What have you been up to lately?

[pakarinen]

4+ inches of snow last night. Considering dusting off the snowshoes later.

[turboscrew]

Last Friday I started suspecting that something in my sauna-stove was wrong, so I contacted the manufacturer (a smallish family business). They adviced me to take off the sheet metal cover around the stove, put a light in, and see, from outside, if there are holes. Yesterday I took the stones off and checked, and there were. Both sides one weld was broken in about 15 cm (6 inch) length.

Today I brought the stove out and tried to "re-weld" the broken seams with a MIG (I still suck in welding big time), and I think I got that done. Then I brought the stove back in to the sauna. Tried to put it in place, bur realized that someone has patched the concrete "slab" onto which the stove is supposed to go and I couldn't get it stable. It kept on rocking from side to side. So I left the fitting for tomorrow. I think I've done enough for one day. The stove weights 78 kg (172 lb) without stones.

I'm kind of excited to see if the stove works better next time.
It's a pretty old stove (1988), however, and to be replaced sooner or later.
The temperature changes rough it up quite well during the decades.

[pakarinen]

Geez, you have a MIG at home? I bow to your superior toolkit.

[Ylem]

Resident Alien returns to SyFy tonight

Catching up on last season's finally right now.

[turboscrew]

Geez, you have a MIG at home? I bow to your superior toolkit.

I'm not sure what you mean.
I have this

not this.

[pakarinen]

Yes, Metal Inert Gas. Didn't think many people had a welder like that at home. I haven't used one for decades.

[turboscrew]

Yes, Metal Inert Gas. Didn't think many people had a welder like that at home. I haven't used one for decades.

They are not that expensive anymore. I bought mine 2 years back at 200€ to 300€. Don't remember exactly.
Mine is not the one in the picture, though.

I thought that in my use MIG is better than a stick welder. My metal is usually a just a few millimeters thick, but the MIG can weld upto about 5 mm.

[Refractordude]

Added some snails to my nano reef tank, a small piece of Tonga rock to get my coralline algae going, and a refractometer to better gauge salinity. I also purchased a part A and part B calcium supplement. The tank is coming along pretty good. The first image is from the cycle and bloom bacteria stage. The second image is the tank completely bacteria cycled with no nitrite nor ammonia showing on test kits, just a little nitrate which is good for zooxanthellae algae inside of corals. Plan on doing a little rock work on the upper left side before adding corals. I iodine dipped the Tonga rock for pests. I think I will keep the lights off until I add corals. There is already some type of transparent film algae on the glass. I may have to feed the snails some Nori, but lights out for now. Here is a cool video of my snails just a few minutes after being added to the tank. Ten days from now I will add six more variety of snails and one fish.

[Ylem]

Added some snails to my nano reef tank, a small piece of Tonga rock to get my coralline algae going, and a refractometer to better gauge salinity. I also purchased a part A and part B calcium supplement. The tank is coming along pretty good. The first image is from the cycle and bloom bacteria stage. The second image is the tank completely bacteria cycled with no nitrite nor ammonia showing on test kits, just a little nitrate which is good for zooxanthellae algae inside of corals. Plan on doing a little rock work on the upper left side before adding corals. I iodine dipped the Tonga rock for pests. I think I will keep the lights off until I add corals. There is already some type of transparent film algae on the glass. I may have to feed the snails some Nori, but lights out for now. Here is a cool video of my snails just a few minutes after being added to the tank. Ten days from now I will add six more variety of snails and one fish.

Nice tank, how many gallons is it?

I have a 20G fresh water, I have thought about making it a nano reef someday.

[Refractordude]

Hello Ylem:

It is a 20 gallon high glass tank with 5 gallons of base white rock. It has three power heads, a heater, thermostat, and two 50 par down to 12 inches light fixtures. One of the power heads has a cup of activated carbon inside two mesh bags. A 10 percent water change every week will replace essential minerals. The activated carbon keeps the water super clear. Viewing from my bed it looks like there is no front glass. The clarity will help the corals get more light.

[pakarinen]

[...] and a refractometer to better gauge salinity.

Interesting. I used to use a floating specific gravity bobber-like thing. Gotta love anything with "frac" in the name though.

[turboscrew]

[...] and a refractometer to better gauge salinity.

Interesting. I used to use a floating specific gravity bobber-like thing. Gotta love anything with "frac" in the name though.

So your favorite writer is Benoit Mandelbrot? :wink:

[turboscrew]

The 9 mm OAG arrived. The forecast says there will be quite some snowing, so I decided to fetch the OAG from the post office before the snow storm. Also, I'll warm up the sauna quite soon. Let's see if my welding made any difference.

[pakarinen]

Pulling on the woolies to go snowshoeing for a bit.

[turboscrew]

The 9 mm OAG arrived. The forecast says there will be quite some snowing, so I decided to fetch the OAG from the post office before the snow storm. Also, I'll warm up the sauna quite soon. Let's see if my welding made any difference.

The welding didn't make any notable difference. I think I have to get a bigger stove.

[OzEclipse]

Just finished the second of two recording sessions with Nick Holland of the BBC. He's doing a retrospective on the transit of Venus for the BBC Witness History podcast/program.

It will be edited to a 9 minute program with two people interviewed. The other was from Hawaii.

My first interview had a crackle in some of the audio so we re-recorded parts of the interview tonight. He's an excellent interviewer and a real perfectionist. He is interested in talking to me about doing another program down the track all about eclipse chasing.

Joe

[Butterfly Maiden]

That is excellent news Joe.

I hope you remember that we knew you before you were famous, so please don't forget us when stardom takes you away from us

[OzEclipse]

That is excellent news Joe.

I hope you remember that we knew you before you were famous, so please don't forget us when stardom takes you away from us

The reason they asked me to contribute was that in 2012, I was sitting at my telescope in outback NSW and also on bbc breakfast radio in a live cross describing the final moments of the transit. They still had my contact information on file. So to correct your statement, I was famous several years before joining the precursor forum to TSS.

[Butterfly Maiden]

That is excellent news Joe.

I hope you remember that we knew you before you were famous, so please don't forget us when stardom takes you away from us

The reason they asked me to contribute was that in 2012, I was sitting at my telescope in outback NSW and also on bbc breakfast radio in a live cross describing the final moments of the transit. They still had my contact information on file. So to correct your statement, I was famous several years before joining the precursor forum to TSS.

I never ask for celebrity autographs Joe, but I will say that I am pleased to know you and really appreciate your astronomical expertise :smile:

[pakarinen]

Went out to snowshoe yesterday for the third time this week. With the past couple years of no snow, lockdowns, etc. that's a new personal record.

Snow was getting rather thin but we're supposed to get 8 inches tomorrow night. The TV weatherheads usually exaggerate and wail and swoon from the stress, but we'll probably get a couple inches at least.