Noted. Do not rub rove beetles into skin. Got it. 
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Itās been more than four weeks since I started my buckets. I was about to give up and open one up just to see my failure. But today:
AHA!
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Yay!!
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The firestarters Iāve been making since scouting is take a cardboard egg carton and fill with sawdust. Then pour melted paraffin over them all. You can easily tear off one or two egg sections whenever needed.
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I use cotton balls impregnated with Vaseline. They ignite with one spark from a ferrocerium rod (flint stick). Theyāll burn for a minute or so, not as long as some but enough to get tinder and small twigs going. They weigh so little you can carry a lot in a small vial or ziplock bag.
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Thatās how I make 'em, too. The last couple times I havenāt even bothered with the egg carton ā Iāll just melt old candles, mix in sawdust, and pour out onto a baking pan covered with wax paper. When it cools, just break into chunks like toffee.
Thatās a good one, too. You can stuff a lot of these āinferno ballsā into a pill bottle for backpacking or paddling trips.
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Thought Iād post this since thereās been peanut butter mixing discussions in the past, prompted by @markfrauenfelder recommendations.
A few months ago, I quickly designed and printed a peanut butter tumbler. Since I wasnāt sure it would work, I didnāt spend much time making it ācorrectlyā (no bearings or anything like that), just a proof-of-concept hack job using materials I had on hand ā such as nails, rubber bands, and a surplus timer motor thatās been in my parts bin since the early '90s.
Iāve used it twice now, and Iām quite happy with the results. When I used it the first time, I opened the jar and was disappointed to find the PB very soupy. I thought the oil hadnāt been fully mixed in, but it turns out that warm, tumbled PB is very much a liquid. After chilling in the fridge, it was proper butter.
I donāt know the minimum amount of time needed to get an adequate mix. Both times I just set it running and forgot about it until the next time I went into the kitchen (a few hours). It takes me a couple of months to consume 28oz of PB, so experimentation will be infrequent.
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This is great! Ok for me to post on the site?
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ha, nice. reminds me of a ārockā tumbler I made upthread:
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Have at it!
Had I thought it would generate that kind of interest, I wouldāve made a more interesting video.
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Todayās project was fix up a bike I picked out of the trash this morning.
Two tires, a new basket, a bell, and a good cleaning, rust removal, and a wax job.
Our 37 year old wanted a bike to go to the local farmers market and some grocery shopping.
Itās just a cheap Huffy but free. Has some age but they all look the same so no idea how old. And coaster brake.
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Iām really bored so I BTSed it up for my 12 year old, oops, I mean 37 year old daughter whoās obsessed with BTS.
It was either that or Disney.
All it needs now is a liscense plate for the seat with her name or something silly.
As I was typing this she texted me and said everyone in her fan group thinks her dad is cool and they want the bike.
Kind of makes it all worthwhile.
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Bathroom vanity. Starting to loosely fit it together. Some tweeking to do before i start fitting the side panels to it.
Edit: cut the side panels to the wrong widthā¦ dāoh!
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That has a tendency to happenā¦
Or as my dad likes to say āI cut it twice - and itās still too short!ā
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Yeah, measure twice and allā¦ At least I figured out what happened. I set my widths based on a 1/4" deep tongue, but I milled it all with a 1/2" tongue. So my finished width was 3/4" short!
I have more material, so Iāll probably just remake one piece each side 3/4" wider.
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So Doc, & @ClutchLinkey, at what point can I start harvesting? Iāve got two good sized ābloomsā now, but not much else.
Should I wait a bit longer?
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Iām a total noob at this, but from what Iāve read, you want to harvest before they start drying out, sometimes indicated by turning up at the ends.
I think I mightāve harvested mine too soon, I donāt know. Then it got really hot here and I havenāt gotten a second bloom while @docosc has gotten at least one more.
But poor timing on your part, as the doctor is āoutā this week (I think) so might not hear back from him until next week.
Good luck, though! They look pretty! Iām totally trying the pink oysters next time. And putting my buckets in the woods for fuller shade.
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