|
Post by Rook on Feb 12, 2009 10:12:31 GMT -5
I've never watched, but I know they hook many things up to many parts of the car. If you have a check engine light on it will fail, because they hook a computer up to the computer parts of your car. They check the cabin for exhaust leaks and the emissions and a bunch of stuff. Its involved.
|
|
|
Post by Mira O'Halloran on Feb 12, 2009 22:23:40 GMT -5
Well, I've gotten my passport application in, and now I'm waiting for it to arrive at the passport office. I should have it by Tuesday, at which point I start to make solid plans. Like paying for all the tickets and accommodation. *is bursting with excitement*
|
|
|
Post by Mira O'Halloran on Mar 25, 2009 19:15:47 GMT -5
Well, things have gone very awry, the trip in May is in doubt, but i'm still going to push hard to make it work. I will keep you all updated.
|
|
|
Post by Rook on Mar 26, 2009 9:58:21 GMT -5
You trip is still solid on our end, so don't worry about that.
|
|
|
Post by Rook on Apr 4, 2009 12:40:57 GMT -5
So, ages ago, I bought a Steyr M95 carbine rifle. Mostly it was in my price range and looked beautiful. I studied it a bit online and, judging by the markings on the stock and barrel, it was built 1916, used through WWI, WWII, converted to the 8X56R ammunition and used by the Hungarian internal security forces post 1930s...which makes it that much more fantastic. The only problem is that there's no ammunition in production for it, but that's by the by. I was showing it to my friends outside and it started to drizzle. The moment even the tiniest bit of perspiration touched it I felt my hands go sticky. I took it home and found out that whatever Big 5 had coated it with to protect the wood wasn't a varnish or oil, it wasn't even grease, it was this gooey mess that washed off in water. I disassembled it and ran it under the bathtub faucet and the entire slime washed away under my fingers until I was left with bare wood. At this I was saddened. I was looking up traditional ways to treat the wooden stocks of firearms and everyone talked about linseed oil. Now I'm familiar with linseed oil for it is one of the major components in 'boat soup/slop/slush.' The protective oiling type sealant we use on the boats wood where we don't have varnish or paint. Unlike varnish or paint it is quick to apply and keeps the wood moist so it wont crack and split under the sealant. The downside is that if it's out in the weather constantly it needs to be redone every three months. Fortunately if it's a rifle on the wall I can lengthen that to every one or two years. So I decided to be sailorly and seal up my rifle in boat soup, a mixture of turpentine, linseed oiil, japan dryer and pine tar. Here I have some pictures of where I'm at now, which is letting them dry a few days. First off, I woke up eager to work long before Home Depot opened, so I had to make up a paintbrush. I took sticks, paper towel and some tape and voila! Here's what the bristles look like: So, onto the boat soup. Having never mixed it before I was alarmed by the way it looked when it sat in the bucket: Well anyway, time to seal it up! I set out all the parts of the rifle, including the metal bits that are not getting souped. I just think it looks neat all spread out in its parts like that. The only thing not included is the bolt, which is in my car. And now this is what they look like with a fresh coat of soup, hung out to dry, as you can see the black sealant doesn't look black at all. It depends on how it looks and feels when it dries whether I do another coat. I'll definitely post pictures of the finished stocks and the re-assembled rifle.
|
|
Gelare
Academy Faculty
Citizen of Nerianti of Wolfshire
Dean Gelare of the Academy
Posts: 138
|
Post by Gelare on Apr 4, 2009 18:57:57 GMT -5
Wow, that looks like a fun project there, King Ari. Congrats on what appears to be a ringing success!
|
|
|
Post by Rook on Apr 6, 2009 1:39:16 GMT -5
So far it seems that the wood was thirty in places as some parts are still damp and others are already dry and not glossy. A second coat is looking like a necessity. The sprinklers going right next to the project every day is probably slowing the drying process.
|
|
|
Post by Mira O'Halloran on Apr 17, 2009 11:35:35 GMT -5
Thank you. It's looking more likely, I may have to skip Disneyland, so there'll be plenty of hanging out. It's just getting the money for the flight that is the part that is currently frustrating me. It will all happen. Heck, it ain't over till it's over. I've got until the evening of the 12th (of may) to organise and pay for everything.
|
|
|
Post by Rook on Apr 17, 2009 18:39:12 GMT -5
Keep in mind that transportation here can include us driving and doesn't have to be solely taxi / rental car.
There are plenty of cool things around here that are not expensive like Disneyland. We'll put together a list of things to do in our area for fun on a budget and you can browse through them when you get here.
|
|
|
Post by Mira O'Halloran on Apr 25, 2009 3:53:25 GMT -5
that would be wonderful on both counts. I'm not allowed to drive with out full supervision, so it'd be taxi's, and the prices here are insane. Note that i like things like zoos and parks -> i just had the most exciting walk in such a long time, along what, last week was a sickly looking, smelly creek bed, which has been absolutely transformed by the torrential rain we've been experiancing -> it looks almost healthy
|
|
|
Post by Rook on Apr 25, 2009 9:02:29 GMT -5
There are parks here, and one of the things on the list is an abandoned zoo from the 1920s that you can walk through and enter some of the enclosures etc.
I don't know the cost of taxi's here, having never used one, but since they don't roam the streets but have to be requested to attend your house by phone it does not give me confidence in their economy.
|
|
Gelare
Academy Faculty
Citizen of Nerianti of Wolfshire
Dean Gelare of the Academy
Posts: 138
|
Post by Gelare on Apr 25, 2009 20:49:59 GMT -5
Outside of places that have huge taxi fleets, like New York City, they're really expensive in my experience.
|
|
|
Post by Rook on Apr 27, 2009 1:50:49 GMT -5
Today happened to be a rather productive Sunday. I woke up to quality time with Her Majesty the Queen and spent the rest of the day in a mix of completing some projects and cleaning up. My first project was a failure, though I feel successful having attempted it. The radio in one of our vehicles randomly, and the more I try to diagnose the problem the more random it seems, stops working. I thought it was a loose wire, so I tore apart the console and removed the radio to check everything. Nothing seemed amiss, all the wires looked healthy and undamaged. Unfortunately the radio still has that problem which means it's deeper in the dashboard, somewhere I have no desire to venture, or it's in the radio itself. If that's the case no amount of dis assembly on my part would fix it. For now I've decided to live with it. I finally stripped the rifle again and added the second coat of boat slush. It's hanging now. I hear the sprinklers going. I know they don't touch my drying pieces. It makes me nervous anyway. I am almost complete in my process of understanding the paints I am using in my new flag project. The flag I was gifted by Sara and Rachael is one I don't want ruined by constant exposure to the weather, so I've bought canvas and fabric paint and am almost to a point where I'm ready to put paint to canvas. Once that's done I have some rasterbation to do on card stock. That will complete my stencil. I cannot draw freehand, though there's a book across the room on drawing that sulks at me for its lack of use. Stage Alpha of my clean the house for Mira project is complete and the couch if free of stuff and the cart full of stuff from the car is mostly empty. Stage Beta, living room floor, will be underway soon. I've decided on the coachwhipping to put on the handle of my sword. I bought a sword about two years ago that had a broken tang, which is what made it so cheap. I thought I could fix it, but it required braise welding. So we sent it to Her Majesty's Father's house to get worked on. He fixed it, then held it hostage, ransome being a visit. We finally visited as you all know and I got my sword back. The handle was covered in a horrible pleather nonesense. So now that the handle and pommel and such are all together now I can put a fancy handle on it. Then the rust needs to come off the blade and I have a new prop! We made it out to the garden with time for weeding. Turns out plants are frighteningly resiliant and we are still finding peas that we dug into the ground as mulch growing. Also a discarded carrot head took root and we noticed its distinctive leafy bits far away from our carrot patch. It has since been relocated with its bretheren. One of our carrots is more than 2 inches around from what we can see from what grows above ground. Fantastic. The evening ended with tasty lasagna and a great game over at Sara and Rachael's. Oh! And I almost forgot, I have pictures of the Uantir flag flying from the rigging of OFOB, the first boat to be flagged in the Uantirian Civilian Fleet!
|
|
Nesslandria Haneh
Aristocrat
Countess of Wolfshire County
Loyal servant to our Lord Protector and his Queen.
Posts: 230
|
Post by Nesslandria Haneh on Apr 29, 2009 16:11:32 GMT -5
What a fantastic sight! =D The flag looks smashing up there.
The boat slush appears to be working well on your rifle. Hooray for success!
My current project is creating a steampunk utility belt for a swap at swap-bot.com. If anyone has any suggestions on converting a hot glue gun to a steampunk pistol, I'm all ears. I need to spray paint it a brass color first, but I'm not really sure what else to do. =/ I was kind of hoping that inspiration would strike after it's painted. I'm also going to spray paint some old Rx bottles the same brass color to be storage canisters on the belt. I'm not sure what else to do as far as accessories. I plan to buy some brown or tan suede material to make the belt out of. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
|
|
|
Post by Rook on Apr 30, 2009 0:02:49 GMT -5
My suggestion, get the round lid to like a slushie or something that you can fit on the end to make it much more 'ray gun' like (with spray paint.) Also glueing some pipe or something ontop or at an angle of the top for a scope-esque type look. Also, most hot glue guns have sort of a view area to see the actual glue stick through the side of the gun, make sure to put a neon painted glue stick in there to be the glowing 'power cell.'
|
|