The Home Improvement Thread
- Thread starter texasislandboy
- Start date
Oswego
n00b
Got my lawn mowed, moved a few plants, and got my back bed finished planting and seeding finally. In two years it should be a masterpiece...
Gotta love planting cheap and needing to wait years for the bulbs and grass to grow and flower. Some of the grass won;t even sprout till this fall or so the wildgrass instructions said.
Was just reading last night it takes a blueberry farmer in NJ 7 years to break even after first planting if they are efficient and everything goes good.
Gotta love planting cheap and needing to wait years for the bulbs and grass to grow and flower. Some of the grass won;t even sprout till this fall or so the wildgrass instructions said. Was just reading last night it takes a blueberry farmer in NJ 7 years to break even after first planting if they are efficient and everything goes good.
CowboyTaco
Well-Known Member
Yep.. we tried a bunch of things to keep (sparkly hanging things, some other shit I forget) the birds from just pecking a fucking hole in the good ones. Someone said to put a bird bath near the tomatoes because they poke holes in to get water and not really to eat the tomato. Not sure if true since we have a fucking pool 60' away. Lazy fucking birds.We built a chicken wire cage over them last year, kinda a bitch to get in and clean out weeds and whatnot but the birds stayed out.
What about one of those fake owls?
Probably 2. Maybe 3.
Taco Loco
Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
AlienXtx
Nignog
They work for about an hour. I have a few up in my shop and after the first hour or so the birds completely ignored them.
CowboyTaco
Well-Known Member
Oh. Must depend on the bird you're trying to deter. Marina I went to as a kid had a problem with birds bombing the boats. Owner put up a fake owl and it's been years without incident (that I know of)
Silverback
Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
We had a fake owl.. It had bird shit on it in 2 days.
CowboyTaco
Well-Known Member
Chiminea developed a crack in the side. I researched on google to see what I could use to patch/repair it. Some sites suggested that a 2-part epoxy could be used if other (better solutions) like bondo weren't available. I had some on hand, so decided to just go that route.
Since I had to lay it on its side to get the epoxy to set, I decided to go ahead and sand and paint the base.
Now I just need to figure out what I can put on it to protect the clay. Based on some internet reading and what the paint that was on it is doing, I'm guessing it was painted after it was fired. The paint has disintegrated in some spots and flaked off in others. This has left the clay exposed in some areas. I need to figure out what to put on it to protect it. At this rate, it only has a few years of use left. I'd like to find a brownish high temp paint, but copper is the closest I've found.
Since I had to lay it on its side to get the epoxy to set, I decided to go ahead and sand and paint the base.
Now I just need to figure out what I can put on it to protect the clay. Based on some internet reading and what the paint that was on it is doing, I'm guessing it was painted after it was fired. The paint has disintegrated in some spots and flaked off in others. This has left the clay exposed in some areas. I need to figure out what to put on it to protect it. At this rate, it only has a few years of use left. I'd like to find a brownish high temp paint, but copper is the closest I've found.
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CowboyTaco
Well-Known Member
I don't think I posted pics here before. I cleaned up the grill a bit. First started by getting all the junk out of it, sanding down as much of rust as I could, and repainted all the rusty spots. I did not touch the lines where the flames come out though. They didn't look too bad to me and I wasn't sure how paint would be on those surfaces.
Bought some replacement grates (not pictured) and the infrared panels. Cost of those alone was the same as the cheapest grill sold at the store (About $75).
Wiped down the outside and cleaned with stainless polish.
Overall I'm happy. I think it looks pretty good for a 5+ year old grill that has been moved twice and always stored outside. If I get another 5 years out of it, I'll be happy.
I also inspected all the hoses and topped off the propane tank. TSC only charges for the gas you take as opposed to a flat rate like everywhere else. I highly recommend getting your tanks filled at TSC.
Only thing not working is the electric starter. The wires are in good condition and a new battery did not fix it. For the cost of the replacement unit for that, I'll just stick the extended lighter through the hole. Oh, and the thermometers aren't exactly working either. One side says it is 0* and the other is 700*. I didn't spend any more time looking for the sensor part of those than it took me to glance at it. I don't really use them anyway, so didn't spend any time there.
Bought some replacement grates (not pictured) and the infrared panels. Cost of those alone was the same as the cheapest grill sold at the store (About $75).
Wiped down the outside and cleaned with stainless polish.
Overall I'm happy. I think it looks pretty good for a 5+ year old grill that has been moved twice and always stored outside. If I get another 5 years out of it, I'll be happy.
I also inspected all the hoses and topped off the propane tank. TSC only charges for the gas you take as opposed to a flat rate like everywhere else. I highly recommend getting your tanks filled at TSC.
Only thing not working is the electric starter. The wires are in good condition and a new battery did not fix it. For the cost of the replacement unit for that, I'll just stick the extended lighter through the hole. Oh, and the thermometers aren't exactly working either. One side says it is 0* and the other is 700*. I didn't spend any more time looking for the sensor part of those than it took me to glance at it. I don't really use them anyway, so didn't spend any time there.
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Taco Loco
Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
you have a big enough yard for a good size garden...
CowboyTaco
Well-Known Member
Yes, but HOA sucks. We aren't technically allowed to have one at all. We are a golf course lot, so even though the lot is about 30' above the golf course it is still considered viewable from the course. Hence the small raised bed alongside the patio. Something is better than nothing.
Taco Loco
Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
you will have fun with that golf course/HOA neighborhood, do you have the nextdoor app?
Chiminea's are disposable items like outdoor grills are now. But fire it up and see if that epoxy patch will hold with the heat.
Oswego
n00b
I leave my fires unattended way to much to allow a cracked Chimanea to be used.
That said - buy once and cry once with this brand in cast aluminum - should never need a new one for the rest of your life..... The Blue Rooster Chiminea Outdoor Fireplaces Cast Aluminum Cast Iron. Quality Cast Aluminum Chimineas from The Blue Rooster Company
Just be mindful of the sizes - most are smaller.
AlienXtx
Nignog
We had those up under my plant along with a screeching owl speaker that was on 24/7. The speaker finally died and noone has requested to replace it because it did fuck all. I actually think there's less pigeons in my plant now that the call is off