Or something like that. Anyone recognising the quote have 10 brownie points. Anyway, in this case I merely refer to my attempts to make ball sinkers (or egg sinkers as Quilly would call them). Lesson 1. heat the mould. lesson 2 - do not forget to pull out the wire. Lesson 3 - put on gloves. Lesson 4 - try for lots of patience. If I recall correctly doing this with my dad, he had a blowtorch and a pouring ladle - which could make life easier. The darn lead kept setting in the pouring hole (ergo, heat the mould). Anyway, I managed 8 sinkers in about 8 tries. Mr Efficiency, that's me (the mould makes 4 per time). It's a learning curve and it did use up some bigger damaged sinkers.
We took the dogs down to long point - Wednesday and Roly. Poor Puggles had to stay behind and he cried. I did some thrownetting and caught a goby. Go me. We also collected some of the little ribbed mussels (which are small) and grow in huge beds on the sand. Taste Okay, just a lot of them to very little meat. I also turned over rocks and collected little crabs (and I mean little - 2-3 inches across) which i have made into a crab bisque, with some fennel, leeks, garlic, onions, tomato, parsley and thyme and a carrot (did I use everything that was available and pretend I planned it that way? Hmm. You're close. But I didn't put in broad beans, snow peas, brocolli, beets silverbeet, or lettuce. Or sage or marjoram. Or Rhubarb.)
I took Puggles (and his cruciate) for a very short walk on the nearby beach. Poor boy, He did so enjoy it, and he was OK on the leash. It's easier when the others aren't there.
Our dog-tucker roo supplier brought us more roo (wallaby) and showed me how to debone them. It'll take me a bit of practice... at the moment there is way too much meat left on the bones for me to approve.
Oh and I managed 1000 words worth of a short story, which may even be saleable one day for our writers group. So there is the black ink.
I don't remember the book, may not have read it, but I've seen it quoted elsewhere as something Christ said translated into Inca?
ReplyDeleteAre you smoking your mold? The carbon black from a candle will help your lead release. Also, smoke your pins.
Pre heat your mold by setting it on top of your furnace.
Use as pure a lead as possible. Some people will pour off the first melt and then use that, reselling the remainder (likely to have brass or antimony in it) back to the scrap yard.
Yes. that's it. Summer of the Dragon, Elizabeth Peters
ReplyDeleteDidn't smoke the mould. They come out very easily. Must smoke the wire.
The lead is a byproduct of diving - I pick up lost sinkers (I picked up nearly 20 kg on one dive once)- swam in with 12kg and nearly drowned myself. As a kid I resold/gave to fishermen and when I had a few kilos to the scrap yard.) so no idea how pure it is. Most of my stock is too big for my current use, or has lost the eye. I am using the latter.
furnace? am doing this outdoorswith me downwind of the fire.
Hey Dave
ReplyDeleteI like your books, so NEVER stand downwind of a fire that is melting lead. Never have any living thing, or gardens where you intend to or are growing food downwind of the lighter lead fractions from impurities.
I hate funerals of friends
Ian
oops, missed the main point.
ReplyDeleteThe first significant affect of lead loading your body is a reduction in intelligence. You heap smart boojum. Don't become a snark.
Ian
I mean the the fire is downwind of me (or that was what I was trying to say). I am aware of lead toxicity. That's why I do it outdoors. And no, not even I like standing in smoke, even without lead. It's also low temperatures which is a PITA for melting and handling the stuff, but avoids a lot of the nasty volatiles.
ReplyDeleteUpwind :-)
ReplyDelete