There was a veritable winter storm with much media coverage sweeping over germany the last days. I got stuck in traffic (harmless), the weather got worse and worse and I had some free time to wonder about what I’d do when there’s a real SHTF situation of that kind. Here’s what I came up with for a wintery, cold and unpleasant car-sticky-situation:
Chisel Sharpening Jig
I made a jig for sharpening my chisels now and then. It’s not a new idea, instead you can find tons of instructions on the net. This one is my approach:
The idea is to keep the chisel’s blade right angled and at the same time always at the same inclination to the surface in order to achieve maximum sharpness. So I made this jig with a right angle stopper that I can use with worn-out sanding belts. 30° is a good grinding angle for me. While this is not a super precise and professional contraption, it is perfectly functional and absolutely satisfies my needs. The construction itself is as self-explanatory as the usage, just have a look at the images. I hope you like the idea and prehaps even make your own.
Linguine Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino
I don’t know if my recipe for “Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino” is anyhow the traditional italian way, but it is surely delicious!
Ginger Shots
It’s cold and damp outside, its wet and it’s ugly: It’s flu weather. So, in an outstanding attempt to proctect me and herself from the elements, mean viruses and nasty bugs, my wife made some ginger-lemon-lemonade, aka “ginger shots”.
Packed with vitamin-c and the many beneficial components of fresh ginger, we are now armed and ready for battle against the common cold. One shot each in the morning! Here’s the recipe:
DIY Wax Wood Polish
This is my recipe for an easy, yet useful wax wood polish. It’s what I’ve tried out and what worked for me. Alas, as usual, the internet provides a vast mass of recipes and details.
Tips on Cold Smoking
I plan on smoking some meat again shortly, so I find it’s a good idea to gather and sum up my experiences on cold smoking a little. I will not describe the actual processes and mechanisms of smoking foods here, but if you’re interested, read on on wikipedia. It’s worth the time.
There are three types of smoking:
Hot smoking (60 – 110 °C / 140 – 230 °F):
This is what you do in a BBQ smoker. More delicious cooking than actual smoking.
Warm smoking (25 – 60 °C / 77 – 140 °F):
The intermediate thing. Some Proteins begin to denaturate at these temperatures.
Cold smoking (10 – 25 °C / 50 – 77 °F):
The “original” way of smoking, used for centuries to conserve goods. The only method discussed here.
Hatchet Makeover
I refurbished a cheap old axe/hatchet from the hardware store that was hiding itself in my garage for quite some years. It took me several angle grinder discs, loads of elbow grease and almost one year of time (since I didn’t have the time to work on it consequently).
DIY Washstand
I made a washbasin for the northern germany restroom from a very beautiful slice of walnut wood that I got hands on and some items that were left over from previous projects. Perhaps someone might draw some inspiration from it 🙂
