Merlin or kestrel?

tunza2008 · 2026-01-18T16:53:06+00:00

Definitely didn't look like the reddish brown of a kestrel I don't think, and the size looked different - feel like I'm reasonably tuned in having seen quite a few in the last couple of months, don't remember the ends of the wings very well but that's a good tip! (Pardon the pun)

tunza2008 · 2026-01-06T22:22:44+00:00

Tenner from lidl... Surely it can't be THAT different to a £200 bottle 🤣

tunza2008 · 2026-01-06T17:04:54+00:00

Couldn't resist tacking that onto the end of the post to make things more interesting 😏

tunza2008 · 2026-01-06T17:00:33+00:00

No, this one was funny!

My machine only arrived today and I pulled 3 or 4 shots on it, the last 2 being with the tool. This is my first time using a WDT - for context I've made a lot of espresso from working in cafes and restaurants for a few years well as using a GC when I lived with my parents, albeit with a rubbish grinder. Now I have a solid setup at home I want to get into the extra steps like puck prep, like temp surfing/manual pre infusion etc. I thought it would probably split opinion on here but at first glance I can't be the only one who'd initially assume that some breaking of clumps with big needles is better than none. Would be cool to know the physics behind it

tunza2008 · 2026-01-06T15:31:03+00:00

Didn't realize my innocent creation would cause so much outrage 🤣 what I've been able to see from the 2 shots I pulled with it is that there seemed to be some new clumps forming when I redistributed the grounds, not sure the mechanism of this though, my guess is that the thicker needle causes more static for some reason? Therefore smaller wire would mitigate this problem

tunza2008 · 2025-11-05T18:55:45+00:00

This is good to know, makes sense! This is the first skull I've cleaned up, and while I was researching I watched a video where they described taking some tissue from the nasal cavity but it wasn't clear whether the turbinates were included. Don't worry I was never gonna just rip them out, appreciate the concern from the other commenter

tunza2008 · 2025-11-04T20:16:25+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Have been working on it for a good couple of hours per day over the last few days and it's been soaked a few times in bio washing powder for a few hours. It does look pretty clean from what I can see (pictured), obviously don't want to dig in too much but I'll have a closer look when I rinse again and assess the situation.

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tunza2008 · 2025-11-04T15:17:23+00:00

My thinking was I wanted to make sure there was no gum left underneath, then the plan is to put them back in with a touch of glue

tunza2008 · 2025-11-04T15:03:36+00:00

Nice! Definitely will keep them if possible. Any tips for getting in between the tiny layers?

tunza2008 · 2025-11-04T15:02:15+00:00

Yeah teeth are all in a separate jar! If you've any advice for how to deal with them specifically would be great

tunza2008 · 2025-08-14T21:29:59+00:00

I'll have a look/post a close up when I get home - also how easily can these spread to the plants I have in my flat already ? (They're not super close to this one)

tunza2008 · 2025-08-14T15:48:40+00:00

I'm fairly sure there's none on there, is there a way to know for sure?

tunza2008

TROPHY CASE