The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

We could do with some cutters here at the moment as we are processing more of the apples.

 

This batch is going to be more dried apple and also apple jelly.

 

The last batch of apple jelly was created with a St Germain flavouring.

 

 

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

Those bogie wheels would give Tony Wright a hearty!

[Dave Hunt]

22 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Actually, the truth is far less interesting:  I have a problem with the numbers 7 and 17, I keep getting them mixed up, even when ordering stuff or accounting.  Adding up lots of ones and sevens is a nightmare.  I have to treble and even quadruple check my figures.

 

I have a friend who was in 4RTR who thinks you may have been involved with the Regiment at the time when all their Chieftains were each issued with one round of ammunition and seventy Elsan toilets.

 

A fairly cra**y day for various reasons but one bright spot - this evening I finished tiling the roof of the goods shed. I think I shall definitely invest in one of the line drawing thingies that HH showed.

 

Dave  

[Compound2632]

28 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

4RTR

 

Isn't that 00?

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Evening,

 

Today was spent doing virtually nothing, except the third and final very thin gloss coat was applied to LMS 5354 New Zealand, aka what I named my GtV. Here’s a rather atmospheric shot of the varnish drying.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Happy Hippo]

I have been experimenting with thinning down household acrylic paints as in the very hot weather, the undiluted stuff is almost going off as soon as it hits the surface,.  which creates all sorts of lumps and bumps.

 

10% water seems to thin the paint out sufficiently for brushing, and the finish is very good.

 

I suspect I'd need to thin it down a bit more if I was attempting to spray it.

 

There is a viscosity table with my airless spray gun which sets out the various viscosity levels for spraying for different mediums.  It's easy enough to do, by experimentation, but is time consuming and messy until you have everything tabulated.

 

Of course knowing my luck it will be in units of 7+1+17....AAAAArgh

 

 

I'll give 71 Sqn a call

 

And get some Elsan fluid.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2020 by Happy Hippo

[jamie92208]

Testing viscosity is a strange art.  I spent part of what would now be called a gap year, doing just that for BP at Sunbury on Thames.  Lots of strangely shaped glass pipettes in water baths and timers.   You had to watch up to a dozen at a time and remember to press the right timer button when each run was completed.  They paid me the princely sum of £17 per week. They also gave us acetone and toluene to wash our hands with.

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

They also gave us acetone and toluene to wash our hands with.

 

 

Cellulose thinners is still my go to for all sorts of smoothing and cleaning operations.

[bbishop]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Testing viscosity is a strange art.  I spent part of what would now be called a gap year, doing just that for BP at Sunbury on Thames.  Lots of strangely shaped glass pipettes in water baths and timers.   You had to watch up to a dozen at a time and remember to press the right timer button when each run was completed.  They paid me the princely sum of £17 per week. They also gave us acetone and toluene to wash our hands with.

 

Jamie

 

Neither would be my first choice for a cleanser.  Acetone is a nail polish remover.  Toluene is a recreational high and in high concentrations can cause death; its carcogenic risk is unproven.  Bill

[Compound2632]

1 minute ago, bbishop said:

 

Neither would be my first choice for a cleanser.  Acetone is a nail polish remover.  Toluene is a recreational high and in high concentrations can cause death; its carcogenic risk is unproven.  Bill

 

Fortunately @jamie92208 is still with us but probably not wearing nail polish?

[Dave Hunt]

I remember when I would have an open container of carbon tetrachloride on my workbench for degreasing before soldering. I don't think you can buy it now but I'm still here. Mind you, the number of bits of me that are either missing or artificial does make me wonder.

 

Dave

[Oldddudders]

The substances we used w gay abandon back then are now recognised as being less than suitable. I seem to know a few people from the motor trade with Parkinson's. Exposure to motor oils, full of good things to protect your precious engine?

 

Having spent my first 16 years in a house where the only loo was an Elsan, Elsanol and Jeyes Fluid were a feature of the shopping list. 

[Happy Hippo]

3 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

I remember when I would have an open container of carbon tetrachloride on my workbench for degreasing before soldering. I don't think you can buy it now but I'm still here. Mind you, the number of bits of me that are either missing or artificial does make me wonder.

 

Dave

You used to be able to buy stuff called Inhibisol in aerosol cans for electrical cleaning/drying.  It was exceptionally good at degreasing and removing tar and the like.  I think it was one of the trichloroethane family which are now known to be rather unfriendly to humans.  As an engineer with the BBC, my father went through tons of the stuff during his working career.

[Happy Hippo]

A quick update:  The latest batch of apply jelly is flavoured with cinnamon.

[Winslow Boy]

Is that something new, apply jelly or were saying apple jelly?

[Happy Hippo]

1 minute ago, Winslow Boy said:

Is that something new, apply jelly or were saying apple jelly?

The mind boggles, but whatever, it's tasty

[petethemole]

'Apply jelly' appears to be an instruction or suggestion, potentially suitable to a variety of situations/occasions.  I am reminded of a student party where the hosts thought it would be fun to fill the bath (downstairs)  with green jelly.  By about 2 am it had been liberally applied to most of the flat and people and it was impossible to stand on the lino floor.

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

The latest batch of apply jelly is flavoured with cinnamon.

I think my current Lidl (UK) breakfast crunchy muesli is apple and cinnamon. Sadly, they don't sell it in the French Lidls. I have six packets in reserve. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

1 hour ago, petethemole said:

'Apply jelly' appears to be an instruction or suggestion, potentially suitable to a variety of situations/occasions.  I am reminded of a student party where the hosts thought it would be fun to fill the bath (downstairs)  with green jelly.  By about 2 am it had been liberally applied to most of the flat and people and it was impossible to stand on the lino floor.

Noted for future reference.

 

Edited September 24, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[jamie92208]

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Fortunately @jamie92208 is still with us but probably not wearing nail polish?

 

4 hours ago, bbishop said:

 

Neither would be my first choice for a cleanser.  Acetone is a nail polish remover.  Toluene is a recreational high and in high concentrations can cause death; its carcogenic risk is unproven.  Bill

 

4 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Cellulose thinners is still my go to for all sorts of smoothing and cleaning operations.

My comment was meant to be an ironic comment on Elf and safety in 1971. By the two cans with taps on containing the solvents were notices telling us that contact with mineral oils could cause scrotal cancer. Fortunately  I seem to have survived all the various hazards I was exposed to, so far.  

 

Mention of apply jelly reminds me of an amusing incident in the viscosity lab, which was in the ANALysis building. Whilst I was there the first samples of North Sea Oil came ashore and were brought to our building to be analysed.  The TV cameras also descended and one of the BBC types got very excited when he saw a gallon can of Swarfega labelled ANAL in big letters. We did eventually get him calmed down.

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

For those of you who have visited the Banggood site, please be aware that they will stock and ship almost anything.

 

The latest ad I have had from them offers what is delicately described as a Men's health tool.

 

I thought this might be some form of exercise machine.  Well it is after a sort ........... 

 

You get the choice of Golden Star, Daisy Touch or Prickly Rose.

 

Now those are names to conjure with.

 

Certainly not the naming of locomotive type names.

 

[Winslow Boy]

I'm going to assume that it isn't your intention to use the apply jelly in conjunction with the aforesaid comestibles proffered to you by Banggood. If you do I would request that you refrain from providing a commentary on their  implementation as such information would I believe require the issue of a 'D' notice.

[BokStein]

Evening!

 

Just stopped raining deluging here; see what the evening brings as there is an unusual working scheduled later through the local station.

 

6 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

I remember when I would have an open container of carbon tetrachloride on my workbench for degreasing before soldering. I don't think you can buy it now but I'm still here. Mind you, the number of bits of me that are either missing or artificial does make me wonder.

 

Dave

 

I served my apprenticeship in the late 70s, early 80s and ISTR, in the fabrication shop, a vat (approx. 10' x 6' by several feet deep) of warmed trichloroethylene for degreasing pipework, panels, etc. in an annexe of the main shop!

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Afternoon,

 

Just returned from a near hypersonic dentist appointment, fasted I’ve ever had. The bird pictured below was in the waiting room with me, (no really, he was) really nice guy. 

 

Chicken Parmesan was eaten for lunch, the other half will probably be my dinner.Recently as most of the family is home on weekdays, one day awake we order off of DoorDash, a very crafty delivery app. Essentially one orders regular takeout, and then pay someone to go and get it for you. Genius, IMHO, and I was surprised that it hadn’t been though of earlier. 
 

Douglas

Edited September 24, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Dave Hunt]

 

Based on recent posts I think that with the exception of young Douglas we are all lucky to still be here. 

 

Dave