aplumma

Yup please do not post links or videos with cuss words. Banning is for breaking the rules repeatedly after being warned again and again it is not casually done but has and will be used when needed Art

Most of my metal knowledge comes from knife making so it is narrowed down to high carbons and stainless steel. I used to go to a friend's machine shop and had access to all of the cool toys and books. He sold it and I really miss seeing him and the access to those toys. The process of turning metal into a tool or item will always fascinate me and the artistry in metalworking is greatly admired by me. GBL thanks for the lesson you sir have an excellent base of knowledge. One day a beer and a lesson is in order. Art

A hundred foot cord using 12 gauge wire will have a 4 volt drop at 120 volt Best choice. At a hundred feet a 14 gauge can be used but the voltage drop will be 7 volts which is the most loss you can safely have. Make sure the cord is rated (W) for outdoor use. Art

DanD you actually did harden the mild steel with the process it is not up to tool steel grade. The heating and quenching of the steel is key to forming the carbon crystals that raise the steels hardness. You can use glycol which is less flammable and in most cases will not crack the metal like water that cools the metal to quickly.This process then needs to be annealed which is to reheat the metal and slow cooling it. You can run it up to depending on what Rockwell scale you need IF you have the correct carbon content. You need 6-10% with a few other ingredients in the iron to get to 58 or above. You can also make a piece of hardened steel that when slapped on an anvil will actually shatter because as you make steel harder you make it brittle. An example is a knife blade that will hold an sharp edge and needs to be sharpened infrequently is a rockwell scale of 58-60 but when it needs to be sharpened it will take longer than a lower carbon steel blade. Now the same blade if used as a screwdriver it will snap the tip off instead of bending because it is hard but with that comes brittle. Ieafsprings are usually made from 1085 steel which is actually softer than tool steel because it needs to flex and the more brittle the metal is the less flex cycles it can tolerate. It is still plenty hard and sharpens quickly so as an ice spud or a machete it would be a good choice. You most likely have a piece of 1055 which is a nice steel a little weak for machete but if you sharpen it then heat treat and anneal you should get lots of good cuts before resharpening. Art

I have over the years collected fishing rods not due to their name but what they feel like in my hands. If the rods you have still feel like they are extensions of your hands then enjoy it. If you find a rod that calls to you then budget and buy the new rod. The older rods are kept around to use again as they call to you. I have around 25 rods from ultra light to saltwater rods some are name brand and others where Built by Spiel over the years each one of them are special to me for at some time they felt special in my hands. I will say the rods that are light and balanced with the correct reels are a blessing on the days when I fish from dawn to dusk. Art

It is not the times that things are going right you need to worry about it is if you can keep yourself from wrecking when someone else messes you up. Exceeding your abilities of your tow vehicle is a legal nightmare not to mention the fact that you might injure someone and have to live with the fact it could possibly have been avoided. I say don't do it if you can afford the luxury of a boat you need to be responsible and tow with the correct vehicle. Sorry this is a pet peeve of mine I saw someone get killed when an overloaded RV was being towed with a compact pick up. Art

Down here the deer CROSS the road it appears up North they USE the road. Nice picture for sure. Art

Nice bit of work both from your hands and your head. At

Amazon is amazing.I am a prime member and it works so well that I use it for almost all of my purchases for things that I know what I want. I do my research and then go to amazon to check price and availability and better than 90 % of the time they are the cheapest. A lot of my repair parts for plumbing are available for in most cases the same price or less and the shipping is free with a 2 day delivery. Art

Merry Christmas to all. Thank you for another year of friends sharing their lives with each other. I am blessed to know all of my friends that live to far away to see but I enjoy sharing my life and hearing about yours. Art

When choosing your glue make sure you can achieve the temperature needed for it to cure correctly. Make sure that it is compatible with the material you are bonding too. Some glues will not bond to pressure treated plywood correctly. Glues that are not water based will give you lots of VOC fumes that in an inclosed space could harm you. Art

A weld is the only thing that will hold any glues do not bond with the metal and will crack up as it goes thru temperature differences. A V shaped grind is needed to expose fresh metal and allow for a broader surface for the filler to bond to. The act of welding is to liquify both the base metal and the filler so it will mix together and cool as a continuous mix of metal. Art

I used the indoor outdoor carpet glue it has less fumes than contact cement. I made sure I had a good coat of glue on the wood to seal it. I have a Ranger boat and used vinyl on the main floor to make it easy to wash. The casting decks remained carpet because I fish barefoot and it keeps them from getting hot. The vinyl flooring can get pretty hot in the sun but having a place to land the fish without sliming the carpet is well worth it. Art

I am using the green version with Chrome and all is well. Art

working fine on Chrome Art

Looks wicked good but I see it snag up on anything but open water. Art

To cold for me is the temperature where the hairs in your nose freeze when you inhale? Art

It has to do with using Celsius as your measuring tool.lol. It sounds so dramatic to say it is 0 C instead of 32 F. The kilometer is the same thing you get 2 for 1 over MPH. (all said tongue in cheek) cold is just cold. Art

We prefer here at OFC that people do not admit to doing illegal things or documenting things in writing that can come back to haunt them. We will cooperate with legal demands for archived records. Just saying. Art

I'm holding my breath for freshwater sharks the closes we came to it so far is the Snakehead.lol art

I'm just locking this thread because we cant seem to keep it civil.Lets hope the next fishing report that we all seem to like does not go the same way. Art

I think the warm spell had alot to do with it. We hit upper 60'sF for a few days and we had a great time jigging up some really nice Bass. Art

I have switched out 10 of my bearings in my Shimano's from Boca bearings. The first one convinced me to do the other 9 with longer and smoother casts resulting. I had one set that had a wrong bearing size and with a phone call I had the correct bearing sent to me with no hassles an apology. Art

Nice catch of fish thanks for the report and picture and sorry for some of our C&R people are not thrilled with your report. I will ask people to please read reports in the spirit that they are written and reply accordingly. Winternet is coming lets keep it to a minimum. Thanks Art

Wow that is a pig of a fish. Art