Charles, Yeah, I understand that the 4Mix is indeed a totally new engine. And after reading your last post, I can see where it is an OHV enging just from the shrouds. And I would never turn over an engine full of fluid. I've seen photos of hydrolocked engine damage and it is NOT pretty! I was mererly inquiring if it were maybe possible to put in a tiny bit of fluid and give it a gentle pull or two. Certainly nowhere near enough fluid to fill the combustion chamber when the piston is at TDC. Then, after decoking, the plug is removed and all fluid is expelled from giving the starter a good yank or two. I have done this on a 2stroke snowthrower that I "degunked" years ago. But then Charles, while not impossible, it would be harder to hydrolock a 2stroke as most of the excess water would be blown out the exhaust port during the upswing of the cylinder. But once again, I did not fill the entire chamber with gumout. I poured in a little bit while the cylinder was at TDC. And the excess went out the exhaust port during cranking with the wire off. If anything, restarting the engine with ether when I was all finished was probably the most dangerous thing I did. ;-) As for the old engine, I posted it so that other readers of this thread that may not understand what I mean by a flathead engine can see for themselves. Most lawn mower engines, and I am guessing other 4stroke trimmer engines, are of the flathead design. A very simple design to work on unless you need to replace a valve. Yeah, I understand my engines. :) While I have never done a full rebuild of an automotive engine, I have helped with head gasket replacements and cam changes on SB Chevy engines. Surely if one can do that, anything I may need to do to my 4mix in the future would be a simple task. Yeah, I know I may seem pessimistic at times, Charles. But keep in mind I am a DIY person with regards to small engines. I have the tools and would only need to buy feeler gauges to work on the 4mix. As it is only new with 3 hours use, I know decoking is a long ways off. However, since this is an engine totally new to me, I may ask questions that may seem redundant. But they are for the purpose of gathering information. As you said earlier, maybe somebody has already done a decoke and valve adjust. And I can easily apply their experiences for my own use. While my Stihl dealer is a first class operation and is Gold Level certified, if I can do the maintenance/adjustment work myself, that is more money in my pocket. After all, if my car needs a brake job or, say a tie rod end, I do the work myself. So therefore I would do the decoke/adjust myself. That gives me more money for future accessories! :-D Don

The usual rules: Don't over fill the jars leaving a couple inches of headroom. put the lids on not tight but on use a few inches of water, vent the canner for 10 minutes before putting the weight on yadda yadda yadda. First, those aren't "the usual rules" so I hope you are just abbreviating. ;) Otherwise there are some real concerns there. Head space is specific. Chicken stock is 1". Marinara sauce, assuming it is an approved recipe is 1/4" headspace and is normally BWB canned, not pressure canned (but may be done at 6 lb. for 20 mins. depending on altitude. So is the amount of water required in the canner. So is the lid tightening. All specific. I've used it three times and each time I have boil over issues. I've done: Chicken stock, Marinara sauce and Vegetable stock. It is called siphoning when talking about pressure canning, boil over in BWB canning. Siphoning has several possible causes including too much heat, too loose lids, too much heat fluctuations, improper headspace, etc. See the chart linked below. I use the 5 pound pressure setting (New Jersey) and run it about 228 F. Uhhhh, 5 lbs. isn't approved for any of those foods unless your "marinara sauce" is really just plain tomato sauce. And how are you determining the supposed temperature? The canner isn't telling you what the internal temperature is. There is no thermometer on it. So how do you know that At 228 I am making Steam. ?? And even if it did the temperature isn't the important factors in pressure canning, the pressure and time is and both of those factors are very specific. EX: pints of chicken stock are processed at 10-11 lbs. for 20 mins. Period. Perhaps I am misreading your post, but from the information you have provided, there are some serious misunderstandings about how to properly pressure can foods. Could you please provide more details? Dave PS: is is possible that what you have is a very old AA? Second hand I mean? Reason I ask is that you mention temperatures and a poor manual and AA has a great manual and many decades ago some canners came with a thermometer gauge on them rather than a pressure gauge. This was back in the 30's and 40's and those canners are not safe to use without the necessary upgrades like getting rid of the old gauge and replacing it with a pressure gauge, a new over-pressure plug, etc. If that is what you are using then your foods have been way under-processed and would not be considered safe to eat. Here is a link that might be useful: Causes of siphoning

It's been awhile since I've made her soup, so I had to go back and check her specific instructions, just to verify what I remembered. Yes, you should be worried about the oil. If you just canned the soup, I would refrigerate or freeze rather than leaving it on the shelf. Then for additional safety, I would boil it for 10 minutes before serving (or adding cream). With those two measures you should be fine. KatieC's recipe is safe but it's predicated upon using a light brushing of oil, enough for a bit of flavor and to prevent the veggies from drying out during roasting, not more. It's on the level of fat that might remain in chicken broth anyway when it's processed. Carol

Thanks for the advice! I've got the room pretty much stripped. I'm still working on the trim which I figure I might as well finish before starting on the walls. Could you please help me clarify the steps and the products I need? I think I've got several different surfaces going on. I've got 1. some pinky/peachy plaster showing, 2. some paint that's probably an oil base, 3. newly painted and primed drywall, and 4. something that feels kind of tough - a friend called it rough coat *this area has some slick oil paint under it - it's only showing in one spot. From here I need to: 1. finish the trim 2. sand the paint/rough coat portions 3. remove dust with tack cloth (?) 4. prime - use gardz or something oil based or shellac? *do I need to do anything special to the bare plaster coat showing? 5. skim coat - I got a magic trowel. What product should I use to skim coat with the magic trowel - something that can be diluted but not crack (?) 6. prime - something specific? 7. paint I think I'm also going to replace the baseboards at this point. If there's anything else you can think of or if I've not got the order right please let me know! Thank you!