Recent content by Robson Valley

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  1. Robson Valley

    Enough for today

    No wonder your fingers are sore. Have to learn to pace yourself, those sore fingers are a nuisance. I got to the point where I couldn't button my shirt they hurt so much. Now, I have several carving projects "on the go" at any time with very different carving activities. My thumbs took a...
  2. Robson Valley

    Vintage grindstone build help.

    Do the axle in wood with a slightly sloppy fit, possibly caulked with wool. Pegs to the sides. Have you had a look-see for what might be displayed in your local and district museums? Despite the dodgy origins of the pieces, the museums of British Columbia are the single most important...
  3. Robson Valley

    Carving axe

    I've been wood carving for some 25 years with a very strong influence from our First Nations carvers here in the Pacific Northwest. I have a bunch of small axes which I use to split very large pieces of western red cedar down to carving sizes. This is such an early stage of the rough-out for...
  4. Robson Valley

    Small greenhouse what to grow?

    We get a lot of fruit and veg which is shipped up the Pacific coast, from places like Peru, Ecuador and Chile. By the time it gets here, refrigerated or not, the bottom 1/4 of the container is moldy. Makes it very expensive for no honest reason. The California crops have been screwed over by...
  5. Robson Valley

    Small greenhouse what to grow?

    I've got the seed to plant in big pots to grow nothing but herbs and possibly some peppers. Herbs are one of the much more expensive things in any grocery store.
  6. Robson Valley

    newts

    When I lived in the city, I used to keep all sorts of shallow dishes of water in the back yard. Lots of small stones to stand on in most dishes. The parade of wildlife, big and small, during the hot & dry summers, was a sight to behold. Even nocturnal Flying Squirrels. The dishes must have...
  7. Robson Valley

    newts

    I have nothing but respect for those who attempt some habitat enhancement. Clearly, the ponds are attractive to rare wildlife. Well done.
  8. Robson Valley

    Gliding snowshoes

    Sounds too tricky for me. I prefer the traditional designs that we have here such as the Bear Paws. For years, I worked on "trail breakers", 60" long and you drag the heels, only lifting the pointed toes. They are so slim, one footprint fits against the previous one so your crotch doesn't...
  9. Robson Valley

    What did you buy today?

    $50 Asian bone cleaver. About 6mm thick at the spine. Lots of bone-in meat cuts that I'd like to cut into halves. Looks to be very bash-worthy. Have to make some sort of a mask for it.
  10. Robson Valley

    What did you buy today?

    Two sets (a pair and a 6-pack) of hammered, stemless copper wine/drink cups. I hope that I can keep them bright and shiny.
  11. Robson Valley

    Fast Growing Grass Seed

    Keep track of the soil temperature, it's critical. The Russians in their Far East, such as the Kabarovsk Krai , spray a finely powdered coal dust on their fields in spring to get the soil temp up as economically as they can. Black poly in commercial gardens is there not just for weed control.
  12. Robson Valley

    Solid Fire Pit

    A big steel wheel rim from a large lorry at the wreckers won't cost much. Even cheaper if its been banged up and bent a little.
  13. Robson Valley

    Plant recognition apps not as reliable as we might hope......

    Start with the trees, that's often reduced in diversity number. Lesson: Not all trees grow everywhere. There will be particular combinations. And, each of those combinations will have a characteristic understory group of plant species. Be wary of gardens and landscapings. Many times the...
  14. Robson Valley

    Percolator thoughts? Good, bad, other? Which one to get?

    My coffee and tea making is most irregular as it's hard to walk with a cane and get the kettle filled and carried. A ritual when I worked = 2 cups of coffee and 3 cigarettes and I was lit up for the day. Our village tap water in McBride comes from a large snowfield, up maybe 5,000', that I can...
  15. Robson Valley

    Percolator thoughts? Good, bad, other? Which one to get?

    Somewhere in my kitchen, I do have a perc., the sort with the hollow glass knob. Something to watch, I suppose. Probably why I like the presses so much. Steeping loose tea leaves and watching them unroll is about the same. I'm getting used to a 5+ minute steeping time. Used to seem like an...