What a Lot of Fun is April Fool…
We began this month with some annual silliness accompanying the first day of April. – Editor
“Thanks. I was having a really bad day – so much so I did not realize it was April Fools – then your April eZine came in. I began to read Rob’s confession and, after just a few lines, I realized it was April 1 and began to laugh out loud (my fellow office workers thought I lost my last remaining nut). Great pick-me-up after a bad day. I do not know where you come up with so much really good April Fools stuff year after year. It is a good change of pace once a year and I cannot understand why anyone would complain about it. Your eZine is first-rate and a little humor every now and then is well received. Thanks again.” – Larry Giust
“You always get me – for about 5 seconds! Another well done April 1st issue. Thanks. They’re really fun!” – Jim Bauer
“Thanks for a great April issue! I look forward to all of them, but the April issue is always my favorite. The wealth of information is fantastic. I am going to order the plans for the Laser-Blasting Space Station but have a question. Do you think 20,000 gallons of space glue will be enough? I was thinking about getting it delivered in two separate shipments so that it will not go bad before I get to use it. I will soon have all the lumber from my neighbors thanks to the idea in the ‘Tricks of the Trade’ section. I notice that it does not have any outside decking and I was thinking about putting a deck around the equator area so everyone could enjoy both having morning coffee watching the sun or having drinks out back watching the stars. Again, another great issue.” – Pop Smith
“In response to E.Z. Ryder’s comment on the Raffi CNC unit. This is a safety notice. I have a Dragon Raffi CNC control unit, but mine runs the Beta software. It does have a few minor bugs, though. For instance, the router unit must be chained to the floor before giving someone directions over the phone. Also, the shop radio needs to be shut off before opening the cabinet.” – Lefty
“I didn’t get around to reading the April 1st issue until April 5. By then the ‘be on guard for April Fools jokes’ filter had left me. The first two entries in ‘Tricks of the Trade’ were ‘interesting’ – the navel lint and hemorrhoid cream uses. It wasn’t until I got to the reappearing lumber from the neighbor’s stolen fence boards that I caught on. Good job – you got me this year! By the way, I always look forward to your issues. It’s good stuff!” – Bruce Roetman
Options for Sealing an Urn
In our last regular issue of the eZine, Issue 322, one of the questioners in our Q&A section wondered if and what was included inside an urn to seal it. It turns out that several other readers have an answer. – Editor
“About 10 years ago, I started working with Forest Lawn in LA to develop a cremation urn turned out of wood. They had some very strict rules that I had to adhere to, like at a minimum they had to be able to hold 205 cubic centimeters, and leaching was a concern – that is, moisture from the outside getting in and reacting with the remains – so after many attempts I came up with coating the inside with several layers of polyester resin. I also put a bronze thread assembly so that the top could be removed. (This was also a requirement.) In the end, they accepted the urn and I sold 160 of them made out of 8″ x 8″ 14″ tall maple burl. I left California, and a friend of mine has taken over the project. The top was always turned out of the same piece so the grain would line up when it was threaded on.” – Brad Stave
“I just read your article on funeral urns. I have made a few and found that Minwax® makes a product called Wood Hardener. It’s primarily used for weathered wood that has gotten soft. I found that if I painted the inside of an urn with it, that it sealed and fortified the urn. you might give it a try and see what you think.” – Gary Lytton
“I am making urns, and the ashes are placed in plastic bags.” – John Crouse
“In response to the question, ‘how to keep cremation urns from leaking,’ I have checked into this and actually sold a few box type urns to a local funeral home. The statement about there seems to not be many regulations regarding urns, that seems to be the case, at least in Iowa. The funeral director I worked with said they should be 200 cubic inches inside, which leads me to think a general rule of thumb would be at least 1 cubic inch per (I hate to say) live weight. I used foam WeatherSeal for the bottom cover on mine to help seal, but in the end, no matter what type urn, I might suggest to loved ones, to make sure of no leaks, maybe a Ziploc® bag.” – Tim Andrews
Restoring Old Tools: Worth It If You Want That Tool
Another reader had a commenting regarding the discussion in WebSurfer’s Review of Issue 322 on whether restoring old tools was “worth it.” – Editor
“Sometimes it’s not about if it’s worth it or not. Sometimes it’s just because you want THAT tool! I have a little Skil Sand Cat 2-1/2″ belt sander that I beat the tar out of for 25 years to the point of having smoked the armature. I liked that little sander, how it fit in my hand, how I could work it into tight places etc. When it died, I just couldn’t find something to replace it that I liked better and by then, except for brushes, parts were pretty much unavailable. A friend found its twin brother for 15 bucks at a flea market. Also well beaten up, but it had a good armature in it and a few other parts in better shape than mine. So if you take the 15 bucks and about 6 bucks for a couple sets of spare brushes and even figure minimum wage for the 4 hours or so to clean, rebuild and lube it, the cost was well over what I bought it for originally. But for 21 bucks and an evening’s worth of work, I resurrected an old friend. I figure I’ll be about 78 by the time I’ll have to rebuild it again! (I did also buy a bigger sander to help take the work load off that little Skil on the big jobs!)” – Bill Koski
Using Opened Glue
A couple of other readers had advice for a Q&A questioner from Issue 322 who had problems with his glue hardening. – Editor
“Regarding the person tired of glue getting hard before he can use it again, I have the cure. I keep Gorilla Glue®, epoxy glue, silicone tubes, etc. after the first use in my garage refrigerator. Since I rarely keep any food in there, it doesn’t matter if there are any fumes leaked. Any glue that I keep in the refrigerator is usually good for a year or more after the first use. I always have glue of whatever kind I need available without going to the store because a 1/2 or 3/4 used bottle is in cold storage and ready for use after a few minutes warm-up. That way, I get full use of the whole tube or bottle.” – Glen Forister
“In your article about Gorilla Glue® getting hard in the plastic bottle, I have put it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and it can be used again. I run a wire in the spout to open it first. Always enjoy the online journal, thanks.” – Francis D. Reinsel
