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

[kaymccampbell]

I've got both a rotor and an impact for the garden. I prefer the impact. Just something about the sound of an impact.

 

[y'sguy]

Bob, I have found over the years of owning two different sprinkler systems that the maintenance on them can be very annoying. And even if one buys and maintains it themselves it's cost of small items is crazy. At one point at my last home I swore that the system would be fine and then if I looked at it sideways it would act up and need some kind of replacement. I think it was just seeking attention! Those head unit prices really add up quick and then like you write, you get to dig them up while hunched over and try to glue or screw them back together. I watched a repair guy do it once and learned a trick of putting a 5 gal bucket over it while checking to keep from constantly getting soaked. I felt like I had defeated that monster! But, unfortunately it was only temporary.

 

[drivesitfar]

Bob: I won't defend Realtors as a group, but I'm guessing that story you mentioned where you had 150k offers without a Realtor and then listed with one for $165 to get your wife's price wasn't all the Realtor's fault. with commissions your 150 without any was pretty darn close. that said when you ask a person (Realtor, Appraiser, Bank or ??) to estimate the value of a home it's somewhat of a crapshoot if it's not brand new cause it's only worth what a buyer can or will pay.

The first piece of Real Estate I bought was a 1 bedroom condo with carport for $37k and I assumed a $36k VA mortgage and gave the seller a new BETA MAX recorder (yep I actually thought it was better made than a VCR, but VCR had the marketing and movies). sold little condo two years later for no profit so my bride and I could buy our existing home for $110k that we now pay close to 9k in taxes every year for the privilege to live here.

now about that lawnmower running over sprinkler heads? do we know the guy that does that? best of luck with the fix and did you invent that tool or was that another specialty tool you had to buy in order to work on your own sprinklers?

here's to another great weekend and yes you are still in my thoughts and I hope everything is ok.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, you might want to look into these to replace those impacts.

https://store.rainbird.com/sprinklers/rotors.html?rotor_series=17317

Dan, thank you, I placed an order for a 4-pack. I have used the gear-driven heads in several places but they have two flaws. First flaw is their relatively fine spray -- even mild breezes blow the spray around. Second flaw is the gear drive speed -- it rotates the head very slowly so it isn't obvious they are stuck when checking the system for problem heads. The two K-Rain heads next to my neighbor's yard got stuck and I didn't notice the problem until the grass started browning up. As a temporary fix I am replacing the big K2s with Mini PROs.

I'll try the RainBird rotators and see if they are better.

I've got both a rotor and an impact for the garden. I prefer the impact. Just something about the sound of an impact.

Kay, our system goes on at midnight and when the windows are open the sound of a half-dozen impact heads wakes me up and then puts me right back to sleep.

Bob, I have found over the years of owning two different sprinkler systems that the maintenance on them can be very annoying. And even if one buys and maintains it themselves it's cost of small items is crazy. At one point at my last home I swore that the system would be fine and then if I looked at it sideways it would act up and need some kind of replacement. I think it was just seeking attention! Those head unit prices really add up quick and then like you write, you get to dig them up while hunched over and try to glue or screw them back together. I watched a repair guy do it once and learned a trick of putting a 5 gal bucket over it while checking to keep from constantly getting soaked. I felt like I had defeated that monster! But, unfortunately it was only temporary.

Y'sguy, we've had underground systems for 45 years and I've worked hard to reduce the maintenance. Our last house had four gate valves I had to open manually and sequentially. I converted that system to an indexing valve, single solenoid valve and 7-day timer (inside the garage). Started with fixed heads that needed constant attention to keep grass from blocking them and ended up replacing them with cheap pop-ups. Second (current) house has similar indexing valve/solenoid valve/timer setup but with six zones instead of four. The pop-up heads are all Toro and I've been replacing the 4-inch heads with 6-inch heads so the grass has less of a chance blocking the spray. The big sections, front and back lawns are covered by rotators and impacts. Slowly but surely I'd like to replace the impacts with rotators but with bigger nozzles so they aren't as wind sensitive. If I do a few at a time it won't feel like an ordeal. Over the years my involvement has been reduced to about once a year replacing a head or three. I'm hoping these RainBird rotators are good enough because a set of four is less than $50.

Amazon.com : Rain Bird Rotor Heads 5000 Rotor Sprinkler Heads. 4-Pack : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : Rain Bird Rotor Heads 5000 Rotor Sprinkler Heads. 4-Pack : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

Bob: I won't defend Realtors as a group, but I'm guessing that story you mentioned where you had 150k offers without a Realtor and then listed with one for $165 to get your wife's price wasn't all the Realtor's fault. with commissions your 150 without any was pretty darn close. that said when you ask a person (Realtor, Appraiser, Bank or ??) to estimate the value of a home it's somewhat of a crapshoot if it's not brand new cause it's only worth what a buyer can or will pay.

The first piece of Real Estate I bought was a 1 bedroom condo with carport for $37k and I assumed a $36k VA mortgage and gave the seller a new BETA MAX recorder (yep I actually thought it was better made than a VCR, but VCR had the marketing and movies). sold little condo two years later for no profit so my bride and I could buy our existing home for $110k that we now pay close to 9k in taxes every year for the privilege to live here.

now about that lawnmower running over sprinkler heads? do we know the guy that does that? best of luck with the fix and did you invent that tool or was that another specialty tool you had to buy in order to work on your own sprinklers?

here's to another great weekend and yes you are still in my thoughts and I hope everything is ok.

Drives, I don't blame the realtor. $150,000 was a fair price and I would have taken it. Liane was dead set on making exactly $100,000 profit for some reason and of course the realtor believed an extra $13,500 was a reasonable goal. In a year we had maybe five open houses with no offers above $150,000. The second realtor didn't promise any particular price but had a buyer lined up in a month at the lower price.

The guy running the mower was the foreman of the lawn service I was paying $200 a month to mow, trim and do all the hedges and palm trees. I've had a lawn service for more than 30 years and clipped sprinkler heads are an expected downside. That tool is available at every big box store in Florida that sells those underground impact sprinkler heads. There are a couple of different sizes and I have at least one of each.

Met with the urology oncologist/surgeon today and spent about an hour going over options. I will meet with the urology oncologist/radiation specialist in ten days. Leaning toward surgical removal of the prostate and a few lymph glands (my cancer is aggressive). Post surgery leakage won't be a problem as long as Liane holds off on the new carpet in the master bedroom (our elderly pug was a bit incontinent in her later years). The radiation option requires hormone therapy before and after the actual frying of the tumor. And, as mentioned earlier, radiation treatment makes surgery down the line (if there is a recurrence) more difficult. The other drawback to leaving the fried prostate in place is need for more headstand enemas and biopsies.

 

[gearhead1960]

Bob,
If you do the removal route, kegels are your friend. As soon as you make the final decision start doing them and continue for life. Incontinence was my biggest worry. The kegels will go a long way to helping with that issue.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob,
If you do the removal route, kegels are your friend. As soon as you make the final decision start doing them and continue for life. Incontinence was my biggest worry. The kegels will go a long way to helping with that issue.

Mark, thanks for the advice. I'm doing a few while sitting here typing. I know, TMI!

 

[Bob Heine]

Yesterday was fun. Had a 1:30 appointment with the surgeon and his office is just under a mile from the house. Figured I'd give myself 15 minutes in case there were no nearby parking spaces. Strolled out to the garage and reached for the Cadillac's key fob. It's not there so it must be in the laundry. No time for that now, I'll take the PT Cruiser. Rolled off the cover and disconnected the battery tender. Pushed the unlock button on the key fob and dead silence. Must be a dead battery in the fob. Nope, dead battery in the engine compartment. Go back in the garage and disconnect the tender from the Corvette. It starts right up and I head out. It's 1:27 and I refuse to panic. Caught the yellow turn light perfectly and found a parking spot right away. Hmmm, the sky is clear but the way things are going I really have to put the top up on the Vette.

After going through a TSA checkpoint and switching from my trendy mask to their sterile one I took the elevator to the third floor. Receptionist has a stack of forms for me to fill out (damn, I have all the answers printed out on my desk in the office). Half way through the first page the nurse calls me in. Blood pressure is 148/70 (it's usually 120/60). Told her why and she ushered me into another room. The surgeon was a young child who could have passed for Doogie Howser but with dark hair. Spent 45 minutes with him discussing the procedure and options and he even asked if my wife was with me and if not did I want to teleconference her in to the discussion. I declined because I didn't want a telebeating. Liane asked to come but for more than a year our healthcare offices have stipulated that only the patient can come in the office. I have gotten used to that and usually drop Liane off and come back later. I'm scheduled to return in 3 weeks and Liane will be with me then.

Got home and shopped online for a new battery for the PT Cruiser. Advance Auto has two Diehard batteries for $119 and 149 with the more expensive one having double the warranty (2 years) and better specs. Checked Costco and they have an Interstate battery with specs between the two diehards but a 3 year warranty for $89. Called the Costco tire department at 10:00 this morning and got put on hold until I nodded off. Tried the main number and it just rang until if switched over to the "Press One..." message. Liane needed her glasses redone and I needed a few things from Costco so we walked into holiday hell. Everyone in the store was pissed off about something. I went to the tire department with my dead battery and surprise, surprise, they don't have mine on the shelf. Two people in front of me appeared to have spent the night and the staff member was on the phone talking to a customer about every tire in the warehouse and why they couldn't sell a used set. Staff member confirmed my suspicion but was able to tell me there was one in a store 40 miles south and another in a store 40 miles north.

Went home, put the perishables away and ordered the big bucks battery from Advance Auto. I verified they had one in stock and waited for the "Your battery is ready" e-mail before heading out.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Mark, thanks for the advice. I'm doing a few while sitting here typing. I know, TMI!

Join the old ladies club. I've been doing them for 30 years.

 

[Bob Heine]

I remember when changing a battery involved opening the hood, removing one hold-down bolt, disconnecting the positive and negative terminals and lifting the battery out. Now there are all those things and in the case of the PT Cruiser, an air box. The battery is also wrapped in an insulating sleeve that is made of stiff tissue paper. I managed to get the battery out but it took me way longer than the tech at Sears the first time I had to replace the battery. This time the battery was stone cold dead so there was no driving it to the shop. While I had this section of the engine compartment exposed I did my usual thing and cleaned it up a bit. Not a detailing or show prep, just clean enough so I could see anything that might be ready to explode.

I wiped down the plastic and rubber stuff with a little Perl and gave the aluminum tubing a little Mother's love.

 

[Bob Heine]

Join the old ladies club. I've been doing them for 30 years.

Kay, if I choose the radiation treatments they include testosterone blocking hormones so I can have a taste of menopause.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

PTs have a horrible battery location. Chevy Astro's are horrible as well. The prize however, goes to the engineer that put them in the fender so that the tire has to be removed.

 

[Bob Heine]

PTs have a horrible battery location. Chevy Astro's are horrible as well. The prize however, goes to the engineer that put them in the fender so that the tire has to be removed.

Uncle Willie, I would be happy if the battery in the '87 Corvette could be removed after removing just the tire. Not sure if anyone has ever taken the battery out the top but it doesn't look like fun.

The easy way to get the battery out is through the side panel that is attached with a dozen or so fasteners. That was too easy so I put a ground effects skirt on the side so it has to be loosened up as well. Based on past experience, a battery tech at a store would just get out the sawzall.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I haven't had too many scrap vettes, so I didn't think about them. I did have one junk c4, but that is it. I listed it online and a guy up north bought it for the frame. I never really even looked at it much. I did throw out my back opening the hood and couldn't work for a week though.

 

[drivesitfar]

if it's any comfort my mother in law beat cancer about 6 or so years ago and my father in law just beat it (he had a form of lymp/Hodgkin's) and went of Cheemo about 4 months ago.

best of luck with everything and again hoping you come out the other side of this better than you went in.

interesting engineering with the batteries on your cars. I recall having to loosen the ****** bolts to change spark plugs on my old 1970 Mach 1 428 cobra jet probably cause I didn't want to spend the money for the correct tool.

BTW there was a time when people were filling in swimming pools with dirt (did you see Bobby made a bridge across his and has turtles swimming in it?) cause of the liability and limited value added to their homes and now with COVID and families being home more than a little swimming pools are in HIGH DEMAND.

 

[Bob Heine]

I haven't had too many scrap vettes, so I didn't think about them. I did have one junk c4, but that is it. I listed it online and a guy up north bought it for the frame. I never really even looked at it much. I did throw out my back opening the hood and couldn't work for a week though.

Uncle Willie, Cash for Clunkers sucked up a lot of the early C4s. Nice ones were selling for $5,000 but if you tried to trade in an '84 or '85 that needed any work or a paint job, the C4C program was a better deal. There's a crazy amount of forged aluminum in those clunkers. Not sure how they qualified as gas guzzlers because my '87 regularly got 30mpg on a trip when I kept it under a hundred.

I opened the hood last night to take those photos and today I'm regretting it. They have little gas struts that seem to work well for about five minutes.

if it's any comfort my mother in law beat cancer about 6 or so years ago and my father in law just beat it (he had a form of lymp/Hodgkin's) and went of Cheemo about 4 months ago.

best of luck with everything and again hoping you come out the other side of this better than you went in.

interesting engineering with the batteries on your cars. I recall having to loosen the ****** bolts to change spark plugs on my old 1970 Mach 1 428 cobra jet probably cause I didn't want to spend the money for the correct tool.

BTW there was a time when people were filling in swimming pools with dirt (did you see Bobby made a bridge across his and has turtles swimming in it?) cause of the liability and limited value added to their homes and now with COVID and families being home more than a little swimming pools are in HIGH DEMAND.

Drives, I don't live under any delusions. I could slip and fall, causing a clot and be dead the next day. Doesn't scare me, it's just part of why I do my best to enjoy every day.

I'm glad your in-laws are free of symptoms. Once you've been diagnosed with cancer they don't usually call it beaten. They frame it in likelihood of survival for five and ten years. Prostate cancer carries a 95% survival for both 5- and 10-year outcomes. Hodgkin Lymphoma is an 87% five year survival cancer on average. The survival rate is higher if it only involved one lymph node and lower if it has spread or is "bulky" (big tumors).

My '72 Corvette has a spark plug like your Mustang but compounded because the car has an air conditioning compressor in the way. Luckily it can be removed more easily after you drill a hole in the plastic inner fender liner. My '69 Corvette (also big block with A/C) looked like it had a hole from the factory.

I know of people filling in swimming pools in colder climates but I think it's rare in Florida, Texas, Arizona or Southern California. As little work as ours takes I would be hard pressed to fill it in. Then again, Liane loves turtles. While a pool might not add to the value of a home, I don't think filling it in does either but I'm neither an expert nor a real estate agent.

 

[Bob Heine]

Fun day. I've been putting off fixing the dryer vent for more than a year but now that the dryer is blowing cooler air I had to do some detective work. Moved the 12-ton Whirlpool Elite washer out of the way so I could get to the screws on the back of the dryer. I can't just pull the dryer out because the dryer plug is behind the washer (door is hinged on the left and can't be switched). The dryer vent is behind the washer as well. I can't be sure if there was any life left in the old plastic vent cover but I splurged on a metal one and it even has a working flapper door.


I used Scott's (sbosecker) method of trimming the metal duct using a Dewalt 4.5" grinder with a real nice Benchmark Abrasives cutoff wheel. Once cut to length I caulked it in place. The original dryer vent went up through the house and out the roof and I was never sure it was clean and clear of flammable lint. Of course the easy route straight out the side wall was blocked by a 5-piece-two-by stud at exactly that spot. I chose to use metal duct because the flexible stuff got squashed flat when the washer did a little spin cycle walking (thus the 4x4 blocks).


I did the same with the dryer because although it walked less, it still crushed the flex dryer vent. Downside is me having to align the dryer perfectly when sliding it in position
.

Googled problems with this particular dryer and there's a 25% chance the cold thermostat is bad. It's a $26 part so it's worth a try. If it's the other thermostat or the heating element, both of those are over $100. The combination of possibilities means there is a 100% chance this 18-year-old dryer will be replaced if the $26 fix doesn't work. Getting the part out only required taking off the top and unscrewing the shield from top and back. Really pleased I have a M12 90-degree impact driver.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Kay, if I choose the radiation treatments they include testosterone blocking hormones so I can have a taste of menopause.

Bob, hot flashes are the best.

Ya know, I'd relocate that cruise control thingie, so I could top load the battery on the vette.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, hot flashes are the best.

Ya know, I'd relocate that cruise control thingie, so I could top load the battery on the vette.

Kay, it would be hard to recognize a hormone-related hot flash here in South Florida. I get hot flashes every time I go outside in the 8 months of summer.

Relocating that cruise control thingie wouldn't fix the problem. When the ungineers designed the C4 Corvette the cowl shake was really bad. The fix was a pair of diagonal braces going from the frame to the cowl. The passenger side brace is pretty obvious. When they came out with the convertible in '86 it was even worse so they added a big X-frame to the bottom of the chassis.

 

[Bob Heine]

A few weeks ago I noticed the arbor at the entrance to the yard was leaning. When I touched one of the uprights it crumbled. I have a carpenter ant infestation in several of the uprights (there's 8). These are the tiny carpenter ants and I found them a couple of years ago eating a nearby hibiscus tree trunk.


The arbor hasn't collapsed yet but it's time to replace it. Ordered two PVC arbors from Lowe's and they arrived last Friday. It's a cross between an Erector set and a Lincoln Log set. Lots of pieces and lots of different size pieces. I decided to actually read the directions. Got the first side frame put together in less than an hour.


At that point I was soaking wet and having the Florida hot flashes and decided this was a job that needed to be done in an air conditioned space.


In the final stage of the first arbor, I discovered I put a 21-inch slat in a 22-inch slat position and came up short one 21-inch slat. Rather than cut the longer slat I took the fail side apart and swapped slats. I'm about 3 hours into the job and I'm ready to take the finished arbor outside.


It hasn't rained for more than a few minutes at a time for a month so of course the sky opened up. The arbor won't fit through the man door so I have to wait for the rain to subside and pull the Cadillac out of the garage The arbor is also too tall to go through the garage door so it needs to be on its side. It's PVC so it's not real sturdy so I used the pipe clamp to hold it while I went to find a 43-inch stick to clamp to the bottom.


It didn't stop raining but it slowed down enough so I was soaked through in five minutes but able to breathe without a snorkel or SCUBA. I decided to quit for the day and tackle the second arbor another day.

 

[xtremek]

Mother nature has a wicked sense of humor.

 

[drivesitfar]

new plastic arbor looks great. we've found a few good solutions to ANT issues if you need them I'll post for you. some we bought on Amazon and some you can just pick up at HD or Lowes.

at least when it pours on you in Florida it's 80 degrees and not 40's like up here, but I agree that we are not ducks so letting it pass instead of getting out in it is best.

hope you are feeling ok and keep up the great work.

 

[WordMan]

Met with the urology oncologist/surgeon today and spent about an hour going over options. I will meet with the urology oncologist/radiation specialist in ten days. Leaning toward surgical removal of the prostate and a few lymph glands (my cancer is aggressive). Post surgery leakage won't be a problem as long as Liane holds off on the new carpet in the master bedroom (our elderly pug was a bit incontinent in her later years). The radiation option requires hormone therapy before and after the actual frying of the tumor. And, as mentioned earlier, radiation treatment makes surgery down the line (if there is a recurrence) more difficult. The other drawback to leaving the fried prostate in place is need for more headstand enemas and biopsies.

I went with surgery (for the same reason, it leaves radiation as an option if you get a recurrence). The da Vinci surgical system is incredible. A few little incisions, and that's it.

My cancer was a Gleason 6 when tested at biopsy, but downgraded (upgraded?) to a 7 when a full biopsy was done after surgery.

The biggest hassle was the damned catheter you have to have for the first week. After that, I had few issues. All nerves were spared, so everything still works as intended. I did piss myself once, but otherwise, I'm 99.% continent. Occasionally I'll get a large drip when I squat down or move in certain ways, but this rarely ends up in my drawers. Instead, you get up and go pee and viola, all is fine.

The only time I have any real issue is when taking a muscle relaxant (for my tension headaches). I wear a piss-pad as I sleep a bit too soundly and will wake up having just given a small squirt. It's enough I would have damp drawers without the pad, but no more than that.

I had mine out 2 years ago this coming July.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Kay, it would be hard to recognize a hormone-related hot flash here in South Florida. I get hot flashes every time I go outside in the 8 months of summer.

Relocating that cruise control thingie wouldn't fix the problem. When the ungineers designed the C4 Corvette the cowl shake was really bad. The fix was a pair of diagonal braces going from the frame to the cowl. The passenger side brace is pretty obvious. When they came out with the convertible in '86 it was even worse so they added a big X-frame to the bottom of the chassis.

I'd notch that brace, and put in a nice bent piece of 3/8 to open the hole.

 

[Bob Heine]

Time sure flies. It's been more than a week and I've seen two more doctors and looking forward to three more this week. Cardiologist gave me a pre-flight checkup and the young boy who does the radiation treatments told me what that black hole involves. Starts with hormone injections that continue weekly for around two years. Once I feel more Barbara than Bob they do daily radiation treatments for 44 days. The kid turned into Charlie Brown's teacher and I think there was more stuff that I might have missed, like more biopsies and maybe something else involving blue pills. I decided to turn my attention back to the projects around the house.

Mother nature has a wicked sense of humor.

Kirk, I completely forgot to put fertilizer down on the lawn to prevent the rain. It was almost like I had waxed the car.

new plastic arbor looks great. we've found a few good solutions to ANT issues if you need them I'll post for you. some we bought on Amazon and some you can just pick up at HD or Lowes.

at least when it pours on you in Florida it's 80 degrees and not 40's like up here, but I agree that we are not ducks so letting it pass instead of getting out in it is best.

hope you are feeling ok and keep up the great work.

Thank you Drives. Ants are my friend. When you have ants, you don't have termites (they are mortal enemies). "Predator ants raid termite colonies and return home with their prey. Ants can't digest termites on their own, so they feed them to their larvae first. Once the ant larvae break down a termite's carcass, workers and queens are able to consume the insects."

The rain we usually get is from big Cumulonimbus clouds so the rain tends to be 20° or even 30°F cooler than the air because it's falling from 20,000 feet or higher.

If the doctors hadn't discovered the problem, I would have no clue there is something wrong.

I went with surgery (for the same reason, it leaves radiation as an option if you get a recurrence). The da Vinci surgical system is incredible. A few little incisions, and that's it.

My cancer was a Gleason 6 when tested at biopsy, but downgraded (upgraded?) to a 7 when a full biopsy was done after surgery.

The biggest hassle was the damned catheter you have to have for the first week. After that, I had few issues. All nerves were spared, so everything still works as intended. I did piss myself once, but otherwise, I'm 99.% continent. Occasionally I'll get a large drip when I squat down or move in certain ways, but this rarely ends up in my drawers. Instead, you get up and go pee and viola, all is fine.

The only time I have any real issue is when taking a muscle relaxant (for my tension headaches). I wear a piss-pad as I sleep a bit too soundly and will wake up having just given a small squirt. It's enough I would have damp drawers without the pad, but no more than that.

I had mine out 2 years ago this coming July.

WordMan, thanks so much for the information. I feel like my time on this earth is precious and the less time I spend with doctors means more time with my family (and the Garage Journal). After the cardio ablation procedure, I'm real comfortable with the latest techniques. It's not like a few more scars will ruin my beach (beached?) body.

I'd notch that brace, and put in a nice bent piece of 3/8 to open the hole.

Kay, it's not like I'm preserving a pure stock Corvette but having to pull that little side panel every five years isn't that big a deal. If I had to do it a lot more often, I would do as you suggest. As a brand new "adult" I remember pulling the battery in my '56 Chevy the week after I got out of the hospital. Even one handed, with my new stump wrapped in a Wonder bread bag, it took about 5 minutes to get the battery out.l

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

....As a brand new "adult" I remember pulling the battery in my '56 Chevy the week after I got out of the hospital. Even one handed, with my new stump wrapped in a Wonder bread bag, it took about 5 minutes to get the battery out.l

Yikes, Bob you're phenomenal! This^^^ sounds like you didn't let even your then-new disability slow you down much. I can't imagine waking up missing an arm - and whatever other I'm-sure-significant injuries and just swallowing hard and moving forward. Granted it's not like you had a choice but I' afraid to admit I'd have probably spent way too much time feeling sorry for myself.

You're an inspiration Bob, you really are!

 

[Bob Heine]

The dryer repair was great. It was the cold thermostat and I got to do a little preventive maintenance. Years ago one of the rubber hoses on the washer in our previous house burst. We were in our 'new' house and would have had a real big water bill from the old place if our neighbor hadn't seen the water running down the driveway. From then on I've put braided stainless lines on the washer but the latest ones have a vinyl cover so I suspect they aren't as good. There was no sign of water dripping but both hose ends showed mineral deposits and one showed rust -- unexpected with real braided stainless lines. It's funny that the thermostat was $4 more than the two new braided stainless hoses.


Assembled and installed the second arbor. I still need to transfer the angle iron stakes from the old arbors but that's going to wait for another day.



Our son called to ask what I'd like for Fathers Day and I told him "help with the shed roof" and he remembered that was on our to-do list before COVID-19 came to town. He and our oldest grandson (29) are coming over this Sunday to knock it out. My son and this grandson have both put new roofs on their houses. Grandson even has a pneumatic roofing nailer.

Decided I needed to finish the corner trim and get everything set up for Sunday. I have two coil nailers because of a stupid mistake. The first one I bought is a Harbor Freight Roofing coil nailer. It is also capable of driving siding nails but only as long as 1-3/4 inches. I didn't notice the oversight until long after I bought a 3,600 box of 2 inch siding nails. Rather than return the nails, I bought a Bostitch coil nailer capable of driving 2-inch siding nails. Seemed logical because the Bostitch was on sale.


The Bostitch came in real handy for the fencing project after the ficus came down. It really worked great so when I started nailing the siding to the shed, I planned to use it again but with 1-3/4 inch stainless steel annular nails. Turns out Bostitch nails work great but every third stainless nail jams the Bostitch. The stainless wire holding the nails together doesn't get sheared off and it's exactly the right thickness to jam the drive pin. This was about the fourth stainless curlicue I had to remove.


Switched to the Harbor Freight nailer and other than one double nail it worked perfectly and spit out nice long pieces of stainless wire. The last two corners were done using stainless 2" brads in the Ridgid nailer.


In preparation for Sunday's roofing festival I loaded up the Bostitch with 1-1/4 inch roofing nails. They were a tight fit but I figured they'd be fine, with thinner copper wire holding the nails together.. Also loaded up the Harbor Freight nailer, which is an actual roofing coil nailer.


Tested the Harbor Freight nailer first and it passed with flying colors. It drove the roofing nails into a piece of hard pine but I might have to reduce the air pressure for the actual roofing. When I tested the Bostitch, it just punched dents in the wood. When it finally drove a nail, it sheared off part of the head. I failed to notice it specified "Siding Nails" with no mention of the larger roofing nails.


Good thing my grandson is bringing his roofing coil nailer. Both son and grandson will be able to knock this job out in no time. I even remembered to make up an adapter so his gun will work with my V-series high flow air line fittings.

 

[xtremek]

Sounds like it's a good thing you have so many nailers.

 

[Bob Heine]

Yikes, Bob you're phenomenal! This^^^ sounds like you didn't let even your then-new disability slow you down much. I can't imagine waking up missing an arm - and whatever other I'm-sure-significant injuries and just swallowing hard and moving forward. Granted it's not like you had a choice but I' afraid to admit I'd have probably spent way too much time feeling sorry for myself.

You're an inspiration Bob, you really are!

Dan, as a die-hard car guy, you probably understand my excitement.

After four days in intensive care under lots of morphine, they moved me to a ward full of men at least as bad off as me (all of them were really really old -- almost as old as I am now). Five days later we celebrated my 21st birthday. Had ice cream and a pureed cupcake (lots of broken teeth). Dad brought me a carton of king size Winstons so I could smoke when the guy next to me got off oxygen. Even better, my IVs were removed from my ankle and I was finally allowed out of bed.

Two days later they let me go home when the last infection cleared up and my temperature dropped to normal. I was feeling sorry for myself until I got home. Peter, my next door neighbor had delivered a two part birthday present to our dirt-floor garage. One was the 283 power pack engine he had recently removed from his '58 Chevy (he installed a bargain-priced 348 tri-power engine in its place). Second was a 4-speed dual range Hydramatic from a GMC truck with a small-block bolt pattern so I wouldn't have to live with a 2-speed Powerglide. I forgot all about feeling sorry for myself and wanted to get the presents in the empty bay of the '55 Bel Air 2-door hardtop sitting in the driveway. The sane people in my life talked me out of the build and made me live with the '62 Rambler Classic wagon my parents gave us (they had just gotten a '65 Buick LeSabre).

I spent time feeling sorry for myself but two small children, a new job in a new location and a wife who didn't leave kept me from going over the edge. In time I realized I was lucky to be alive and when I stopped dwelling on my limitations, the more things I discovered were still possible. I think it helped when people got to know me they forgot I had limitations.

Sounds like it's a good thing you have so many nailers.

Kirk, to me, every tool is a good thing to have and with some, the more the better.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Bob, Sorry if I made you talk about your accident maybe more than you liked. I still think you handled it extremely well. I hadn’t even thought about having things like a mouth full of broken teeth. You were SO damn lucky to not have been cut in half by the train.

My mother always told us never to feel sorry for ourselves. That even the man with no shoes learned his lot wasn’t so bad when he met the man with no feet.

Thanks again for your candor Bob. My best to you always, Dan

 

[Bob Heine]

Dan, it doesn't bother me to talk about it. So many people who have disabilities don't talk about them and most just cope with it. Before I lost my arm I had no Idea how or if disabled people coped. It never crossed my mind and in fact I had no problem making fun of them. I want people to know most disabled people don't want pity and the ones I've met have a sense of humor. Mine might be a little over the top but I'm making up for the grumpy ones.

Your mother was not alone and with mine it was starving Armenians. I felt sorry for myself growing up because I had straight blond hair. I even told a classmate who lost his hair after an illness how lucky he was. Now I feel sorry for myself because I still have to waste time getting my hair cut.

 

[drivesitfar]

I’m sorry you have to go thru all the **** so to speak of all this medical stuff but sounds like you trust the plan so best of luck with that.
My daughter gets some of her motivation I’m sure from people like you. She’s never been able to walk but we had to duct tape her new tennis shoes cause she’d crawl down the sidewalk or into blackberries just to be with her friends and our other kids. Now at 30 she’s married, living on her own, driving, and I has a job managing about 100 people.

nice that your son and grandson are coming over to put the roof on and looks like you are prepared. The only nailers I tend to use are for molding but if I start framing things I’m sure having a couple bigger nailers will get purchased.

 

[Bob Heine]

I’m sorry you have to go thru all the **** so to speak of all this medical stuff but sounds like you trust the plan so best of luck with that.
My daughter gets some of her motivation I’m sure from people like you. She’s never been able to walk but we had to duct tape her new tennis shoes cause she’d crawl down the sidewalk or into blackberries just to be with her friends and our other kids. Now at 30 she’s married, living on her own, driving, and I has a job managing about 100 people.

nice that your son and grandson are coming over to put the roof on and looks like you are prepared. The only nailers I tend to use are for molding but if I start framing things I’m sure having a couple bigger nailers will get purchased.

Drives, I guess I could avoid this **** by avoiding doctors. Didn't end well for my grandfather. Most cancers are manageable if they are discovered early so I give my doctors that opportunity. I get that you dislike doctors and I'm sure you have stories to back that up. My experience was that given the chance, they can keep you alive after a train does everything possible to kill you. I had one bad experience with the substitute doctor who performed the "routine" appendectomy on me. Apparently he was ahead of his time with anti-mask, anti-wash-your-hands believer because he provided me with a life-threatening infection as a parting gift. At my request he didn't participate in the follow-up surgery.

Your inconvenienced daughter is an inspiration to all of us. She's probably too sweet to put a "Hire the handicapped, we're fun to watch" sign on her desk. I wasn't that sweet.

EDIT: I don't like the term 'handicapped' because it comes from the English "Hand in Cap" to denote inconvenienced beggars who hoped a coin would be tossed in their cap. Inconvenienced to me is more accurate -- we can't do some things as well as others. Then again, everyone is inconvenienced by their inability to fly like a bird or sleep underwater like a dolphin.

These days almost all of my framing work involves construction screws driven in with 1/4" hex impact drivers. I have a big pneumatic framing nailer but I only use it for crude temporary outdoor structures. Now that lumber has become a luxury item I probably won't need that nailer for a long while.

 

[cbacres]

Hi Bob, stopped by to see how your doing. Looks like you’re getting ready for war with all the guns

Continuing to follow along and keep you in out thoughts.

 

[Toolfool]

Speaking of cancer, I just received a call from my buddy Steve back on Whidbey Island. He wanted to let me know that my friend Kenny has passed away. Story is that he ignored pain in his leg and ankle until he couldn't ignore it and found out he had cancer that had metastasized . He was a big tough guy, but an amazing person at heart. Great story-teller and always willing to help people out. He was gone in three weeks. Lost a really good one.

 

[Bob Heine]

Did some prep work on Saturday. Bought some hoagie rolls and roast beef to feed the workers. Hooked up the remote air tank and two air lines (in case more than one person was nailing shingles. Checked the latching mechanisms on the ladder and set it up on the front of the shed. Got out the pole saw and cut a bunch of branches that might be in their way. As a reminder of where we live, thunderstorms rolled in in the afternoon and dumped a fair bit of rain on us. Sunday forecast is for more thundershowers. Of course!

I quit for the day and got a good night's sleep so I would be ready to watch the work being done the next morning. I have the feeling I'm forgetting something....


My soon to be Navy search and rescue grandson came along with my son and his older brother so it was almost overkill. First job was to remove the cement roof tiles I installed over the old roof. Each tile was secured with two galvanized screws (required first drilling 3/16" holes). The Florida humidity and concrete's ability to hold moisture made those screws corrode and swell, making them impossible to remove with an impact screw gun. After a few failures removing the screws we switched to a hefty pry bar, leaving the screws in place.


I put those tiles on the roof after they were put up on the house in 2000. The roofer ordered 10% extra (400 square feet) and was going to take away the excess. I told him to leave them, figuring I could put them on the shed to make it better match the house. I didn't do a good job of estimating how many tiles I had versus how many I needed and after finishing the front side of the shed, discovered there weren't quite enough tiles to cover the whole roof. I thought it would be easy to buy 25 more tiles. Turned out the company that makes them didn't keep them in stock -- they were a custom run for my house and they wouldn't sell less than a square, which would cost $500 and take two months to deliver (for another $300). I had already covered the front part of the roof so I just quit while I was ahead. That meant only a few tiles had to be removed.


I'll salvage some of the perfect tiles and add them to the collection stored next to the shed.


As my grandson was nailing the last three cap shingles, the edge of the thunderstorm arrived and huge drops of rain started falling. It didn't really matter because we were all soaked with sweat already. The day ended after six hours with a quick lunch break of roast beef hoagies and drinks. All the scrap asphalt shingle and packaging left in bags in my son's pickup.

 

[Bob Heine]

Hi Bob, stopped by to see how your doing. Looks like you’re getting ready for war with all the guns

Continuing to follow along and keep you in out thoughts.

Craig, I'm doing fine and if my doctors hadn't told me I have cancer I would have no clue. I do have some after-effects from the biopsy but that's not a big surprise.

If tools could win a war (or a battle) I would be in pretty good shape. Thinking back to the days when all I had was a hammer, saw, couple of screwdrivers and a single-speed, non-reversible, corded 1/4" electric drill, I should be able to get a lot done today.

Speaking of cancer, I just received a call from my buddy Steve back on Whidbey Island. He wanted to let me know that my friend Kenny has passed away. Story is that he ignored pain in his leg and ankle until he couldn't ignore it and found out he had cancer that had metastasized . He was a big tough guy, but an amazing person at heart. Great story-teller and always willing to help people out. He was gone in three weeks. Lost a really good one.

John, that story is way too common and very sad. My uncle had a persistent cough and couldn't take time off from his architecture business to see a doctor. When he started coughing up blood he found the time but the tumor had grown too large for chemo and radiation and was wrapped around his spine, making it inoperable. Discovered right before Christmas and he was gone by St. Patrick's day.

 

[drivesitfar]

Interesting that ANTS are your friends. In the PNW termites are rare but carpenter ants sure like to eat their share of our wood.

I just had a physical with our new doctor we waited over a year to get so I don’t hate doctors. I do tend to opt for other options besides pills, shots or surgeries. That said I have had a few good doctors and some that should have been working some other job.

take care and again wishing you the best in your battle and future. I think it goes without saying that this place is better cause you are here so hope you can be here longer than I am.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Since I have been busy I will just say howdy before I collapse into an exhausted fetal position for a fee hours.

 

[WordMan]

Drives, I guess I could avoid this **** by avoiding doctors. Didn't end well for my grandfather. Most cancers are manageable if they are discovered early so I give my doctors that opportunity. I get that you dislike doctors and I'm sure you have stories to back that up. My experience was that given the chance, they can keep you alive after a train does everything possible to kill you. I had one bad experience with the substitute doctor who performed the "routine" appendectomy on me. Apparently he was ahead of his time with anti-mask, anti-wash-your-hands believer because he provided me with a life-threatening infection as a parting gift. At my request he didn't participate in the follow-up surgery.

Your inconvenienced daughter is an inspiration to all of us. She's probably too sweet to put a "Hire the handicapped, we're fun to watch" sign on her desk. I wasn't that sweet.

EDIT: I don't like the term 'handicapped' because it comes from the English "Hand in Cap" to denote inconvenienced beggars who hoped a coin would be tossed in their cap. Inconvenienced to me is more accurate -- we can't do some things as well as others. Then again, everyone is inconvenienced by their inability to fly like a bird or sleep underwater like a dolphin.

These days almost all of my framing work involves construction screws driven in with 1/4" hex impact drivers. I have a big pneumatic framing nailer but I only use it for crude temporary outdoor structures. Now that lumber has become a luxury item I probably won't need that nailer for a long while.

My wife doesn't like the handicapped term so much, either, and she despises the modern term "differently abled" ("what the hell is that? I didn't get special powers when I lost the ability to walk properly!). Instead she calls herself "crippled."She also has a variety of shirts to have a laugh at herself.







I swear she laughs at stuff would make me cry.

 

[Bob Heine]

Interesting that ANTS are your friends. In the PNW termites are rare but carpenter ants sure like to eat their share of our wood.

I just had a physical with our new doctor we waited over a year to get so I don’t hate doctors. I do tend to opt for other options besides pills, shots or surgeries. That said I have had a few good doctors and some that should have been working some other job.

take care and again wishing you the best in your battle and future. I think it goes without saying that this place is better cause you are here so hope you can be here longer than I am.

Drives, I've had both and as bad as the carpenter ants are, subterranean termites are a different and frightening bug. Our house was built in 1988 and we bought it in 1996 (with a clean termite inspection). Discovered subterranean termite infestation in 2000 when one side of the garage ceiling dropped an inch. They destroyed all the studs in the front half of the wall so only the siding and stucco was holding up the roof. You're right about PNW termites being rare but the only state that doesn't have any termites is Alaska.

Good to hear you have a new doctor.

Thank you for the kind words.

Since I have been busy I will just say howdy before I collapse into an exhausted fetal position for a fee hours.

Uncle Willie, you seem to have found a way to get a good night's sleep. More accurate term would be a 8-hour coma from exhaustion.

My wife doesn't like the handicapped term so much, either, and she despises the modern term "differently abled" ("what the hell is that? I didn't get special powers when I lost the ability to walk properly!). Instead she calls herself "crippled."She also has a variety of shirts to have a laugh at herself.

I swear she laughs at stuff would make me cry.

WordMan, a big thumb up to your wife. Whatever life throws at us, we have a choice to live our best life or invite everyone to our non-stop pity party. Her choice of shirts is much better than mine. I was asked to stop wearing my favorite tee, the "Crocodile Catchers Club" from Australia, to the grandkid's birthday parties.


I suspect we share a rather dark sense of humor and I believe that's a good thing.