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Night Watch

Porridge, I agree that it is an essential part of life, as for cooking methods I'm willing to try them all. Back in the 60's I was going out with a girl from Burrow Head on the West Coast of Scotland. I stayed with her family a couple of times and her dad used to do a 20 gallon couldron full every Sunday, we all had a bowl with a spoon of honey, the rest was poured into trays lined with grease proof paper and stacked in the larder. Then each morning it was sliced and we had it grilled with or fried with streaky bacon and egg and mushrooms, with a great splodge of brown sauce. I wasn't keen on the grilled version but the fried was lovely. I suppose its a bit like marmite you either love it or hate it. Cheers Colin.

4 years ago by Colin H

Forum

LATEST SMOKER, E-CIG ELEMENT

Re popping off JB - sad to say in most cases it depends on your inherited genetic structure - we all age at different speeds - remember years ago Dad leaping across my garden wall to offer to prune next doors roses - the two of them stood there for a while - neighbour looked positively ancient - much older than Dad - but he was only 60 and Dad was 72 at the time........ And one never knows what to believe from these "scientific" studies - one minute is bad for you - next minute very good for you - as for general fat consumed - nations who have used olive oil for centuries tend to have less heart attacks.........but it was thought to be very bad for you........ We had one scientist at Wits Uni who completely decried "Global Warming" in public - wonder what he thinks of the weird weather patterns nowadays. The Cape is a Winter rainfall region - we are now in Summer and it cant stop raining and getting cold........Very few days over 20c at the moment and exceptions tend to get really hot !

5 years ago by redpmg

Forum

Blackpool Boat Show 2019

I think you might see a change in the venue now Nerys, agree, the lighting a few years ago was diabolic, but now much improved, and they have spruced up the ballroom, where the main show is held, but there is another room, where they have the bring & buy, as well as the tanks display and a large truck display, with a full road layout, a brilliant F&C shop, just round the corner, you can eat in, we take away, and munch in our car, very reasonable prices, eat in Haddock,chip,peas bread & plus tea or coffee all for £6.99, and very nice too.🤗 Cheers, Peter

5 years ago by Rookysailor

Forum

Work with Balsa wood

Well guys, back to the Balsa, I have a few models built in balsa using various methods. My 5ft cabin cruiser built in1964 is decked in 3/8"x1/8" balsa over 1/4" frames. My 4' 6" tug built in the 1970's has its Hull and decks in balsa, decks 3/16" thick planks. And the Hull is 1/4" thick x 1/2" wide planks. Then my grandfather's tug built in the early 1950's is bread and construction 14" long, 2 1/2" beam. Built using 3/4" x 3" balsa with the interior carved out for motor, battery and ballast blocks. All of them are used regularly and are still waterproof, relying on either paint or varnish to keep them safe. I find it quite easy to repair damaged sections, as you can cut out damaged parts with a sharp scalpel very easily. Then cut and shape the replacement part to fit snugly. But before fitting the new part I put a piece to bridge the gap on the inside. Once fitted the new part can be sealed with sanding sealer, I prefer shelaq based, then sand back and repaint with your desired finish. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

You seem to be doing pretty much the same thing as I am! I picked an eShapeoko whose mechanical kits are a fair bit cheaper, which meant I could afford the longer rails initially, but apart from that we are pretty much identical! Oh, and I'm using a different breakout board... You will be adding limit switches? I find them essential for decent control, but also found it a bit tricky to get data on the best way to connect them to an Arduino. Does Ox provide an advised circuit and pinouts? I see you are using DesignSpark. I don't think this accepts .DXF files, which are the standard 2-D interchange format. It will output them, but not import, which seems crazy to me! Which is a shame, because I could send you any of the model boat plans on the EeZeBilt or Marinecraft sites as a .DXF... Most of the EeZebilts can be made on the cutting area you have, and all the Marinecraft. You don't need a powerful router to cut balsa - a model boat motor is sufficient, with a cheap Chinese cutter for a couple of quid. The great thing about that is that there is essentially no cutting noise, just the quiet hum of the motor. A 4" wide plank with balsa edges will hold a sheet nice and firmly. What materials are you thinking of cutting? I am experimenting with cutting ply, and find that old dental burrs (which I got free from my dentist!) will go through 1/8" deal like powered by a Graupner Speed 400.

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer