Guy Thomas

I wasn't able to make it last year and I'll be damned it looks iffy for this year too at this point, you never know though. I feel freaking doomed. I don't recall from last year's info if there were any showering/bathing arrangements in place?

Great story! Though using the bus isn't entirely a bad idea, lol. I could probably get away with a short bus...

Man you got that right, being 60 doesn't help, not like you get more energy as you age right? lol Yeah, the distance involved makes it a whole 'nuther beast, incredibly daunting actually

So a 1500 mile move "may" be in my future from the Deep South to the Far North. Just moving a household with 30 years accumulation of stuff would be bad enough but I've never seriously considered what moving all my anvils, shop fixtures, power and hand tools and miscellaneous crap would entail. Not sure loading a Uhaul with all the household stuff AND a couple (or three or four? it probably adds up even in a small shop) thousand lbs. of anvils, hammers etc etc etc would be a great idea. Or trying to ship stuff like that in a POD. Maybe commercial shipping of a packing crate with anvils and heavy tools etc. by a trucking company? Any thoughts/tips especially from anyone who has gone through this are greatly appreciated. This would entail thousands and thousands of individual decisions on what to keep, throw out, sell or simply replace not only of household stuff but shop stuff too. I mean do I try and take an overbuilt 8 foot long wood workbench that probably weighs in excess of 600 lbs?

Thanks for everyone's advice, much appreciated, and yes this is a probe on which the dissimilar wire junction is completely exposed outside of the sheathing at the tip. I remember now when I was ordering I had to leave my computer for a time and came back to it as I was trying to get to bed and placed the order without double checking it. Tim, you are right, a manually controlled gas heat treating forge is definitely not an application that requires split second feed back from the probe and thanks for the advice on the grounded vs ungrounded probes. Omega's website offer's this: An exposed junction is recommended for the measurement of static or flowing non-corrosive gas temperatures where fast response time is required. Pretty sure a gas forge qualifies as corrosive as far as oxidizing goes but talking with Omega's tech support does seem a good idea. Tim, I need to go back over a number of your posts on the Amal burners, I have the 1/2" propane injector (which are in stock again at their website), with the #70 jet it came with and I believe you have said it runs reasonably neutral at heat treating temperatures with that gas jet?

So I recently purchased a new thermocouple probe primarily for a propane heat treating forge but also for general forge applications. Meant to choose the grounded option but inadvertently ordered the exposed tip. So will the exposed tip hold up to the atmosphere in a gas forge over time or do I need to go through the hassle of returning it to Omega? I fear if I end up with any corrosive or oxidizing damage to the tip I'll have no way of knowing if I am experiencing a drift in it's accuracy.

Looks like a grand time was had by all! I am sad I missed the first one. Turns out though I was having the last full weekend with my faithful daily companion, my aging dog Billy Goat, who had a terminal illness so I am thankful I was here for him. Next year!

Yup, just a single location here has it, an indoor shooting range, and just the spray. I would have been using it for years if it were commonly available! I've heard it is food safe, but I don't know that I'd go that far, lol

Am I strange for liking the smell of Ballistol? lol And why isn't it on every hardware store's shelves?

Stood staring into space in the middle of my shop... and then looked down and saw the detachable work table for my Grizzly metal cutting bandsaw sitting in plain sight on an open shelf right in front of me. I've been looking for it for months! I then processed a bunch of old underwear into shop rags because... well using them whole was rather disturbing.

Yes, as a club it leaves much to be desired doesn't it. I've been relatively fortunate though, the disease has gradually worked it's way from my coccyx up to my neck/shoulder area where it currently resides and I've remained relatively flexible and active. It may in time "burn" itself out which may be why I'm now able to go for days without medication if I try (I'm beginning to fear the side effects of taking the medication for extreme long term use more than the disease). It's not NEARLY as bad as it was when I was much younger and it affected the sacroiliac joints too or later where my ribs connect. In my late twenties through mid-forties I had what I called the "ruptured-duck" walk, lol. Damn I ramble too much these days!

Thanks Alan, about what I thought. Of course this happens right when I am trying to wean myself off as much as possible the daily Indocin for my ankylosing spondylitis that I have been taking for far too many years. Took my dose last night and the thumb is much better today, lol

I figured I'd find something here on this. I seem to be having issues with my left hand thumb/wrist that appears to be most certainly this De Quervain's Tenosynovitis though I haven't been to the doctor with it... yet. Appears to be relatively mild at this point, the Finkelstein test doesn't cause excruciating pain, just discomfort. Some of the exercises/stretches for it seem to be helping and I'm going to start using ice this evening. I'm thinking it won't get better however unless I simply don't use that hand much for a time? With a brace maybe? So does it go away completely or is this something you can count on re-occurring?

Sam (the Eagle) is the man! Really nice work

The slippery slippery slope, lol.