Will you "Black Out" on Monday?

[953 nut 55,243]

The eclipse on Monday promises to be a big event for lots of small towns like Franklin, NC, my home town. With a population of about 3,500 we are anticipating an influx of 15,000 to 20,000 visitors for the event. Every motel room has been booked for the weekend and local leaders are doing their best to prepare. The  eclipse will be from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM with totality occurring at 2:35 to 2:37 PM. This mid-afternoon timing has made us a prime site for people living a couple of hours away. Fortunately for me we live at the end of a quiet country road and don't expect to get caught up in the melee. Let the maddening crowds converge, the wife and I will be in lawn chairs with a couple of welding hoods as eye protection.

Hope you can enjoy it too.

 

[Ed Kennell 38,178]

Don't forget Richard....            BTW, will a auto darkening hood work, or do I need to dust off the old antique hood?

[rmaynard 15,461]

My auto-darkening hood does not work. Tried it today. Looked at the sun and it did nothing.

[Ed Kennell 38,178]

Thanks Bob,  That's what I expected.      BTW, missed you at Dover.

[ACman 7,618]

Weird things happen during eclipses  . I was talking with @stevasaurus and told me a story about fishing and they were practically jumping in the boat. He can elaborate on that more . In the 90's I was working at the family dealership and had to go outside . The drive alongside our shop is shaded with a line of trees . I was walking down the driveway and looked down on the ground and the ground was covered with thousands of circles with dark crescents dancing all over the driveway . It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen . Maybe an effect like the paper and the pinhole trick  https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/make-pinhole-projector.html . I immediately ran into the shop and grabbed the trusty Polaroid (used it to take pictures while taking things apart) and had one picture left . I took a picture of the ground and it actually turned out though it didn't do it justice of seeing it person . That picture is still hanging by the counter today but really faded . People over the years always asked about that picture and what all the circles where . So on Monday keep a eye out and the camera ready because you might see something that you didn't expect .

[Digger 66 3,478]

We're going to see about 80% coverage here in Western NY .

It will be business as usual at the mill 

But .... I do have about an hour and a half down-time between trailers 

[953 nut 55,243]

7 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

will a auto darkening hood work

I tested mine a few weeks ago and it worked great with a full bright sun, don't know why Bob's didn't. Growing up we had a partial eclipse and everyone took turns with a welding mask, that was over 60 years ago but still remember it.

They are selling Eclipse glasses all over town, but the are so small I think a lot of light will leak in the sides and be harmful to people's eyes. I'm sure the class action law suites are already being prepared.  

[Racinbob 11,081]

That's pretty cool being bullseyed with 100% coverage Richard. I don't know anything about welding hoods but just did a quick search. Apparently only a level 13 or 14 should be used and most hardware stores only had 8's but they were sold out anyways. It could be that they are just adding a safety margin for the lawyers . I'm thinking you've got this covered. We'll be at just under 90% coverage and with no glasses or hoods I'm setting up a pin hole thingy and look at other things like Jeff mentioned. The local weather dude said the same thing about holes in leaves, critters acting strange, etc. It should be interesting.

 

I have to rat her out. The other night my wife heard that we weren't having a full moon at that time and said "How can it be a total eclipse if the moon isn't full?" I just looked at at her and cracked up. She quickly realized that she shouldn't have said that. 

[squonk 41,118]

Maybe Bob's helmet needs a battery?  

[rmaynard 15,461]

8 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

Thanks Bob,  That's what I expected.      BTW, missed you at Dover.

Missed being there.

[JC 1965 1,530]

They say that we will see about 90% here in south western Ohio. I just recently purchased a new auto darkening welding helmet  ( for welding not for the eclipse ). I will take a quick look at the eclipse but i'm not going to stare at it. I've already had cataract surgery in both eyes and don't want to risk retina damage. This will be the last one in my lifetime so i want to take a look.   

[AMC RULES 37,130]

41 minutes ago, squonk said:

Maybe Bob's helmet needs a battery?  

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe he's just got 'em in backwards.  

[Big_Red_Fred 1,547]

Mine charges by sun light, good ole Snap on, & im not useing my greasey cell @ACman LOL

I may resemble Will Robinson's Robot tho, Danger, Danger Danger

[rmaynard 15,461]

My helmet works fine as protection when welding. The batteries are okay. Tested it again yesterday by having someone use a camera flash aimed at the helmet. I could see the flash until it fired, then everything went dark and quickly back to normal again. Aimed it directly at the full sun and it did nothing. However, my neighbor has a basic "always dark" welding shield and that works fine.

 

 

[Ed Kennell 38,178]

OK, I just tested my helmets on a very bright sun .

 

The two manuals have  #11 lenses.  The auto has fast or slow delay time and #9-13 range setting.

 

 

The auto hood goes dark when the lens is within about 20 degrees from center on the sun.

 

This pic is at level #9.

 

And at #13  ....max darkening.

 

Looking thru the manual #11 lenses,  It is similar to the auto at 13.

 

 

According to NASA, a level #14 is required to do safe viewing.

 

Edited August 20, 2017 by Ed Kennell

[AMC RULES 37,130]

11 hours ago, ACman said:

Weird things happen during eclipses  . The drive alongside our shop is shaded with a line of trees . I was walking down the driveway and looked down on the ground and the ground was covered with thousands of circles with dark crescents dancing all over the driveway . It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen .

So on Monday keep a eye out and the camera ready because you might see something that you didn't expect .

 

 Similar to this Jeff? 

        

 

[rmaynard 15,461]

Hmmm...

Well, I don't think it's going to be a problem around here. Supposed to rain.

[clueless 2,993]

12 hours ago, 953 nut said:

The eclipse on Monday promises to be a big event for lots of small towns like Franklin, NC, my home town. With a population of about 3,500 we are anticipating an influx of 15,000 to 20,000 visitors for the event. Every motel room has been booked for the weekend and local leaders are doing their best to prepare. The  eclipse will be from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM with totality occurring at 2:35 to 2:37 PM. This mid-afternoon timing has made us a prime site for people living a couple of hours away. Fortunately for me we live at the end of a quiet country road and don't expect to get caught up in the melee. Let the maddening crowds converge, the wife and I will be in lawn chairs with a couple of welding hoods as eye protection.

Hope you can enjoy it too.

 

Richard while perusing the square this morning I chuckled picturing you and the wife sitting in lawn chairs with those hoods on, my wife asked whats so funny, I told her, she just gave me that look, you know the one. I knew you lived in NC. but didn't know you lived smack dab in the middle of God's country. 50 + years ago my family use to go camping up there, liked it better than the Gatlinburg-Cherokee, area. 30+ years ago I use to do some white water rafting there to, we differently need a picture of you and the wife in the lawn chairs with those hoods on. We will be get a 80+% coverage in the panhandle.

[Racinbob 11,081]

The guy with the UPS box on his head.............standing in the middle of the street..........is it just me or does that look like a potential for a very bad ending?

 

That doesn't look bad to me Ed. Maybe add sunglasses and you'd get to the 14?

[ACman 7,618]

4 hours ago, AMC RULES said:

 

 Similar to this Jeff? 

        

 

 

That's dead on Craig  ! 

 

Pretty Trippy   ... I'm sure glad I had that Polaroid camera back then for proof. Now only if I was smart enough to get a picture of the other   (I was to worried about peeing myself) that nobody believes and ridicules me about ! People think I'm just looney ,it's better that way anyways . 

Edited August 20, 2017 by ACman

[AMC RULES 37,130]

 Inspired me to make up one of them "pin hole" viewers today...

  I mean, you want to talk about trippy...check this out.      

 

 

[doc724 925]

I thought that the issue with looking at the sun directly during the eclipse is the UV (non visible) light that you cannot see damaging your retina.  I also thought about welding hoods.  There was a bunch of them hanging around the house when I was a kid.  All gone now.  I guess I will be making the pinhole box later today

[squonk 41,118]

I'll be busy working during the eclipse. Maybe a lawn chair on top of the cooling tower will need fixin! 

[953 nut 55,243]

6 hours ago, Racinbob said:

just adding a safety margin for the lawyers

1 hour ago, ACman said:

People think I'm just looney

That is what we love about you Jeff.   

Craig, that is too much!    you have outdone yourself!

Discovered one side benefit of the onslaught of visitors, our 8:00 AM church service usually has abut 150 in attendance, today it was about 250. The 11:00 AM service was over 350 compared to a normal 250 attendance.

5 minutes ago, squonk said:

Maybe a lawn chair on top of the cooling tower will need fixin!

You can do it Mike, be sure to take your time and do it well!      

[ACman 7,618]

4 hours ago, AMC RULES said:

 Inspired me to make up one of them "pin hole" viewers today...

  I mean, you want to talk about trippy...check this out.      

 

 

 

Who's coming to pick me up of the dang floor ... !    

 

Craig you could've sold those as limited edition Steve-on-a-Stick eclipse pin hole viewers   

 

2 hours ago, squonk said:

I'll be busy working during the eclipse. Maybe a lawn chair on top of the cooling tower will need fixin! 

 

If you were like me you always have a lawn chair with you...hit a few buttons lay the chair back and ask the misses for a drink  ...on second thought   better not !

 

2 hours ago, 953 nut said:

People think I'm just looney 

That is what we love about you Jeff.  

 

Thanks Richard ... But this is just therapy for me , who needs a shrink . Especially with a group of guys like here on  ! I thought I had a problem... ...!!!

Edited August 20, 2017 by ACman