Official Off Topic Discussion Thread #1

[Ulu]

At the risk of being boring I have to throw this out at you.

Back in 1977 I was commuting to work across the east California countryside. It was beautiful, orchards and pharmacy country roads. I was riding this motorcycle.
(Photo circa 1980)

Every day I rode past a huge turkey farm with 1 million birds in low-slung sheds.

Once in a while and it smelled pretty bad but normally it was well-maintained and maybe a really professional operation. Until it burned it down.

In the middle of the night. But it was 10 miles from my house and I missed all the excitement. Until I pulled up to the stop sign catty corner from this property and realize three things a turkey ranch was a smoldering acreage, completely decimated to the ground. The road was hot on my feet and my tires and feet were sinking into the melting asphalt.

Just a little bit, or I would’ve been cooked. It must’ve been hell earlier.

They plowed it all up and it became a avocado orchard or something.

 

[jjohnwm]

One advantage of getting old is rereading books at an advanced age which i read when young. One recently reread...was The Road To Zanzibar by Fletcher Kenibble (sp) The book seemed very much different now than when I was in my early 20's.

"A man who views the world at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life" - Muhammad Ali

IMHO, the only "advantage" of getting old is that one hopefully gets old enough (and mature enough, which is certainly not the same thing) to accept the inevitability of getting old.

 

[jjohnwm]

At the risk of being boring I have to throw this out at you.

Back in 1977 I was commuting to work across the east California countryside. It was beautiful, orchards and pharmacy country roads. I was riding this motorcycle.View attachment 1568796
(Photo circa 1980)

Every day I rode past a huge turkey farm with 1 million birds in low-slung sheds.

Once in a while and it smelled pretty bad but normally it was well-maintained and maybe a really professional operation. Until it burned it down.

In the middle of the night. But it was 10 miles from my house and I missed all the excitement. Until I pulled up to the stop sign catty corner from this property and realize three things a turkey ranch was a smoldering acreage, completely decimated to the ground. The road was hot on my feet and my tires and feet were sinking into the melting asphalt.

Just a little bit, or I would’ve been cooked. It must’ve been hell earlier.

They plowed it all up and it became a avocado orchard or something.

Yes, but...did it smell like Christmas dinner? And were there mourners demonstrating?



Too soon...?

 

[Ulu]

It was quiet as the grave at 7:30 AM.
Smelled like wood smoke & hot tar.

 

[Ulu]

There’s my inlet/outlet bung for the fuel tank, red hot and full of molten brass.



The little tin shield keeps it from running out the bottom.

 

[Ulu]

Cool, clean, and fresh paint too.

 

[skjl47]

Cool, clean, and fresh paint too.
View attachment 1568915

Hello; I have an old oxy/accetelyne set of tanks and torch. Have not used it in likely 20 years. !6 + years for sure. Figure the tanks are out of date as i have had that happen before. I bought the brazing & cutting torches back in the late 1970's. hoses as well. Mostly concerned about the hoses at this point. I figure the torches are likely fine as they are of good quality. Just have not needed to braze or cut in a long time.

Do not know if the tanks still hold gas, but they ought to. I have the small tanks.

 

[Ulu]

I have a 2A acetylene tank and an 80 ft.³ oxygen. I bought my torch set at an auction with cart for $80. It needed new hoses and a good cleaning but the tanks were still good.

That was a BIG deal. You can’t buy a cheap chinese cart for $80.

I had both regulators rebuild by Victor just because they were old, but but it’s high quality stuff.

Anyhow I got my fuel tank mounted and all the fittings are secure except I’ve got one bogus hose clamp.