Gluestick

Unless you have an oilstone scraper and can scrape stones flat - a skilled task - since stones are relatively cheap, if not good and true, bin them and buy new. I could scrape Babbit bearings: still have all my scrapers and the scraper sharpeners, but I wouldn't want to tackle a bearing now! One thing I always do with stones is to to make a  box to keep them in: and thereafter always use the stone against a bench stop to prevent movement.  

That guy is either seriously clever: or seriously obsessed! A sort of Salvador Dali but working with wood. Aha, so that's what Chris meant!  

This is a very confusing thread to a näive tyro like myself. If I mention "Tools" then the shrieks of Benny Hillesque double entendres will emerge in full flood. However, the celebrated Norm wears his Posing Belt, damn, I meant Tool Pouch (see what I mean?) to keep his tools in. (here we go again.). Of course, Chris Head may well have started this whole forum area as a sort of wry and cynical tribute to frigidity, wherein "Working With Wood" could be perceived as highly apposite. However, I rather suspect he started it to discuss the various benefits of Iroko over Mahogany, or Ash as against Hickory etc. Naturally, those working with wood, need their tools, as did Guiseppe, if you remember the father of Pinochio. Now, of course, Guiseppe had rather more success than most wood carvers; perhaps his definition of men's toys, could be attributed to Ms Gold and her Anne Summers chain: who knows? Let's just see if the new thread about sharpening can remain above double entendres, however I am not holding my breath, or indeed my posing belt AKA tool pouch in, over much.  

Personally, I think there is good sense in learning how to sharpen basic tools on a good oilstone, firstly, in order to learn and think about cutting edges, shapes and waste removal. One of the benefits I received from precision engineering, was learning exactly why and how tools were shaped. I was very fortunate in that I had an excellent teacher and excellent "Primers" on the theory. After a bit, I was able to sharpen HSS twist drills, to all attack angles by hand and didn't need to use the jig. Taught me lots. Perhaps the all singing all dancing sharpening station should come after one has mastered the how and why? Also, I have surfed the Tormek etc, no apparent facility to sharpen curved tools and in particular, Tungsten tipped tools. So a green wheel and something like a Dremel with a wide range of stones would still be necessary: as would a circa 3,000 rpm dry grindstone for HSS tools, like twist drills and etc. But I cheat, 'cos I have two professional die grinders  (air) on running at > 60,000 rpm and the other no load at 20,000.    

You obviously and unfortunately have some serious water barrier remedial work to do here. Meantime, I would dig a small "Sump" and fit the pump within. If the sump is located immediately next to the wall and you dug out semi-circular gutters right along the wall, this should collect the ingress of water as the water table rises. Thereafter with a float switch and electric pump is fully autonomous. Only aspect to check is the pump's "Head": i.e. what height will it pump to and is this enough to discharge your sump water?  

[quote] third ... router bits ... open for attack on this .. I found that you will never get TCT bits as sharp as HSS ones , so for dovetails etc I use HSS . for hard woods use TCT ones .keeping them sharp is a bit of a pain but worth in when you get no breakout . [/quote] Just a thought from the world of precision engineering. Sharpening Carbon Tungsten cutters was always tricky. We used a dedicated "Green" stone: the gray stone used for High Speed Tool Steel and etc was no good. All boring bars were made by me, as were all specialised cutters: this included both internal and external thread cutting, of a wide variety of esoteric as well as normal thread forms, such as Acme single and Acme double start threads. This included making up from scratch, a leadscrew for a small surface grinder and the phosphor bronze captive "nut" to match. All essentially very precise, needing a single start Acme machine tool thread cutting over nearly two feet length in chrome steel stock. Only CT cutters would work, of course! The threadforms (both internal and external) had to be ground by eye. I couldn't do it now!  I was fortunate in finding a local specialised tool manufacturing business who kindly sold my chum and I small oddments of CT which we then used to make up our own dedicated tooling. Haven't gotten round to sharpen any of my woodworking cutters as yet, but when necessary I will opt to add a green stone to my conventional grindstone as an essential. Have ogled the wet grinding stations from afar. Whilst I was taught at school ( A bloke called Noah was building a thing he called an Ark as his project, whereas most of the senior blokes were content with canoes!),  how to sharpen chisels and plane blades etc, hard to create a really straight edge. The wet stones are the business! Don't sneer but if they are rarely used, Nutool list them and Makro etc sell them from time to time. Worth a thought?    

[quote user="oglefakes"] EU Grants:  http://www.eugrants.org/ Advice: be patient and persistent as the way the EU lays out grant aid and support is very confusing! Ain't that the truth.  [:)] The site is like something written by 'Bird & Fortune'  Loads of cash, but so complex that no one can actually get any of it [8-)] [/quote] Yes it can be tiresome, as I said. However, the cash is really there and in another incarnation I was involved in helping to spend whole wads of it! I believe the problem is not the EU's desire to be purposively obscure, rather, they address many nation states with widely differing languages, many of them hugely contextual. Thereafter natural bureaucracy and the problems with classification into cogent headings come into play: I have never ever see, as yet, any large list or database with multiple fields being easy to search! Try statistics, for example! With EU grants any subjective item can and does have potentially numerous classifications: e.g. green energy can be scientific, cultural, social, environmental, political, financial, keep on going. There are organisations promising to cut through the jargon and complexity and obtain grants on one's behalf, I have never seen one work effectively, however and they tend to be very expensive, with no guarantees. Worrying!  

Personally, I'd approach this the conventional - boring! - way. Firstly, look at the competition in France and then look at their prices. Thereafter, I would evaluate the potential as either a real business opportunity or by investing in a slightly better briquette press, self-sufficiency with a specific payback time for the capital cost. Can't be long if the feedstock is free. http://www.cfnielsen.com/showintro.asp?menuid=2&ArticleID=108&sprog=uk EU Grants:  http://www.eugrants.org/ Advice: be patient and persistent as the way the EU lays out grant aid and support is very confusing! They tend to decide to support a specific cultural, scientific, social etc initiative/s. Green Energy is one. The EU Social Fund might be the ticket. Some years since I have much to do with this area. Also, ask a fluent French speaker to surf the Net for french state support: after all France is very keen on green energy and the environment, so there must be something there. Also, look for any other naturally occuring "Free" fibres, such as straw. Must also be many more from food processing?? I well remember 15 years or so ago when the French government/EU were throwing money at projects which took vineyards out of production. Particularly so in the  Languedoc Roussillon. Foolishly, I passed on an opportunity for a golf course and  cheap funding up to 80% of cost...................[:@]  

Waste sawdust and other by-products are compressed into fuel briquettes. (Some refer to "Eco Logs"). If you can obtain the feedstock for free (or even be paid to cart it away!), then there must be a biomass business opportunity here. Fuel briquettes are being made from all sorts of waste fibre products, both natural and synthetic, and particularly waste products from agricultural processes. http://www.rwedp.org/fd46ch1.html Thinks??????????? Wonder if France awards significant grants for the development of eco-friendly new businesses? The EU Social Fund does, more thinks???????????[I]

I used Leyland exterior wood treatment for the new shutters. Far cheaper than (e.g.) Sadolins. And also Leyland masonry paint for the exterior walls. Important that you use one which "Breathes"; most good quality masonry paint is based on Pliolite synthetic resin. This is used, for example, to paint subterranean tunnels and it allows the water to seep through without removing the film. properly applied it's good for up to 15 years. Tip: go to a Leyland branch, clutching your Screwfix catalogue: Screwfix discount Leyland paints and with a bit of hard chat, Leyland will match Screwfix prices (on various additional colours!).  

[quote user="oglefakes"]  I would think that if you had a "Modern, well insulated home" you probably wouldn't be looking at this type of heating? [/quote] And, as the bard said, "Aye, there's the rub!" One of the problems with houses is they have become a series of compromises. In the 1960s the big "new" thing was picture windows, to allow occupants to live in light. Then with focus on energy costs, window appertures became far smaller! And so on. If a house or appartment was a new build and enjoyed the latest optimal insulation, then sure, a different and far cheaper approach to heating could be adopted. The reality is, sadly, however, that a majority of French houses - of the type beloved by emigree Brits. - are going to be horribly energy-inefficient! Short of losing considerable internal space, I cannot insulate my external walls. there is a new german system of exterior cladding which provides significant insulation: a friend has had it fitted to his newish villa in Southern Spain, mainly to avoid rising temps and higher aircon costs, it must be said! I shall reserve my judgement until I have seen it! Thus in conclusion, most of us are stuck with chucking considerable amounts of raw energy into heat and losing much of it as fast as it arrives! Our place has electric rads fitted - expensive German controllable, all singing all dancing. Hopeless. And expensive! Oil fired CH is the only real answer.  

For a like-for like exchange  € 3-3.500 sounds a tad expensive. A new basic boiler costs circa €  1.200 (conduit de fumée) or € 1.400 (ventouse) TVA inclusive; can't see how the fitting could cost €  2.000 including TVA? Chauffaugistes and Plombieres, however, are noted for wishing to supply top-end kit and charging accordingly: they also -naturally -  tend to recommend makes on which they have the best discounts! Pays to shop around, as always, unless one is happy paying for a load of bells and whistles which only actually work if considerable - and expensive - extra kit is fitted, like flow detectors and mapped programmers and programmable thermostats. The small built-in ballon is for a "buffer" DHW supply, during times of constant demand, bearing in mind that the logic will be (Usually) switching between DHW and CH Demand, constantly.  

You cannot beat Heures Creuse for water heating, by either oil or gas. If you really want to copper your bet, ask your plumber to quote you for a bi-fuel ballon, which can be heated either by the boiler or electricity. (Simply, it has a second dedicated calorifier - heating coil -  inside, run from a domestic hot water circuit from the boiler). There is no real downside problem in shutting off central heating for the Summer, provided, of course, it is fully protected with anti-corrosion fluid. Firing up a central heating boiler merely to provide domestic hot water is extremely expensive and inefficient. Firstly, the system has to overcome the latent heat requirement of the boiler casing, the static water and etc. Personally, I would stick with a dedicated boiler for heating: and a cheap rate ballon for hot water. One final point: the heat output of your boiler will be predicated by various factors, which include the volumetric capacity of the rooms; the number and surface area of windows (and the attendant heat loss); the level of insulation of the rooms (and the attendant heat loss); how many levels the house is on, as heat rises; and the ambient temperature you want for each room. For example, living rooms are normally kept at circa 24-5 degrees and bedrooms 18-20 degrees. Finally, the radiator size is critical as is their placement: rad size is predicated by the total heat output required to raise and maintain each room at the desired temperature, allowing for continuous heat loss. It is critical to work out the demand potential, maximum. A larger boiler than maximum is always a good idea as the boiler is then not working flat out to meet the requirement. In my experience, French plumbers are not very good at this! Worth checking.  

[quote user="fulcrum"][quote user="Gluestick"] By now, the web should have had the benefit of  PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) which predicates specific personal ID security based on pretty robust encryption standards such as Differ Hellman 250Kbit: which even the NSA using a bank of Cray Supercomputers has difficulty breaking. [/quote] I think we should all return to the days of Vernam stream cipher (1919). It's still unbreakable if used correctly, even by banks of cray computers [;-)]. Bit slow though. [/quote] Loads of 'em around, Fulcrum. Like this: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4168396.html Trouble is it requires a dedicated microprocessor. The beauty of PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is it's cheap, cross-platform and the user publishes their Public Key (emails, website, letterhead etc) and creates their unique Private Key and thereafter it's all plain sailing. Anyone wants it for free? http://www.pgpi.org/products/pgp/versions/freeware/winxp/8.0/  

The core reality to all of this is that the banks and credit card operators could have introduced various security systems yonks ago. They didn't on cost grounds. Whilst they can get away with stiffing the consumer for the bank's losses (which just shows how much they are making from these areas!), they won't bother. If the Financial Services Authority and the various toothless consumer and competition bodies brought the banks to task and made them liable every time, you would soon see a host of new security initiatives! Same with internet and IT network security: the banks knew years ago that their systems were about as open as a Swiss cheese! They would not and still won't spend the capital. By now, the web should have had the benefit of  PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) which predicates specific personal ID security based on pretty robust encryption standards such as Differ Hellman 250Kbit: which even the NSA using a bank of Cray Supercomputers has difficulty breaking. And there's the rub: if encrypted comms are too secure, then the global security agencies are stuffed! However, a compromise was reached some years ago:  now, the various commercial parties can't agree on one common standard. Don't hold your breath! We use PGP 250K encryption for secure commercial exchange of sensitive data in my software company. cheap, quick and secure. Cards with biometric data could and should have been rolled out years ago. It's very hard to defeat DNA and iris recognition. Even for the Russian Mafiya.  

The new regulations for oil storage tanks in France are extremely strict. The tank must be either (i) Fully self-bunded, which means simply a double skinned type capable of containing the total volume of oil contained if the tank was/is full, or: (ii) the tank must be contained within a Bunded Wall, which is an oil-proof wall, capable of containing the total maximum content of the tank and the tank volume itself. Which is pretty big! There are important bits and conditions too. For example, above a threshhold volume, the tank must be buried. I obtained a full translation of the new regs into french, complete with illustrations, as well as a copy of the new regs themselves, from a technical translator, who will supply these in pdf for a modest fee. If any one would like a copy, please PM me and I will put you in touch with the lady concerned, who is in fact English and lives in either Brittany or Normandy. It will be critical to comply with these new regs otherwise it is probable oil companies will refuse (should do!) to deliver etc. (Edit) Sorry, forgot to say I am away now for two weeks and will respond to any PMs after that time.      

If you are happy and confident Bob, then that's fine. One of the problems is that you might not even realise you have a problem until a debt collection agency chases you for a loan you have never signed, or you are refused some financial transaction and have great difficulty finding out why. Hacking isn't just about nicking cash from your account, remember, a large part now is ID theft.  

Oh No! So it's a rush to the decheterie then!    

[quote user="Bob T"]I don't think that there is any problem with internet banking itself, I[/quote] Unfortunately, Bob, you confidence is misplaced. Barclays is one bank whose customer database was hacked. One of the core problems, here, is that all financial institutions are paranoid about public perception of their security: when hackers strike, invariably, the banks hide this reality, since if the public picked up on what had happened, well, they would all be closing their accounts! In fact, cyber blackmail has become quite the thing! Despite the blitz of publicity, a TV prog this week aired how criminals are now cloning Chip N Pin cards, which makes one think. No system devised by man cannot be beaten by man.  

A shower? A shower! You were lucky! When I were nobbut a lad you 'ad a plunge in the 'orse trough in Mid Winter, but first you 'ad to break the ice with a fire axe! And kids today they don't bloody believe you! They don't bloody believe you!  

Obviously sold in large quantities! When we first bought the house, we used to sleep there. Not good in the morning after too many glasses the night before! This one is more bearable just.......... http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/Michaeleff/PicturesHouseFrance0007.jpg    

And here's a further example of some wonderful French Baroque wallpaper from the late 20th Cent. Art Crappo era................. http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/Michaeleff/PicturesHouseFrance0016.jpg      

Dotty: The usual approach with stubborn paper is to firstly slash diagonal scores across the surface with a sharp striping scraper. Then, something like Manger's Sugar Soap sponged on and allowed to soak behind the slashes so it permeates into the adhesive behind the paper. Vinyl paper can be a pig to remove, for example, as it is basically waterproof (being plastic). Foil:  hmmmm. It it's a solid wall then it probably has some very strong glue holding it on! And, as has already been suggested it's in all probability a damp treatment. It may well be that any form of textured wall finish may slide off as it has no bond. In that case once again score it diagonally from top to bottom at intervals of one inch. This should provide sufficient "bond". Try a bit (Crepi) first and leave it overnight. BTW you can buy a "Rustique" finish roller for applying crepi. Had the same sort of probs with appalling paper at our place in France. The French do seem to like excreable patterns! Despite the steamer, in the end found that we were trying to strip the top layer of plasterboard. So it's all going to be crepied!  

On topic again (Amusing and diverting as the meander was!) When I first started my French project, I paid a Brit electrician (Edit: a registered artisan working in Normandy and had been for quite a few years), a small consulting fee to answer a number of my questions. I suggested to him that a small primer on French wiring Dos and Donts in English, would be a good idea, as I write on technical areas and he could provide the core knowledge. His main concern was liability. And time............. Still a good idea, though. An eBook or even, perhaps, a DVD/CD ?? One can, apparently, purchase the full French regulations in English: however, it costs some £850!    

Here is one source: more to follow on. http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11061284/Bamboo_Flooring.html