Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Bob Heine's Auto Emporium

[Bob Heine]

I agree Ryobi tools that plug in are not even on my radar but for most jobs around here my Ryobi 18v tools are handy. I can’t tell you how often I used the Ryobi impact drill and screwing in snd out huge rusty bolts it hasn’t died yet. They said I do like your choice of Milwaukee and I may give all my Ryobi to my kids or loan out with thoughts it might not come back and start picking up Milwaukee. I never liked that once dewalt fixed their ****** batteries they changed from 18 to 20 but I do have a few of those.

stay cool and again best of luck with your health.

Drives, I'm afraid I've finished a huge bucket of the Milwaukee Kool-Aid so switching to another brand would be near impossible. I'm happy with all the tools and my only annoyance is with the multi-tool. Changing blades requires an allen wrench and there is nowhere to store the wrench on the tool. It's a pretty small gripe and they made up for it on the 1/4" hex impact driver -- you don't have to pull the collar back to install a bit -- simply push the bit in and it locks in place. I smile every time it does that.

I appreciate the well wishes. I feel like early detection of problems trumps luck every time. Maybe it's luck that the aggressive cancer was detected at an early stage.

As I said, I'm off on a tangent and based on how much I wrote I am still not "over" it these 3-1/2 years since retirement.

Dan, I hope this doesn't upset you but I retired 27 years ago and I am not really "over" it either. Two good things are: 1) when I dream about those days I wake up and immediately realize it's just a dream and 2) retiring when I did has given me 27 amazing BS-free years. The 5 years post-retirement years I played at America Online were 99% BS-free because I didn't "need" the job. Those 1% moments ended when I said "The day this job stops being fun I'm outta here." When you say that, the room gets real quiet. First time I said that I expected someone to reply "goodbye" but it never happened. I stayed a week after it stopped being fun (my clothes were at the cleaners).

 

[drivesitfar]

I’ve got several multi tools but I do like my Fein the best. If I can get a great metal cutting blade for it I’m almost super happy. It’s got a cord but Fein was smart enough to make it 10 or maybe 15 foot long.
Only issue I have health wise lately is this big tumor just above my belt and a dodgy left knee.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Dan, Bob, I've been out of the traces for 3 ish years, and I hardly remember what I did, let alone the silliness. No work nightmares disturb my sleep. I turned it all off, and it appears to have stayed that way. You guys need more projects.

 

[harley jim]

I also thought the world would not survive if I didnt get to work early and stay late. The kid that took my place is an employee that I hired a couple of years before I left. I like him a lot he dosnt take **** from anyone, and has a good work ethic. Like Kay said, I dont remember.
Oh squirrel!
If I let myself start thinking about the politics of how I got my freedom I get all twisted up and mad for days over it. That's not fair to anyone especially Pat and myself.
Now I worry if I'll get all of my projects done so I can rest a bit before I go.

 

[xtremek]

Nice thing about having a job, and not a career, is that I rarely bring work "home" after I call it a day.

 

[Sifan]

I have found being semi-retired and volunteering has advantages such as:
you're not paying me enough to do that **** job
my blue truck can get me home as fast as it got me here
you can kiss my a$$ and call me gone
not only no, HELL NO

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Kay, You're right of course. There's not a damn thing I can do about anything that happened whether I feel I was ultimately treated fairly or not.

I do still dream of work some but not the promotion decision. There was one guy that was a direct report to me for over 18 years and I tend to dream of he and I working as inspectors at the place I worked BEFORE my 26 years at Metro. Weird how your mind melds unrelated things together. I wonder why?

Bob, Do you ever dream of your accident? Relive it, preventing it or dream of still having both arms? And if you do is that a weird feeling, satisfying or troubling?

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I work for myself. My boss is an ***. I can't even pee without him watching.

 

[Bob Heine]

I’ve got several multi tools but I do like my Fein the best. If I can get a great metal cutting blade for it I’m almost super happy. It’s got a cord but Fein was smart enough to make it 10 or maybe 15 foot long.
Only issue I have health wise lately is this big tumor just above my belt and a dodgy left knee.

Drives, my first multi-tool was from Harbor Freight and it was OK but when I went to buy another battery they had changed the design. I use the multi-tools for quite a few little jobs but my favorite is cutting openings in drywall. The super thin blade makes a whole lot less dust than the Zip tool or jigsaw.

Dan, Bob, I've been out of the traces for 3 ish years, and I hardly remember what I did, let alone the silliness. No work nightmares disturb my sleep. I turned it all off, and it appears to have stayed that way. You guys need more projects.

Kay, it must have something to do with my advancing age. When I first retired I had zero dreams about the job. The naked in the school dreams showed up first, then dead relative started visiting and recently it has been missed connections on business trips. Even in the worst of them I am fully aware I'm dreaming so I wake up with a sign, go back to sleep and end the dream on a happy note.

I also thought the world would not survive if I didnt get to work early and stay late. The kid that took my place is an employee that I hired a couple of years before I left. I like him a lot he dosnt take **** from anyone, and has a good work ethic. Like Kay said, I dont remember.
Oh squirrel!
If I let myself start thinking about the politics of how I got my freedom I get all twisted up and mad for days over it. That's not fair to anyone especially Pat and myself.
Now I worry if I'll get all of my projects done so I can rest a bit before I go.

Jim, when we moved to Australia we found a place to live two blocks from the beach in Manly. My office was 25 miles and 30+ stoplights to the west. My commute time doubled in the rush hours morning and night so I always went in early and came home late. My co-workers thought I was crazy but after two years, half the organization was there when I arrived and still there when I left. They did some amazing stuff, including a high school course on communications and the Internet (in 1992).

I have stopped worrying about getting all of my projects done. I'd settling for finishing a couple.

Nice thing about having a job, and not a career, is that I rarely bring work "home" after I call it a day.

Kirk, I remember those days, when I showed up, went home, showered, ate and headed out to the second or third job. Wasn't home long enough to think about the jobs.

I have found being semi-retired and volunteering has advantages such as:
you're not paying me enough to do that **** job
my blue truck can get me home as fast as it got me here
you can kiss my a$$ and call me gone
not only no, HELL NO

Kevin, I do my best to make people think I'm a helpless cripple so they rarely ask me to do anything.

Kay, You're right of course. There's not a damn thing I can do about anything that happened whether I feel I was ultimately treated fairly or not.

I do still dream of work some but not the promotion decision. There was one guy that was a direct report to me for over 18 years and I tend to dream of he and I working as inspectors at the place I worked BEFORE my 26 years at Metro. Weird how your mind melds unrelated things together. I wonder why?

Bob, Do you ever dream of your accident? Relive it, preventing it or dream of still having both arms? And if you do is that a weird feeling, satisfying or troubling?

Dan, I have never had a dream about the accident -- I think it's buried quite deep. For the first ten years I had the occasional dream where I had two arms. Most of those included me having the ability to fly (like Superman, I somehow never needed to flap my arms or anything else).

 

[Bob Heine]

I work for myself. My boss is an ***. I can't even pee without him watching.

Uncle Willie, I work for my wife and I have nothing bad to say about her. My CPAP is a big help in that regard -- I can still breathe with a pillow over my face.

 

[harley jim]

HAHAHA

My cpap kept leaking last night. I got up and cleaned it trying to not wake Pat, I know that cant be done. She sees all and knows all.

 

[Bob Heine]

Since I was a young boy reading car magazines (Car Craft did a lot of model car articles in the 1950s) I wanted to learn how to use an airbrush. It looks like I'll be on light duty very soon so maybe it's time. I have a couple of airbrushes and I now have about 80 bottles of acrylic paint. The little compressor is scheduled to arrive tomorrow so I thought I'd try organizing the paint. All my acrylic paint is in 2 ounce bottles so I did a search on storage racks. Damn, even glue-together plyboard racks are expensive. In my searches I came across a couple of women making their own racks out of Dollar Tree items. They have two designs and both use the same parts: napkin and paper towel holders. They use E6000 glue and zip ties and the design I like (lets you take one bottle out without the stack shifting). The basic design requires one ($1.00) paper towel stand and four ($1.00) napkin holders. The design I'm using needs a floor under each napkin holder and while the women are gluing plastic mats to the bottom, I plan to tack some sheet metal to mine. I bought the parts to make one rack and zip tied it together so I can mark the weld locations (and remove the chrome plating). Three racks will hold 84 bottles and I'll be able to see the colors without pulling them out of a cardboard box.

Here's the design that doesn't use the paper towel stand and requires the least amount of time and effort:

Here's the same woman's second design that I'm copying but taking advantage of the welder at my disposal:

 

[Bob Heine]

HAHAHA

My cpap kept leaking last night. I got up and cleaned it trying to not wake Pat, I know that cant be done. She sees all and knows all.

Jim, I believe Liane's light sleeping is a leftover from the baby years, when a wet fart from the other side of the house would wake her up. I slept through a part of our house collapsing during a hurricane.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I am a thrasher in bed. About every month or two I have a dream someone is trying to grab me and I have to push him away. Usually with my feet as I lean back away from him. My girlfriend got pretty scared of sleeping with me thinking I would throw a punch.

The worst part is I've fallen out of bed twice! Once was harmless except we had hardwood floors and I woke up with a start. The 2nd time was not so harmless. I hit my chin on the nightstand making a small hole THROUGH my chin. I woke up to blood all over my white T shirt, looked like I'd cut my nose off. But facial cuts bleed a lot. I went to the emergency room. First they said they should stitch it, then after doctor saw me he said it would heal fine without - kinda true, I have an odd scar there but I don't care along with the rest of the wrinkles I now have!

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I am a thrasher in bed. About every month or two I have a dream someone is trying to grab me and I have to push him away. Usually with my feet as I lean back away from him. My girlfriend got pretty scared of sleeping with me thinking I would throw a punch.

The worst part is I've fallen out of bed twice! Once was harmless except we had hardwood floors and I woke up with a start. The 2nd time was not so harmless. I hit my chin on the nightstand making a small hole THROUGH my chin. I woke up to blood all over my white T shirt, looked like I'd cut my nose off. But facial cuts bleed a lot. I went to the emergency room. First they said they should stitch it, then after doctor saw me he said it would heal fine without - kinda true, I have an odd scar there but I don't care along with the rest of the wrinkles I now have!

You may want to look into velcro Jammie and sheets

 

[xtremek]

That holder is pretty slick. They're pretty smart ladies.

 

[jon72vega]

Since I was a young boy reading car magazines (Car Craft did a lot of model car articles in the 1950s) I wanted to learn how to use an airbrush. It looks like I'll be on light duty very soon so maybe it's time. I have a couple of airbrushes and I now have about 80 bottles of acrylic paint. The little compressor is scheduled to arrive tomorrow so I thought I'd try organizing the paint. All my acrylic paint is in 2 ounce bottles so I did a search on storage racks. Damn, even glue-together plyboard racks are expensive. In my searches I came across a couple of women making their own racks out of Dollar Tree items. They have two designs and both use the same parts: napkin and paper towel holders. They use E6000 glue and zip ties and the design I like (lets you take one bottle out without the stack shifting). The basic design requires one ($1.00) paper towel stand and four ($1.00) napkin holders. The design I'm using needs a floor under each napkin holder and while the women are gluing plastic mats to the bottom, I plan to tack some sheet metal to mine. I bought the parts to make one rack and zip tied it together so I can mark the weld locations (and remove the chrome plating). Three racks will hold 84 bottles and I'll be able to see the colors without pulling them out of a cardboard box.

Here's the design that doesn't use the paper towel stand and requires the least amount of time and effort:

Here's the same woman's second design that I'm copying but taking advantage of the welder at my disposal:

Bob,
That paint bottle holder is ingenious!
Good adaptation.

I wish you well with your health issues.
You are in my prayers.

 

[Bob Heine]

I am a thrasher in bed. About every month or two I have a dream someone is trying to grab me and I have to push him away. Usually with my feet as I lean back away from him. My girlfriend got pretty scared of sleeping with me thinking I would throw a punch.

The worst part is I've fallen out of bed twice! Once was harmless except we had hardwood floors and I woke up with a start. The 2nd time was not so harmless. I hit my chin on the nightstand making a small hole THROUGH my chin. I woke up to blood all over my white T shirt, looked like I'd cut my nose off. But facial cuts bleed a lot. I went to the emergency room. First they said they should stitch it, then after doctor saw me he said it would heal fine without - kinda true, I have an odd scar there but I don't care along with the rest of the wrinkles I now have!

Dan, that sounds dangerous. I would consider either an adjustable air mattress with your side set real low or the bed belts we used on one of our cruises (a little hurricane was following us around).

You're right about facial cuts being bleeders. My orthopedic surgeons stitched up most of my wounds and the stitch scars are bigger than the wounds. A plastic surgeon did the wounds on my face and the scars are much less noticeable. I learned that plastic surgeons put a lot of stitches in a cut. He told me he put 180 in my face but the wounds were small, like four inches total. Whatever went through my chin and took out my front teeth made a real mess and he started inside my mouth and worked his way out with several layers of stitches to hold it all together. My chin has its own smiley.

You may want to look into velcro Jammie and sheets

Uncle Willie, we raised our kids in the dark ages. Our son liked to get up in the middle of the night and go looking for things to do. One was annoying: carefully opening a glass bottle of ginger ale or other mixer, drinking his fill, refilling the bottle with water and putting the cap back on. Another was dangerous: climbing on the kitchen counter to open the cabinet and take half a bottle of Flintstones vitamins back to his room. When we found the half-empty bottle and began the inquisition, he stuck to the "I didn't eat all those candies" so we dosed him with ipecac until he thew up. He never broke but when we checked under his mattress, there was a 6-month supply of chewables. Back then they made a child vest that zipped up the back with a locking clip. Loose straps bolted to the bed frame let him roll over but kept him in the bed. Or so we thought -- he was able to escape and continue his midnight raids. Fearing he would acquire a taste for wood alcohol or some other deadly beverage, his bedroom door got a slide bolt. We let him out to join the Navy.

That holder is pretty slick. They're pretty smart ladies.

Kirk, I especially liked the price. I paid about $60 for 72 bottles of paint and I can't bring myself to pay more for a rack to store them. I can make three of these for $16 (including tax) plus some scrap sheet metal I have lying around.

Bob,
That paint bottle holder is ingenious!
Good adaptation.

I wish you well with your health issues.
You are in my prayers.

Jon, it's a nice little project to keep me busy.

It's really nice to know people are thinking of me and I do appreciate it.

 

[rixtrix1]

Hi, Bob. Just caught up on the last 10 or so pages. Always a good time, but very concerned for your future. Sounds like you have a good plan going forward, but I'll be adding my $.02 toward a successful outcome!

 

[bolensboneyard]

Bob like your bottle holder. Looks like watching Vladimir all these years will pay off now that necessity has become the mother of invention has come to roost.
I retired from the no zone at 43 back in ninety three without a paycheck or benefits of any kind. Got tired of no support, no pay, no honor, no security and no kept promises.

 

[floridafarmer]

Since I was a young boy reading car magazines (Car Craft did a lot of model car articles in the 1950s) I wanted to learn how to use an airbrush. It looks like I'll be on light duty very soon so maybe it's time. I have a couple of airbrushes and I now have about 80 bottles of acrylic paint. The little compressor is scheduled to arrive tomorrow so I thought I'd try organizing the paint. All my acrylic paint is in 2 ounce bottles so I did a search on storage racks. Damn, even glue-together plyboard racks are expensive. In my searches I came across a couple of women making their own racks out of Dollar Tree items. They have two designs and both use the same parts: napkin and paper towel holders. They use E6000 glue and zip ties and the design I like (lets you take one bottle out without the stack shifting). The basic design requires one ($1.00) paper towel stand and four ($1.00) napkin holders. The design I'm using needs a floor under each napkin holder and while the women are gluing plastic mats to the bottom, I plan to tack some sheet metal to mine. I bought the parts to make one rack and zip tied it together so I can mark the weld locations (and remove the chrome plating). Three racks will hold 84 bottles and I'll be able to see the colors without pulling them out of a cardboard box.

Here's the design that doesn't use the paper towel stand and requires the least amount of time and effort:

Here's the same woman's second design that I'm copying but taking advantage of the welder at my disposal:

Bob - the rack is great - you may want to consider letting one of these "mix kwik" attachments "fall into your basket" for your Milwaukee saws all - I have a couple that I use for spray paint and other stuff but they also have a small padded tube option that you can use for small items. I talked to the guy who invented this - one of his biggest markets is the tattoo parlors where they mix the small vials.
Plus if you get a sealed cup it whips up a great margarita...

MixKwik Product Reviews

Welcome to MixKwik tool co. American made, family owned and operated. MixKwik Spray Paint Shaker. This premier aerosol can mixer is portable and custom-made to attach to an electric, reciprocating saw. Handshaking a can just doesn't mix the product well enough. It can leave up to 20 percent of...

www.mixkwik.com

MixKwik Tool - Reciprocating Saw Accessories - Amazon.com

MixKwik Tool - Reciprocating Saw Accessories - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[hardtop5000]

Jim, when we moved to Australia we found a place to live two blocks from the beach in Manly.

G'day Bob. Last week, before the lockdown, I visited a friend for lunch at Manly and snapped this photo through the salt-smeared window of the restaurant. Thought you might enjoy the sight.

 

[Bob Heine]

Hi, Bob. Just caught up on the last 10 or so pages. Always a good time, but very concerned for your future. Sounds like you have a good plan going forward, but I'll be adding my $.02 toward a successful outcome!

Ric, it's one of those old guy things that needs to be watched. Looks like my watch and wait days are over and I'm looking forward to taking care of the cancer before it takes care of me. I appreciate the kind wishes.

Bob like your bottle holder. Looks like watching Vladimir all these years will pay off now that necessity has become the mother of invention has come to roost.
I retired from the no zone at 43 back in ninety three without a paycheck or benefits of any kind. Got tired of no support, no pay, no honor, no security and no kept promises.

Bobby, Vladimir is my hero and I can only dream of matching his salvage skills. I completely understand the 'could care less' working world many have lived through. I sometimes questioned my decision to stay at IBM for the long haul but feel blessed for being able to leave when I did. Those who stayed watched the pension promise morph into a tip. A guarantee turned into a good luck wish.

Bob - the rack is great - you may want to consider letting one of these "mix kwik" attachments "fall into your basket" for your Milwaukee saws all - I have a couple that I use for spray paint and other stuff but they also have a small padded tube option that you can use for small items. I talked to the guy who invented this - one of his biggest markets is the tattoo parlors where they mix the small vials.
Plus if you get a sealed cup it whips up a great margarita...

MixKwik Product Reviews

Welcome to MixKwik tool co. American made, family owned and operated. MixKwik Spray Paint Shaker. This premier aerosol can mixer is portable and custom-made to attach to an electric, reciprocating saw. Handshaking a can just doesn't mix the product well enough. It can leave up to 20 percent of...

www.mixkwik.com

MixKwik Tool - Reciprocating Saw Accessories - Amazon.com

MixKwik Tool - Reciprocating Saw Accessories - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

FF, you caught me at a bad time. I was painting a spray can rack with some spray paint and shaking the can was annoying. Then I was mixing up some OneShot paint and my annoyance level jumped a bit. Having no willpower, one of those MixKwik things fell into my cart along with the small bottle adapter. Just so happens I have a Porter Cable 12v reciprocating saw that has been replaced with the more powerful Milwaukee M12. Now it will live a new life as my Shake Weight assistant.

G'day Bob. Last week, before the lockdown, I visited a friend for lunch at Manly and snapped this photo through the salt-smeared window of the restaurant. Thought you might enjoy the sight.

Justin, those were some of the best days of my life. It looks like quite a few of the bigger and scragglier Norfolk pines have been replaced with younger, better looking and healthier ones.

EDIT: I did a little walkabout on Google maps and it looks like you took that photo from the Seaside Thai Gourmet restaurant. Or was it the Moo Gourmet Burgers above it?

According to Google, that's 750 metres from where we lived (a 10 minute walk). Every Sunday I walked down to the news stand on the Corso to get the Herald. Don't remember that restaurant but there were so many even 30 years ago.

I question that route because the stairs down to the beach would have put us at the Surf Life Saving Club log before e got to Victoria Parade. Typical GPS directions.
[EDIT] This was the second route from Google and is the one I always used. The first route, the one I was questioning, followed the streets and couldn't use the staircase because it defaulted to the Automobile route. As soon as I changed it to the Walking Man route it was fine. My bad.

 

[drivesitfar]

I just was thinking about you so thought i'd send a note saying I'm happy you found this issue early regarding your health, but since science and doctors are subject to human error and not everything can be fixed i still wanted to send you my best wishes for a speedy recovery and saying a few prayers for you too.

i'm not sure where that picture out the old diner window was taken, but I like the scenery that is for certain. I planted a LEBONESE PINE tree in our front yard cause if we want to (it takes about 12 years to produce the cones regularly) we can harvest pine nuts out of it.

 

[Bob Heine]

I just was thinking about you so thought i'd send a note saying I'm happy you found this issue early regarding your health, but since science and doctors are subject to human error and not everything can be fixed i still wanted to send you my best wishes for a speedy recovery and saying a few prayers for you too.

i'm not sure where that picture out the old diner window was taken, but I like the scenery that is for certain. I planted a LEBONESE PINE tree in our front yard cause if we want to (it takes about 12 years to produce the cones regularly) we can harvest pine nuts out of it.

Drives, thanks for the continued best wishes and prayers. Your front yard looks amazing and that tree has grown quite a bit since you first posted a picture.

I guess Justin's picture needs some explanation for those not familiar with Manly Australia. It's the one of the eastern suburbs of Sydney (the only thing to the east of Manly is the Southern Pacific ocean). It's a wonderful beachfront suburb with ferries connecting to the rest of Sydney Harbor along with bus routes to take residents to shopping centers and railway stations. It's a weekend getaway destination for the grownups and families of Sydney (Bondi beach is more for the younger crowds).

Manly beach has a walkway along the ocean that has been home to two rows of Norfolk pines for more than 150 years so they are a pretty big deal. Some of them have been cut down and replaced so not all of them are huge. I walked past them every Sunday when I walked from our house to the news stand on the Corso (big pedestrian street in the middle of Manly). That's why Justin thought they would bring back memories. Manly is a great place to walk, with miles of walkways along the ocean (don't have to peek between hotels and condos to see it).

When returning home I headed south along that brick walkway and climbed those stairs to Cliff Street.

As a real estate agent you might find the prices for Sydney housing interesting. I thought they were high 30 years ago but they have gone crazy since we left. Our place on Cliff Street was the upper unit in a 3-unit building. It was brand new in 1989 and the selling price was $595,000 (we rented it for $600 a week). In 2004 it sold for $1,300,000 and in 2017 it sold for $3,300,000.

I checked Google to see what the place looks like today and it's hard to see but it was undergoing a major renovation in November 2020 when Google took this picture. They've ripped out the double gate entry between the garages and are re-doing the roof. When we lived there it was metal and had no insulation so rain made a lot of noise (not that it kept me awake).

It was a wonderful place to live and I picked it so Liane wouldn't be stuck in a suburb where you needed a car (she didn't want to drive in Australia). She often walked down to the Corso and grabbed a bite to eat and do a little grocery shopping (our little refrigerator meant almost daily trips to the supermarket). The downside was my commute. Back in the late '80s, Sydney didn't have a lot of limited access roads so I had 30+ stoplights getting to and from work.

Google is being generous with the 1 hr time to cover 38 km (24 miles). I could make it in an hour if I left home before 6 am and left work after 6pm. The rush hour doubled the time.

 

[hardtop5000]

Justin, those were some of the best days of my life. It looks like quite a few of the bigger and scragglier Norfolk pines have been replaced with younger, better looking and healthier ones.

EDIT: I did a little walkabout on Google maps and it looks like you took that photo from the Seaside Thai Gourmet restaurant. Or was it the Moo Gourmet Burgers above it?

Well done, Detective Bob. Seaside Thai was indeed the venue. It does a very good red curry.

The corso and harbourside parts of Manly are full of people these days, with hundreds of shops to take their money. Vehicle traffic has been kept a block or two back. It works well. Looking over the beach, it's always clear that this is the edge of the continent. The ocean and the sky look and feel enormous.

I'll visit Manly again as soon as this lockdown ends. If there are any sights and scenes that you and Liane would like fresh photos of, please let me know.

ETA: A planned tunnel called Beaches Link will eventually transform your old commute -- there'll be no traffic lights between Balgowlah and Pennant Hills Road at Beecroft. Pennant Hills Road, which was already six lanes of hell in the 1980s, is now a quiet and easy trip, thanks to a tunnel between Beecroft and Wahroonga that takes all the trucks and tourist traffic.

Second edit to point out that Google captured an example of the rare twin-and-a-bit cab Hilux.

 

[rharman]

Bob,

Sending good thoughts and well wished on what I recall to be the eve of your surgery. Well, eve in my timezone anyway.

 

[bugnut]

Bob, thoughts and prayers.

 

[Bob Heine]

I'll visit Manly again as soon as this lockdown ends. If there are any sights and scenes that you and Liane would like fresh photos of, please let me know.

Second edit to point out that Google captured an example of the rare twin-and-a-bit cab Hilux.

Justin, I didn't take my camera with me on the Sunday walks. I didn't want to be the perv walking along the beach taking pictures of the women going *******. That meant I never got a picture of the beach from the staircase at the south end beyond the Manly Surf Pavilion.

Google captured the equally rare Mercedes tandem axle sedan just up the street.

Bob,

Sending good thoughts and well wished on what I recall to be the eve of your surgery. Well, eve in my timezone anyway.

Roger, I appreciate the thoughts and well wishes. The surgery is scheduled for July 13 so I have a July 5 party with the family. The party has been scheduled for a few months so it isn't a farewell, just a fun day and coincidentally our youngest granddaughter's birthday (she's turning 22).

Bob, thoughts and prayers.

Thank you Bugnut, it's really nice to know people are thinking of me -- in a good way!

Roger and Bugnut, I feel like a such a slacker. You two are up and at 'em really late and really early while I slept in until 10:00!

 

[drivesitfar]

thanks for the excellent write up about Manly Australia. Sounds like you've been blessed to live and be where you've been and are in this world (******* items sounds like a nice cherry on the top), so with your positive attitude and your will to survive I have no doubt you'll come out of surgery wanting to finish and/or start more than a few projects. GOOD LUCK TOO.

have a great party and 4th of July weekend.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

The middle door on that hilux is for tiny people.

 

[rharman]

On the Best (West) coast, it was only 10:12pm. You probably saw it in EST. No way I'm posting at 1:00am.

If I'm up that late, it's because the dog (Golden Retriever) is freaked out by noises. This is going to be a rough weekend for her. Thank goodness for tranquilizers.

 

[Bob Heine]

thanks for the excellent write up about Manly Australia. Sounds like you've been blessed to live and be where you've been and are in this world (******* items sounds like a nice cherry on the top), so with your positive attitude and your will to survive I have no doubt you'll come out of surgery wanting to finish and/or start more than a few projects. GOOD LUCK TOO.

have a great party and 4th of July weekend.

Drives, I really have been blessed and I know it. I have never awakened and dreaded the day ahead. Not all were happy or wonderful but once you learn your life can end any time, everything seems different and taking a crappy day for granted doesn't happen as often. If I don't come out of surgery it won't be my lack of will or desire to live.

Looks like we're going to have a nice 4th of July but the 5th is iffy. We are planning to get together with my son and his family in the morning and current projections have tropical storm force winds arriving Monday night. At least it won't be deadly hot -- still can't believe Seattle hit 108° F. I hope you were able to stay safe. I understand that hundreds have died suddenly in the heat in the Pacific Northwest. Scary stuff!

The middle door on that hilux is for tiny people.

Uncle Willie, I think that's a Dingo Door.

On the Best (West) coast, it was only 10:12pm. You probably saw it in EST. No way I'm posting at 1:00am.

If I'm up that late, it's because the dog (Golden Retriever) is freaked out by noises. This is going to be a rough weekend for her. Thank goodness for tranquilizers.

Roger, when the Best coast isn't shaking, on fire or boiling people alive I'm sure it's very nice. On the Swampy coast we're looking forward to a few breezy days with a bit of moisture in the air. I'm with you, rarely posting later than 11:00pm but I rarely go to bed before 1:00am.

Our mutt is also freaked out by loud noises. Not a good trait with all the thunderstorms we get. May need doggy diapers to get through the weekend.

 

[Bob Heine]

I wouldn't call what's going on being busy but I've taken two (so far) shallow dives. Our trees don't follow the seasons so between visits from our lawn service, Liane sweeps the leaves off the lawn and walkways. I have a B&D leaf vacuum/blower but it is corded so I end up dragging power cords all over the yard. I've been very happy with the Milwaukee M12 tools but I fear the leaf blower won't handle the task. I found a good price on an 'open box' M18 Fuel leaf blower and closed my eye as I placed the order. Amazon wanted almost $150 and the one I found was $91, including shipping. My heart sank when I found the box at the front door. I was not aware this is what 'open box' means.

I was expecting a totally destroyed leaf blower inside and was shocked that it didn't have a single scratch or blemish.

I had to order a battery and charger, because I cheaped out when I saw the bundle sale price at $260. The two items were $120 for Milwaukee brand dual (M12 & M18) charger and 5.0ah battery so I saved $50. I'll probably buy a couple of M18 clone batteries down the road. For now I think I can clear the yard on one charge. I also lucked out with the charger -- it fits in the same space as the M12-only charger.


I have been putting together my airbrush setup as well. The compressor is pretty quiet and I added a manifold so I can connect three airbrushes at the same time. I already had a Harbor Freight and an Iwata airbrush but the cup on the HF airbrush isn't secure and falls off if I move the airbrush. I bought a cheaper clone of the Iwata that has three different needles, and nozzles.

Because they are a pain to clean, I also bought a bottle of Iwata cleaner and a cleaning pot. Also made progress on the paint rack, cutting out four sheet metal floors. I marked the first one "template" so I don't use the second, third or fourth floor piece and add a slight size increase to subsequent floors. I'm going to make three of these racks eventually.

I tested the Iwata airbrush on my pinstriping case because the lid was pretty scratched up. I didn't do a very good job mixing the blue, yellow and black 1-Shot enamel. There's a little black section on the right corner.

I don't have a lot of space left in the case but maybe I can get one more can of color in there (I have black, white, blue, yellow and red).

 

[xtremek]

Can you lay a good line, Bob? Is Amazon the way you get most of your Milwaukee stuff? The only place close to me that carries any election is the local hardware store, and they never, ever put anything on sale. Though their prices are in line with everyone else's everyday pricing.

 

[floridafarmer]

I wouldn't call what's going on being busy but I've taken two (so far) shallow dives. Our trees don't follow the seasons so between visits from our lawn service, Liane sweeps the leaves off the lawn and walkways. I have a B&D leaf vacuum/blower but it is corded so I end up dragging power cords all over the yard. I've been very happy with the Milwaukee M12 tools but I fear the leaf blower won't handle the task. I found a good price on an 'open box' M18 Fuel leaf blower and closed my eye as I placed the order. Amazon wanted almost $150 and the one I found was $91, including shipping. My heart sank when I found the box at the front door. I was not aware this is what 'open box' means.

I was expecting a totally destroyed leaf blower inside and was shocked that it didn't have a single scratch or blemish.

I had to order a battery and charger, because I cheaped out when I saw the bundle sale price at $260. The two items were $120 for Milwaukee brand dual (M12 & M18) charger and 5.0ah battery so I saved $50. I'll probably buy a couple of M18 clone batteries down the road. For now I think I can clear the yard on one charge. I also lucked out with the charger -- it fits in the same space as the M12-only charger.


I have been putting together my airbrush setup as well. The compressor is pretty quiet and I added a manifold so I can connect three airbrushes at the same time. I already had a Harbor Freight and an Iwata airbrush but the cup on the HF airbrush isn't secure and falls off if I move the airbrush. I bought a cheaper clone of the Iwata that has three different needles, and nozzles.

Because they are a pain to clean, I also bought a bottle of Iwata cleaner and a cleaning pot. Also made progress on the paint rack, cutting out four sheet metal floors. I marked the first one "template" so I don't use the second, third or fourth floor piece and add a slight size increase to subsequent floors. I'm going to make three of these racks eventually.

I tested the Iwata airbrush on my pinstriping case because the lid was pretty scratched up. I didn't do a very good job mixing the blue, yellow and black 1-Shot enamel. There's a little black section on the right corner.

I don't have a lot of space left in the case but maybe I can get one more can of color in there (I have black, white, blue, yellow and red).

Bob,
It seems great minds think alike... My M18 platform is expanding as well - I thought I'd made a decision to move away from Dewalt to Ryobi but the Milwaukee red keeps multiplying.. Started with the M-18 chainsaw then the whole M12 thing took over and this week I went for the extended M18 pole saw kit. I have 2 stihl HT101 pole saws and a articulating hedge trimmer but I'm just about shot after wrestling with the Stihl pole saw for any length of time so I bought the Milwaukee. I used it for a couple of hours cleaning up a tree and so far it is the real deal. No noise, plenty of torque and the 6 amp hour battery it came with is still at 4 bars.... So then home depot had a sale on the power head, saw, articulating hedge trimmer, weed eater and edger for 469.00 so that just arrived. Will see how the weedeater and hedge trimmer work - it also can use the same extension pole as the saw if you want to go high.
Good luck with the airbrushing - Let me know when you get your mix-kwik - I think you'll like it.

 

[Bob Heine]

Can you lay a good line, Bob? Is Amazon the way you get most of your Milwaukee stuff? The only place close to me that carries any election is the local hardware store, and they never, ever put anything on sale. Though their prices are in line with everyone else's everyday pricing.

Kirk, I'm almost afraid to try. In my childhood I painted the chrome (with Testor Silver) on all my car models along with all the engine and chassis bolt heads. Bought super fine mink artist brushes for that. I suspect my hand isn't as steady as it once was but we'll see.

I bought a few Milwaukee tools through Amazon when they had a great price (for example an M12 charger and 2 batteries for $25.90). The majority have been eBay purchases, including several open box and used tools. I like buying a slightly scratched up tool for a fraction of the big box store prices. Some sites have reconditioned Milwaukee tools and I take advantage of those as well. I own very few "show quality" tools.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob,
It seems great minds think alike... My M18 platform is expanding as well - I thought I'd made a decision to move away from Dewalt to Ryobi but the Milwaukee red keeps multiplying.. Started with the M-18 chainsaw then the whole M12 thing took over and this week I went for the extended M18 pole saw kit. I have 2 stihl HT101 pole saws and a articulating hedge trimmer but I'm just about shot after wrestling with the Stihl pole saw for any length of time so I bought the Milwaukee. I used it for a couple of hours cleaning up a tree and so far it is the real deal. No noise, plenty of torque and the 6 amp hour battery it came with is still at 4 bars.... So then home depot had a sale on the power head, saw, articulating hedge trimmer, weed eater and edger for 469.00 so that just arrived. Will see how the weedeater and hedge trimmer work - it also can use the same extension pole as the saw if you want to go high.
Good luck with the airbrushing - Let me know when you get your mix-kwik - I think you'll like it.

Florida Farmer,
I think it's more like great enablers think alike. The PVC cutter is a life saver because arthritis is affecting my grip strength. My small manual PVC cutter is OK for the 1/2" - 1" schedule 40, the big one is a test when I have to cut the 1.5" or 2" stuff. This M12 tool goes through the big stuff without even slowing down. It's a good thing I don't have a left hand because that cutter doesn't seem to stop for anything. There's a bag of rawhide dog treats that are too big for Jasmine so I now have a quick fix.

The MixKwik already has a home and I've used it to shake an old spray can already. Haven't tried the small bottle adapter yet but that's next. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the ratchet strap. I read the directions but still pulled the trigger too hard and thought the paint can was going to fly off but it didn't. It moved but only as far as the ratchet strap. Pretty neat tool!

 

[kaymccampbell]

Cool gadget. Something new to make.

 

[Bob Heine]

Cool gadget. Something new to make.

Kay, it looks pretty simple. A piece of angle iron or two, an old reciprocating saw blade and a good ratchet strap should do it. Even the small bottle adapter is a piece of PVC with a fiberglass fabric hinge and some pipe foam. I'm going to see if Medicare will pay for it -- looks like an arthritic hand medical appliance.