Octopus Overlords

And success. Drilled, primed, painted, second coated, dried, and mounted. It went surprisingly smoothly. Of course, it took me two weeks of research and two sets of mistaken purchases to pull off what an actual carpenter would consider the most basic of tasks (paint and attach three boards to a wall.)

Blackhawk wrote:And success. Drilled, primed, painted, second coated, dried, and mounted. It went surprisingly smoothly. Of course, it took me two weeks of research and two sets of mistaken purchases to pull off what an actual carpenter would consider the most basic of tasks (paint and attach three boards to a wall.)

In my experience, unless you’re doing that kind of stuff regularly, that is the way.

With my age, I’m now running into the situation where I’ve made the kind of mistakes you did here, but maybe 20 years ago, and forgot, only to make them again.

I just need to figure out what to do with 100 1/4 inch Tapcon screws, a big can of wood stain, and a can of varnish. I've already returned the drill and bits, and I've refunded the screws (they didn't want them back, which was surprising as it was my mistake.)

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 8:36 am I just need to figure out what to do with 100 1/4 inch Tapcon screws, a big can of wood stain, and a can of varnish. I've already returned the drill and bits, and I've refunded the screws (they didn't want them back, which was surprising as it was my mistake.)

Do you have a local-ish Habitat for Humanity?

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 10:47 am

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 8:36 am I just need to figure out what to do with 100 1/4 inch Tapcon screws, a big can of wood stain, and a can of varnish. I've already returned the drill and bits, and I've refunded the screws (they didn't want them back, which was surprising as it was my mistake.)

Do you have a local-ish Habitat for Humanity?

That's an excellent idea. I checked, and the nearest that accepts donations is far enough that it would be about the financial equivalent to just send them a new box (those screws are expensive!) They don't accept chemicals, apparently.

We have had an issue with toilets clogging. It sometimes required serious plunging when the teen boys did it, and I became convinced that the problem was young guys dropping dense-as-rocks turds because they didn't drink enough water. (Teenagers, amiright?!!)

Later, as I was looking for something in our seldom-entered basement, I noticed that the floor opening to the pipe leading out of the house was surrounded by about a three-foot diameter pattern of dried toilet paper and desiccated human turds. The pipe allowed regular flow, but at some point it had suffered a temporary blockage and back-flooded. The dried evidence (along with several flush experiments) indicated that the blockage was no longer in place, but I wanted to make sure I knew what we were up against.

We called in our elderly plumber who knows our neighborhood houses as well as anyone could. He made it clear that the issue was modern soft-cushy toilet paper, which expands and clogs as you send it down the pipes. Our house is 125 years old, and it was never meant for Charmin butt pillows.

Lesson learned: Scott 1-ply now, Scott 1-ply forever.

My outside restoration project from the winter continued today. My destroyed gazebo replacements has been assembled and while the workers did that I pulled up about 50 pavers in my Italian style front patio. I have significant soil subsistence happening in sections. In one particularly sunken section I was able to put my hand into some void. Considering my constant run of bad luck with this property I was expecting to grab a skeleton's hand ala Poltergeist. I went to Lowes and Home Depot for supplies but they were out of gravel. I'll have to hunt it tomorrow. Once that is filled I'll top and compact it back to level and then reset all the pavers.

I then have to clear all the joints in the rest of the front patio. The pavers don't have polymetric sand in the joints and I have to blast out all the mud/moss between the pavers with a power washer which I dub the mud laser. I typically end up covered head to toe in mud while performing this operation. It is about 30' by 50' with a full moon pattern in front of the porch. It'll be a total treat. I then need to fix another paver path that needs a lot of rehab as well. Super fun.

Lesson learned: Scott 1-ply now, Scott 1-ply forever.

My condolences to yer butt.

I went to Lowes and Home Depot for supplies but they were out of gravel.

I try to buy all mine at Ace Hardware. Prefer theirs. The last I had to go to HD for turned color on me. But they have other gravels too.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 10:41 pmI try to buy all mine at Ace Hardware. Prefer theirs. The last I had to go to HD for turned color on me. But they have other gravels too.

Ace was my first stop. My ace is in a strip mall and doesn't have a garden center. They had mulch/garden soil/etc. The common stuff. I got a line on some gravel at a local garden/landscaping spot a couple of towns over. Though it sounds like it might be unbagged which is unappealing for someone who only has a car available.

malchior wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 12:15 am

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 10:41 pmI try to buy all mine at Ace Hardware. Prefer theirs. The last I had to go to HD for turned color on me. But they have other gravels too.

Ace was my first stop. My ace is in a strip mall and doesn't have a garden center. They had mulch/garden soil/etc. The common stuff. I got a line on some gravel at a local garden/landscaping spot a couple of towns over. Though it sounds like it might be unbagged which is unappealing for someone who only has a car available.

Not sure how much you need, but we have places that will deliver to our house. Of course that means wheelbarrow and shoveling it around, but it's a lot cheaper if you need a bunch.

RMC wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 9:04 am

malchior wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 12:15 am

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 10:41 pmI try to buy all mine at Ace Hardware. Prefer theirs. The last I had to go to HD for turned color on me. But they have other gravels too.

Ace was my first stop. My ace is in a strip mall and doesn't have a garden center. They had mulch/garden soil/etc. The common stuff. I got a line on some gravel at a local garden/landscaping spot a couple of towns over. Though it sounds like it might be unbagged which is unappealing for someone who only has a car available.

Not sure how much you need, but we have places that will deliver to our house. Of course that means wheelbarrow and shoveling it around, but it's a lot cheaper if you need a bunch.

Maybe 1/4 cubic yard. It's not a deliverable quantity.

It just has surprised me that I can't seem to find it anywhere near me in bags at the moment. I might end up buying marble chip. It should be too expensive for this purpose but I just want to get the job done.

I guessing people are snatching up all the small bags for footings and paver repair. I'm having all my pavers replaced with stamped concrete, because f pavers. You could also go to a pet store and get some tank gravel - it depends on how much you need.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 10:48 am I guessing people are snatching up all the small bags for footings and paver repair. I'm having all my pavers replaced with stamped concrete, because f pavers. You could also go to a pet store and get some tank gravel - it depends on how much you need.

The Home Depot nearest me flat out said they don't carry it - then I found it in the Edison home depot because the web exists. Should have been my first move instead of assuming they'd have basic materials.

If you hate pavers you'd bulldoze my property. The way back previous owners built a paver empire here in the 70s and the 00s owner with a landscaping business did absolutely nothing when the wear and tear set in.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:09 pm So, after extensive research and hearty confusion, I just pulled the trigger on a super-cheap ($40) hammer drill, masonry bits, and a box of 1/4"x4" concrete screws that seem to be what I need for attaching things to my walls. I've got a serious case of the 'hope I got the right thing' version of buyer's remorse.

Three weeks later, and the project that would take an experienced person one afternoon (plus watching paint dry) is done with only maximal comic errors! I'm cross posting this from the miniature painting thread, as it is relevant to both for different reasons.

I have spent the last few weeks working on cleaning up my studio (is 'studio' pretentious?) What started out as simple cleaning then became a rebuild, and some realizations made me realize that I needed it to be for more than miniature painting, so I stepped it up yet again and turned it into a general 'modular' work area.

I regret that I didn't take a good 'before' photo, but I did find one I took that had it in the background, so I edited that.



The biggest problem was that it was hugely crowded. That desk is a Walmart pressed wood computer desk from the late 80s/early 90s. The monitor shelf that holds all the paints is so wide that it takes up the entire back half of the desk. With the brushes on the left, then my palette and tools on the right, I was left with about one square foot to actually work in, and was constantly knocking things over, losing things, and forgetting what I had. If I wanted to do anything that wasn't miniature painting (say, working with foam or airbrushing), there simply wasn't space and I had to bring in another table. And of course, I'd then have to dig through three or four different places to get all of the tools - the foam cutter and the cutting mat from the closet, the knives from the tool box, the hand held cutter from the cabinet, the table from the other room. And then I'd have to do it backwards when I was done. I usually just didn't bother. It was too much hassle.

One thing that held me back was that I have no carpentry knowledge or experience and no tools, plus our walls are 130+ year old plaster and lathe. But I decided it was time to try anyway. I cleared everything out of the areaResearch followed. Mistakes followed. Vulgarities were uttered. Returns were made and refunds were requested. How to mount things on walls you can't screw into? Mount rails, then screw things to the rails! That means screws and a level. Hammer drill for the brick. Oops, what I thought was bricks, wasn't! Wrong drill, wrong screws. Refund! Research. Toggle bolts! Wood achieved! I got all the stain, and the sealer, and the varnish! Oh, it'll kill our bird? Returns. Got the paint! Now, to read up on how to... primer. You have to prime wood? Another trip to the store. Primed! Painted! Recoated! Pants ruined! More vulgarities! Rails on wall! Success part 1!

Paint racks arrived. Build the racks! Uh-oh... several of the parts don't fit. It turns out the guy (excellent guy, more in a sec) who makes them had something in his laser cutter go awry, throwing off the calibration and cutting several parts 1/8th of an inch too big. I contact him, he rebuilds his machine from the ground up and rushes more parts to me. By that time I've set up the rest of the area and gotten all of the tools and materials culled, sorted, and organized, plus I was able to assemble and paint all of the racks (it was the back plates that were off), so no time was really lost. I spent a couple of days getting the back plates primed (I learned!) and painted. I decided to paint the back plates the same color as the wall (I picked a neutral color that wasn't too bright so I wouldn't be dealing with distorted colors or glare.) It worked well. Last night I mounted it all and got it all stocked. Success part 2!

Images in the tags:
In the end, I spent very little aside from the racks themselves (thank you stimulus + birthday!) Three 6' wooden planks. One pack of toggle bolts, some screws and paint. Two magnetic bars and a power strip. The desk is the same. The shelves on the right are our old DVD rack, and the cabinet and white shelves were given to me years ago for free. The shelf above the desk is the old monitor shelf with the sides removed. The whole project was about $200, including the racks. I also learned quite a bit.

As I mentioned, I set it up as modular. The pics above are set up for miniature painting, but there are only a few things on the desk - brushes, water, palette - that are mini-specific. In the last pic you can see the cabinet doors open. The shoeboxes on the middle shelf (thanks, Isgrimnur!) each hold all the tools for one activity. One for electronics (soldering, LEDS), one for sculpting (currently just bases, but possibly to be expanded), one for foam work, one for drawing, one for airbrushing, one for miniature photography. I'm waiting on a brush roll, after which there will be one for miniature painting, too. The idea is that I can grab one box, pull the stuff out, and be doing that activity in about a minute, then put the box back and swap to something else just as fast. As I figure out where this is all going the contents of the boxes may change, but right now I have half a dozen workshops in one, and the space to work with any of them.

The only things I plan to add are a paper towel holder, a glove dispenser and an exhaust fan to mount in one window (soldering, airbrushing, and foam cutting all require ventilation, and setting a fan near the window only works on nice days. These last items were all supplied by Amazon when they gave me a hefty credit after a big screw up recently. They're also buying me a label maker for all those boxes and drawers.

Anyway, I wanted to say something about the racks. They came from WhatsInTheBox Games, an excellent, highly recommended Etsy shop. I found his racks when looking for wall mount options. I counted my paints, purged the old ones and duplicates, and ordered a set of four racks. I thought about getting one for my Contrast paints, but I wasn't sure one rack would hold them all. I asked told him I was considering getting one more and asked about the numbers. He asked how many paints I had, and I told him. He said that if I ordered the one extra rack for Citadel, he'd throw in an extra rack just to make sure they'd all fit, and include extra shelves so that I could mix and match once they arrived. When I had the non-fitting back plates, he bent over backwards to make it right. I was totally satisfied with both the company and the racks, and he deserves the shill. He also makes the official Dinogenics inserts, by the way. Here is a copy-paste of my review from the product page:

These things are awesome. Once I figured out the first one they were easy to put together (don't ignore the part in the instructions about standing them on end!) They are solid once assembled. The wood is of good quality, not flimsy or warped. The joins are tight, and the cuts are smooth.

They mount easily, and are modular. It would be great for someone who uses different paint sets for different purposes, as you could mount the back plates and swap the racks (although I'd glue the racks - not backplates - for this.)

They make good use of space, and the labels are all visible. They're ready to go as they are, and are attractive as such. They could also be stained or painted (I painted mine black, the painted the plates to match the wall.) And the service was fantastic.

These are the racks you want!

Holman wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 9:32 pm We have had an issue with toilets clogging. It sometimes required serious plunging when the teen boys did it, and I became convinced that the problem was young guys dropping dense-as-rocks turds because they didn't drink enough water. (Teenagers, amiright?!!)

Later, as I was looking for something in our seldom-entered basement, I noticed that the floor opening to the pipe leading out of the house was surrounded by about a three-foot diameter pattern of dried toilet paper and desiccated human turds. The pipe allowed regular flow, but at some point it had suffered a temporary blockage and back-flooded. The dried evidence (along with several flush experiments) indicated that the blockage was no longer in place, but I wanted to make sure I knew what we were up against.

We called in our elderly plumber who knows our neighborhood houses as well as anyone could. He made it clear that the issue was modern soft-cushy toilet paper, which expands and clogs as you send it down the pipes. Our house is 125 years old, and it was never meant for Charmin butt pillows.

Lesson learned: Scott 1-ply now, Scott 1-ply forever.

Cobcobs, my friend. Corncobs.

I would post a pic of my work area, but you have enough to feel good about.
Great job, 'hawk!

Does anybody know if it is possible to buy individual carpet tiles (12"x12" or so), or do they only come in packs? I need exactly two.

Worked on my lawnmower today. A DR type. Had to repair the mower head. Took about an hour.
Stepkid took the riding lawnmower to mow. Stopped about half way thru. Comes in the house all panicky. Asked him if he checked the gas. Oh yes! I checked. It was out of gas. At least he has none of my genes.
I think I want to nominate him as my favorite comedian. He's always making me laugh. (behind his back)

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 10:24 pm Does anybody know if it is possible to buy individual carpet tiles (12"x12" or so), or do they only come in packs? I need exactly two.

Not sure what your application is, but Amazon does have these (with other colors down below).

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 10:24 pm Does anybody know if it is possible to buy individual carpet tiles (12"x12" or so), or do they only come in packs? I need exactly two.

The

12" x 12"

tiles I recently purchased off Amazon were actually 11.75" x 11.75" (ask me how I know).

stessier wrote: ↑Thu May 27, 2021 12:22 am

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 10:24 pm Does anybody know if it is possible to buy individual carpet tiles (12"x12" or so), or do they only come in packs? I need exactly two.

Not sure what your application is, but Amazon does have these (with other colors down below).

I'd actually seen those - the gray one is my backup. I was just curious if anybody knew whether physical shops sold them in smaller numbers. I don't want to buy 12 and throw away ten of them. I should have made that clear - I was half asleep when I posted that.

It's for a foot rest I built. I've mentioned that my recliner is a problem. It's extremely deep (from back to front), doesn't sit forward very straight, and even at 6'1" my feet don't touch the floor. This chair is made for lying in, not sitting in. And since I can't afford to replace it, I've been customizing it. One thing I did was to build a foot rest/platform about 1" high. It's simple - I just took two 12" foam "puzzle" tiles, attached them side by side, then took two others and glued the two pairs on top of each other with contact cement. It gives me a ~1" high, 13"x25" platform of dense (but soft) foam that sits under my feet and fixes the height problem. (The extra width is from the edges that fill in the puzzle cuts.)

But after a week of using it, I've discovered one issue: it's hot as hell under my feet. I think that attaching a pair of 12" carpet squares to it would solve that.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Thu May 27, 2021 9:26 am

stessier wrote: ↑Thu May 27, 2021 12:22 am

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 10:24 pm Does anybody know if it is possible to buy individual carpet tiles (12"x12" or so), or do they only come in packs? I need exactly two.

Not sure what your application is, but Amazon does have these (with other colors down below).

I'd actually seen those - the gray one is my backup. I was just curious if anybody knew whether physical shops sold them in smaller numbers. I don't want to buy 12 and throw away ten of them. I should have made that clear - I was half asleep when I posted that.

The bigger question is which stores do you have nearby as I recall your options are rather limited.

Depending on the hassle you are willing to put up with, you could go with these from Home Depot 6"x6" for $1 (but limited to only 3/order - so you'd need a couple orders). They also say they ship free.

Lowes has a similar deal, but theirs are 8"x8" - doesn't appear to be a limit either.

A carpet store might also just cut you 2 sqft of something if you have a dedicated store like that nearby.

stessier wrote: ↑Thu May 27, 2021 9:55 am The bigger question is which stores do you have nearby as I recall your options are rather limited.

My options are less limited if I am willing to wait a week or two to check into it. In that case I have access to a couple of hardware stores, but they were only selling huge packs, too. I may just have to go with the wasteful option. I'd buy a small rug (like a kitchen rug) and cut it, but I'd be afraid it would unravel.

Well well well...so to say...my well pump pressure tank is low on pressure and I need to add some. Get out my compressor and it wont pressurize itself even..theres a leak around the fittings. Dangerous to boot. They really make small air compressors CHEAP. So I cant repressure the tank. Now Im looking at having to get another air compressor for this one silly thing and nothing else. So it will sit there and rot before next use.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun May 30, 2021 5:43 pm Now Im looking at having to get another air compressor for this one silly thing and nothing else. So it will sit there and rot before next use.

So rent one.

Probably cost the same.

15 or so years ago...maybe a little more....the bushes at the front of the house were barely the height of the porch railing. Some not even that. They are some type of holly with stickers on the end of the leaves. Planted along the house front edge under windows and around the porch. Must be 40 years old or more. Anyways since then they have grown to twice their height. I used to be able to sit on the porch and see the road easy or from inside the house. But now no way. Ive kept them trimmed for 30 years but somehow they always end up a little taller than they were before.

About 30 years ago my in laws had my take snips and cut them down to that short height. But they looked awful and one actually died and never sprouted new growth. Im worried if I do that now they'll all die. Im not sure what to do. I want them shorter but not dead. Im not sure i can even attempt it or what time of year. I was thinking colder weather when the sap is down and they aren't growing at all. But like I said Im worried to try.

As prices have spiked we had considered selling the house and getting a bigger one. The ones in our price range are STILL garbage so we think it will be cheaper and smarter to just extend the house. As the wood prices are insane I'm not doing it right away, but perhaps next year.

Replaced the fan in the bathroom. Now we no longer have to worry about steamy showers or holding one's breath when using the bathroom after someone else.

Somehow managed to fill an entire kitchen trash bag with insulation that avalanched out of the ceiling when I pulled the old fan out.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 10:24 pm Does anybody know if it is possible to buy individual carpet tiles (12"x12" or so), or do they only come in packs? I need exactly two.

Assuming you are trying to match something existing you should probably try local flooring stores and tell them your problem. My guess is that you will probably have to buy the smallest box they have, but they might have some loose samples and be nice enough to offer you those.

Octavious wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:10 am As prices have spiked we had considered selling the house and getting a bigger one. The ones in our price range are STILL garbage so we think it will be cheaper and smarter to just extend the house. As the wood prices are insane I'm not doing it right away, but perhaps next year.

Lumber prices bottomed out and convensus is they will remain at this new elevated level for 3-5 years.

May might have been peak (but likely just A peak, consolidation, too soon to tell of course). We’re down 100% since then.

For reference, using Jul 2020 as baseline zero, at one point (May) prices were up 300%-ish. Crazy.

Double post!

Doh. I woke this morning to a hot house. My quick layman's diagnosis is a burned out fan unit in the condenser. Nice. It isn't going to be crazy hot but still unwelcome to say the least.

Groundhog day!

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:43 am It isn't going to be crazy hot but still unwelcome to say the least.

Is distilled misery here in NJ these last 3+ days and I don't think it's actually going to break until tomorrow afternoon. It was (air temp) 79 degrees at 1:30 this morning, plus whatever the humidity was. It'll be over a 100 today...again.

I hope you can get someone there quick.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:55 am

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:43 am It isn't going to be crazy hot but still unwelcome to say the least.

Is distilled misery here in NJ these last 3+ days and I don't think it's actually going to break until tomorrow afternoon. It was (air temp) 79 degrees at 1:30 this morning, plus whatever the humidity was. It'll be over a 100 today...again.

I hope you can get someone there quick.

Negative ghost rider. Friday between noon to 4. At least it isn't after the holiday. I was hoping it was just the start up capacitor on the fan but its definitely the fan motor. It tries to startup and smoke is coming out of the housing so my guess is seized bearing.

I threw a window unit in where I'm working and I can dip into the pool at my leisure. It is more about just making sure we have a lot of cold water for the feline house members and just deal with it.

Im going to have to get another cheap air compressor. Mine leaks. I filled the inside of my car with compressed air at the local gas station but it was all uncompressed by the time I got home. Useless.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:05 pm Im going to have to get another cheap air compressor. Mine leaks. I filled the inside of my car with compressed air at the local gas station but it was all uncompressed by the time I got home. Useless.

You should borrow somebody's pickup. You can haul a lot of compressed air in the bed.

I just ordered some electrical tape and wire nuts from Amazon. The wire nuts should be here in 3 days because of the 4th holiday. But the tape is saying up to mid Aug...and it was in stock and ships from amazon. I take it thats wrong . Lol. Doesn't matter as I have some left to do but still thats an odd amount of time.