What did you do today?

[953 nut 54,292]

17 minutes ago, Mickwhitt said:

(I swear she drives by feel not sight!)

[Mickwhitt 4,419]

To that end gents, and ladies... any preferences on interior car spray cleaners?  We have auto glym over here and a rash of other brands. Just wondered what keeps your cockpit shining  like new. 

[953 nut 54,292]

Today I spent most of the day undoing the efforts of a would-be scammer who was attempting to empty my IRA and investment accounts.

The text alert communication from the fraudmeister seemed authentic at first regarding an unauthorized withdrawal attempt. The text was followed by a phone call and an email. This person must have had inside knowledge of the financial institution because she had my phone number, account numbers and email address. If I had a "Smart-phone" rather than my trusty flip phone she might have gotten away with it.  She wanted to have me respond to a text  while she was talking to me but I was not able to do this on my phone. At this point she became agitated and a bit unprofessional and I asked to speak to her supervisor, another woman came on the line and attempted to have me log onto a site that sounded like it was legitimate but the log-in procedure was not what I am accustom to so I terminated the conversation and called the brokerage's fraud line.

They confirmed that it was a scam and froze all of my accounts and set up new account numbers for all of them. I asked if they had been having a lot of these but he said he 'couldn't comment on that'.

Lesson learned, no mater how realistic the communication seems we need to authenticate it. I was almost had, don't let it happen to you, please.

[8ntruck 6,841]

  I had an automated call from (supposedly) my insurance company the other day.  Automated voicecasks me if I'm me, yup I'm me.  OK it says, I'll transfer you to an agent.  Another automaton comes on line asking if I'm me, also saying this is being recorded.  Next it asks for my birthday.  NOPE!  Hopefully while the line was still recording, I said I won't give that information to an automated call and then hung up.

 

What did I do today?  Started a plumbing project .  Several days ago the drain on the water softener and washing machine go into slowed to a drip, allowing the water to back up onto the basement floor.  That drain goes into a dry well.  Hopefully just a clog, I tell myself.

 

Today I moved the washing machine and removed a piece of cupboard paneling to get to the drain - which turned out to be a kludged mess.  Finally got to the 3" line going out to the dry well.  Ran my manual snake into it, didn't feel anything.  Snake came back clean.  Got the garden hose and nozzle and ran it into the drain as a 'jet rod'.  Went in about 20 feet before hitting anything - came out clean.  No backwash, either.

 

I expect that this means that the pipe is clean, and the issue is with the dry well.  Bad news, as that solution means a large excitation in the back yard.

 

At this point, my wife and I took the pontoon out into the lake, threw the anchor overboard and followed it to float around in the lake for a while.

 

On the good end of things, the Honda 20 horse engine on the pontoon, which hasn't run for 10 days or a week, started without needing a shot of carb cleaner.  It stalled a couple of times, but settled into a smooth idle.  It would appear that the heavy dosage of Sea Foam and ATF is getting some crud out of the enrichment and idle circuits.

[Handy Don 11,863]

On 7/30/2024 at 7:51 AM, Mickwhitt said:

ceramic coating that mean you only have to rinse the bodywork to get it showroom fresh again, we shall see.

These are terrific but the occasional wash with a fit-for-purpose soap will do wonders. The real challenge you might (or might not) notice is that water will no longer “sheet off”--It beads up. If you have high mineral content in your rinse water (or a little dust in the air when it rains) you’ll see spots!

 

Personally, I use a silicon squeegee to run the rinse water off (this is why car washes use those blowers at the end).

[Mickwhitt 4,419]

I have been kicking the idea of some extra security now that I'm buying anew car.

I looked at pop up steel posts, too much Messing around and she would definitely drive into it, even going forwards!

I looked at several ways to beef up the driveway gate lock, which is just a padlock on the latch.

Playing with odds and ends ofmetal and a shipping container lock I fabricated a hasp and staple, on steroids.

At present it's just bolted in place but tomorrow I will fire up the stick welder and make it permanent. 

 

 

I even made a turned boss to keep the lock on to save losing it. 

Not a bad afternoons work and looking at the prices of some of the stuff on offer I've saved myself a bit of cash too. 

 

[Handy Don 11,863]

26 minutes ago, Mickwhitt said:

I've saved myself a bit of cash too. 

Hmmm. Have to head on down to the pub for a congratulatory pint!

[squonk 40,712]

Today was save the MRI suite day. They got a call when I was on an energy zoom meeting that water was coming out of the ceiling by the control (computers) room. I could hear conversations in the background. "I think it's a pipe . "I can't see where it goes" ect. This suite was built by putting 10 lbs. of crap into a 2lb. hole. My meeting got done and the guys were still down there trying to figure out what was happening. 

 

I haven't been up in this ceiling in years but as I was walking down there it all came back. There was an Liebert AC unit in the ceiling dripping I knew where the condensate drain was but what I didn't know was they added a wall and basically buried it. We had to break some safety rules on the ladder to get at it. Then I remembered the return air can be an issue so up another ladder I went and yanked out the plugged filter. Soon as I did that the warm air hit the frozen coil and the water really started dripping. Then I went into another room and popped a tile out of the ceiling and removed an access door to get at the lead grid that surrounds the MRI machine room and cleaned the crap off the grid that passes thru the return duct. I had installed MRI safe filter racks in the room years ago  but they removed them when a new machine went in and tossed them.  Now I gotta order them again and they ain't cheep. 

Edited July 31 by squonk

[8ntruck 6,841]

Rented a power snake to run the pipe to my dry well.  Went all the way into the dry well, got mildy struck on the end of the pipe.  When I got the cutter reeled back in, it came back clean and dry.  Looks like something is up with the dry well itself.  The fix will involve a large hole in the back yard .  I think the thing to do is to put a new dry well in the line ahead of the old dry well.  Theory being that since the old dry sell is still flowing, but much slower, a new dry well ahead of it will take most of the water volume and reduce the load on the old dry well.

 

My wife made an offer to buy an upholstery sewing machine from the same folks we bought the Allis Chalmers from recently.  We got word today that her offer was accepted.  So, I got Morgan, the 14-8, out along with the cart, wrestled the sewing machine (200 ish pounds including the bench it is mounted on) out of the basement where it was located, into the cart and over to the lake house.

[ranger 1,714]

17 hours ago, Mickwhitt said:

I have been kicking the idea of some extra security now that I'm buying anew car.

I looked at pop up steel posts, too much Messing around and she would definitely drive into it, even going forwards!

I looked at several ways to beef up the driveway gate lock, which is just a padlock on the latch.

Playing with odds and ends ofmetal and a shipping container lock I fabricated a hasp and staple, on steroids.

At present it's just bolted in place but tomorrow I will fire up the stick welder and make it permanent. 

 

 

I even made a turned boss to keep the lock on to save losing it. 

Not a bad afternoons work and looking at the prices of some of the stuff on offer I've saved myself a bit of cash too. 

 

Good job there Mick. It’s a shame we have to resort to such measures. Whilst you have the welder out, it might not be a bad idea to weld  another piece of thick bar to the ‘Street’ side of one of the gates. Positioned to prevent someone from gaining access from the street through the gap between the gates and cutting through the bar with a saw or  cordless grinder? I know these things are noisy, but it’s surprising how few people actually take notice of what’s going on around them! 

[953 nut 54,292]

12 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

My wife made an offer to buy an upholstery sewing machine from the same folks we bought the Allis Chalmers from recently.  We got word today that her offer was accepted.  So, I got Morgan, the 14-8, out along with the cart, wrestled the sewing machine (200 ish pounds including the bench it is mounted on) out of the basement where it was located, into the cart and over to the lake house

                      sooooo,  when are you going to start making Wheel Horse seat covers with that new machine?

[8ntruck 6,841]

  I posed that question to my wife, who is the sewing machine expert in the household,.  She gave a rather terse two word answer that translates roughly into 'not very likely'.

 

Now, as we learn about the machine - by the way, it is far from new - seat covers may become possible. 

 

The purchase of the machine was taking advantage of a suprise opportunity.  We've got plenty of projects that need our attention before we get into upolstery activities.  On the other hand, we are not looking to start a cottage industry.

[sqrlgtr 549]

15 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

  I posed that question to my wife, who is the sewing machine expert in the household,.  She gave a rather terse two word answer that translates roughly into 'not very likely'.

 

Now, as we learn about the machine - by the way, it is far from new - seat covers may become possible. 

 

The purchase of the machine was taking advantage of a suprise opportunity.  We've got plenty of projects that need our attention before we get into upolstery activities.  On the other hand, we are not looking to start a cottage industry.

Maybe you mis interpreted the meaning and she meant right away....

[ebinmaine 66,485]

I want you folks to know I started out today by cleaning my official Bear Cowboy Coffee makin' cookin pot. 

I even used soap. 

 

 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,098]

5 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

I want you folks to know I started out today by cleaning my official Bear Cowboy Coffee makin' cookin pot. 

I even used soap. 

 

 

 

 

You feelin' ok??? 

[ebinmaine 66,485]

20 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

 

 

You feelin' ok??? 

 

 

Meh. I guess....

Ya gotta scrub the production tools occasionally....

 

[Handy Don 11,863]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

I want you folks to know I started out today by cleaning my official Bear Cowboy Coffee makin' cookin pot. 

I even used soap. 

All I could think of was “he musta been really bored to resort to pot cleaning!” 

[sqrlgtr 549]

3 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

I want you folks to know I started out today by cleaning my official Bear Cowboy Coffee makin' cookin pot. 

I even used soap. 

 

 

Sounds like someone needs a new project WH tractor. Hopebyou didnt scrub all the flavor out of that pot .

[ebinmaine 66,485]

17 minutes ago, sqrlgtr said:

Sounds like someone needs a new project WH tractor.

 

You mean like this one?

 

 

 

 

 

17 minutes ago, sqrlgtr said:

 

Hope you didnt scrub all the flavor out of that pot .

 

 

Oh no no no no no.  

It came out good.  

 

 

[oliver2-44 9,381]

 

4 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

I want you folks to know I started out today by cleaning my official Bear Cowboy Coffee makin' cookin pot. 

I even used soap. 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

I even used soap. 

 

You mean you found some Lye soap somewhere.   Did it actually remove anything besides pit metal. How many holes in the pot now.

Hope you wore gloves. 

[ebinmaine 66,485]

2 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

How many holes in the pot now.

 

 

No holes... verified because the fluid stayed in the vessel. .. for now. 

I can't guarantee against thin spots though. 

[oliver2-44 9,381]

Just remember,  be careful with that hot liquid, your stomach lining is more acid resistant than that pot. 

[JPWH 5,966]

I exercised Hank and the roadapples tub cart to unload the big show scores.

[Mickwhitt 4,419]

Just had an American pancake stack with crispy bacon and maple syrup at a Barnsley tea room. 

I'm guessing it may not be the same as served in the US but it was very tasty and filling. Five pancakes was more than enough for me ...

[Mickwhitt 4,419]

Collected our new car today, Toyota Yaris Cross  compact SUV