Tips, Tricks, & Useful Finds(FAQs too)

My tarwar wants to meat the 3-hole spacer below (in black)
(got one hanging on the wall waiting for this future project)
as a new guard -- 'not quite' tsuba

Meat grinder parts
61087.jpg
GRINDER%20PLATE%20Collage%20lg.jpg


www.kascocorp.com/images/GRINDER PLATE Collage lg.jpg
www.sausagemaker.com/ProductImages/61087.jpg

62289.jpg
0-beanPlate.JPG


www.sausagemaker.com/ProductImages/62289.jpg
www2.mailordercentral.com/lemproducts/images/0-beanPlate.JPG


meat grinder plates
2,3,4,5 hole plates are 'spacers'
sizes range from about an inch to 4-in or more
carbon steel or stainless steel
hefty


<:)> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
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<> JMO-M2C-fWiW-iIRC-fYI -YMMV
<:eek:> Caution: Not all ideas vented from this brain are entirely based on empirical data.
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The hand sanitizer gels such as Germ-X

contain ethyl &/or isopropyl alcohols

so are often useful for cleaning gunk from blades

often commonly available close at hand
& no stink

each alcohol (& to some degree, the concentration; also brand)
works better on some gunks than other gunks.

Due to other ingredients in the bottle
don't expect rust protection or any other benefit
without first testing

<:eek:> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
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<:)> JMO-M2C-fWiW-iIRC-YMMV-fYI-TiA-YW-GL ***Caution: Not all ideas originating in this brain are entirely based on empirical data.
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Many here have expressed interest in 'other' traditional tools & weapons.

Here's a site specializing in - - Slinging - -

The sling
http://www.slinging.org/index.html

forums (total forum membership=640):
http://www.slinging.org/forum2/yabb/YaBB.cgi
+General Discussion
+Other Primitive Weapons
---Spear, bola, chackrum, knive, sword, bow, atlatl, whip, blowguns,
---axe, boomerang, siege engines, or what ever else you like.
+Project Goliath - The History of The Sling

& nice article list
http://www.slinging.org/articles.html


<:)> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
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<:eek:> Caution: Not all concepts venting from this brain are entirely based on empirical data. fWiW-JMO-M2C-iIRC-YMMV-fYI
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http://www.toptul.com/detail/23571/23571.html
DAAJ12.jpg


Box-Joint Pliers

Look at the joint detail

This design works a lot better
for me
than the common style in the US

this I think is a European design

got mine (different brand...kr tools)
from Sutherland's for ~$7
from a bulk-tool box


<:)> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
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<:eek:> Caution: Not all concepts venting from this brain are entirely based on empirical data. fWiW-JMO-M2C-iIRC-YMMV-fYI
<:D> Noobee <> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
 
ddean said:
It's midnight & you want to clean / polish your khuk.

but no polish in the house
you think.......

check the cupboard & medicine cabinet for vitamins & supplements
The best you can find contains Magnesium Oxide (MgO)

Or maybe Titanium DiOxide
Silica is in the running too
Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) is good for cleaning, but won't polish steel

So far
i've found that MgO is the best single ingredient to find
usually sufficient quantity to be useful
& it's used as a commercial polish

drop of water on the blade,
then tablet on top
an outer coating sometimes needs to be removed
to get to the tablet contents
the water does this as you start to rub
just enough water to build up some paste as you rub

be careful
slippery gets you cut

if water is not to your liking
especially if you're after a high polish
let the material dry,
then lubricate with any oil--less cut more polish


every brand will vary in composition / 'grit' .
So far, the MgO in tablets in the house seems to be polish grade or close-to
pure MgO tablets run about $4 for 100 generic (not big brand) tablets

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is used as commercial polish (usually rock polish)
& as a whitener / opacifier in various products
very common in small quantities in toothpaste, ..........
paints often contain TiO2

cheaper paint will use CaCO3 & ZnO for white / opacity
In artists ==oils== ZnO is added to TiO for specific handling properties
TiO -can- be used in a pure state in other types of paint
usually 20-30% of total volume


* most metal oxides are hard enough to be abrasives / polishes

later we'll talk about using muriaic acid near aluminum framed screen doors
makes for heavy coating of aluminum oxide on the aluminnum
very hard abrasive :rolleyes:



<:eek:> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
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<:)> fYI-fWiW-iIRC-JMO-M2C-YMMV-TiA-YW-GL-HH-HBd
<:D> Noobee <> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
Click to expand...

A source to get TiO2...
Go to the local craft store(or wherever has a GOOD selection of cake decorating supplies), and pick up WHITE food coloring(yes I know that white is not a color!!!).
Be sure and read the ingredient list...The stuff you want is almost pure TiO2... You have never seen anything this white unless you have burned any magnesium...
I MAY be mistaken about this(I am not at home and cannot check the kitchen), but that is what I remember...
HERE is the stuff I remember using...

This is the stuff they use to make wedding cakes so WHITE...
You usually have to use artificial vanilla even, because of the off white color natural vanilla gives the icing and batter...
It is amazing to see stuff get SO much whiter when you add a few drops of this stuff...You can also use it to brighten up other colors...
The stuff is like magic...

Yes... Besides, computer, photography, SF, guns, knives, history, bushcraft, I also decorate cakes(actually I have not had time to do one in YEARS:()...
 

Trying to find something through Google or another search engine?
Just can't find it?

try an image search (Google offers this, & others)

product & how-to pages usually have diagrams or pix

sometimes faster to find pix than text

focus on only 1 or 2 AND words,
& the possible synonyms or most related words as OR's (to those AND's)

once you find a page with pix
often the included text help focus a new text search

------------------------

whether text or image
removing words from consideration (NOT)
can be more productive
than adding more AND words


<:)> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
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<:eek:> Caution: Not all ideas vented from this brain are entirely based on empirical data. JMO-M2C-fWiW-iIRC-YMMV-fYI-TiA-YW-GL
<:D> Noobee <> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
 
Google searches

Just discovered recently a true prizewinning shortcut

add a ~ tild ~ before a word
to have many of it's variants & synonyms included

for example:
knife - about 30million results
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=knife

. . . . vs

~knife about 60million results
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=%7Eknife+-gun
the -gun is needed because
google considers gun similar to knife :rolleyes:


A helpful option [~] most of the time
when you first start a raw (not yet refined) search

<:)> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
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<:eek:> Caution: Not all ideas vented from this brain are entirely based on empirical data. JMO-M2C-fWiW-iIRC-YMMV-fYI-TiA-YW-GL
<:D> Noobee <> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
 
Useful information on woods from Yangdu -

Yangdu said:
Several weeks ago some of you asked for wood information (Scientific Name) and I replied I sent it to Nepal and would get back to you as soon as I received an answer. I now have that information to share with you.

1) Scientific Name: Cinnamomu Camphora

Local Name: KAPUR

2) Scientific Name: Eurya acurminata DC

Local Name: JHINGANE

3) Scientific Name: Azadirachta indican Juss

Local Name: NEEM

4) Scientific Name: Toona ciliata M roem

Local Name: TOONE

5) Scientific Name: Juglans regia L

Local Name: OKHAR

6) Scientific Name: Dalbergia latifolia Roxb

Local Name: SATISAL

7) Scientific Name: Juniperus indica/Juniperus recurva

Local Name: DHUPI

8) Scientific Name: Terminalia alata

Local Name: SANJH

9) Scientific Name: Gruga pinnata

Local Name: DABDABE

10)Scientific Name: Pterocarpus marsuphium

Local Name: BIJAY SAL

11) Scientific Name: Dalbergia sissoo

Local Name: SISSOO

12) Scientific Name: Rhododendron arboreum

Local Name: GURUSH

I hope this will be helpful to those of you who asked. If I should receive additional information I will pass it on to you.
Click to expand...

And some related research by littleknife:

littleknife said:
Thank you, Yangdu.

I compiled some links about the species, which might be of use for those interested about these woods.

http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/tropicalwood.html

1.) Camphor laurel tree (Cinnamomum Camphora) belongs to the Laurel family, as well as the true Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum or C. zeylanicum)

The fragrant wood is used as fine furniture wood as well as for medicinal purposes (camphor):

http://orientalimports.biz/main.html

http://www.samwise-solutions.ltd.uk/mcq/wood.htm

http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/Chudnoff/SEAsian_Oceanic/htmlDocs_seasian/Cinnamomumspp.html

2.) Eurya acuminata DC, an evergreen tree belonging to the Tea Family:

http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Eurya+acuminata&PRINT

3.) Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss)

http://www.nap.edu/books/0309046866/html/76.html

http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/Chudnoff/SEAsian_Oceanic/new_html_docs/azadir1new.html

4.) Toona ciliata M. Roem, member of the Mahogany family, also called Indian Mahogany or Tuni wood:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toona

http://www.woodcarving.com.np/tow.php

5.) Juglans regia L., also known as English walnut, Carpathian or Persian walnut, is the Eurasian walnut species with very wide geographic distribution.

http://www.museums.org.za/bio/plants/juglandaceae/juglans_regia.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut

http://drclarkia.com/juglans_regia.htm

Excellent furniture, rifle stock and knife handle wood, in Europe it is highly priced local hardwoood.

http://www.furniturestyles.net/european/english/walnut.html

http://www.kizlyar.ru/eng/products/vip7.html

6.) Dalbergia latifolia, the East Indian Rosewood, satisal (saatisal), sheesham or shisham wood is one of the hardest woods of this list. Excellent furniture, musical instrument, tool handle wood.

http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheet...anic/htmlDocs_seasian/Dalbergialatifolia.html

http://www.winrock.org/forestry/factpub/FACTSH/D_latifolia.html

http://www.woodworkerssource.net/onlinewoods/species.php?woodtype=24

It seems that many people in the wood trade use &#8220;shisham&#8221; and &#8220;East-Indian rosewood&#8221; for both D. latifolia (saatisal) and D. sissoo (sisau).

http://www.iswonline.com/wwp/wom/eastindianrosewood.cfm?printPage=1&

http://www.woodcarving.com.np/tow.php

7.) Juniperus indica is the highest altitude woody plant known, reported growing as high as 5200 m in southern Tibet; the lowest limit being 2600 m.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_indica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_recurva

8) Terminalia alata, the Indian Laurel wood, or Saj is used amongst others for making tool handles:

http://www.worldagroforestry.org/SEA/Products/AFDbases/AF/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=18188#Uses

http://www.woodcarving.com.np/tow.php

http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheet...nic/htmlDocs_seasian/Terminaliatomentosa.html

9.) Garuga pinnata Roxb.

http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/...nvoll.afp?module=mf&source=botnam&taxid=25141

10.) Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb., an excellent timber and medicinal plant, belonging to the Pulsefamily (Fabaceae):

http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/mar252005/861.pdf#search='Pterocarpus%20marsupium%20wood%20use'

(A related Asian species, Pterocarpus indicus is known to produce beautiful burl, the Amboyna burl.)

11) Dalbergia sissoo, sisau is close relative of Dalbergia latifolia, saatisal. Both are frequently marketed as Indian Rosewood or sheesam, and both are excellent furniture and musical instrument woods.

http://www.totalink.freeservers.com/sheesham_identity_taxonomy.htm

http://www.solidwood-furniture.com/Home/Sheesham.htm

http://www.winrock.org/forestry/factpub/FACTSH/D_sissoo.html

12) Rhododendron arboreum, an evergreen shrub/tree is widely used in Nepal as building timber, for household implements, for furniture and carving.

http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Rhododendron+arboreum

I also added the Red Sandalwood or Chandan, which was discussed on this Forum many times:

13.) Pterocarpus santalinus, Red Sandalwood, Rakta Chandan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_sandalwood

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterocarpus

http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/wood/english/papptsan.htm

http://www.craftrevival.org/SouthAsia/Nepal/Crafts/Incense1.htm

The wood was/is used to extract textil and food dyes, for medicinal purposes and for carvings:

http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/V8879E/V8879e04.htm

(This is a very large file containing several different plants, chandan is at the very end.)

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/saunde22.html

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/red+sandalwood

http://reliant.teknowledge.com/DAML/Corpus/r/red_sandalwood.html

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph2.htm

http://www.qyarts.com/products/wood/red-sandalwood.gif

It was mentioned in the Bible too:

http://www.inspiredwoods.com/bible_wood_almug.php

http://www.angelfire.com/d20/mikesbobbins/bobbinsa.html
Click to expand...
 
Flexible mixing bowls for plaster & other materials
have been used for a long time
Easy to clean,
once the residue dries
flexing the bowl pops it off
all clean

Commercially available
for crafters, modelers, forensics, dental & other

http://images.google.com/images?num=100&q=flexible-mixing-bowl

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=83246
83246.jpg

www.micromark.com

rubber neoprene silicon


Make your own:

from a 'rubber' ball (vast size range & other factors to choose from) [$free - $9]

from a rubber dog dish [~$5 in farm supply]

from silicon baking molds [~1$-$10 one$store or kitchen aisle]

from a toilet plunger [~$1-$10 one$store or cleaning supplies]
usually rubber/various shapes/easy to trim edge to suit yourself
cut off the handle threads, or use for a handle
248930_front200.jpg

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=100&q=toilet-plunger


<:)> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
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<:eek:> Caution: Not all ideas vented from this brain are entirely based on empirical data. JMO-M2C-fWiW-iIRC-YMMV-fYI-TiA-YW-GL
<:D> Noobee <> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
 
Need sturdy 5-gal buckets?.... With lids?.... Cheap?.... Free?

Especially when you need several,
check out the local restaurants.
Especially the mom and pop type.

Also common are gallon size plastic jars.


Go in during a truly --slow-- time.

"I'm looking for some pickle buckets,
or any big containers."

Expect to pay under $2-3 for a 5-gal bucket with lid,
if you pay anything.
They might just hand you one or more dirty ones
and say, "one less to cart out to the trash, take it"

Or they might say, "you're welcome to see what's out back."

One of my favorite sandwich shops has a pile behind the counter
and a sign on top that says, "buckets $1.25, lids $.50"

Even the ones already rinsed will need a bit more cleaning.

A bucket full of khuks is a hefty pail.
Stacked on their side, maybe tilted up,
nice storage for lots of stuff.
Make a wall of alternating buckets.
Make mud boots or water shoes.
The possibilities boggle the mind.


<:)> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
dean-sp-sm.jpg

<:eek:> Caution: Not all ideas vented from this brain are entirely based on empirical data. JMO-M2C-fWiW-iIRC-YMMV-fYI-TiA-YW-GL
<:D> Noobee <> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
 
Common here to reference old tools & techniques.

Here's a prime reference site:
MOT - The Museum for Old Techniques

MOT - Het Museum voor de Oudere Technieken
MOT - Le Musée des Techniques Anciennes


"Want to find out more about hand tools? "
1.905 drawings 1.017 photos

Browse using ID-DOC
by
shape of tool
name of tool
profession (craftsman, ...) "


Tool photos
Other sites


Browse the site for even more resources
including links to museums around the world
& a very nice bibliography.

Click tool thumbnails for larger images.

MOTnews:
http://www.mot.be/articles/MOTnews_en.htm
Includes various detail notes on the museum's topic area

Navigation can be......a bit......
erratic.

The sidebar menu tends to disappear
or change depth/content
from time to time.

<:)> THEY call me 'Dean' <>
dean-sp-sm.jpg

<:eek:> Caution: Not all ideas vented from this brain are entirely based on empirical data. JMO-M2C-fWiW-iIRC-YMMV-fYI-TiA-YW-GL
<:D> Noobee <> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
 
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