Dave Bell @#16
"I am almost thankful that no Litchfield parent apparently reads my fiction."
Where might I find more of your fiction, online or otherwise? The bits I've found here on ML leave me wanting to read more.
#156 is a one-shot comment, on topic, but seems more to be there to place the URL than to participate. What's our threshold here?
Michael Roberts @#819:
I once had a vehicle towed, and got the city to cough up all but $20 of the total cash outlay for the ticket, the towing, and the "storage". This city was Evanston, IL, notorious for having a larger parking enforcement division than the regular police and fire departments combined. (Or so it seemed to most of the people who lived there.) The towing service was private as well, they just had a contract with the city to do the work.
In my situation, the parking lot I had a valid permit for hosted a farmer's market every Saturday during the warmer months, and thus there was no parking allowed in the relevant corner of that lot for that day. I drove in on a Wednesday, forewarned by a friend of the problem (who had had their vehicle towed the previous week), and read the signs. Parked in the first row that didn't have the row of "no parking" signs. The same friend parked next to me, and later reported that there had been barricades up in front of my vehicle (ie, between my vehicle and the "prohibited corner") at the time they parked on Friday night. The next day, both vehicles were gone. We called to report them stolen, but found out that they had been towed. It took a few months, but we finally got to the end of the line to talk to the officer - he agreed that the space was not properly signed and thus we'd been towed improperly - and we got all our money back, save the $20 overnight "storage" fee the towing company had charged. They charged $20 to "store" my vehicle in an unfenced, unlocked, not controlled-access ordinary grocery store parking lot. It took me three tries asking the guy behind the bulletproof glass where my vehicle was before he figured out that it was in the overflow - I was getting very nervous, as the regular impound lot was contiguous with an operating scrapyard, complete with stacks of crushed cars and operating car crusher, and my vehicle was rusty enough to look like it belonged in a scrapyard... That was one time when I really wished I'd known the truck's whereabouts an hour in advance (and had a slightly lower moral compass, but it wouldn't have taken much...). I could so easily have defrauded the city and/or the hated towing company by just walking up to a vehicle I could prove was mine, unlocking the Club on the wheel with my key, started up the vehicle with my key, driven it out of state that night, and asked the city for my vehicle when I got back in town the next day. While they tried to figure out where it went, it would have been dismantled and any identifying marks on the parts way too easily lost, leaving no trace.
Anyways, if you can prove you were legally parked (within the 88" or whatever, make sure to know whether there are any other laws you may have tripped over before playing this game...) and can get the ticket thrown out, the city should pay you back for the tow because the private company towed your truck on contract to the city. City oopsed, city pays.
The hard part is all the pesky lines you have to wait in to get anything done that involves the city, and I'm sure you'd rather be working on the house.
What are the local ordinances on POD's or similar storage containers? If the truck is basically sitting and storing your stuff, maybe something like that would be better suited anyway, to avoid future towings, etc.
Good luck, regardless.
abi @63
cajunfj40 @38:
I've fixed your link.
Thanks! I guess I missed more than one, as I can't see which one was fixed. There's also possibly caching issues, etc. that I know little about... The one I was grr-ing about was the URL that my name links to in Comment #37: it starts out as "hhttp" and FireFox says that that protocol doesn't make any sense...
Adam Lipkin @54
Yeah, we've got this problem, too. Combined with having to pay for things like food, utilities, books, etc.
Actually, since we limit ourselves to only a few games at a time for collecting purposes, the cost isn't as much of a problem, since they are classed with books under "necessary for life" and are budgeted for. The real problem is that since our gaming group all have lives as well, and they don't link up well, we game maybe once every few months - and usually end up playing LOTR Risk, rather than Munchkin, so we don't always buy the new expansion packs because we so rarely get a chance to use them. It's difficult enough to play single-deck Munchkin with only 2 people without vicious lopsided victories, much less multi-deck! I think we need a bigger gaming group to pull from...
me@#37
grr, extra h in the http for my new URL...
#20 Caroline:
I use this: Filtron with a New Orleans style coffee and chicory blend. Their instructions are pretty good. Not sure about any of their claims, but it does make good coffee concentrate. It can be tricky to drain, though - if you just set it up the way they suggest, the big plastic soaking vat seals against the mouth of the decanter and prevents air from getting out and making room for the concentrate. I stick in some toothpicks to keep the airway open, and I'm thinking of gluing on some permanent standoffs. The tall decanter is also a bit top-heavy with the vat sitting on it to drain. One gadget of theirs I don't have yet, but want, is their Tip-N-Pour thing that looks for all the world just like a measuring dispenser for 2-stroke engine oil... I'd use one meant for engine oil but I've no way to know that I've gotten out all the nasty hydrocarbons, or that the manufacturer used a high-leaching plastic 'cause it isn't for beverages.
The concentrate lasts a long time, I've considered getting a flask and filling it so I always have "known tasty" iceable coffee at hand.
It's not yet warm enough here for my morning mug to go iced yet, and I haven't written down my mixture, but I tend to make it rather strong. A tip for those who have sturdy mugs (mine is an old all stainless Nissan vacuum mug) for commuting: Make a bit of your preferred mixture and put it in your mug overnight in the freezer, basically enough to get just under the fill line when the mug is laid over at a shallow angle from the shelf you balance it on. This gives you an ice-chunk of the same makeup as the mixture you'll be adding in the morning, so as the ice melts the coffee gets neither weaker nor stronger. I've also tried freezing little coffee ice cubes, again with the proper mix. They tend to separate out a bit as they freeze and the coffee oils make the tray messy, but it is workable.
Happy Free Comic Book Day everyone! My wife and daughter and I went to Uncle Sven's in St. Paul and they had age-appropriate bags for the kids, plus all the other stuff added back in for us "adults". My wife picked up Munchkin Quest for 20% off, too. We're only missing some Munchkin decks because they keep coming out with new ones...
Oh, and in case it messes up my post history, my website has changed. There will eventually be a link to Socrates Cafe MN on it, as I'm still running groups. Is there a preferred way to link to Making Light, or is a plain hyperlink fine? Don't expect much to show up fast - I'll be mining the web for my old rants first and my wife will be doing most of the upload work, etc. until she can teach me enough that it's less bothersome to fix what I break than to just do it for me.
I haven't seen a real Hummer in quite some time. I see way too many of those parts-bin Tahoe-based H2 things and that horrid little Colorado-based H3. A real Hummer - the civvy version of the HMMWV - has a 6.2 or 6.5 diesel, sometimes turbo, 16 inches+ of ground clearance stock, and has less legroom than your average 80's fullsize van. It takes commitment to compromise comfort to that degree! My FJ-40 was a fun truck - daily commuter, weekend toy, and I definitely pushed the limits of it's 4WD capabilities. Tough as nails, too. Both the FJ-40 and the Series Land Rovers were "copies of" or homages to the original WW2 Jeep, that flexy light multi-purpose vehicle that did so much and kicked off the hobby that many a H2/H3 driver wants people to think they participate in - without the dents, dings and scratches of course. I test drove an H1 once, rather interesting. As an off-highway enthusiast, I quickly appreciated that I could legally fit 49" tires within Minnesota's 6" lift law, so long as I didn't alter the suspension to do it. At that height, it may have been capable of crossing Jersey Barriers! The sheer width of that rig, though, would be daunting to fit on trails - it's wider than most fullsize pickups and they already don't fit on some of the more interesting/technical trails. Heck, it would be daunting to try and navigate around a city! My old fullsize Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab Longbed Turbodiesel (17mpg is darn good for a 7500lb truck!) was tough to fit - parking garages were an interesting technical challenge. Sold it when I no longer had anything to tow. The Baja 1000 off-road race had at least one rocky technical section that had a "Hummer Only" line as they were the only vehicles with enough ground clearance to make it through. Even Pinzgauers and Unimogs can't match the fully-independent portal axle suspension design for sheer ground clearance.
Wouldn't want to pay the fuel bill, though. There's at least one hybrid electric version running around somewhere - full load capacity, full speed capacity, full range, but half the fuel tank size, half the time from 0-60 and has a 5-10 mile "silent running" range. Toyota made their MegaCruiser copy of the H1 for the JDF, and put in a really nice little 4-cyl turbodiesel. Better mileage than the GMC 6.2/6.5, though arguably more complex. (Mil-spec H1's had no turbo and fully mechanical injection, IIRC.) I do like the mil-spec fastback on the H1, something I've never seen on a civvie rig. The H1 has quite a bit of style when you peel off all that silly plastic inside. I have quite an appreciation for purpose-built vehicles.
BTW, the H1 can be airlifted, it's in the specs. Planes got bigger, so the truck did too. The original Jeep and the Rover Lightweight were rather small partly because the planes at the time were rather small inside. I do wish we could get the good ones here in the States, all we get are the "Mall Crawler" variants. What good is spending $100K+ on a Mercedes Gelandewagon when you're paying for leather and fancy trim but you'd rather have the factory diff-locks, higher rate suspension, lower gear ranges and other goodies? The LandCruiser's not available in heavy-duty trim over here either - all IFS here.
I drive a boring little 10yo Chevy Prizm now - the trucks are long gone - but it gets me to work and gets over 30mpg, so I don't complain too loudly. One of these days I'll have the time/money/shopspace/tools needed to build another rig. Gotta get 30mpg or better, though, or I can't have it. It's an engineering imperative.
/vehicular enthusiast
Xopher re: packing chocolate.
How about that "egg crate foam" stuff? Two layers, facing each other so they "nest". Then, chop out alternating "peaks" to make open spaces for the chocolates. Wrap each chocolate individually in something that won't stick to it, thus protecting it from the foam, stick the chocolates in the foam, interleave the two halves and fit the now rectangular solid into a box. Should work well, methinks. Only problem I know of: the green foam they sell at fabric stores has a (an?) horrendous stink to it. You may need to go shopping and take a whiff here and there, find the least-stinky stuff, and then aggressively aerate it, or something.
Then, of course, you could also use actual egg cartons, sealed in a plastic baggie and wrapped in bubble-wrap.
As for refrigeration, you'd have to talk to the shipping people of choice to find out what is and isn't allowed/preferred for keeping things cold in transit. I'd say dry ice, but who knows what the response to a "smoking" box would be. No Name Steaks seem to come with re-freezeable packs, those might work but you'll have to guard against condensation damage.
If you have chocolate shapes that don't fit the above methods, try spraying "Great Stuff" or similar expanding foam stuff (as mentioned by several people above, Great Stuff just happens to be the brand I see most often on regular store shelves)into sealable plastic baggies, using your idea of casting Sculpey or similar "fake chocolates" as forms. It may take some experimentation to get the correct quantity to avoid "bag go boom, foam go everywhere" but you'll end up with nice form-fitted pieces with the stink probably well sealed away - I can't smell rotten food through a plastic baggie. If you do the forming in a smaller box than you intend to ship in, you can surround that hard foam with bubble-wrap or similar for a "floating island" effect.
If you can get oven-safe plastic bags, you could try the meringue idea that Jacque @#773 mentioned, but in bags: "bake your own edible form-fitted packing foam". Or get a cotton-candy machine...
Engineering + food = yummy fun!
</lurk>
Just watched the inaugural address on Google Video, I'm all sniffly now. My daughter wandered by while it was showing, and I said "That's our new President, Barack Obama". She replied "Obama". I'm a happy father of one smart little nearly 2 year old! My wife and her mother cheered when I told them. :-)
Mmm, FireBrick lager from the August Schell brewery in New Ulm, MN. I thought about breaking out the good whiskey, but figured a local brew would be more fitting. I stuck the bottlecap in my bag, it's going up on my shelf at work next to the little devil duckie and the bige plushie Peep. I've no Obama pins or signs or anything - the bottle cap will be enough for me. (And obscure, which I like.)
Haven't been posting for a while. Not posting from work, limiting my 'net usage at work to lunchtime only. Got sucked in too much due to all the political threadiness all over the place - not a good thing for someone who's an info junkie and is somewhat bored with his current project. A one hour lunch is barely enough time to skim the headlines and a comment thread or two on BoingBoing, much less keep up on ML, especially since I need to eat, too.
Hopeful for the new Presidency. Hope that health care gets sorted out - IMHO if health care wasn't so hog-tied to one's current employer, there'd be a ton more entrepreneurial endeavors. I've a ton and a half of ideas, a few of which may be winners, none of which will ever be businesses that can make jobs and make good things without readily available affordable health care that isn't tied to a big corporate job.
Having a new President is good. It'll take a while to shake off the FUD that I've been marinated in over the last 8 years, though...
Wish I could have a slice of the various pies and cakes y'all are mentioning. I'm just glad I finally got the bit of wall around the 3 month old new shower tile painted with a single coat of primer... projects go slow here.
Take care all, be safe, maybe I'll catch up a bit more some time.
<lurk>
Rikibeth @#42 and Linkmeister @#49: Both the Aveo and the Metro are/were Made In Korea. The only car currently made on US soil by a US automaker that gets an EPA rated 30mpg or better average (based on the EPA's default city/highway mix on their mpg.gov website) is the Chevy Cobalt XFE with manual transmission. The Ford Escape Hybrid FWD (and re-badged clones) also gets 30 mpg or better, but it's not a "car" and costs twice as much.
I'm getting tired of holding my left foot to the floor sitting in traffic in my old manual trans 1999 Chevy Prizm (rebadged Toyota Corolla built in the NUMMI plant in California), so when I get some financial breathing room I'm likely to buy something with an automatic - and I won't buy unless it equals or exceeds the performance/economy of my current car and doesn't cost a ridiculous amount. That unfortunately excludes all current domestically manufactured US-branded cars...
The US auto industry has some work to do, IMHO.
OG @#33:
A feasible methane-powered car could be enough of a push to get it started.
OG, methane is the primary component of Natural Gas. Any gasoline powered car can be converted to CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) usage quite easily, and there are companies that make a business out of it. You can buy brand new CNG pickups, buses, taxis, etc. from the US automakers already, and have been able to do so for at least a decade. For cars, check out the Honda Civic GX for a currently available example. This is a solved problem, other than the availability of the fuel. Right now in Minneapolis, there are fewer public dispensing stations (fleets generally have their own refueling infrastructure) than there are for E85. True, most homes have natural gas piped in for heat but you'd need a compressor and other equipment to be able to "fuel at home".
The bonus? At an octane equivalence of over 105, you can raise the compression ratio of the engine being converted to CNG and get all the power back, plus either more power or close the "volume of fuel per mile" gap. CNG being less dense than gasoline, you go fewer miles on a given quantity.
P J Evans @ #27:
"Holly (@#19), I thought those were for engine block heaters. That's what I've been told by people who have been in those areas."
We've got some sockets around here in Minneapolis for similar reasons - yes, they are for block heaters and that's what Holly P was referring to. If your oil is at -40 C, it is a solid and thus your engine is unlikely to want to turn over at all, even with a stout battery.
Unfortunately, most block heaters run around 1200 watts or so, basically a 10A 120V circuit per car. 1.2kw of charging power is where one gets the "takes all night to charge" criticism of electric vehicles. It's enough to keep the batteries warm and give you the cushion to run the heater on the way home (from charging at work) in an electric vehicle operated in winter, at least.
A standard 15A or 20A 120V circuit, dedicated to charging the electric car, is sufficient for a commuter vehicle. An all night charge cycle is fine for that service. For a more multi-purpose car, go for a 220V 20-40A circuit or better - this allows charging after work and before heading out to the movies/dinner/etc.
"Plug in" hybrids are nice, but most of the ones I see on the drawing board (or available aftermarket like the Prius conversions) have way too much engine. You're better off going pure electric for 95% of your driving needs and renting an efficient fuel car the few times you need to drive cross-country. Or put the generator on a trailer.
IMHO, of course - never built one/owned one myself. Nothing on the market beats the running/ownership costs of a 3 year old compact car, much less a paid-off 9 year old compact car.
Apologies for wordiness, this is the nervous energy thread after all...
Went to the local polling place (inside the McRae Park building, south Minneapolis, MN) this morning, arrived about 6:40 or so. The line was already snaked most of the way around the inside of the building, and within 10 minutes the line was forming outside the door. Nice crowd, all pleasant. By about 6:55, the line was probably about 40-50 yards long outside. Poll workers were walking around with "unofficial" (apparently they may be different from the "real list") voter lists so you could check to make sure you were registered. According to that list, my wife isn't, even though she voted the last time around, so I texted her to make sure she brings her ID so she can register if she's not on the "official" list. Once they opened the doors, voting took very little time - about 5 minutes or so. Two-sided paper scantron ballots. Gave the poll worker by the scantron machine a small bag of Halloween candy to share with the other poll workers, after asking if they'd want some. Got my "I Voted" sticker and walked out to my car. (I had gotten lucky with a good parking space!) By ~7:10, the line was probably about 80-100 yards long, and growing! Went to the local independent coffee shop (Yay Sisters' Sludge!) and got a celebratory "Rox's Rhino" mocha-like drink, and they were giving an extra punch on their "frequent buyer" card to those who'd voted. That made three punches, as it's already 2-punch Tuesday. Aside from being jittery with excess caffeine (the mocha was *after* my morning mug of dark-roast...) I'm pretty much avoiding the news/web while at work other than this quick check at lunch. I'm an info junkie, if I got onto a good returns site I'd be hooked all day...
No problems voting, no problems reported that I've heard with my self-imposed minimal news exposure. Not going up front where the poor front desk lady is stuck with being in direct line-of-sight of the waiting room's big-screen tuned to CNN or MSNBC or similar.
Dunno if I'll be able to join Mr. Schneier's thread this evening as I'll be home with the family. I certainly won't be checking it from work, as I'd never be able to log off...
I have way too much stuff, but short of a small fire or a shipping/storage mishap there's little chance it'll go away anytime soon. Anytime I open one of the old boxes downstairs (some have not been opened in years...) I get lost in memories, and it takes ages to go through even one box. Usually I end up just putting it all back in the box and re-closing it. I have not yet found a good way to record those memories, or create any sort of shorthand way to recall them - generally they are lost unless I find the particular object/letter/etc. again. Some kind of defect of memory, I think.
That said, if I don't know what is in a box, if it went away I'd never miss it - due to that aforementioned defect of memory. There are only a few boxes that I tend to dig into on a semi-regular basis, as they form a sort of "distributed odds and ends bin" for all sorts of periodically useful but otherwise space-filling widgets and widget bits.
Probably the things I am currently most attached to are my SwissTool (Swiss Army Leatherman competitor), my little keychain Swiss Army knife (needs a new pen insert), the little leather bag that holds change and other odds and ends, my wedding band, and my watch. All, however, could be replaced relatively easily except the watch, and that only because of the expense (Omega self-winders are not cheap, but are very satisfyingly analog and tick-tick-ticky, and you don't have to worry about remembering to wind it).
The thing I used to be most attached to was my old '79 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40. I hung onto its carcass long after I knew I'd likely never have the resources to make it whole again. (Never take apart a driveable vehicle you want to keep unless you already have 2x the cash and time you think it'll take to fix it properly.) I sold it 3 or so years ago - one of the hardest things I've ever done - but the buyer took *everything*, even the rusty bent wheels that were no good for anything but I'd hoped to make a coffee table out of (still have the glass top...) Giving up on that dream was very hard - but it was literally getting in the way of other dreams. I have a family now, and I cherish them more than any truck.
Some days I wish all my stuff would just go up in smoke, so I could start over and get real things with real value. Hand-made, durable things. Things with a history. Things that are basic and hard to break and useful and inherently beautiful because they have everything they need to work, but nothing that serves no purpose.
Any sort of re-do will have to wait, though, until we move. The house we're in now - though it is a neat 20's place with lots of nice dark wood - just isn't laid out right or big enough for the family. That and I *need* an additional detached garage if I'm going to have any hope of getting back into my vehicularobsessionhobby. My wife needs her craft space, my daughter needs her running-around space, my MIL needs her own space, etc. And we need room for all our stuff. We're all packrats...
Oh, I'd probably grab the cast-iron "corncob" shape cornbread mold. I believe it was my maternal Grandmother's, and it hangs on the wall sticky from being over-oiled and thus gathering dust, but at least not gathering rust.
From a proposed variation on the "Alien Invasion" and "Nuclear War" variants of Risk, as applied to LOTR Risk:
Troll migration.
(One gathers all the cave troll plastic figurines and starts at one corner of the board and marches straight across, battling normally whenever armies of any stripe are encountered. Never implemented, so we haven't thought about how to "make change" using smaller army-count figurines when a troll is partially defeated, while maintaining the theme of a Troll migration)
Unfortunately, it does not connote malicious intent - merely the unfortunate consequences of being in the way of a large horde of trolls.
I do like Anticorium @#83's kudzu, but as Lindra @#104/105 notes, it needs some other qualifier. Neither "kudzuing" nor "kudzuer" seem to work. "Planting kudzu" is too wordy to compete with "astroturfer".
Then again, a name that doesn't accept modifiers well isn't necessarily a problem with a comment like "This thread/feed/etc. needs some Roundup, there's too much kudzu in here."
On the other other hand, however, kudzu will probably survive nuclear warfare...
Northern Lights, snow, solitude, quiet, language:
10-20 years ago (I am very poor at putting memories in chronological order...) my family and I decided to take the snowmobiles North for New Year's vacation because everyone else was going South. (My family is in Minnesota). On the drive up to Poplar Lake on the Gunflint Trail, along the two-lane (but usually unlined) blacktop road that takes it's name that goes up into the woods from Grand Marais, I fiddled with the dial on the radio until I heard French. Apparently we were far enough North that we were picking up French Canadian public radio or somesuch. I got maybe 15 minutes of that before everyone else changed it because they understood not a word.
Later, on New Year's Eve, I awoke at 11PM to the sound of the Canadians (I assume, I did not meet them) in the next cabin partying loudly. They hadn't changed their watches, so to me they were celebrating an hour early. Being bored and unable to fall asleep I got up, got dressed, went out and took off on one of the snowmobiles, remembering a particular turnoff on one of the trails that led out to a fantastic overlook. At some point, I happened to check my watch and it was exactly midnight, so I said "Happy New Year!" to myself and started off again. I reached the overlook, shut off the snowmobile and just sat there, staring at the Northern Lights (that I'd never seen before) and marveling at how quiet it was, other than some wind. Very peaceful. Once I started to cool off I decided it was time to head back, so I did. I slept much better the rest of the night.
I'd love to go back someday, but my wife thinks we were crazy to have gone North when there are perfectly good warm beaches down South at that time of year...
More snow, surviving childhood, semi-solo trip:
At the end of that same trip, my younger brother and I perused the map and noticed that there was a continuous connection of snowmobile trails that reached all the way back to Grand Marais. We convinced my parents that we could snowmobile all the way back and they could pick us up at a parking lot in Grand Marais. The ride itself was mostly uneventful, until we mis-read a marker and took a wrong turn. That wasn't too bad until we went down a long steep hill, bumped harshly over a large log laid across the trail (nearly rolled the snowmobiles!) and found that the trail basically petered out over what appeared to be frozen marsh - that wasn't completely frozen. We broke through ice into (thankfully) very shallow slushy water (not even over the tops of our boots, we were lucky kids!). We decided we'd gone the wrong way and laboriously turned the snowmobiles around on the narrow trail, not wanting to venture off onto unknown depth of not fully frozen marsh. It took us several tries to get the snowmobiles back up the steep hill, finally resorting to having my lighter brother ride each one up separately while I gave a good hefty running push, to get enough momentum to make it up. We soon found the correct trail and got down to Grand Marais a little late but otherwise fine. The snowmobiles were quite a sight with frozen muddy slush all over and at least one busted windshield (from going over the log). I don't recall my parents getting mad or anything, either. Definitely a fun adventure, and my first long-distance trek without parental supervision, though I don't relish the memory of nearly melting down when I couldn't get my snowmobile back up that hill the first few tries.
Kevin Reid @#334:
cajunfj40 #293: *applause*
*bows*
The closer a question gets to my area ofobsessionfocused interest (motor vehicles and related machinery/engines/etc) the more convoluted the ideas can get...
Somewhere in the recent past I linked to my Nuclear Parking Brake idea. (click, tapitty tick tap) Here it is. That was my second post on ML.
Harriet @#270:
This Singer All Purpose Oil -- can one use it with lasers or fluorescent porcelain?
Lasers:
One might could use it as "way oil" on the X/Y axis positioning tables or as a "spindle oil" for rotating fixtures for lasers, but it is quite light so it may not be suitable for heavy load applications. If the refractive and transmissive properties are correct for the laser in question, one could possibly use some of it as an oil lens. It could be used as a coolant, but there are much better fluids for that purpose. With a sufficiently powerful laser of the appropriate wavelength, one could ignite the oil from a distance. If it is a darker oil or has poor refractive/transmissive characteristics, one could smudge it on one's competitor's high-power laser's optics while muttering "Buddy boy, buddy boy." to cause a meltdown of said laser. (A note of caution: Said method of attack may lead to finding one's Citroen 2CV placed in one's sleeping area and having its pneumatic suspension modified and enhanced to make the vehicle appear to be snoring while sleeping.) I'm not sufficiently enlightened in the laser area to be able to comment on whether the oil itself could be used as a lasing medium in the solid ("Ice is nice!"), liquid, gas, or plasma phases, but if anyone wants to fund the project I'm willing to experiment. All funding must be accompanied by an "I (heart) Toxic Waste" T-shirt, a pair of silver-ball-tipped springy false antennae, and a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers to produce the correct experimental mindset.
Fluorescent porcelain:
I'm certain it would slick the porcelain up quite well, unless the surface hasn't been glazed and is too porous. One could also use the oil to support a fluorescent substance in suspension and let it soak into a porous unglazed "plain" porcelain to create the fluorescent porcelain. How good it would look would depend again on the refractive and transmissive qualities of the oil. Ignite the oiled porcelain with the laser mentioned above and one gets flaming fluorescent porcelain, for double the ffun.
xeger @#277:
Fortunately the greasy end is at the opposite end from the head -- you'd have to be doing something rather wrong (and probably getting caught in the belt) in order to get grease on the work.
While I respect that, silicone oil (the slick part of silicone grease) can travel quite far. It is banned from certain manufacturing areas due to how badly it can contaminate various processes. (One can utterly ruin a paint shop with the stuff...) Plus, it is water clear, so one may not notice the presence of it on a spot where fabric may get until it is too late. Hence the caution. Incidentally, there are many silicone lubricants that are FDA and USDA approved for use in food processing machinery, as it is unlikely to be visible in food it gets into. (Plus it is largely inert with respect to digestive chemistry.)
Not a sewing person here, just an engineer who likes a good factoid-digging expedition.
Singer All Purpose oil (see upper right hand product under "tools") is, according to that link, an ISO Viscosity Grade (VG) 10 lubricant with "advanced adhesive properties". ISO VG 10 is generally classified as "Spindle Oil".
I can't find anything on the Singer site for the little 1/2 ounce tube of #2129 lubricant that others here have mentioned, but I did find a forum or two that described it as a thin clear grease. Anybody here handle the stuff before? I'm not having much luck digging up any grade or weight or base information.
Grease is just oil with a built-in "drip cup" - the thickener (usually a metal soap like lithium soap) acts like a "sponge" that the oil drains out of over time to keep the moving parts slippery. When about half the oil is gone, the grease should be replaced.
The main thing: don't mix different greases if you don't know exactly what's in them. The term for what could happen is called "catastrophic failure" as the soap (the stuff that holds the oil in) breaks down, the oil runs out everywhere, the additives fall out of suspension and the parts start to grind together. Nasty.
For small, (relatively) delicate moving bits as in a sewing machine where you need smooth movement over a widely varying speed range, you probably want a relatively "soft" grease, and you'll want to clean and re-grease on a regular basis. Loads are probably low enough that a plain lithium grease would probably work just fine. I'd hazard a guess at an NLGI 0 or 1. NLGI 2 is good for roller bearings on vehicle axles, for comparison. A thin moly grease would probably be excellent, just don't use too much so it doesn't fling off everywhere.
The guy who mentioned dried up, caked-on white grease? All "plain, ordinary" grease will do that if it isn't replaced regularly, and the caking can be accelerated by storing in a hot attic or garage. Some synthetics will last longer, but you'd really need to ask someone more familiar with sewing machines.
I would not suggest silicone oil or grease be used in this application. If it drips out onto your fabric, it ain't coming out without a fight, and the fabric may lose that fight.
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