After cutting the heads off of 213 matches for our siege tower, we decided to do burn them all at once to see how big a flare we got, not a bad result, watch the video below to see how we got on
Sunday 25 November 2012
What Sundays are for
Sunday mornings mean different things to different people. I think the main point of a Sunday is to do whatever you need to do, or go wherever you need to go to recharge your batteries.
My working weeks are quite hectic, and I cant ever imagine spending the weekend wasting away in bed.I know people who go out on a Saturday night who dont get in to the early hours of the morning who need to lay in. I'm way past doing that now, I cant remember when the last time i was intoxicating myself at 3am.
Take this morning. I awoke at 8 and on the mention of bacon sandwiches myself and my 12 year old hit the kitchen and prepared a couple of bacon and egg baps and two steaming hot mugs of tea.
My eldest teenaged son prepares a more leisurely rise and although he followed us downstairs he prefers to just get his coffee an bowl of cereal and wake up at his own more chilled pace.
On most Sundays my boys are either out at skate parks or playing with friends unless they have any homework. It gives me plenty of time for projects.
Having looked at the weather and the 2 pieces of bacon laid in the packet looking rather sad, like they had missed there purpose in life, I thought it was a good chance to have a go at making a stand for the meths stove i had made the previous afternoon.
I got some used aluminum sheet from the garage and set about it with the Dremel. At the thought of more bacon my 12 yr old sat with me while i made it. I sent him inside for supplies of teabags and milk and oil and bacon while i set about priming the stove.
We boiled 2 mugs of water (approx 8 minutes) and sat and warmed out hands on them while i set about frying the remaining bacon and producing 2 more bacon butties. I'm a very outdoor person and the stuff i have prepared outdoors always seems to taste so much nicer.
This morning was a extra special. I got to spend some quality time with an enthusiastic son and do creative things that ended up in my two favorite things tea and bacon. Now its inside to research siege towers.
How do you chill ?
My working weeks are quite hectic, and I cant ever imagine spending the weekend wasting away in bed.I know people who go out on a Saturday night who dont get in to the early hours of the morning who need to lay in. I'm way past doing that now, I cant remember when the last time i was intoxicating myself at 3am.
Take this morning. I awoke at 8 and on the mention of bacon sandwiches myself and my 12 year old hit the kitchen and prepared a couple of bacon and egg baps and two steaming hot mugs of tea.
My eldest teenaged son prepares a more leisurely rise and although he followed us downstairs he prefers to just get his coffee an bowl of cereal and wake up at his own more chilled pace.
On most Sundays my boys are either out at skate parks or playing with friends unless they have any homework. It gives me plenty of time for projects.
Having looked at the weather and the 2 pieces of bacon laid in the packet looking rather sad, like they had missed there purpose in life, I thought it was a good chance to have a go at making a stand for the meths stove i had made the previous afternoon.
I got some used aluminum sheet from the garage and set about it with the Dremel. At the thought of more bacon my 12 yr old sat with me while i made it. I sent him inside for supplies of teabags and milk and oil and bacon while i set about priming the stove.
We boiled 2 mugs of water (approx 8 minutes) and sat and warmed out hands on them while i set about frying the remaining bacon and producing 2 more bacon butties. I'm a very outdoor person and the stuff i have prepared outdoors always seems to taste so much nicer.
This morning was a extra special. I got to spend some quality time with an enthusiastic son and do creative things that ended up in my two favorite things tea and bacon. Now its inside to research siege towers.
How do you chill ?
Friday 23 November 2012
A small emergency kit i always carry around
Here is a small emergency kit that I always carry around with me. It wont help you bug out or save you in the event of the 2012 disaster but what it will do is give you a few tools and items to allow you to pretty much get you though minor emergencies.
Here is the kit packed into its tin:
The tin is 4 inches across and just over an inch deep. Probably not quite pocket size but will fit in my rucksack/laptop bag or in the glove compartment of my car.
Here are the items unpacked.
The kit consists of 15 item types, here is a list and a description of possible uses for items.
Basic first aid kit - plasters. steri whipe., safety pins, needle for removing splinters,
Paperclips - always good for making wire ties or just for bending to relieve boredom :)
Disposable lighter - cheap and usually quite reliable.
8 inch cable ties x 4
Duct tape (so many uses - any problem can be solved with duct tape and cable ties ),
15 feet of nylon fishing line
Small tube of super glue - always good for repairs (dont use on wounds)
Sewing kit with 2 needles, and 20 feet of cotton in black and white, Including a needle threader.
2 small elastic bands,
Half a hacksaw blade (for small saw jobs),
Cotton wool (good for starting fires),
Sanding board -can be good for shaping things or act as a spare striker board for matches.
Silver foil (for making containers for water to boil on a fire , or for food storage, can also be used for wrapping food to be placed in the fire)
Swiss army knife - mine is a small one but has 8 blades including a working pair of scissors,
Salt and Pepper sachet -to season anything you cook,
A tab of laminated paper with your home address on and phone number in-case the worst happens and someone finds you,
A Condom for carrying water in. Try to get the condoms without spermicide and it does add a taste to the water. but in a life or death situation i guess you won't care.
Items that will also fit in here are , water purification tablets , headache and stomach tablets, and a magnesium fire starter or some waterproof matches. these are additions i plan to make.
As a footnote. NEVER EVER DRINK WATER FROM STREAMS OR RIVERS WITHOUT TREATING THE WATER FIRST BY BOILING OR WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS.
Here is the kit packed into its tin:
Here are the items unpacked.
Basic first aid kit - plasters. steri whipe., safety pins, needle for removing splinters,
Paperclips - always good for making wire ties or just for bending to relieve boredom :)
Disposable lighter - cheap and usually quite reliable.
8 inch cable ties x 4
Duct tape (so many uses - any problem can be solved with duct tape and cable ties ),
15 feet of nylon fishing line
Small tube of super glue - always good for repairs (dont use on wounds)
Sewing kit with 2 needles, and 20 feet of cotton in black and white, Including a needle threader.
2 small elastic bands,
Half a hacksaw blade (for small saw jobs),
Cotton wool (good for starting fires),
Sanding board -can be good for shaping things or act as a spare striker board for matches.
Silver foil (for making containers for water to boil on a fire , or for food storage, can also be used for wrapping food to be placed in the fire)
Swiss army knife - mine is a small one but has 8 blades including a working pair of scissors,
Salt and Pepper sachet -to season anything you cook,
A tab of laminated paper with your home address on and phone number in-case the worst happens and someone finds you,
A Condom for carrying water in. Try to get the condoms without spermicide and it does add a taste to the water. but in a life or death situation i guess you won't care.
Items that will also fit in here are , water purification tablets , headache and stomach tablets, and a magnesium fire starter or some waterproof matches. these are additions i plan to make.
As a footnote. NEVER EVER DRINK WATER FROM STREAMS OR RIVERS WITHOUT TREATING THE WATER FIRST BY BOILING OR WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS.
Thursday 30 August 2012
Steampunk buttons
Made some steampunk buttons from some really cool buttons i found in my wifes sewing basket and some old metal cogs i had in my spares box.
Monday 27 August 2012
Steampunk ray gun
Well two weeks to the Steampunk event and , i'm in final prep for mine and my wifes costumes.
In view of the fact that we are having another attempt at the world record for the number of Steampunks in a single place at the the same time, i needed to create my better half a weapon of some kind.
A trip to the local pound store provided the ideal water pistol to mod into a steampunk ray gun , I have attached a picture below of before i started and after i had finished adorning it with various bits from my spares drawers.
In view of the fact that we are having another attempt at the world record for the number of Steampunks in a single place at the the same time, i needed to create my better half a weapon of some kind.
A trip to the local pound store provided the ideal water pistol to mod into a steampunk ray gun , I have attached a picture below of before i started and after i had finished adorning it with various bits from my spares drawers.
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Waste Paper Bin Of The Future
Absolutely love this. And its probably more of a need than a want, very clever use of a Kinect and robotic elements to work out spacial trajectory to where the paper will be and move the an intercepting location.
see more
Saturday 7 April 2012
Well its the Saturday before Easter and after a very chilled and lazy 'Good Friday' I decided i needed to kick things up a gear. I must admit i didn't arise till 9:20am as I was deeply engrossed in several chapters of 'Restaurant at the end of the Universe'.
I spent the morning in a small 6 x 3 room (I bet you cant guess what its used for) gloss painting the woodwork.
After a discussion with my good lady she informed me that she no longer wanted the free standing toilet paper holder and wanted a wall mounted device. I braved the DIY shops only to find that it was impossible to purchase a suitable item without it being part of a set of bathroom soap dishes and shower accessories . As i have no need for these items i decided to set about manufacturing one from the pieces I have in my garage. I ended up with a slightly Steampunk brass and steel affair . I have enclosed a picture below so you can see i installed in its working environment.
I spent the morning in a small 6 x 3 room (I bet you cant guess what its used for) gloss painting the woodwork.
After a discussion with my good lady she informed me that she no longer wanted the free standing toilet paper holder and wanted a wall mounted device. I braved the DIY shops only to find that it was impossible to purchase a suitable item without it being part of a set of bathroom soap dishes and shower accessories . As i have no need for these items i decided to set about manufacturing one from the pieces I have in my garage. I ended up with a slightly Steampunk brass and steel affair . I have enclosed a picture below so you can see i installed in its working environment.
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