Old Ironmaker

You are right M2, I woke up at -10, laid in bed until-5. Why is we say below -10 is -11 and above -10 is -9???? Above 10 should be 11 where I went to school.

No Googling Albert, can't ask a trivia question anymore. Actually I just opened the link and that isn't where it came from, Brass Balls not Monkey. Actually the Brass Monkey thing from Wikipedia isn't right either. Brass Monkeys is from a section of a Blast Furnace . Brass Balls is from old Naval warships. There is reference to warships and rebuttal to that as well. There is no reference from the Ironmaking version of "Colder than a Brass Monkey". The Monkey is a nickname for the Cinder Notch Cooling chamber on a Blast Furnace. It was made of Brass, later Copper or cast Iron. More modern furnaces do not have one. When a furnace is taken off line the Brass contracts. If cold enough Blast Furnace gas would blow from the Monkey until the cooler heated enough to seal the gap. And SirCranks, that is funny, I'm using that one. Rick if you bring someone from the tropic to where you are they can show signs of hypothermia in the same conditions much sooner than someone like yourself that has lived and worked in the cold. I don't know what a dry cold is. I have friends from the city an hour away say it's damp and the wind cuts you here unlike the city. I spent time 45K south of the Artic Circle in Finland, it was stupid cold there but at the same temps here I believe it is much worse here.

Does anyone know what "as cold as brass balls" refers to? It was -28 this AM when my wife got up to go to work. I felt so bad I went back to bed until it warmed up to above -10.

It must be daunting looking out across a frozen lake you have never fished before and choosing a starting point. Especially the first step not knowing how deep it is under the who knows how thin the ice is. When I did do that we would clear the snow off the ice and give it a shot of windshield washer antifreeze and hold the transducer on it to get a depth before drilling holes willy nilly. Good luck and be careful.

If I have to worry about my propane freezing I won't be going. That includes Qing outside 3 feet from the cottage. -27 here this morning my wife told me at 7AM, I took care of that easy. I slept until it hit -5. I've been watching a marathon of Life Below Zero. I envy the strength those Artic fools have. I watch it so I can revel in the fact it's warm in here. That Sue Aitken is a freak of nature. Brian, no fish report?

Smitty, his property insurance may have risen over the years thus the increase. I don't know but he sure doesn't communicate well. He didn't suddenly become an a hole after 15 years. I know these people too, they were always ass holes but I didn't want to believe it because they were my friends, so I thought. I had one "close friend" that I knew from birth, finally after 55 years I said " take a hike and stay take a hike". It upset me very much to tell him that. My 84 year old Mom told me " Son don't be upset, he was always an ass hole, it took you this long to see that". I like that "take a hike" those weren't my exact words though. Auto correct here is funny. Kill a Musky used to become Kill a Muslim.

Art hit the nail on the head when his neighbor was sued by a trespasser. It is all about liability today. When there are firearms involved liability insurance isn't cheap. My Uncle in Southern Illinois has more than 500 acres down there. Posting signs is not enough he has to put a notice in all the local newspapers in the county stating the same. The newspaper I read had 4 full pages of NO TRESPASS No HUNTING notices. It's sad but it's the way today here as well as south. We have had property in Florida since 88' and my sis in law lives there. What you said is not true. You have been misinformed.

Another propane trick is to pour very hot water over the tank to see what the level is in the tank before you take it on the ice or the BBQ before you run out in the middle of cooking. You can clearly see the line where it is full to or you can feel where it's colder.

Bang on, it didn't get this one either. It could have been an Eagle too. I watch them out here and even they don't get 100% of their prey.

Looks like gangrene has set in there. Better amputate, then check the colour think on your camera.

Glen it isn't huge job depending on what one considers huge. To my kid brother hanging a picture requires borrowed tools and help. It just needs to be done right the first time or you will be doing it right all over again. Don't wait for a building inspector to tell you it's wrong and watch him walk away saying "Call me when it's right". Very nice of Smallie to offer detailed assistance.

See the DR. Tuesday???!!!! I guess one can't die up there from an embolism caused due to blood pouring out of a broken bone or bones. Please keep it on ice and elevated and stay off it. It's no joke Rick, no time to be a tough guy. I'm surprised they didn't prescribe Warfarin temporarily at least. More than one person has died before they could get out of the bush and the break was set. I don't need to scare you I know you are familiar with the routine.

Of course you need footings and the mew structure needs to be underpinned to the basement foundation. Water does not always infiltrate from the roof down. Ground water moves vertically and horizontally, changes from gas to liquid to solid too.

Kids today have cab money that we give them.

Forever until they make an amendment to the law. There is no forever. Let them show probable cause to a Judge that criminal activity "may exist" and you are raided just like anyone else. You aren't that naïve are you Wayne.

Anyone can go to any printer and spew out a few or more official looking signs. Just remember to throw in a "shall, within, not with standing and a dozen hereins" and presto you are a legal professional. I don't hunt but have to ask you why the owner of the land that has given you guys permission to use his land is obligated to notify you if he has given others permission to use it as well? That I don't get Smitty. It's his property to do with it what he wishes, no? If you put a tree stand up on his land and you don't pay a lease or rent is it his stand? If you do pay him that's different.

Especially when you see the single puncture wound. The longer wounds would be scrapes from closing the talons together. For sure.

So tell me why it's not on? Do you only need it to walk, which won't be too soon.

Fantastic to read about someone's success today. Rather than breaking a foot because he's too lazy to use a door the way it was designed to work. The guys and gals here are Jonesin because of no ice fishing. How much for a flight from Ont. to Edmonton, West Jet out of Hamilton maybe?. They could fill the plane.

Yep, it's broken. I don't need to tell you to ice, elevate, compress and stay off it until you can bear the weight. What did the Shamon say? No cast? Walking cast for sure, no?

The future Darwin Award winner? No you have a entire showcase full of them. No door handles eh. Maybe you just wanted time off to help breast feed the baby. In Coach Ditka's voice " COME ON MAN". OK I am also a previous recipient of the award in the category of what not to kick. When I ripping the old pine strip flooring out here to get to the joists to change I'm using the old flooring as fire starter for the wood stove. I don't bother to cut them small enough to fit I just decide lay it on an angle against the wood stove and come down and break it with ball of my foot. It's early I'm groggy and the miss the ball of my foot and come down square on the front of my arch. Has anyone ever seen the pointy end of a 45 year old rusty nail looking at them coming out of the arch of the foot, your own fit. Think that hurt? I can't drive to the hospital with a 28" piece of pine stuck to the bottom of their foot. Frank says I'll drive you or you pull it out and drive yourself. Laugh, laugh, chuckle chuckle. He went next door to tell my neighbours to come over because Stupid did something else to himself. I swear he went out on Lakeshore drive stopping joggers and pulling people over to " Ya gotta see this". Yea Rick, I feel for you. It hurts, hurts big time.

I'm not understanding what you are saying. I need to learn something new daily. Veggie oil has a far lower combustion temp than 5 weight oil, Vaseline?. Wouldn't the engine burn dry immediately?

John you need to contact Monty Smith at Angler Outfitters in Woodstock. He puts on regular Lowrance seminars there. If Monty doesn't know the answer for Lowrance the question doesn't exist. He is at the London Boat show next weekend starting on the 19th. Call him.

Sorry 3 week old not 3 year old. The 3 year old can out fish many of us I bet.

Actually I enjoy Nascar now more than Formula 1 which is basically the same 3 or 4 drivers leading from wire to wire followed by a parade. There's nothing more exciting than watching them go 4 wide in all of motorcar racing. Indy cars are done for now with the 2 leagues.