peejman

I've been working my way through The Modern Day Gunslinger  by Mann & Grossman.  So far it's nothing really earth shattering, but it is fairly well written and covers a lot of different things. 

    Smoked bologna is delicious and super easy.  Here's what I normally do...     Get a whole bologna.  The local Food City has them in two sizes... 3lb & 5lb (I think).  I've only done the smaller one simply because its easier to fit on my smoker.    Core it.  I made a coring tool out of a 16" long piece of 1.5" dia stainless pipe I pulled out of the scrap bin at work.  A few minutes with a dremel to sharpen one end and it works like a charm.  1. Push the pipe length wise through the bologna.  2. Use a long spoon to push the core out of the center of the pipe. 3. Cut about 2" off both ends of the core and set aside. 4. Chop up the rest of the core and mix it with your seasoning of choice.  I've done dry rubs and wet seasoning and prefer the wet as it seems to help keep a little moisture inside. 5. Put one of the cut ends back in the bologna and use a few toothpicks* to hold it in place. 6. Stuff the seasoned mix back in. Expect some mashing to make it all fit. 7. Seal it up with the other cut end retain with toothpicks*. 8. Throw it on the smoker for about 4 hours.  I just leave it there until everything else is done (which with pork loins, turkey breasts, and chickens, is about 4 hrs on my smoker).    edit... If you want the outside to look all pretty, rotate it once or twice while it's cooking.  It doesn't seem to affect the taste or "smoke ring" but the outside will be dark on one side and not so dark on the other if you don't rotate it.  I've seen pictures where people put some shallow cuts in the outside.  It looks neat, but I'd be afraid of it drying out.    *When its done and you're anxious to try it, don't forget about the toothpicks!!  They hurt when you grab the bologna and jam one into your hand.  AMHIK. 

    This.   "Polymer" is a generic term that includes thousands of different kinds of plastics and their temperature characteristics can vary widely.  I believe most gun frames are "fiber reinforced" polymers which means they've usually got some sort of fiberglass mixed in with the plastic to make it stronger and more dimensionally stable.      As for the OP's statement about boiling the polymer at 150-190 deg...  it's entirely possibly (even likely) that there's polymers out there that boil at a lower temperature than water.  ;)   Though I doubt they're used for making gun parts.

I've carried a Leatherman Blast for years and it's been great. I told my wife I wanted the smallest one she could find that had both pliers and scissors. The scissors are really handy. I've broken the tip off the file using it as a pry bar and I've bent and filed back to shape the small flat-head screwdriver several times. My wife also had one of these that suffered the same fate. Damn thieves.

  There's another way to eat a pork bbq sandwich???     I've been hoping to fire my smoker up in the near term.  Maybe this weekend, though the weather forecast isn't real good at the moment.  My plans include a pork loin, a whole chicken, a turkey breast, and either a beef shoulder roast, a bologna, or some ribs.   I was hungry before I read this, now I'm freakin' starving.  Thanks for that.

Given that it heats the water (and hence the parts) to about 150 F, the parts will flash dry pretty quickly.  A little compressed air to get the bulk water off and they'll be dry before they're cool.  A shot of contact (circuit board) cleaner drives the water out of tight spaces quite readily.    If using a toaster oven, I wouldn't go any higher than 150 F on painted parts.  Bare metal can go much higher... 400 F, though they'll be dry before they ever get that hot.  If you've got fancy coatings (cerakote, duracoat, etc.) look up the properties of the coating to find the max temp. 

Hang in there.  Sounds like you've got a good attitude, and that's the most important thing. 

Sweet!  :rock:

If you see me running, try to keep up. :)

That was an unbelievable explosion.  The 20 yr anniversary of the Branch Davidian mess is Friday.  Coincidence?  :tinfoil:

Welcome.  I also grew up in Chattanooga. 

Have they just completely quit sending the (formerly) weekly emails?  They quit when the panic started and then I got one or two that said... sorry, we've been busy...  but that's been more than a month ago.

    My guess is they tried to come up with something that wouldn't cost money.  At least until the lawsuits start....   As for Rube, I consider him the godfather of German engineering.  And I used to work with a number of German engineers. 

  No worries.  Just don't ask me a question about life in corporate America.  :)

Its all about instant gratification.  God forbid anyone actually think more than 2 seconds ahead or be so immeasurably inconvenienced as to have to slow down for a minute or two.  :drama:   Oh the humanity...

    Sorry if my question touched a nerve, but thanks for the answer.

Interesting.  Thanks for the info.

Congrats on the promotion.  While I'd sure like to get our VP's paycheck, I've no interest in dealing with all the nonsense he deals with daily.  Management in even a mid sized company these days can be an exercise in futility.  I don't think I have the patience or tolerance for stupid people necessary to deal with it.

What a cool dog.  Ours is a freakin' lunatic. 

Since it specifies the solider as a reservist, I wondered if funded had degraded to the point that reservists had to use personal weapons, or perhaps could simply choose to do so.  The flat top with flip-up sight configuration also makes me wonder.  I'd expect an issued weapon to have the standard carry handle configuration.

    Heh... I do it for entertainment.  Watching them go completely bonkers in the rear view is hilarious.    And yes, I make and effort to keep up with the traffic and will get out of the way when practical.  But when there's 20 cars stacked up in front of me and nobody's going anywhere, riding my arse isn't gonna help.  If you're in such a damn hurry, you should've left 10 minutes earlier.  Not my problem.   The best thing ever... and I've had this happen twice.... is toot the horn and wave when they're pulled over a few miles after finally roaring past.  I feel kinda bad that the cop has to deal with a pissed off moron, but maybe I'll get to watch the dash cam video on "Cops" later.  :)   And the above instances clearly illustrate, an armed society is a polite society. 

    I'm curious what the underlined means...     Was this literally his personal weapon or was it issued to him (i.e. gov't property)?

.300BLK, .458, .50 ??? What a bunch of sissies. Go big or go home. :rofl: Mine will likely reflect its owner.... rather plain and boring.

    Is the older method as OS described earlier still an option? 

    Agreed.  As usual, the burden of proof lies with the victim.