Dakota Today

**Some ideas just go to pot

A few weeks ago I happened to see a cooking show where a pasta pot was used. It was actually two nested pots-- an outer pot with an inner perforated pot. Cook the pasta in the nested pots, and then just lift out the pasta with the water draining out the perforations into the larger outer pot. Really looked slick compared to trying to carefully pour a gallon or two of boiling water off pasta without dumping pasta or steaming fingers, etc.

I did some searching on web and at a local discount store. Such pots were not cheap compared to ordinary stew pots. At Pamida, an eight quart version that also included a steam tray was around $24. A stew pot that would fit right into our 16 or 20 quart pot was on sale for about $8. The tightwad Norwegian tendencies kicked in and I thought, "How hard would it be to drill some holes?

Well, drilling holes in a stainless steel pot provided a small bit of education. The first two black oxide drill bits from a cheap set snapped before they made any more impression on stainless steel than my fingernail would have. So, off to a hardware store to get a better center punch and a 5/32" titanium drill bit. That worked much better. Of course, the price gap between $8 and $24 was narrowing. With tax, the bit was about $2. I will probably use the $4.79 punch for several years...but.... Anyway after some swearing and disgust at less than an ergonomic design for an electric drill spread over an evening and a morning, I had over 100 holes drilled without breaking the titanium bit. That wasn't so bad after all.

Time to clean up the fillings. Then I noticed that few of the holes drilled with a clean edge. Stainless steel like that in these pots made in China or India flake off like small bits of shiny oatmeal. And when they don't flake off leave a razor sharp tab next to the hole. Some tedious "grinding" with a sharpening stone which was the closest I had to a useful tool at the time and place and the pot holes were more or less cleaned up.

Next day, I got a rotary steel brush which would fit a drill and finished the hole touch up. By then I had enough holes that something in the neighborhood of 9 quarts of water would drain out in 10 to 15 seconds.

One advantage of working on something like that is that one looks at the pot very carefully and in good light to see if the holes are cleaned up or if filings remain. I noticed a black substance around rivets and rolled seams and in every groove or indentation. Hmm. Wiping with a paper towel and soap and water gradually removed that. I don't know if it is a polishing grit or a mixture of polishing grit and fine stainless steel or what, but I did see rather quickly how contamination could get into processed food and even machine filings, etc. So, next was putting the pots together and boiling some water in it to remove oils, etc.

Then, I wondered about the pot which we had used for a couple years. The lid on it had rolled seams. Running a paper towel around the rim into them yielded the result shown on the paper towel in the photo.
So, I suppose we have had some pasta over the past year that had water somewhat less than pure as a result of the whatever black stuff slowly washing into the water with the condensed steam.

Based on my experience, I would suggest not trying to save a few dollars and instead finding a good pasta pot if you can. The combination did really work slick after it was finished and clean. I assume the ready-made ones would be as useful or more so. I also became very aware of how filings, etc. could end up in cooking equipment and food processing machinery. Cleaning up was really a pain in the rear.

BUT, I also think it would be wise to carefully examine all metal pots in a good light and then carefully wipe around rivets and seams with significant pressure and persistence if you notice a black stain or grit in seams or around rivets, etc.

So much for how-to-do-it or more likely how not to save a few dollars.

***Stay tuned, I'm sure there are more political events going to pot than there are even pots going to pot--Doug Wiken

**Let's put together some car parts

If you were in high school back in the late 50's or early 60's, you might have instant nostalgia for this car from n2amotors. The "n2a" is for "no two alike".

It is a design that puts together a few years worth of Chevy cars and puts the combination on a Corvette frame.
But, take a look at the company site for more photos and some other of their vehicles. The interface at the site is not the world's best, but click on the "thumbnails" and see larger versions, etc. Some other cars there too. Interesting information and site. Something a bit different for Dakota Today. Thanks to Kevin Cleaver for the link.
New window LINK to N2AMotors Chevy 789

**Stay tuned until you have something better to do--- Doug Wiken

**Don't do this yourself..cautionary DIY in the Auto Dept.

The Rapid City Journal today has a story on a 66 year old guy who was not intoxicated, but apparently very frustrated. He had worked for two weeks on an old car. Perhaps a Lincoln Continental. He was getting the lugnuts off the wheels. He had on lugnut left to get loose.

Now, perhaps years ago, you may have seen Bill Mauldin's WWII cartoons with "Joe" and "Willy". One I remember has them with a 45 caliber pistol, hands over their eyes ready to put a shot through the radiator of their near dead Jeep. It was a bit of takeoff on putting your old cavalry horse out of its misery on a battlefield.

Well, the dude with the stuck lugnut had the money for a shotgun shooting buckshot and decided that the most logical way to knock that lugnut or bolt loose was to blast it with a shot from a couple feet away. He ended up with buckshot and debris stuck in him from feet to chest with most serious damage to his legs.

Now, we might wonder if he had the money for a shotgun, perhaps he could have spent a buck or two on WD-40 or something similar or even heated it up with a $10 propane torch. Perhaps the guy had the shotgun just for shooting up traffic signs.

Anyway, some times working with vehicles can get to such a frustration point when something that should be simple and easy turns out to be both incredibly time-consuming and just plain difficult. Or as our case may be, getting the needed parts turns out to be more difficult and time-consuming than the actual repair work.

We got the engine of our 1979 Ford F-350 working better with new head gaskets and valve seals, etc. We had other things that needed to be done, but thought it did not make sense to do them until we knew the engine was running right again. Little did we know. The front axles on the truck are Ford's variation of Dana Spicer apparently. Those 1-ton axles, differentials, etc are in demand when guys start converting other vehicles into their special toys for slogging in the mud or crawling over rocks, etc. because they are reputed to be so tough and bullet proof. So, of course, Ford has decided they don't want to stock the internal gears for those hubs anymore. One might think with the demand for the axles, that Ford might notice the demand for those gears. Nope.

So finally, we happened to see an E-bay auction for two sets of the internal gears which should fit. They started at $9, but about 20 people were interested and we probably paid too much. Anyway, it seemed better than gambling on an old whole hub from a junkyard just to get a couple gears that fit in your hand.

If new heavy-duty 4x4 pickups weren't so damn expensive, we might just have parked this old girl. But, there is hardly any plastic on it and no smog-eating gas guzzling stuff hanging on it. It now starts and runs, so I guess we can put a lot more work into it before we even think about buying something else.

In short, we haven't yet gotten to the stage of putting a shot through the radiator to put it out of its misery.
In the meantime, I don't think we will be asking the guy in Southworth, WA for car repair advice or anger management lessons.

**Stay tuned even if the only nuts you know about come in a can and are supposed to reduce bad cholesterol..which reminds me...Pamida has a sale on them...hmm.--- Doug Wiken

**Interesting digital device for woodworkers..What else?

I was looking through my copy of FINE WOODWORKING magazine for October 2007 and noticed an interesting digital device being mentioned on page 28. It is a device to measure the angle of saw blades to saw table top.
Sticks on the blade and gives a digital readout.

Neat as this idea is, this device must have other uses. Most digital stuff seems to be little better than analog, and that may be the case with this. But, this seems so neat compared to using a protractor device of some kind. Of course, you may disagree; but take a look at a tool catalog for digital devices for wood workers anyway.

LINK-- Wexey Digital Angle Guage

I'm still trying to figure out better woodworking through better welding;ie, combining welded frames with the nice feel of wood where it makes sense. That is another whole can of worms however.

**Stay tuned for something not related to digital or computer toys--- Doug Wiken

**Another DIY today..Headlght lens restoration

This is not the usual menu of posts for Dakota Today, but recently I have been trying to make our 1993 Dodge Intrepid a bit safer to drive at night. According to some consumer magazines, these cars came from the factory with dreadfully poor lighting. Our old clunker 30 year old Volvos had much better lighting for night driving. Add on to the original poor engineering about 14 years of driving and the plastic lens was pitted and aged yellow. Also, we had hit a pheasant or two and the plastic mounting brackets for the lights had been cracked and broken.

I checked some websites for replacement lens and brackets. New would have cost about $200. That was more than I wanted to spend. I added some running lights. More on that in a post for another day or three. I checked local Automate car parts store. They had Permatex Headlight Lens Restoration Kit for about $15. I figured I could gamble on that and some epoxy glue and paste to fix things up a bit.

The lens restoration kit included 4 small sheets of sandpaper grades 1000, 1500, 2000, and 2500 for wet sanding. Some rubber gloves, flannel polishing cloth and some "plastic restoration polish" and some relatively good instructions. Soak the paper in water. Alternate horizontal and vertical sanding directions as you move through the grades starting with the coarsest. Keep the paper and plastic wet by dipping in water.

The first plastic that was sanded off turned a paper towel yellow. Gradually the sanding water turned white.
I was watching TV and doing this otherwise it would have been mighty boring. The two headlights required something between and hour or two of more or less continuous sanding. After the sanding, the lenses were rinsed and dried and the lenses then polished with the polish and flannel which required heavy pressure.

Below is a photo of one of the lenses after sanding and polishing using the kit from Permatex.

I may have needed to sand a bit more. There were a few pits left, but at least it was again possible to see the bulb clearly. I had no idea this could be done, but it seemed to work. I suspect you could buy larger sheets of the sandpaper and some plastic polishing paste and do a dozen lenses for the same price, but not sure. The package is convenient if you have only one set of lights to work on. I suppose it could be used for polishing and restoring other clear plastic besides that on headlights.

Below is a photo of the lens showing the repaired plastic mounting on rear of lens housing repaired with two- part epoxy glue and epoxy paste. I happened to have PC Super Expoxy glue and PC-7 epoxy paste..both are two part epoxies. I assume there are other brands which might work as well or better.

Screwing with this kind of stuff may take a few days because the epoxy needs to set and parts must line up with brackets. So if one part must be repaired first and set before another installed to adjust it for repairs, you might as well plan on having the lights off for several days. Of course, if you fix this kind of crap instead of wiring it together with wire in an emergency and then leaving it until it must absolutely, positively be fixed, it might not take so long. Getting stuff together may take longer than actually doing the work if you happen to live next to an auto supply store.

Any way, here
is photo of the slopped on epoxy repair. Depending on the location of the crack and the fit, this may require some care, or the parts won't fit together with the bracket on the vehicle. Clicking on either of the photos should show a larger version.

***Stay tuned but probably not for more penny-pinching time-wasting DIY repair hints---- Doug Wiken

**Flowers blowing in the wind...Memorializing Memories

2007 Memorial Day is nearly here. My wife decided to put some flowers on her parents grave. The local cemetery in that section has no monuments that rise above the grass. There is a provision for a flower vase on memorial days. Actual flowers would be shredded by the wind and wilted by the sun in a matter of hours, so she bought some genuine fake made-in China flowers that almost look more real than some real flowers.

She put them in the vase carefully arranging them. Next day I drove by and wind had turned her nice assortment into a jumble. Wife came back later and found wind had blown them out on the ground.

Below are photos. One indicates the flowers in the vase, and one indicates the approach I used to make them
just a bit more secure in the wonderful South Dakota wind.

Click on the images for a larger view. I used a discarded caulking tube because it would fit in the vase. A slightlly larger plastic bottle would have been better, but that was all I could find. I put a few inches of crushed rock in the bottom. Sand might be better if you have it. My wife arranged the flowers as she wanted them and stuck them into the sand. Then I squirted in some expanding foam of the kind used for plugging cracks and air leaks, etc. Looks like it will work. A little scrap aluminum foil wrapped around made it relatively snug fit in the vase.

Might be an idea you can use for the same or similar purposes. Kind of fiddle-diddle the first time you do it however. Getting the stuff together took longer than the actual do-it-yourself.

***Stay tuned for another years worth of Memorial Day flags if the weather cooperates on Monday---Doug Wiken

**A wind generator for electricity course and a keyboard hyped

I really don't know much about the quality of the course offered or the information on the site. But, it looks like it might be interesting to South Dakotans who now and then can literally lean into the wind without falling flat on our faces.

Wind Generation Course

Comments welcome on this information...as usual, you need a valid e-mail and most likely will not get published if you are just using your post as comment spam for some product.

I stumbled onto something which might be useful for some of the less computer astute if they can find somebody to do the setup which is not all the difficult. Local Pamida store had a HP "Multimedia Keyboard P2359AA on "clearance" sale for $28. It allows programing six extra keys and the 12 F keys with alternate functions. These can work with Outlook Express, Internet Explorer, MS Word, Mozilla Thunderbird and Firefox if you check the keyboard combination info in the Mozilla products.

So somebody who has difficulty remembering how to cut and paste, etc. can have a key on the keyboard that does it once text is highlighted with a mouse. Keyboard feel is not too bad. The spacebar might be a bit hard to press, but otherwise seems to have relatively good feel. Your mileage may vary of course.

** Stay tuned even if the only wind around you is all hot air---Doug Wiken

**Will a torch and parafin loosen threaded fittings?

We are working on an old Mercedes Benz car with an underpowered diesel. It starts well with warm temperatures, but cold weather is an enemy to battery and starter. So, son found a screw-in block heater which should fit. Mercedes does not have knock-out "frost plugs", but does have a screw in plug were the heater can be installed.

Problem being of course, the plug must be unscrewed first. Unscrewing requires a 19mm hex bit. Which happens to be rougly 3/4'. Some hex shafting may work. 19mm "allen wrenches" for an air wrench aren't exaxtly commonly found tools.

But, there is more..really and this isn't even an ad for a miracle weight loss system, tool too good to be true... anyway. Mechanics have told us that heating the block around the plug with a propane torch and then melting parafin into the threads works well for loosening such fittings. I bought some parafin wax..my goodness the price of that petroleum waste product has gone up... and am wondering as I wait for some better weather if anybody else has heard if the parafin melting really works.

So, if you have any suggestions or experience using parafin and heat to loosen threaded fittings, post a comment or drop me a line or two at he e-mail address buried in the masthead at the right side.

**Stay tuned even if you haven't even sharpened a pencil by doing it yourself---Doug Wiken

**From Skippy jar bottom to meter cover "glass"

About 30 years ago, I bought a Sears Roebuck engine compression tester. At least that is where I remember buying it and a vacuum gauge.
Whatever..the time took a toll and the plastic cover "glass" got scratched, stained, and finally cracked.

I pulled the bezel off and cleaned the dust and rust off the gauge face and it looked readable. Then I tried some thin clear plastic from a computer mouse package. Too thin and it buckled in. Next I considered the cheapest source of flat clear plastic..the CD slimline jewel case. But, something better turned up.

Yup, it is the bottom of a plastic Skippy peanut butter "jar". About the right size and the curvature keeps it from collapsing like a flat thin sheet of plastic. There is some distortion, but the price was right.

Might make a short term emergency gauge or meter glass in some situation for you too. Other size containers exist. The clear jewel case plastic might work too, but might be too brittle or tough to cut with a regular scissors and would cost a whole 15cents or so..to the horror of one of my more Scotch friends.

**Stay tuned even if you have a better and bigger tool idea---Doug Wiken

***Winter driving is not like a carefree summer picnic trip

Recently news papers and TV have been flooded with the sad story of James Kim dying in snow in Oregon. He was an editor for CNET and there is an obituary of sorts at link below:
LINK--James Kim 1971- 2006

Today, a newspaper story indicates the road he and his family got stalled on should have been gated closed for the winter and had been, but vandals broke the chains and opened the gates which allowed Kim and family to drive onto the wrong road or trail. Ironically had they walked a mile or two up the road there would have been food and water at a lodge.

But, my point here has not much to do with Kim. It is however about driving in the winter time. I remember years ago an elderly Native American started talking to me in a local store. It was a nasty cold windy day. He was frustrated. And launched into fussing about the younger generations which have no sense. He was concerned that they would get into warm cars in the winter time with nothing on but a sweatshirt or a light jacket and have nothing at all which might be helpful if the car stalled or the weather switched from merely rotten to plains dreadful with blinding ground blizzards and freezing chill factors. Not quite with those exact words, but that was the tenor of his comments. I guess I was just in the "right" place at the right time to give him somebody to talk to....since is own family was apparently not paying much attention to him anymore.

My guess is the San Francisco Kim family was nearly clueless about the dangers of winter driving. He was interested in technology and may have had an inappropriate respect for reliability of vehicle technology. We all get used to cars and trucks that go on like the Ever Ready bunny, but even so, we should expect the worst things to happen at the worst time. And don't ever think that some alcoholic drink will keep you warm. Alcohol moves blood and heat to your skin and makes your core temperatures drop even faster.

Even if a winter day is beautiful, don't take off driving without having a blanket or two and some actual winter weather coats and some food and water. With luck you may never, ever need them, but that simple bit of forethought might also save your life. It might even make sense to get one of those radios that can be cranked to charge a battery which can also then be used to recharge a cellphone battery and also act as an LED flashlight.

And as part of the season, the photo below shows a bit of the frost that has covered almost everything for over a day. After photo was taken this morning, the temperature went up to over 50 degrees aand ice was falling off trees and powerlines all over. Looked nice and pristine, but I am glad the temperature warmed up. Just another reminder of the possible rapid changes in weather and temperature. It also might be a reminder of the "long-range" forecasts that may change every hour.

Click on image for a larger version. Contrast was so high that it turned out nearly black and white.

***Stay tuned even if now and then I nag even worse than your own mother----Doug Wiken