What's made you smile today?

[PuntoHowTo]

Facebook market place bargain of the century

£50 for this massive Wacom graphics tablet, firstly it probably is a bit on the large side and I need to reorganise some things. But it is a serious piece of technology and infinitely useful for the sort of stuff I do with both video and photo editing but also Audio recording

These normally sell for £thousands new and this would have been £1500-£2000 out of someone’s pocket at some point, and even now on places like eBay they sell this model for £300-500 but it was very much a case of someone who didn’t know what they had and was selling it as a touch screen

 

[StevenRB45]

Now while I have no massive issues with electric cars in general...you will never convince me the environmental impact of the car on the left is smaller than the impact of the car on the right once you've taken into account all emissions not just tail pipe.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Now while I have no massive issues with electric cars in general...you will never convince me the environmental impact of the car on the left is smaller than the impact of the car on the right once you've taken into account all emissions not just tail pipe.
View attachment 459923

CO2 and other emissions from manufacturing are probably not that much different on an individual car basis. The comparison between those to are likely that the car on the left was moved half way round the earth on a ship burning HFO and the battery materials also moved halfway round the world also on a ship

 

[StevenRB45]

CO2 and other emissions from manufacturing are probably not that much different on an individual car basis. The comparison between those to are likely that the car on the left was moved half way round the earth on a ship burning HFO and the battery materials also moved halfway round the world also on a ship

However twice as much material mined? Even if you ignore rare earths..one of these weighs twice the amount the other one does. All of which is mined with diesel equipment. Then steel is made...with huge amounts of heat generated how? Then you have in use issues like tyre/road particulates...which far outnumber exhaust particulates these days..and are exacerbated by heavy cars.

Yes, the fact the mini is from Oxford...and indeed the Toyota bottom left is from Derbyshire..really puts the Kia on the back foot but in general that cannot be the future.

In terms of encapsulated emissions the amount of metal plastic, glass and rubber it contains is ridiculous before you get to the battery.

 

[Cheest]

A free camp stove made me smile today.

A Coleman Powerhouse 413H.

Mrs.Cheest came along with me on Buster dog's morning walking. While we were walking, we picked up bits of trash left behind by other walkers(a grumpy post for another day). Mrs.Cheest went to throw it in the bin and said, "Look! A Coleman stove." As a stovie and Coleman collector guy, I dumpster dived and brought it home.
I pulled out the tank and shook it. There was fuel in it. Opened the tank and sniffed. Smelled like white gas aka Coleman fuel. Tried the pump and pressure built in the tank. I fit the tank to the stove and pumped it 35 times, put a lighted match to the burner, opened the valve, and...it lit.

I let it warm up, then put another match to the second burner and that one lit. So I have no idea why it was in the trash. I do wonder why the fumes smelled heavily of drier sheets, though.

This one will replace the first generation, five dollar, beat to hell, 413 that we carry in the trailer now. That one dates from 1950. The build date on this one is January 1989. That's still a baby in Coleman years. Or it was until the corporate BS happened.

I'll give it a good cleaning before it ends up in the trailer.

 

[bugsymike]

A free camp stove made me smile today.

A Coleman Powerhouse 413H.

Mrs.Cheest came along with me on Buster dog's morning walking. While we were walking, we picked up bits of trash left behind by other walkers(a grumpy post for another day). Mrs.Cheest went to throw it in the bin and said, "Look! A Coleman stove." As a stovie and Coleman collector guy, I dumpster dived and brought it home.
I pulled out the tank and shook it. There was fuel in it. Opened the tank and sniffed. Smelled like white gas aka Coleman fuel. Tried the pump and pressure built in the tank. I fit the tank to the stove and pumped it 35 times, put a lighted match to the burner, opened the valve, and...it lit.

I let it warm up, then put another match to the second burner and that one lit. So I have no idea why it was in the trash. I do wonder why the fumes smelled heavily of drier sheets, though.

This one will replace the first generation, five dollar, beat to hell, 413 that we carry in the trailer now. That one dates from 1950. The build date on this one is January 1989. That's still a baby in Coleman years. Or it was until the corporate BS happened.

I'll give it a good cleaning before it ends up in the trailer.

I wondered where I left it, thanks for giving it a clean.

 

[porta]

Now while I have no massive issues with electric cars in general...you will never convince me the environmental impact of the car on the left is smaller than the impact of the car on the right once you've taken into account all emissions not just tail pipe.
View attachment 459923

Same here, and that’s apart from the slave labour implications

 

[portland_bill]

Now while I have no massive issues with electric cars in general...you will never convince me the environmental impact of the car on the left is smaller than the impact of the car on the right once you've taken into account all emissions not just tail pipe.
View attachment 459923

What that picture needs is an original Mini at the front. Or an original Panda.
A while ago, Volvo, Mercedes, and a university in Germany, separately assessed CO2 emissions across the whole life-cycle of comparable vehicles (Manufacture, use, disposal). Volvo and Mercedes compared almost identical SUVs, one diesel, the other electric. Results from all three entities were similar. The carbon footprint of an EV is huge due to mining and processing of battery materials. The 'break-even' point was estimated to be between 60-80k miles, depending on the generation of the electricity to charge the EV. Germany are at the top end, as much of their electricity is coal or oil. The UK sits in the middle, and France near the lower end due to their nuclear generation. Only when the EV gets to 70k miles does it start to become 'greener'.
They're going to have to run an EV a very long time to match the carbon footprint of my 2006 Panda.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

The problem with many of the quoted CO2 and other emissions figures from things like manufacturing is that they do not consider a bigger picture.

For example, you make a petrol car, thar car lasts 100k miles or so and burns many hundreds of gallons of fuel. there are emissions tied up in its manufacture also, and overall you are not going to reclaim any of those emissions.

With something like a BEV, you make a battery, and that battery can be recycled into a lower capacity battery, such as home storage, that could last many years, with dead cells being replaced over time and ultimately the battery being reprocessed into a new battery later along the line. The materials mined can be reused.
The energy "can" be generated by renewable means such as solar or wind, even the biggest Coal fired plant in the UK Drax has now been re-engineered to run on bio mass of which the CO2 emissions come from plants that took that CO2 out of the atmosphere so you are not adding "new" CO2 to the atmosphere, just cycling it around.

The other thing to consider is the mining of such materials as lithium, once mined it can be reused over and over. The vast majority of "mining" is taken from places such as Chile which has vast open areas of open ponds filled with a lithium rich solution pumped from underground, these are serious operations with heavy equipment in well developed countries, not some 3rd world country making children dig rocks out of the ground like some would have you believe.

accurate figures on CO2 production are not easy to ascertain, and some places such as the Mini Factory in the UK have covered their entire roof with solar panels to reduce the CO2 footprint of construction.
If the government were serious about CO2 emissions then the best way to force this would be by insisting on renewable energy being used in production and potentially the introduction of tarrifs on complete vehicles made in far flung places like China. Honestly it is a joke to buy an electric car, to "save the planet" only for it to be shipped halfway round the world on a ship burn HFO

 

[portland_bill]

Won a raffle.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

The problem with many of the quoted CO2 and other emissions figures from things like manufacturing is that they do not consider a bigger picture.

For example, you make a petrol car, thar car lasts 100k miles or so and burns many hundreds of gallons of fuel. there are emissions tied up in its manufacture also, and overall you are not going to reclaim any of those emissions.

With something like a BEV, you make a battery, and that battery can be recycled into a lower capacity battery, such as home storage, that could last many years, with dead cells being replaced over time and ultimately the battery being reprocessed into a new battery later along the line. The materials mined can be reused.
The energy "can" be generated by renewable means such as solar or wind, even the biggest Coal fired plant in the UK Drax has now been re-engineered to run on bio mass of which the CO2 emissions come from plants that took that CO2 out of the atmosphere so you are not adding "new" CO2 to the atmosphere, just cycling it around.

The other thing to consider is the mining of such materials as lithium, once mined it can be reused over and over. The vast majority of "mining" is taken from places such as Chile which has vast open areas of open ponds filled with a lithium rich solution pumped from underground, these are serious operations with heavy equipment in well developed countries, not some 3rd world country making children dig rocks out of the ground like some would have you believe.

accurate figures on CO2 production are not easy to ascertain, and some places such as the Mini Factory in the UK have covered their entire roof with solar panels to reduce the CO2 footprint of construction.
If the government were serious about CO2 emissions then the best way to force this would be by insisting on renewable energy being used in production and potentially the introduction of tarrifs on complete vehicles made in far flung places like China. Honestly it is a joke to buy an electric car, to "save the planet" only for it to be shipped halfway round the world on a ship burn HFO

When "saving the planet" first became a "thing" many years ago I was pretty indifferent to it. I didn't disbelieve that it was an increasing problem, I just felt that to engage with it's implications for my daily life was more disruptive than I wanted - The big thing for me was my obsession with IC vehicles and machinery. However, as the years have rolled by, I've become more and more concerned and now do a number of simpler things, walking and using public transport - except trains which I find too much of a punishment to endure - I do stuff like binning wet wipes rather than flushing and I very carefully make sure all the household waste is sorted into the correct bins. We also have virtually no food waste at all as we use all leftovers to make other dishes and compost what we can for use in the garden. We don't run the central heating through the day 2 hours in the morning and 2.5 hours leading up to bedtime. Through the day we have a "hole in the wall" gas fire which keeps the living room nice and toasty when necessary. More than anything though has been the discovery of fleeces as sold in the outdoor shops. A couple of fleeces and a robust pair of walking trousers and you don't really need heating unless it's really cold. The house was built about 45 years ago with, at that time, ground breaking built in wall insulation and over the years we've added high quality double glazing when the original wooden frames rotted and the cheap double glazing panels got condensation between the panes. We've more than doubled the loft insulation 'till it's twice as deep as the loft joists and I'm now chasing down all the draughts I can find. Our house is detached and, on a cold winters day we spend just under £3.00 a day on gas and under £2.00 on electricity without really trying. It's always quite noticeably warmer when you walk through the front door no matter how cold the weather. In summertime the gas drops to almost negligible as all it does is heat the water - and my water hot water tank is double insulated so stays hot for 24 hours or more if not used. The kitchen hob is gad but it uses almost nothing. Electricity doesn't reduce by so much as mostly it's driving fridges and the freezer.

I find now though that I'm in absolute despair regarding stuff like pollution caused by unnecessary car use - many neighbours use their cars when they could very easily either walk or use public transport - Aircraft pollution worries me a lot. Why do we all seem to think we are entitled to fly away to somewhere exotic for our holidays? Let's just all not get on aircraft so much and reduce non essential journeys.

Although I love my IC engines and don't think I'll ever loose that fascination, especially for the older vintage and "classic" stuff, I'm not per se against electric vehicles, hell, I've not even driven one yet. However the overall impression I'm getting is that they are a long way from being a panacea to save the planet!

 

[The Panda Nut]

Now while I have no massive issues with electric cars in general...you will never convince me the environmental impact of the car on the left is smaller than the impact of the car on the right once you've taken into account all emissions not just tail pipe.
View attachment 459923

Ha ha The next generation mini! LOL

 

[The Panda Nut]

Now while I have no massive issues with electric cars in general...you will never convince me the environmental impact of the car on the left is smaller than the impact of the car on the right once you've taken into account all emissions not just tail pipe.
View attachment 459923

Ha ha. The new generation Mini has arrived lol. Of course you can believe it it says so in the Bro-shuuuuure LOL

 

[The Panda Nut]

This is exactly what I'm like, I don't have the radio very loud so I can listen out for unusual noises & as soon as I hear something unusual I'm on it straight away, sometimes I'll hear something that my dad doesn't who has over 40 years in the trade sometimes he'll say to me I'm sure you just like to give yourself jobs he knows I'm a bit OCD with things & then I'll do what I think it is & he'll be like you were right , my top mounts were a good example as they were just starting to knock slightly so I got new ones from Shop4Parts & fitted them along with new old stock Quinton Hazell dampers I got of eBay for £20 each & new outer anti roll bar bushes with new brackets & bolts etc,g I didn't change the springs though as they still have plenty of life in them & I've heard about companies/motor factors getting them mixed up with Sporting springs thinking they are the same but they are 20 mm lower over standard Seicento's, on closer inspection of the old top mounts they were cracking so I'm glad I changed them, the next & final big ish job with the Seicento is the clutch which I'll be getting on with very soon as I want to do it before I drive down to my dad's at end of March so I just need to get a support beam for the engine & I can crack on with it, once the clutch is in & the gearbox is back on I'll leave the support beam on & change the o/s engine mount so then that'll be all 3 mounts renewed.

I have to have the radio on full blast or I would strip the car to a bundle of parts by the side of the road LOL

 

[The Panda Nut]

Identifying the plastic is the hard part.

I have two plastic welders. One is a hot air blower that I've never gotten the hang of using. It's noisy and bulky. The favored unit is basically a heavy duty soldering iron with a triangular foot at the business end. What I did with the seat pan was drill a small hole at each end of the many cracks, where possible. Then I used either a clamp or a ratchet strap to draw the crack closed, laid several 1/4" heavy duty staples across the crack, and pressed the welder foot on the staples. The heated staples sunk into the plastic. I followed up with some sort of filler that came with this welder. The end result was somewhat ugly but seems to be holding.

Jock-There used to be a National Public Radio program that was broadcast on Saturdays called "Car Talk". The hosts were two brothers from Boston, MA who were retired mechanics and comedians. Much was made of 'Critical Crud' that would be washed out of a crankcase with a major flush, resulting in leaking crank seals and, as they put it, funny noises and bad things.

Nice layer of REALLY thick sludge is the best fix for worn bearings! lol

 

[AnthonyH]

Some more input on my clutch problem would make me smile

Scratching clutch.... | FIAT Punto Evo

The clutch on my EVO is making a scratching noise. Its at 112,000 miles, the clutch assembly has been off in the past so I assumed it had a new clutch, but maybe not, maybe it had something done to the gearbox. Its too dark to do more right now. My wife says the clutch pedal has no resistance...

www.fiatforum.com

 

[The Panda Nut]

I decided to attack Rubys slave cylinder today. I can say definitively that the 319 is just a little bit better than the 169 to work on. The ecu plugs are easy, the battery box lining neater, the wires attached to the battery box fewer and easier to detach and a little more room, so the job is 45 minutes worth. It took me an hour but we can put 15 minutes down to forgetting I put mysocket set on the hedge behind me and searching for it.... The single reservoir serving brakes and clutch also easier to deal with.
We now have a silent clutch thats as smooth as silk again. At £27 all in I think its a service item every 3 years, One more to do when my daughter shows up with Nudge. I could push it onto the warranty but its hardly worth the time and cost of getting to and from a garage to do so.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

This video perfectly sums up the situation in stellantis right now

 

[AnthonyH]

I decided to attack Rubys slave cylinder today. I can say definitively that the 319 is just a little bit better than the 169 to work on. The ecu plugs are easy, the battery box lining neater, the wires attached to the battery box fewer and easier to detach and a little more room, so the job is 45 minutes worth. It took me an hour but we can put 15 minutes down to forgetting I put mysocket set on the hedge behind me and searching for it.... The single reservoir serving brakes and clutch also easier to deal with.
We now have a silent clutch thats as smooth as silk again. At £27 all in I think its a service item every 3 years, One more to do when my daughter shows up with Nudge. I could push it onto the warranty but its hardly worth the time and cost of getting to and from a garage to do so.

Aye a fine price!

I wonder how my tools go missing, leaving them in a big pile probably isn't helping

 

[AnthonyH]

This video perfectly sums up the situation in stellantis right now
View attachment 460168

Apparently the word STELLANTIS is rooted in the Latin verb “stello” meaning “to brighten with stars”.