Paul B's thread

Next week we decided to have a Christmas Party for some of our friends here. They are so good to us and everyone here helps each other.

We figured we would invite about 26 people thinking half would have other plans. Nope!, so far they are all coming. WE will have it catered and hired a girl to help with the food and cleaning up. It should be a blast. :D

Yesterday we put up the tree. (a real one we cut down. Well I give the guy a few bucks and he cuts it down. Those days are gone)

Fireplace.jpeg



I need to start baking soon

4 Breads.jpeg
 
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Looks great Paul. I volunteered to host the traditional Italian Xmas eve party for the remainder of eternity. My late Mom and her two sisters used to rotate them each year. My Mom passed 6 1/2 years ago and my other two aunts are well into their late eighties, you'd think that any of their kids, my cousins would like to continue the tradition, nope. I enjoy family gatherings like the old days, so if I have to host every year so be it. I did this with Independence day this past year as well. All are welcome at my house, some friends are more family than blood relatives.

Enjoy paisan:)
 
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Thanks Paul. I built that fireplace out of steel and grinded it like that. The entire thing, up to the ceiling is on wheels and I can move it out to paint. It's probably 1,000 lbs because that steel is heavy
 
Thanks Paul. I built that fireplace out of steel and grinded it like that. The entire thing, up to the ceiling is on wheels and I can move it out to paint. It's probably 1,000 lbs because that steel is heavy
Pretty sweet set up, I'm trying my hand at building things again. Past life was Union Sheet Metal tradesman, would love to start tinkering with metal again. Used to make all sorts of copper and brass decorations, ships, lighthouses, birdfeeders etc.

Terrible picture, probably taken with a throw away camera lol that I saved from a fb post way back in its infancy. Ship I made for the training center for the apprentices.
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Thoughts to Ponder
So now cocaine is legal in Oregon, but straws aren’t. That must be frustrating.

Still trying to get my head around the fact that ‘Take Out’ can mean food, dating, or murder
.

Dear paranoid people who check behind their shower curtains for murderers. If you do find one, what’s your plan?

The older I get, the more I understand why roosters just scream to start their day.

Being popular on Facebook is like sitting at the ‘cool table’ in the cafeteria of a mental hospital.

You know you’re over 50 when you have ‘upstairs ibuprofen’ and ‘downstairs ibuprofen’.

How did doctors come to the conclusion that exercise prolongs life, when……the rabbit is always jumping but only lives for around two year, and …the turtle that doesn’t exercise at all, lives over 200 years.

So, rest, chill, eat, drink, and enjoy life!

I too was once a male trapped in a female body…but then my mother gave birth.

If only vegetables smelled as good as bacon.

When I lost the fingers on my right hand in a freak accident, I asked the doctor if I would still be able to write with it. He said, “Probably, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

I woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise. But that was four hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.

Anyone who says their wedding was the best day of their life has clearly never had two candy bars fall down at once from a vending machine.

We live in a time where intelligent people are silenced so that stupid people won’t be offended.

The biggest joke on mankind is that computers have begun asking humans to prove they aren’t a robot.

When a kid says “Daddy, I want mommy” that’s the kid version of “I’d like to speak to your supervisor”.

It’s weird being the same age as old people.

Just once, I want a username and password prompt to say CLOSE ENOUGH.

Last night the internet stopped working so I spent a few hours with my family. They seem like good people.

If Adam and Eve were Cajuns they would have eaten the snake instead of the apple and saved us all a lot of trouble.

We celebrated last night with a couple of adult beverages …… Metamucil and Ensure.

You know you are getting old when friends with benefits means having someone who can drive at night.

Weight loss goal: To be able to clip my toenails and breathe at the same time.

After watching how some people wore their masks, I understand why contraception fails.

Some of my friends exercise every day. Meanwhile I am watching a show I don’t like because the remote fell on the floor.

For those of you that don’t want Alexa or Siri listening in on your conversation, they are making a male version….it doesn’t listen to anything.

I just got a present labeled, ‘From Mom and Dad’, and I know darn well Dad has no idea what’s inside.

Now that Covid has everyone washing their hands correctly…next week…Turn Signals.

Someone said, “Nothing rhymes with orange.” I said, “No, it doesn’t.”

The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The realist adjusts his sails.

There’s a fine line between a numerator and a denominator. Only a fraction of people will find this funny.

Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.

I have many hidden talents. I just wish I could remember where I hid them.

My idea of a Super Bowl is a toilet that cleans itself.

Apparently exercise helps you with decision-making. It’s true. I went for a run this morning and decided I’m never going again.
 
I went to my favorite LFS yesterday to show him a picture of this Pygmy Filefish I want.


I hope he can get it. He is also getting some of these Red Waspfish. I already have two of them but they are so cool, that I can use another one.
Heck, I may fill my tank with them. :D
 
Lets remember that December 7th 1941, 81 years ago today the US was attacked on Pearl Harbor by Japan getting us involved in WW2.

2,335 Americans were killed.

It was also 30 years ago when a gunman on the Long Island Railroad massacred 6 people and wounded 19 on the train. That train was the train right after the train I took every day and the murders happened right near my house.
 
My last working Diatom Filter is croaking. I couldn't be in this hobby without a diatom filter because I run a reverse undergravel filter and it needs by yearly stirring up. I also like to blow detritus out of my 50 year old rocks. Yes, I could use a canister filter as I have 2 Eheim filters but they are not very powerful.

I also sometimes use my diatom filter on newly collected NSW as it is filled with mud and seaweed.

Most of them are pretty rotten


But this one I changed the motor years ago.



I dropped it a few times and it needs some help. I am not sure if I want to put on a new motor or make an entirely new filter so I am in a quandry.
 
My last working Diatom Filter is croaking. I couldn't be in this hobby without a diatom filter because I run a reverse undergravel filter and it needs by yearly stirring up. I also like to blow detritus out of my 50 year old rocks. Yes, I could use a canister filter as I have 2 Eheim filters but they are not very powerful.

I also sometimes use my diatom filter on newly collected NSW as it is filled with mud and seaweed.

Most of them are pretty rotten
But this one I changed the motor years ago.

I dropped it a few times and it needs some help. I am not sure if I want to put on a new motor or make an entirely new filter so I am in a quandry.

Maybe this?

 
Joe, that is a normal old diatom filter which I have 5 disintegrated ones. They are a terrible design and the designer should call the college he went to to see if he could get his money back. :D

They are kind of OK in fresh water but the motor is iron and rusts badly.
The "O" ring seal gets chewed up by the diatom powder and they all leak eventually. They are also hard to start, fill and clean. The bag is als a bad design.



I designed a new one for about $100.00 and will build it as soon as I get a minute. :)

I think I solved all those issues but I will see after I build the thing. Right now it is still in my bald head and on my drawing table. But I would always rather build something than buy it especially if it is a bad design.
 
Good Morning. Nothing special happened on my hour long, very dark walk this morning so I didn't take any pictures. I will use a picture from a week ago because that light pole looks exactly the same today. :rolleyes:

Christmas Street Light.jpeg
 
I ordered the parts to build a new diatom filter. It will be less than $100.00. If it works well, I will post a DIY but if it flops, I will not tell anyone and just go and eat worms. :sick:
Paul, do you have a 3D printer? If not, I bet you'd love one - they're ridiculously useful for DIYers with aquariums.
 
I received the parts to build my newly designed diatom filter. I won't have time today to do much so maybe tomorrow. It all looks good and "should" work very well and look nice. (I don't like to build ugly stuff)

New Diatom Parts.jpeg


The filter cartridge is a 30 micron pleated membrane. I picked that one because I figured the one with the smaller pores may not let enough water through and I am counting on the diatom powder doing the work, not the membrane although they do come with one micron pores so you could use that without powder but I feel it will clog easily and not be able to clean as good as the powder which you just dump out.

But I didn't test the one with the one micron pores. The cartridges are cheap so I assume if you don't mind buying them occasionally you could use it without the powder. The one I am using is washable.

This drives me crazy. The "Manufacturer" is only a few miles from my house and it reads on the box
"A Proud American Manufacturer". Under that it reads "Made in China".

You can't be a proud American Manufacturer and build something not from America. The "Majano Wand" is built in Florida but most of the parts come from overseas because they don't make anything here mostly because of PCBs and other things. When I patented the thing most of the parts were made in the US. We don't make any power supplies here any more which is a shame.

When I go near there, I will pay them a visit and express my opinion.

1702645682782.png
 
I received the parts to build my newly designed diatom filter. I won't have time today to do much so maybe tomorrow. It all looks good and "should" work very well and look nice. (I don't like to build ugly stuff)

New Diatom Parts.jpeg


The filter cartridge is a 30 micron pleated membrane. I picked that one because I figured the one with the smaller pores may not let enough water through and I am counting on the diatom powder doing the work, not the membrane although they do come with one micron pores so you could use that without powder but I feel it will clog easily and not be able to clean as good as the powder which you just dump out.

But I didn't test the one with the one micron pores. The cartridges are cheap so I assume if you don't mind buying them occasionally you could use it without the powder. The one I am using is washable.

This drives me crazy. The "Manufacturer" is only a few miles from my house and it reads on the box
"A Proud American Manufacturer". Under that it reads "Made in China".

You can't be a proud American Manufacturer and build something not from America. The "Majano Wand" is built in Florida but most of the parts come from overseas because they don't make anything here mostly because of PCBs and other things. When I patented the thing most of the parts were made in the US. We don't make any power supplies here any more which is a shame.

When I go near there, I will pay them a visit and express my opinion.

1702645682782.png
I have been debating making something similar for my tank. Wasn't going to use the powder, but a medium micron filter that I can use for occasional cleaning. Sand gets dirty!

Was looking at a Bulk Reef single 10" media reactor that I can put in a standard sediment filter in. The filters are cheap and would do a great job polishing the water.
 
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