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That sucks. Time to go to a city-council meeting! BTW, your operating system shouldn't prevent you from posting on any internet forum. Maybe update your browser or download Firefox.

Distillation will produce water that is about as pure as it gets. If you do everything right, it's as good as any laboratory-grade water. As long as it's going into a clean container, you won't have any microorganism issues. By "do everything right" I mean there are details that can matter...

Well, it's finally done. I ended up not doing anything with the seal and just re-using them. I figured I'm not making it worse than it was! The shares had a weird conical shaped plow bolt that I couldn't find anywhere. I should have replaced the shares but that's another 20 $ each plus...

I was reading about this the other day. They're super chemical laden. I don't know that they're particularly harmful to human health but I don't think it's worth it. We go without or use the static balls. The MiL uses some perscription pill containers which she says works fine.

So I'm skeptical about the gluten-free craze. I think wheat/starch heavy diets are correlated with poor health. If you try to go gluten free, you're forced to eat more meat and non-starchy vegetables, which seems to be good for you. I prefer to think of it as better health due to eating...

BTW, I've been wanting a pot rack for some time and come to the conclusion that I just need to put stuff away when I'm done. It's more work and trouble but the result is worth it. For example, I have a huge pressure canner. I like to have it close at hand but the reality is that I can fetch...

Julia Child used peg board. Sounds tacky but if you paint it, it's not bad. Mainly you see the pots and pans, so the peg board doesn't really draw your attention.

Sure is a nice place you have. I wish I had outbuildings like that.

This is a neat way to package up a fire bow. It's a compromise between modern and primitive. And it's interesting to read about the emotional side of discovering self sufficiency. http://www.improvisedlife.com/2014/05/19/modern-primitives-guide-starting-fire-without-matches/#more-41066

The local fire department will often use a bad house as a training opportunity. Usually it's minimal hassle for the land owner.

A friend from work wanted to try turning the hub to take the pits out of the seal's race. Wish I could do it myself but this is worth a shot. When I mold the silicon seal, I want there to be a bit of a gap. And ideas for coatings I can put inside the race that will give me 0.002 or so...

I prefer the big framing hammer with the meat-tenderizer pattern on the face. I like how it marks the nails and you can "pull" them straight as you hammer. I've been swinging a 3-lb hammer for the past few months. At my last blacksmith class, the teacher suggested a lighter hammer. At the...

I have pictures but they're on my camera. And the neutral went out between the transformer and the house which wrecked my computer. Still, it's always more fun with pictures. The paint still hasn't cured very well. I waited until it was 60 before starting and now we've had 3 weeks of 40s.

Talked to the guy at the industrial supply shop in town. He told me that it's not a seal. Called it a mud buster or something. And he didn't think there was anything he could order as a replacement. So for now I'm going to just use the old ones. I decided to replace most of the hardware on...

I'm thinking of a coal forge because it's easy to make. I should post a picture of the poker I made during the first class.

First class yesterday. It was really good. The teacher was ideal and everyone in the class was excited to be there. Very enjoyable. There were some who did better than others. Everyone turned out a decent-looking poker but it took some people longer than others. Probably everyone could do...

There is a fitting on the center of the hub and it's enough to get the first bearing lubed. I'm considering adding another fitting to ensure that the back bearing gets some grease... Still, wheel bearings on cars got 20,000 miles without adding more grease. For low duty work like plowing a...

I got a 2-bottom plow last year. It was old and rusty. I wanted to fix it up for this year. Well, it's almost time to plow. So far, I've taken it apart. Seems like just a few parts but there's 75 pieces. Many of the pieces are for the sod-cutting coulters, but still, it's a lot of pieces...

I bought slips this year. Thanks for posting, BTW. I hadn't given it a thought but then I remembered DW asked me to put in some sweet potatoes this summer. I ordered from Jung.

Chickens are my project for this year. I've been wanting them for quite a while but I think the stars are finally aligning... I plan to fence in several paddocks and rotate them so that they don't destroy any given plot. Maybe I should make the garden one of the paddocks.... Still, that'll be...