Jordan Holland

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Dan;
Nobody has gotten a RMH to 3000 F.
Peter Berg has recorded the highest temps. I don't remember what he reached but it wasn't near 3000.

What about Ernie and Erica? I think I remember reading where they did a 10" or 12" system that melted refractories far in excess of what should have been physically possible with a wood fire, but I don't exactly remember where I read it.

I live in Kentucky and yes, some of the stereotypes are true. And sometimes it shows through on social media. How about your area?

Great mullein flowers in olive oil is a good thing to keep on hand for ear problems. I haven't heard of any issues using it on any animals, but you might want to check first.

At least they'll know what to expect, then!😂

Where I live, cleavers are like cast iron cookware--it's not something you go to a store and buy, it's just something you inherit. I marvel at the talk of Chinatowns, Chinese grocery stores, and metropolitan stuff. It would be so nice to have such things. Around here, there's only one place I can really remember ever seeing real cleavers in any numbers, and that's flea markets. A couple generations ago, virtually every household here would have had a serious line-up of butchery tools, most often including cleavers. Cleavers of all shapes and manner of condition can be found, from gently used kitchen cleavers to well-abused two-handed monsters. If a person is willing to do some cleaning and often some work to the the handle, a bargain can often be had. One thing about older cleavers is they were all built to be used, and used hard.

When I was a kid, I always marveled at the huge cleaver hanging up in the pantry at my grandparent's house. I helped quite a bit, but we usually used a hatchet for heavy chopping rather than the cleaver. We still have that cleaver and hatchet, but I don't typically use them. The largest thing I butcher is deer, which would unlikely ever exceed 200lbs. There isn't really much purpose for a cleaver on an animal that small.  A slightly large knife can hack through anything on a deer this size. I've found cutting through bones often is not something I want to do, anyway. Bones often in their natural state do not cause problems, but when when we cut them up is when we have issues, like the splinters mentioned earlier. A good example is asian carp. About 99% of people here think you can't eat them because "they are full of tiny little bones." No, the bones to which they are referring are about 3-5 inches long. If you accidentally swallow that, you have issues. What happens is people will take a fillet and just randomly cut it all willy-nilly. Now those bones may be any size. I think there are also some diseases that can affect bone marrow and nerves that can taint meat if cut during processing, but I'm a bit fuzzy on that.

If it's the same burner and different people starting smoking all of a sudden, I would bet the new people are burning unseasoned wood. It probably smokes several hours as the water is being driven off, then clears up.  My father installed one in the last house they built. It is a downdraft gassifier and it only smokes a minute or so after the fan shuts off. The neighbors had some kind of outdoor wood boiler, and it smoked like a freight train. Luckily they are over a half-mile away. I haven't noticed it as much lately, so maybe they figured it out or got a different one. I can imagine some people having one all of a sudden and not having seasoned wood on hand. Then they might have to burn unseasoned wood the first winter until they can let some season over the next summer.

Like you said, I would be careful burning bridges. It may be a simple issue they want to fix. Maybe asking out of curiosity, or safety concerns, or wanting to help might help. Being confrontational can be risky. You might mention the previous owners not having such issues. Good luck!

"The lassies love me, every one,
But they'll have to catch me if they can,
For you cannot put the breaks on a highland man
Saying, "Donald, where's your troosers?"

https://youtu.be/4yw0bLHTOb0
I guess this would have to be the national anthem.

What about skorts, pantaloons, bloomers? Shall we do away with bifurcation in general?

That would be a hard sell... I can see the dissenters revolting already. Probably lead by Pearl. I see them making their last stand by forming their own country called "Pantsylvania" 😂

Pearl Sutton wrote:

Jordan Holland wrote:
Overalls are not pants, so they're ok. I think there should even be tax breaks for people who wear them. How many hoity-toity high-fallutin' people have you ever seen wear them? Just salt of the earth type people in my experience.

Deal Alert: Grass Stained Overalls only $1,500
Well... or seriously trendy folks...
If more people wore overalls, we'd probably be able to make money by breaking them in for rich people!

I forgot about that post! I guess some will always slip through the cracks...

thomas rubino wrote:Oh Brian;
Paul Wheaton has grandfathered in overalls!

When I first saw Paul on the internet, the fact that he always wears overalls was a major factor in knowing he was an OK guy. My grandfather was the same way. Overalls with a snot-rag in the left breast pocket, and a pocket watch in the right leg pocket, and long johns year round. One of the best friends I know right now always wears them. Maybe one day I can reach the level of proficiency of these guys and join the elite ranks of overall wearers, but I'm not there yet...