thunderhorse

[quote user="ErnieY"]Beyond my field thunderhorse however others far more knowledgeable (or paranoid) have determined these things. As you'll see from THIS list though single pass methods are not deemed secure. Quite why the US government or any of it's agencies would want to erase a drive in the first place escapes me. If it's so hard and time intensive I would have though that either the steam roller or Mariana Trench methods of secure destruction/disposal would be favourite [:D] [/quote] Remove old drive. Melt it down. Insert new drive. [B]

I 'zeroed' a 160gb drive by running a Linux LiveD (basically a bootable CD with the OS for trial.) It didn't take that long, and once the zeros have been written, the HDD is factory fresh. Once the drive has been zeroed, I can't see the point of running it again several times. Why? What would it achieve? And how could data be recovered from a drive which has been zeroed? (remembering what writing zeros actually does...) Just a thought.

Thank goodness for depth stops... [:P]

I've just done some measurements. With the router plunged down to maximum, the collett nut protrudes a few mm below the base plate. The shaft of the bit has a mark and arrow head which seems to indicate how far short to push it into the collett (10 mm). The cutter blades themselves are 20mm long. Add on the shoulder and now I have 50mm (apparent) depth of cut. This is my first router, and therefore trying to understand the machine, particularly a depth of cut of 50mm hindered by the protruding collett nut. Are longer cutters generally available? Photo here: Cheers.

I've just bought a Macallister router (COD127R) from B & Q when in England. The blurb says a plunge depth of 50mm. Even with the plastic dust guard removed and the bit shaft only partway inserted (not operated!), and stops at minimum/removed, it still only plunges about 45mm. So far B & Q have remained silent. Have I missed something, or is that typical of a lower priced bit of kit? Cheers

You could buy ready-mixed by the bag, but it's an expensive way of doing it - depends on quantity, of course. We've always had the local merchant (Weldom) deliver a sand/gravel mix (check delivery costs), buy a few 35kg sacks of mortar (dirt cheap), and then set to.

[quote user="powerdesal"]Regarding the max bedroom circuit loads of 1300w, what about other items, such as table lamps, tv / radio (possibly if thats your thing), fan heater on a cold winter evening, hair styling stuff, all simultaneous loads. Even silly low low load items like phone chargers, lap tops etc. They all add up.[/quote] Fully agree, and 1300w may stretch to 1500w or 2.5kw. But I was querying the principle and logic employed in arriving at the published ratings. Cheers

Many thanks, Nick. That about sums it up for me. Cheers. [:D]

I'm trying to understand the why? with electrical normes. For example, my dishwasher is stamped 2300w, which implies a current draw of about 10 amps max. The normes advocate a 20 amp disjoncteur. Is this 20 amp a maximum? Why won't a 16 amp DJ suffice i.e. 3.5kw+ ? I also note in L'installation électrique in respect of electric radiators that the DJ is dependant on wattage, so it's user discretion in that case. Six daisy-chained sockets in bedrooms where the max load will be from a 1300w vacuum cleaner. Again, is the advocated 20amp DJ a maximum? Why not 16 amp, or even 10 amp? Are these ratings for DJs a maximum rating or a no-choice rating? Is there a safety aspect in an apparent higher than warranted DJ rating (that's what loses me). If the ratings are to protect the general circuits of 1.5mm2 and 2.5mm2 wiring, and not the appliances, where do 10amp DJs fit in? Could someone explain the logic behind them for the betterment of understanding? Many thanks, guys. Cheers

[quote user="BIG MAC"]Good idea but you will get a far better result using gripfill pumped in and allowed to set. [/quote] Cheers, but is it designed for bulk use? There may be some litrage required by the time it's run and found a level... Or is it fairly stiff to use? Cheers.

I laid new pine floorboards over the ancient and rolling grenier floor. In one or two places I didn't pack it enough, so one or two of the new boards are springier than I would like. It's now a bit too late to lift the boards again without a lot of hassle. I had this mad notion of a small hole in the offending board(s) and generously pumping in expanding foam as packing material. Could it work, or too bizarre to contemplate? Any other ideas? Cheers.

Inside or out, and what sort of finish do you want? We had a garden wall just as you describe. Pressure wash (an older block wall) then bags of crepi mix in a wheelbarrow and level on with a float.

If you're looking at 5cm depth, then the volume rounded up is 22 cu.m. I've always been advised when dealing with gravels to allow approx. 1.6tonnes/cu.m. So you'll need 35 tonnes. That's 7 tonnes per cm. depth over that area.

[quote user="Le Plombier"]Why? Le Plombier [/quote] Kid's homework? [:)]

Some are reluctant to declare because they imagine that the French authorities want to know your capital wealth. In fact, all other things being equal, it's the interest earned that they want to know. If you fall under the minimum (about €11k - €12k), and depending on circumstances, you won't have anything to pay anyway. Then you'll be legal and can rest easy.

Limited mud and relatively short duration/seasonal is one acceptable thing. But we have a white-gravelled drive which is being ruined, (all vehicles now barred), and walking dogs with a 5cm ground clearance is a filthy carry on. We're now parking and short-cutting through a neighbour's property. Sometimes live and let live has to come to an end... The worst part is the newcomers' attitude, and a disinclination to clear the road himself now that he has water at the road edge. I'd even help the blighter, but it's not his problem. Difficult, I know. Thanks so far. At least we haven't fallen out - yet.

Thanks so far. Got some photos (and the new neighbours are Brits.) To rub salt in, we've let them use our washing machine and shower (they had no water or electric), and now they don't give a monkey's about who they're annoying. And there's a large generator running 18/24. That's really winding up other neighbours that they back on to. And there's more...!

New neighbours directly opposite have bought a field and living in a mobile home. Their Landrover + contractors' vehicles are continuing to leave significant quantities of mud on the narrow lane, so much so that we are now having to park elsewhere to avoid bringing mud up our drive, we can't walk small dogs through the mud slurry, other neighbours are also complaining, pedestrians are clinging to the edges, and the one's opposite say it's not their responsibility but that of the contractors (despite their Landrover in and out several times a day). When they start building, we can only see it getting worse with their attitude. The Maire has been to have a look, chuntered a lot, but still nothing is being done to either prevent mud on the road, or hold someone accountable for its removal. Any advice please? Should we go mob-handed to the Mairie? It really is that bad.

[quote user="powerdesal"]As wood fires dont need a grate as such, could you find someone to cut a steel plate of the right diameter as a temporary measure. [/quote] I've two massive rectangular cast iron plates from old hearths. If I can't find a proper replacement, out will come the giant angle grinder... [:D]

Thanks for that. I've bookmarked the link. It was supplied by Castorama who suggested contacting an outfit called Phillipe Cheminée - very expensive modern kit but with no indication of spares. Cheers.

We have a three-year-old Godin 1120 poêle à bois (petit ronde), the circular grate (about 20cm diam.) of which has cracked and given up the ghost. Despite extensive searching, I can't find a direct supplier for a replacement. Weldom's have suggested four weeks at €84! and 3MMM eight weeks at €40 approx. It's a long time to go without heating. Any help on this appreciated. Cheers.

[quote user="TWINKLE"]Oh!  It doesn't work.  Maybe I need to use another link Meg?[/quote] Likewise. It just sits there inactive.

Exhausting. [:P]

BBC reporting at its scaremongering best: [quote]But some of the vehicles seized have been described as "death traps" by NCP Services - the company which enforces the law. In one west London pound, a Lithuanian transit van had bits of its bumper hanging off and only one wing-mirror.[/quote] Unless the C & U Regs have changed, the van requires an external offside mirror, and either, an internal rear-view mirror or external nearside mirror. An alarmist death-trap statement of only one wing mirror does not make use of the vehicle illegal. Damned reporters!

Here you go - sent by email a few weeks ago. [:D] [img]http://firefly.700megs.com/mexicans.jpg[/img]