Time to update the bookmarks!Welcome to the new home of The High Road(tm) forum.You'll also find a link to THR on the left.
My name is Oleg Volk, and I am the owner of The High Road(tm). When I started
the forum in 2002, my vision was to create a place where people from around
the world could engage in cordial discussion of RKBA related matters.
Since then, you have helped make The High Road(tm) one of the best places on
the web for learning about firearms, for educating new shooters and for
supporting effective advocacy of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Due to pending legal issues, I am moving the forum to a new home at
TheHighRoad.us. This is the one and only official site at this time,
owned by me. The same high standards of civility apply. In the near future,
we will provide more than just a forum. The High Road(tm) is becoming an
information and activism center for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
With the help of GeoVario, our new host, The High Road(tm) is now online in
its new home. The new location of The High Road(tm) --
http://www.thehighroad.us -- will serve our members while the conversion
of the .org domain name by THR's former sysadmin is being challenged in
court (Copy of the complaint available:
http://www.geovario.com/legal/Complaint1.pdf ).
Feel free to mirror this announcement on your blog (here is a link to mine
with details of this matter and how you can help.
http://olegvolk.livejournal.com/474369.html ). If you link to THR, please
update the link to point to thehighroad.us Eventually, both .us and .org
addresses will point to the same site again.
Thank you all
- Oleg Volk, Owner
The High Road(tm)
15 October 2008
THR moves to new home
10 October 2008
Sensitive Digits
The BBTOJ made a delivery today, with the latest order from Midway USA. SandCastle queen needed some single stack mag holders for an upcoming class. I had them put in a BSA laser sight since one of the pistols had a naked rail. Worst case, it's a $25 bet on a training aid.
I had ordered one several months ago, but it arrived broken in the package. Midway of course took it back without question and refunded the price. I got the feeling they sent the whole batch back to the supplier.
Installing it on the pistol, one of the screws felt stripped. It just turned and turned without getting tight. The literature included a tan stop sign saying "DO NOT RETURN TO STORE..." Hmmm... that's new. But I figured I could just get a slightly larger hex head screw at the local Ace hardware and get it going tonight instead of waiting until Monday to call and then another week or so to have new parts shipped.
The helpful guy quickly identified it as a 4mm (it was like 4 minutes to closing on a Friday night and I think he was motivated to get me the He!! out of the store). The 5mm screws looked huge in comparison so I went back to the 4s. Rolling one of theirs and the old one between my fingers, I could feel a size difference. Side note - this is why I went to Ace, bypassing the Home Depot two miles closer - I can actually touch the hardware while HD has everything encased in plastic. I've heard fingers are extremely sensitive in comparison and can detect a ridge as small as a ten-thousandth (.00001) of an inch. "This one's bigger" I said.
The helpful guy looked at me like I was crazy, felt the two and announced they were the same size. Then he screwed a 4mm nut on each and threw them on the counter as to say "SEE!". (Not his finest hour I might observe)
I took the nuts off, picked up both screws and said "Thank you, I'm buying this one anyway".
Sure enough at home the new screw fit perfectly. Pulling out the micrometer, the new screw measured 4 thou (.004") larger.
Update: (10/13) I sent the bottom part of this post to Ace Hardware via their website. I did this for two reasons. First to thank them for having the hardware out where I can touch it. And second to let them know the helpful guy could have done better. The local manager sent an email this morning asking more details of the event.
BTW, looking back, "threw" might have been too strong a word. "Tossed" is probably a closer verb. "Threw" implies force behind the event while "Tossed" implies much less energy. But he didn't just set the bolts down either. It was a flick of the wrist that showed he dismissed my "different size" assessment.
He could have handled it better. I hope he doesn't suffer much from the complaint, but rather takes it as a teaching moment on how it could have been handled better. Particularly the part where "the customer is always right".
09 October 2008
Gas Prices
I'd like to note, we all bitch and moan when gas prices take on skyrocket-like climbs. But I'd like to note a precipitous slope the other direction.
Case in point, I was at the gas station on 10/6 and put in a couple gallons at $3.199.
Today (10/9) at the same station it was 3.099. A full dime less in 3 days.
Still high yes, but definitely headed in the right direction! And with Oil prices headed the same way, I hope it will continue.
Case in point, I was at the gas station on 10/6 and put in a couple gallons at $3.199.
Today (10/9) at the same station it was 3.099. A full dime less in 3 days.
Still high yes, but definitely headed in the right direction! And with Oil prices headed the same way, I hope it will continue.
Car update
I put the car back together tonight. The original scraping noise apparently was coming from one of the timing belt covers. The Miata engine has 3 plastic covers over the timing belt. Interestingly enough, the top two are available on ebay while the bottom one is not. Calling the normal "Miata recycling center" was rewarded with the answer "We have one but it's pretty torn up too".
Ok, Seems to me this is a weak point is the design. Called an old friend who owns several race prepped versions he rents out for racing. He also says he's short a lower cover.
Seems the problem is that the timing marks are cast into the part and when the water pump/alternator belt breaks it tears the marks away from the rest of the cover.
OTOH, the part was only ~$40 from the dealer. Yea, pretty pricey for a piece of plastic with metal inserts but cheaper then the couple hours it would take to make a fiberglass copy. Toss in another ~$40 for replacement an upper radiator hose and belts (AC and Waterpump/Alternator). Now she's back together, but may still need a radiator tank. Seems to have a pinhole leak. But since it's a plastic tank, I'll drill it out and try a screw & gasket before spending the time & $$$ for an new one.
Ok, Seems to me this is a weak point is the design. Called an old friend who owns several race prepped versions he rents out for racing. He also says he's short a lower cover.
Seems the problem is that the timing marks are cast into the part and when the water pump/alternator belt breaks it tears the marks away from the rest of the cover.
OTOH, the part was only ~$40 from the dealer. Yea, pretty pricey for a piece of plastic with metal inserts but cheaper then the couple hours it would take to make a fiberglass copy. Toss in another ~$40 for replacement an upper radiator hose and belts (AC and Waterpump/Alternator). Now she's back together, but may still need a radiator tank. Seems to have a pinhole leak. But since it's a plastic tank, I'll drill it out and try a screw & gasket before spending the time & $$$ for an new one.
06 October 2008
Arrrrgh!!!
Subtitle: "Step 7 Fabricate Tool"
Ok, By choice I drive old cars. They are cheap to buy, cheap to register and cheap to insure. The downside however is that they need more repairs than newer cars. But since I can handle nearly all of these repairs, it's a net gain to me which preserves hard earned $$$ for more interesting uses like flying and shooting.
Most of these jobs are not too terrible for someone with a modicum of mechanical skill. A water pump change on my old car (1977 280Z) was a 20 minute job. On my Truck it's an 18 hour job. I wasn't sure where the job on the "new car" would fall. Reading the manual all was well until it said "remove timing covers (Section 2A)". Referring to section 2A it says "Remove crankshaft pulley". Then step seven says "Fabricate tool".
There isn't room for the impact wrench, but the crankshaft pulley is slotted which allows for hooking a lever. That and a breaker bar might do it. Look around the garage. Hmmm.. this handle from an old floor jack looks like a good starting point (Once again vindication for a packrat). If I can run a few bolts through this to fit into the slots... Hmmm might work. Take a few measurements, diameter of the slots, width of the handle, include room for a bolt.. 1/4" x 1 1/2" should do it. It's late but Home Depot is still open. Yep this should work, .13 each. Wait.... Grade 8 bolts would be stronger. $0.48 for the pair.
Drill the holes, run the bolts and give it a try...
FAIL! One of the grade 8 bolts has sheared. I think the problem is the bending moment. Tomorrow I'll cut down the bolts (after I buy new ones) and give that a try.
Now I fault Mazda for making removal of the crankshaft pulley a requirement to change the water pump. But I fault both Mazda and Haynes for simply saying "Fabricate tool" without any guidance on how to do so. In the past, manuals have been known to say "Use special tool xyz123 to remove..." but at least they'd show a picture of "special tool xyz123" so as to give you an idea of how it was to work.
No such help here...
Update: Second time is a charm. Back to Home Depot today for more grade 8 bolts. This time shorten the length to move the stress more to shear and less to bending. Prop the lever against the frame and pull on the breaker bar. Success!
Ok, By choice I drive old cars. They are cheap to buy, cheap to register and cheap to insure. The downside however is that they need more repairs than newer cars. But since I can handle nearly all of these repairs, it's a net gain to me which preserves hard earned $$$ for more interesting uses like flying and shooting.
Most of these jobs are not too terrible for someone with a modicum of mechanical skill. A water pump change on my old car (1977 280Z) was a 20 minute job. On my Truck it's an 18 hour job. I wasn't sure where the job on the "new car" would fall. Reading the manual all was well until it said "remove timing covers (Section 2A)". Referring to section 2A it says "Remove crankshaft pulley". Then step seven says "Fabricate tool".
There isn't room for the impact wrench, but the crankshaft pulley is slotted which allows for hooking a lever. That and a breaker bar might do it. Look around the garage. Hmmm.. this handle from an old floor jack looks like a good starting point (Once again vindication for a packrat). If I can run a few bolts through this to fit into the slots... Hmmm might work. Take a few measurements, diameter of the slots, width of the handle, include room for a bolt.. 1/4" x 1 1/2" should do it. It's late but Home Depot is still open. Yep this should work, .13 each. Wait.... Grade 8 bolts would be stronger. $0.48 for the pair.
Drill the holes, run the bolts and give it a try...
FAIL! One of the grade 8 bolts has sheared. I think the problem is the bending moment. Tomorrow I'll cut down the bolts (after I buy new ones) and give that a try.Now I fault Mazda for making removal of the crankshaft pulley a requirement to change the water pump. But I fault both Mazda and Haynes for simply saying "Fabricate tool" without any guidance on how to do so. In the past, manuals have been known to say "Use special tool xyz123 to remove..." but at least they'd show a picture of "special tool xyz123" so as to give you an idea of how it was to work.
No such help here...
Update: Second time is a charm. Back to Home Depot today for more grade 8 bolts. This time shorten the length to move the stress more to shear and less to bending. Prop the lever against the frame and pull on the breaker bar. Success!
03 October 2008
Rippin' Vinyl
As a quirk of my formative years, most of my music collection is on vinyl. Heck, one album is titled "Vinyl Confession", not "CD Confessions", nor "Digital Confessions", but "Vinyl Confessions" (Kansas-1982). I have about 120 LPs while only about 75 CDs. And I've never bought an MP3 or anything in a digital format, no napster, no i-tunes, no wal-tunes, etc. And while I have a couple "MP3 players", I'll never own an I-pod!
So tonight while doing other tasks, I'm ripping vinyl. Courtesy of an ION USB turntable.
On the Turntable tonight:
- Styx: Cornerstone
- Zebra: 3.V
- Europe: Final Countdown (Special request from the SandCastle Prince. Apparently it's big in the cartoon set these days)
Lessons learned
Audacity is by far the way to go, once you learn to use it. ION's cheat sheet ("Audacity Software Guide") is pretty good. In fact, I'd say they hit exactly the right mix of how to's and why's.
They offer their own ripping software but it requires far too much interactivity and requires i-tunes. Audacity lets me rip away and come back to clean up the pops and chop up the tracks later.
In a purely cost/benefit analysis, depending on how you value your time, one could make a pretty good argument for either buying the track in digital format, or at least the CD to RIP is a cheaper way to go. CD's can be ripped hands off in a couple minutes, while Vinyl takes about an hour per LP. But I'm enjoying the oldies. Most of my vinyl is near three decades old. Heck, a couple have never been opened because I accidentally bought duplicates.
So tonight while doing other tasks, I'm ripping vinyl. Courtesy of an ION USB turntable.
On the Turntable tonight:
- Styx: Cornerstone
- Zebra: 3.V
- Europe: Final Countdown (Special request from the SandCastle Prince. Apparently it's big in the cartoon set these days)
Lessons learned
Audacity is by far the way to go, once you learn to use it. ION's cheat sheet ("Audacity Software Guide") is pretty good. In fact, I'd say they hit exactly the right mix of how to's and why's.
They offer their own ripping software but it requires far too much interactivity and requires i-tunes. Audacity lets me rip away and come back to clean up the pops and chop up the tracks later.
In a purely cost/benefit analysis, depending on how you value your time, one could make a pretty good argument for either buying the track in digital format, or at least the CD to RIP is a cheaper way to go. CD's can be ripped hands off in a couple minutes, while Vinyl takes about an hour per LP. But I'm enjoying the oldies. Most of my vinyl is near three decades old. Heck, a couple have never been opened because I accidentally bought duplicates.
An American Carol
Opens today and I'm not going to rush out and see it. SandCastle Queen has been raving about it for weeks and really wants to go. Rush and Hannity have pretty much asserted it's the duty of every Conservative to go see the movie and make it a commercial success.
I'd actually like to see it and I support the conservative cause. But these days the "Theater experience" is only slightly less annoying than the "airline experience" (But I don't want to give them any ideas). It's too expensive these days, in terms of both time and money. For example, We have a MovieMegaplex just a mile or so down the road. It takes about 5 minutes to drive there, 10-15 to find a parking spot. Then it's a 1/2 mile hike to the ticket booth and a 20 minute wait in line once there. And now they tack on 15-20 minutes of commercials before the feature actually starts.
This all means a typical 100-120 minute flick takes the better part of 3 hours out of the day. And that doesn't even begin to cover the high ticket and concession prices.
In all, I'd rather wait until it comes out on DVD when I can buy it for less than the cost of the "theater experience". So while I hope the flick does well, I'm waiting for the DVD - because of the movie house BS, not because of the flick.
I'd actually like to see it and I support the conservative cause. But these days the "Theater experience" is only slightly less annoying than the "airline experience" (But I don't want to give them any ideas). It's too expensive these days, in terms of both time and money. For example, We have a MovieMegaplex just a mile or so down the road. It takes about 5 minutes to drive there, 10-15 to find a parking spot. Then it's a 1/2 mile hike to the ticket booth and a 20 minute wait in line once there. And now they tack on 15-20 minutes of commercials before the feature actually starts.
This all means a typical 100-120 minute flick takes the better part of 3 hours out of the day. And that doesn't even begin to cover the high ticket and concession prices.
In all, I'd rather wait until it comes out on DVD when I can buy it for less than the cost of the "theater experience". So while I hope the flick does well, I'm waiting for the DVD - because of the movie house BS, not because of the flick.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
