S-trap / P-trap (Eg in sinks and toilets)
And zip ties π
A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions
Search asklemmy π
If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!
Looking for support?
Looking for a community?
~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_[email protected]~
S-trap / P-trap (Eg in sinks and toilets)
And zip ties π
Pretty much anything with an interplay of water and air pressure fascinates me. Someone else mentioned siphons. I'll mention diving bells and bongs.
Sharpening stones.
you need an edge so many times in your life. When you're using scissors, slicing veggies, pruning trees, harvesting mushrooms, posting online, mowing grass, carving wood, cutting roots, trimming nails, scraping stoves/ovens, shaving, digging, trimming, pealing whatever.
There are so many dumb fancy arse awful tools that butcher edges and work in one specific case. No! For millenia people have been grinding edges, it is not difficult to learn it just takes practice.
Modern manufacturing means we can enjoy extremely consistent stones in well characterised grades. Go use some, and enjoy how much less effort life requires when everything that cuts, cuts easily.
On that topic, if you are in a squeeze and don't have a sharpening stone in the kitchen, you can use the bottom rim of a ceramic mug to sharpen a kitchen knife
So what should I look for when buying a sharpening stone? I was planning to buy one to sharpen the knives we have at home, but not sure what I should get and where to get one for a decent price.
you usually work up grits. In general for edges that should end shaving sharp (e.g. kitchen, whirling) below 1k is rough work, profiling work, 1k or so is basic small chip repair etc, 3k is standard sharpen, and higher is polishing wank. You get what you pay for in general: cheap stones need soaking, the wear out fast (needing truing). Shapton makes some great splash and go stones.
However, there is one cheap 2 sided diamond stone that is actually quality. The sharpal one. Be aware diamond cuts extremely fast (good and bad), it doesn't need truing or soaking. I recommend if you're getting one stone get that. Learn proper bur minimisation technique and that'll cover chip repair and get your knives sharp enough to cut seethrough sheets of tomato.
If you feel fancy add 1 micron stropping compound and a sheet of balsa wood to strop on.
A fountain pen is just a controlled leak
I use a Kaweco Sport as my daily driver.
Bonus: Nobody ever "borrows" it at work because it confuses and terrifies them.
Manual can openers are better than electric can openers
Especially the kind that uncrimps the can instead of cuts it.
Do vinyl records count? I really like that they make beautiful noise from a simple electromechanical process.
There are some records which are "threaded" backwards, in that you start at the center and work out rather than start at the edge and work in. This is not standard, automatic turntables might not be able to handle this, but the reason they do this is because of the effect above. You can get greater dynamic range near the outside of the disc, and you probably want greater dynamic range near the end of the recording as the music reaches a climax. Consider Ravel's Bolero, which is one long crescendo.
String/rope. With a couple of knots, loops and tension you can make a lot of things with it.
Wheels are pretty cool
Lathes. You spin a thing and cut it, which sounds unimpressive, but from there you can bootstrap to pretty much all modern technology.
Or, alternatively, you can bootstrap into a fine red mist as you get stuck to it and violently flung about
Lathes rule
Yes, when bootstrapping, tuck in your bootstraps.
To add a bit of detail, it comes down to circles being nice, simple geometric objects, and an assembly of metal with contact points being capable of way more accuracy than you'd first expect.
Bootstrapping the first lathe is harder; most likely some historical elite master craftsman was able to make one freehand, and future ones derived from it. We still have the one Vaucanson made that way, although it sounds like it was a one-off. David Gingery wrote a book on the topic, but he still assumes you have a power drill and a ready-made threaded rod.
Dice.
Automatic (mechanical) wristwatches.
I love the idea of a truly symbiotic relationship between a thoughtfully and carefully designed mechanism and a human. I walk around and live my life, and by doing so, I give it the kinetic energy it needs to keep its mainspring wound, and in return it tells me what time it is. Always. Without fail. I just have to tweak the time if it starts to get too far off, but thatβs barely even an imposition. After a good long while, itβs prudent to have them serviced, but if youβre not observing any problems, itβs generally perfectly fine, and will keep ticking along as long as you wear it regularly.
also, knowing you are listening to the same exact tick tock that has been heard for centuries
Rock.
Siphons
I bought a can opener years back that doesn't cut the can, instead it separates the lid from the can with no sharp edges. It's dumb but I love it.
Axes, I have four and I will get another next year.
I have a hatchet for small tasks, a midsized axe for cutting small trees down and chopping, a Pulaski for landscaping/ digging tasks and I have a splitting axe/maul for splitting rounds.
There is something incredibly rewarding and fun about swinging an axe.
I like to get all up in my snuggie. Get a little weird.
Hand tool woodworking. It's amazing what you can make without a single electron. Its also amazing to feel the tools, the resistance and subtle vibrations as you use them. Like an extension of your own body. I love chiseling, especially large mortises. Hearing that sharp, deep thud, and seeing it sink in as it bites into the wood is so satisfying. Especially when using metal hammers, they are so responsive.
I love sawing, especially when relaxed and working at a slow pace, seeing all the sawdust fly out with each stroke. Sawing isn't fun when working on difficult pieces of wood, when working in a relaxed manner with softwood, the hoarse sounds of the saw starts to sound like purring and it begins to cut exceptionally well.
I love the finish of handplanes, so smooth it becomes water resistant.
Overall very spiritual and relaxing (as relaxing as you allow it to be at least)
Sleeping pad shnozzle bags (pump sacks).
I'm a huge coffee drinker. Used to have a machine. It broke. Bend using an aeropress and French press for awhile and find that I really don't miss the machine.