What is the proper use of foil-shiny shine-dull side?
arkansas girl
14 years ago
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arkansas girl
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agofoodonastump
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Best black paint (+ shine level) in black granite tile bathroom?
Comments (5)Pittsburgh Paints Black Magic 518-7 mixed in their Accent Colors which only comes in Interior Matte Finish. I've used this paint in bathrooms several times. It is matte and it is a good fit for a bathroom. Truly, one of the very best options for black walls. Figuring out something with a black from Ben Moore in Aura would be second choice. ICI, now Azko-Nobel, has one of the truest blackest blacks called Dark Secret. Not sure what they're doing with their uber deep bases theses days - have to check it out at the store. I think it was Texashottie here on the forum (forget the name exactly) that ended up going with Dark Secret in her dining room. Her pix were fab. Be aware that this thing called water whitening can happen with all brands and grades - it's especially noticeable with super dark colors. Due to moisture, white streaks will develop, like the paint is running, and then disappear. They usually go away completely on their own over time. One day it just strikes you that it's gone. It's not surfacant leaching. It's different and again it should go away on it's own....See MoreWrapping water heater in foil?
Comments (5)Are you thinking of having the foil tight against the surface of the heater, or of leaving some space between - maybe a half inch? I think that they say that if there's an inch or more of space in a window, that convection will take place between the cold and hot surfaces. If so, what would one use as spacers between the tank and the foil wrapper, to keep the small interval constant? Also, the foil wouldn't be the only cost ... ... another use for duct tape! If you use masking tape or clear tape, it'll deteriorate after three or four years and need to be replaced. How be you use some of the foil to make a medal for yourself, labelling it, "Shining example of energy conservation"? You could even make a large one, with a mirror in the middle, with a small hatch covering it, which you could open using air through a tube from a bulb in your pocket, that you could squeeze when you meet someone who's a good example of an energy conserver, especially an innovative one. You could even carry a camera to take a picture of the smile on their face when they saw their face in the mirror. Of course ... then they'd want such a medal, as well, no? The sale of such should finance the foil (plus duct tape) for your water heater. Or your share of a generator's purchase to service half a dozen houses' freezers, fridges, etc. in case of power outage. Maybe even a furnace ... if local code will allow you to install a push 'n twist plug in the line to your furnace. Dang! You pinch my insulation ... it's up to the landlord to replace it ... ... but the guy that hurts is I ... cause I have to pay for the oil! Landlord's worried about a couple of evergreens whose branches are nearing the power line (one touching). So ... he girdled the tree, about 8' from the top, figures the branches'll die, maybe even the wind knock the top off, eventually. He's a sod farmer, chairman of local conservation authourity. It seems to me that we need to get serious about energy conservation ... not only due to the need to conserve it, but for warming and polluting reasons, as well. If we think that we've had trouble thus far with regard to all three of those problems ... just wait till Asia and South America get into high gear! Enjoy spring. ole joyful...See MoreThe baking soda and aluminum foil method of removing silver tarnish
Comments (21)I have been a metalsmith since 1988. It's not a "job", I don't work for someone else. I have an MFA in Jewelry and Metals, earned in 2006. As part of my training we studied forging, welding, casting and fabrication from sheet metal: in copper, brass, bronze, nickel, and silver. Including blacksmithing in iron. NO PIECE was considered complete until a proper PATINA was created. It is an important part of the finishing process, whether through application of chemicals from a bottle, liver of sulphur, fuming with ammonia, etc. Though it it IS an important part of the work, it is still an APPLIED patina. Here is the definitive book on the subject, which I and every other metals student studied : https://www.amazon.com/Colouring-Bronzing-Patination-Metals/dp/0823007626 Oxidation is nothing more than a chemical reaction between the molecules in the metal and compounds in the air (as in your outdoor bronze example) or compounds applied, such as the sulphur released by a liver of sulphur solution. A microscopic layer forms which is technically an alloy of the metal and the chemical, such as silver sulphide. You APPLY a patina chemical. OXIDATION is the result. Calling it "artificial" ...well: it's ALL artificial. I don't know of a single sculptor or jeweler today who lets their pieces color naturally in the air. It is because you cannot control the result that way. Go to an art fair like the Des Moines Art Festival (not a craft fair with "yard art") and talk to some modern day bronze sculptors. Ask them if they let their pieces color naturally. From ancient times through the Renaissance to the present day: sculptors have colored their metals. I have seen old recipes calling for burying the piece in sawdust with urine added; akin to the ammonia fuming of today. A raw bronze is not a pretty thing. There is no contrast, no richness of the surface. No Renaissance sculptor would have thought of exhibiting one. Unless coated with lacquer, all patinas are "living" surfaces. They will continue to react and the color change with time: sometimes looking better with age, sometimes not; with the original metal gradually being eroded/penetrated by the alloy. Hence many outdoor bronzes in Italy (where acid rain and air pollition in general is a problem), have been removed indoors to controlled conditions, and copies placed outdoors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_of_Saint_Mark...See MorePlanting season foiled by wet soil
Comments (24)Yeah Daniel, it is tough to work, but it is also quite nutrient-dense stuff. Once I turn in organic matter for a couple of seasons, and keep it mulched all year, it becomes fairly decent soil. It has a very cloddy/crumbly texture, so really, the difficult thing is sowing small seeds. I have to spread some compost on the surface and sow into that. As long as I don't let the surface dry out too much, larger seeds work fine (peas, beans, squash, fava, etc...) And as long as I keep the soil covered with mulch between the time I work the soil, and actually set out plants, transplanting is fairly easy. I just have to rake the mulch back, let it dry a day, and set the plants out. I turn lots of leaves directly into the soil. The worms seem to love them. I don't even shred them. Although, many of the leaves are from my many locust trees - they are the size of shredded oak leaves lol. In warm, moist climates like here in E. Tn., things decompose extremely quickly. I do everything I can to keep as many worms of as many different types active in the beds. They do more to help heavy soils support plant life than I ever could. So, feeding them organic matter, and keeping the soil insulated with relatively thick layers of organic mulch really helps. Feed the soil not the plants. Thinking ahead and covering an area before you work heavy soil simply helps to make it appropriately friable....See MoreUser
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