I have two large spools of the round line I’ve had for years. I bought my first Echo about 18 years ago and have always used their Black Diamond line since then.
And more junk.
- Thread starter MFDAC
- Start date
Doug I hate buying gloves like you mentioned the sizes are way too small. I can’t hardly work in gloves around the shop but I do wear these what they call material handling gloves off of eBay. My son wore them when he worked at Amazon. They are kind of like a thin mechanics gloves that allow you to pick things up while having good grip. I’ve had goatskin gloves before it takes a while to break them in but are good.
Been a good 2 years since having a tick on me. I must have a body chemistry that helps keep them off me. But whenever I do get a tick bite, man how it itches for 2 to 3 weeks, even if barely attached! Teresa finds one crawling on her often, so bought some spray for her.
You can keep those pesky things. So far we haven’t had any.
Ticks are getting bad here. I just sprayed my yard with stuff I picked up at Lowe’s.
I have a large spool of round line too---always figured I would use it for some kind of string line or something. Maybe it would work for plastic welding with a converted soldering iron?
I got used to wearing gloves on various jobs I had early on then about 25 some years ago I went to work for a concrete precast company. It was mandatory to wear gloves there. They supplied them. Not required at the job I retired from, but working with wastewaster gloves are a pretty good idea when possible. I've had mechanics gloves before and they are ok, but the velcro strap annoys me. Only thing I have found to keep metal shavings out of my hands are plain old leather work gloves.
Like I said above, Jim, I figured my hands are average sized. Those 2x goatskins are still a bit of a struggle to pull on and the first pair is already turning black---LOL!
I used to find a tick on me from being out in the fields at work but don't ever remember being bitten by one, Daniel.
Never seen any around the house here. Lived here for 45 years now.
Maybe something that goats eat a tick can smell that drives them away, Rog? Your feed have a anti tick ingredient?
Had company for awhile today but still got a couple hours of shop time this afternoon. Loree was off work too, but she is helping our son on some kind of paperwork.
This is that banner I did for our daughter. We will take it to Aberdeen at the end of the month.
Today since there wasn't a lot of time I did a modification on the freebie tree trimming trailer which used to be pulled behind a motorcycle.
I had built a leg with a castor on it but I didn't do a very good job. It was sloppy when pinned. The pin itself was a dumb idea too using a threaded 5/16" eyebolt. Drilled the holes to 3/8" and built a pin out of a 3/8" bolt.
Welded a big split washer to the head to make a loop. Bent it flat first. Managed to drill the hole through the pin pretty square for once! Cut off the threads and attached the hairpin. That cable is a steel fishing leader.
It will spin 90* and straight up. It will be straight up when pulling though.
Way too windy to do anything outside again today.
DAC
It does know how to blow in SD this year. At least we have gotten almost an inch and three quarters of rain which is badly needed. But does it have to be horizontal?
First good chance of rain is tomorrow night. Neighbor had to use tre big excavator to dig out an area next to the dam on his one pond and an area near shower to confine the water that is left so the cattle could get to it. We drove 65 mkioles from Omaha, NE home in basically a dust cloud. About as bad as I ever remember it.
That wind is sort of normal out here, but not for you folks out east Chris! Can't even measure horizontal rain!
Hope you get good rain, Rog! "They" are saying we will get 2-3" early next week. The wind has come up again and it got much colder right now. Looks like could be some rain now after a real nice day.
DAC
We have frost warnings out for tonight. Hoping that's the last of those till next fall.
The way my knee feels there is definitely a weather change in the air. No way to get it in a comfortable position. On the back up computer so limited to as to what I can do but will get along till the other one is back running again. About time for a refresh on it anyway.
Did you get a killing frost, Chris? Missed being on yesterday.
Dang Rog! I hope that knee pain meant rain! We have gotten almost 1-1/2" since Sunday morning.
Didn't do much in the shop yesterday or today but accomplished a couple things at least. I was waiting for a guy I gave an old Craftsman lawn tractor to yesterday, so I did a little more on that freebie motorcycle trailer turned into a tree trimming and cutting cart.
It might have to sit outside overnight at times so worked on making a coupler lock. If you remember I had found a key that works on the lid so it can be locked, and I added the 1-7/8" coupler.
Took a tapered burr from the set I got off of Temu a while back and used the old Dewalt drill from the scrap trailer at work.
Reamed the end of the slot to latch it on the ball. Had some old LOTO locks that were issued to us at work. We all got 3. When an employee would leave they threw the locks in scrap since a name was stamped into them. Of course I had to dig them out.
Should be able to see the rounded end of the right slot.
That burr did it easily. Not thick steel obviously. That lever locks the coupler on to the ball so the lock will block it from being able to be unlatched.
Since it has to be key slot up, I used to chop saw to slice a tennis ball to stuff it over the lock to keep the weather out.
I know, it will only keep honest people from hauling it off, but it might slow them down. Security cameras might catch them in the act.
I by the time the guy showed up to get the Craftsman it was pouring rain. We got soaked but got it on his little tilt bed trailer. No wet pics! That is one of those seats Rog had talked about when I repaired the bead on the MF12G seat a while back. That bead had rotted the edge of the seat pan off all around the bottom.
Loree had started complaining about that junk LT and it had been sitting in front of the shop since December, so he made her happy!
Then I noticed the "full charge" light shining on the battery charger on the neighbor lady's battery from her Murray. Disconnected it. That was about it for yesterday.
Had to be in town until 1:30 so still not very productive and the weather didn't help the attitude to get much done today either.
Checked her battery voltage and it was 12.75 after being off the charger for about 30 hours. Yet to be determined if it will crank an engine but that's a good sign it might.
Then I got the chain saw out of the trailer and on the second pull it fired right up. Hadn't been started for almost a year.
Didn't open the overhead door and it appears the CO detector I put up last December after the cracked furnace heat exchanger works.
It didn't alarm. Doesn't go off until 50 ppm.
Have a broken latch on the back storm door. Found a new one in some junk but it is too cold wet and windy to change it yet!
DAC
I stepped outside for about 30 seconds with a cup of coffee about 6 this morning. Long enough to find out it was darn chilly out. Stayed insde and off the knee the rest of the day. Didn't accomplish much inside either but caught up on the sleep I didn't get last night.
Still had wind and light rain for most of the day today. Checked the neighbor lady's battery again and still 12.75V. Put a maintainer on it until I can try it out on her Murray. Got the new storm door knob installed late this afternoon.
Spent a bunch of time on the phone with the Medicare provider to learn about dental coverage and dentists that take my insurance. Made some more calls.
To start from the beginning, Loree got a toothache over the weekend and went to her dentist yesterday. She still has all her teeth. She's on antibiotics and will get a root canal. As luck would have it I woke up with a toothache this morning---LOL! Should have been sooner as I have several broken molars and have had a few pulled. Her dentist doesn't do my insurance. My old dentist died of covid a few years ago. Never got another one. Found one not far from here in the valley that will get me in tomorrow. Will start the process of getting partial dentures after this sore tooth gets dealt with. Will break the bank on that deal---LOL! Have more money in my mouth than my trucks and tractors!
DAC
Spent a bunch of time on the phone with the Medicare provider to learn about dental coverage and dentists that take my insurance. Made some more calls.
To start from the beginning, Loree got a toothache over the weekend and went to her dentist yesterday. She still has all her teeth. She's on antibiotics and will get a root canal. As luck would have it I woke up with a toothache this morning---LOL! Should have been sooner as I have several broken molars and have had a few pulled. Her dentist doesn't do my insurance. My old dentist died of covid a few years ago. Never got another one. Found one not far from here in the valley that will get me in tomorrow. Will start the process of getting partial dentures after this sore tooth gets dealt with. Will break the bank on that deal---LOL! Have more money in my mouth than my trucks and tractors!
DAC
No killing frost here. Light snow in De Smet this morning. I did find a dead Purple Martin in the yard yesterday. I always feel bad when I find one of those that didn't make it through the cold weather. It's suppose to start warming up tomorrow and hopefully the rest will make it through the summer.
Been mia for a couple days. The dentist pulled 2 teeth Wednesday. It kicked my butt this time. Swelling is finally going down and the pain is less. Still rely on Ibuprofen every 6 hours!
Still managed to mow our yard and the neighbor lady's front yard yesterday. It sounded like the last nice day until next week but it wasn't too bad today either. Worked up the gumption to carry that battery over to Diana's and see if her Murray will run this afternoon. It fired up rather well and the battery worked fine. Still air in the tires. Wouldn't run on open choke but sounds good. Went ahead and drove it around the back of her house to my shop.
Put it back out in the grass and blew it off with the air compressor then brought it in. I did check if it mows and it seems fine. Took the air cleaner off to see if the filter was good. Looks like it needs a new one.
Put some fresh gas in it as the exhaust smells pretty bad and let it run for awhile. Still needs choke. Put a new fuel filter on it but the line is cracked up pretty bad. Leaked, so didn't run it any more.
Will have to replace that. Never figured out why fuel lines run right through a hot spot, but they must figure the shroud will channel enough coller air over it to keep it from vapor locking. Soon as the line comes out on the carb side it is insulated.
Can see debris in the fuel filter, but I'm thinking the carb will need cleaning too. Hopefully it won't need to be replaced.
The machinist at my former job rebuilt the driveshaft for the MF1450. Went and got that before mowing yesterday. Cost me a 6 pack of Corona.
Also got some air filters for the MF12G and MF8E that I ordered from Amazon yesterday.
Maybe I will work on her Murray tomorrow. Sounds like the rest of Memorial Day weekend will be rain. Will go to the cemeteries later.
DAC
Still managed to mow our yard and the neighbor lady's front yard yesterday. It sounded like the last nice day until next week but it wasn't too bad today either. Worked up the gumption to carry that battery over to Diana's and see if her Murray will run this afternoon. It fired up rather well and the battery worked fine. Still air in the tires. Wouldn't run on open choke but sounds good. Went ahead and drove it around the back of her house to my shop.
Put it back out in the grass and blew it off with the air compressor then brought it in. I did check if it mows and it seems fine. Took the air cleaner off to see if the filter was good. Looks like it needs a new one.
Put some fresh gas in it as the exhaust smells pretty bad and let it run for awhile. Still needs choke. Put a new fuel filter on it but the line is cracked up pretty bad. Leaked, so didn't run it any more.
Will have to replace that. Never figured out why fuel lines run right through a hot spot, but they must figure the shroud will channel enough coller air over it to keep it from vapor locking. Soon as the line comes out on the carb side it is insulated.
Can see debris in the fuel filter, but I'm thinking the carb will need cleaning too. Hopefully it won't need to be replaced.
The machinist at my former job rebuilt the driveshaft for the MF1450. Went and got that before mowing yesterday. Cost me a 6 pack of Corona.
Also got some air filters for the MF12G and MF8E that I ordered from Amazon yesterday.
Maybe I will work on her Murray tomorrow. Sounds like the rest of Memorial Day weekend will be rain. Will go to the cemeteries later.
DAC
My grandfather cut grass with a late 80s Murray for probably 17 years….after he passed my grandmother paid someone to cut the grass and sold the tractor. I bet someone got many more years of use from it.