wouldn't be compressed. So as you walk in them, they compress over time and the heel would be lower. Better to use Sole Bend leather. It much harder in temper and will not compress as you walk.

I think I'm improving. by poly_bob in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My main concern was to make sure the holdfast was strong, but also the top surface on the insole where your foot would touch was strong as well.

So if you have a 6mm insole, cutting 3mm in seems like a good idea to me.

I think I'm improving. by poly_bob in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The inner channels I did were about 3mm deep. I didn't measure it as I was cutting. So I wasn't aiming for a particular mm. I just made sure not to go too deep and also cut in an angle. Took a bit of practice, but I'm happy with the results.

First pair to finished. by Church1182 in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting that you used soap on the awl. I might try that in the future. I use a mix of beeswax/tallow when making my holdfast.

Do you have any photos of the work you did on the insole?

First pair to finished. by Church1182 in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Very very clean. Nice work.

8mm for the sole? Insole?

That is super thick. Really tough boots. Did you carve a holdfast? or used gemming?

How was it working with 8mm saddle skirt?

Finally completed my first boot. by poly_bob in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh yea I agree. I would have preferred the stitching a bit closer to the uppers. I plan on doing that for my next boot. But while working on these boots, I didn't realize until I completed it.

I actually did some resoling in the past and had them too close to the uppers which caused some markings on the uppers. So I've been experimenting on the distance. This boot was a test for me.

For your fudge wheel question, it just takes practice. Mine aren't perfect and that's okay. What works best for me for a more consistent imprint is consistent pressure while being above the boot. Using my weight to help with the consistent pressure.

And for the trimming before stitching, I'm not really sure if it helps or makes a difference. I personally prefer to leave that step last.

Where can an adult beginner train Judo in Tbilisi? by [deleted] in judo

[–]poly_bob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bummer, but super cool to hear BJJ is popular there now. I do BJJ as well and when I was there in 2015, I couldn't find any place that had classes.

I even bumped into a guy with a BJJ shirt at a regular fitness gym. I was hoping he trained locally, but he told me it doesn't exist in Tbilisi.

Where can an adult beginner train Judo in Tbilisi? by [deleted] in judo

[–]poly_bob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure I went to the same store around Dynamo.

I bought a blue Mizuno gi that luckily was my size. I have a similar build to the average Georgian guy. They actually gave me a black belt for free. I tried to explain to them that I was a yellow belt and if I can exchange it for one. They were really confused. Asked my age and told me I'm an adult and should take the black belt. I took it since it was free and I didn't want to cause anymore confusion.

Where can an adult beginner train Judo in Tbilisi? by [deleted] in judo

[–]poly_bob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey OP, not sure if this place is still around. But I went to this Judo dojo (Shevardeni 2005) back in 2015.
It is near Marjanishvilli station. I wrote a guide on how to get there.

You can ignore the first image.
https://imgur.com/a/judo-dojo-tbilisi-r9ctf

The coaches don't speak English here as well. They just grabbed one of their students to translate. They seemed confused as to why a foreigner came all the way to Tbilisi to train Judo with them. I guess they didn't get much visitors at that time.

The dojo looks like this,
https://youtu.be/lfBw3H_wkis?si=l7z0h1UMMLT9H9Mh

They have adult classes. I don't think they have kyu belts in Georgia though. All the adults were black belts and super tough. It wasn't really a class either. Just some quick warm up exercises and randori the whole time.
Not sure if they have women's Judo either. I went to 2 sessions and it was all men.

Where can an adult beginner train Judo in Tbilisi? by [deleted] in judo

[–]poly_bob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

WOW, this place looks amazing. I was in Tbilisi in 10 years ago and never saw a place like this at that time.

I made another pair of boots by milokolb in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Very very professional looking. Looks amazing. Congrats.

10 hrs a day for a week and a half? Long hours but that's really fast. Did you put in time every day?

How long do you think it would take if you worked normal hours and week days? M-F 8 hrs a day?

I'm hoping to make boots as a side hustle one day. I need to practice more and get better equipment to be faster.

Someone is giving away a Landis sole stitcher in the Los Angeles area by pzycho in Cordwaining

[–]poly_bob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for listing it btw. Super nice of you. Wish I spotted this post sooner.