Damn we must all be hibernating I can't believe Jan is 3/4s of the way down. Yea Dave, I saw those stickers but I already got the "JK" and Project-JK ones on my rig. How's life down on the Kenai lately?

 

Oh.......same ol' same ol'.......lol. Just work and home projects. A few weeks back I had to replace the hot water heater, now last weekend I had to replace the media in the iron filter......Always somethin'....

On a lighter note tho......may be just about to start building a bumper with a welder (and CJ owner) from work. Soon I hope.....

 

Dave I have no idea about a media and iron filter thingamajig If it's any consolation I had to replace the boiler a coupla weeks ago in the house here. Dayum those things are expensive especially finding one that will be in code with an older home.(or I got butt raped but not much you can do when it's in the teens and you have no heat)

You gonna post some pics with the bumper progress as it comes along?

 

Yeah, unfortunately I have pretty bad water here where I live. So besides needing a water softener, I need an Iron Filter before it as well. The "media", which are just some type of plastic beads, is what is used in an iron filter that attracts the iron from the water to them. Then after awhile, depending on how bad iron content is, it will regenerate, clean and back flush out the iron so they can separate the iron from the water all over again. These beads usually last around 5 years and then they won't attract the iron any more. So rather than by a new system.....real spendy, I chose to replace the media. I hope it works for awhile.

As far as the bumper goes.........don't hold your breath. Like I said, I "hope" it will happen soon, but I've been hoping that for months now. If it does I'll try and get pics of the progression.

 

Damn heat wave we got going on here in A-town Got the windows open trying to air out some of the winter funk. Rained at Kulis yesterday and I'm thinking of doing some work in my shed. Got a table saw for Christmas and remodeling the living room so I have a ton of new baseboard trim to cut and stain.

Anyone else having decent weather the past coupla days?

 

What kind of table saw did you get....portable, full size? I've had a Delta conractor's table saw for years now. Use it all the time. In fact just this past weekend I wrapped and trimmed out my kitchen window. I also have a router and planer, so I build all my own trim for the house.

Yeah....been mild again down here as well. As I type this it's 27.8. Rained flast Friday, but just a dusting of snow last night. I doubt we have 8 inches of snow on the ground. Been a real mild winter for sure.

 

Its a basic non-potable Skil saw, nothing too fancy for my needs. Maybe it's portable but it's a heavy sonofabitch. Just something to play around with and of course I can make angled cuts with it. I have a bunch of scraps lying around I'll work with first getting the feel for it before cutting into the good wood. You have any tips for staining? I was going to try and spray for a nice uniform coat but thinking maybe just an old fashioned rag works just as well.

We're the same here with the snow. If I have a foot in the yard I'd be surprised myself. Most has melt off the roof(metal) and now I have a barrier of ice about 3 feet high around the perimeter of the house Gotta get some more insulation in the attic this summer....projects never end

 

Yeah......no need for spraying on stain. Minwax now has some stuff out called "Gel Stain". It's like it says.....kinda jelly like and it helps to go on more evenly. Before, if you happened to get a drop on a spot and didn't see it, then came back to it, unless you you really darkened it up you would still see the drop. Gel stain is far better about that happening and it just applies a lot more consistent coat.

Are you just going to stain or will you top coat with some kind of varnish or polyurethane? Let me know as I do this stuff all the time.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the gel stuff Kinda new to stain and what not so taking baby steps. Right now it's going to just be for new baseboard trim along the walls. Wasn't going to topcoat or anything but get my feet wet working with the stuff. Am I going in the right direction by getting the unfinished pine trim at Lowe's and going from there? Any tips for prep or is the stuff pretty much ready for stain from the get go? Oh, and with the gel, rag or good camel-hair brush?

The big project I'll fumble with is our kitchen table this summer. Wife wants to sand it all down and make it all pretty again. I told her to quit being a pain in the ass and buy a new table.....did you know it's cold sleeping in the shed

 

The unfinished trim is pretty much ready to stain. Just make sure it's not dirty or something wasn't spilled on it, as it will take the stain differently. I notice you say "trim" so are you going to use regular trim / casing, like what is used to trim out a door, for your baseboard? I've seen people do it and I guess it's alright, but I'm not a big fan. Baseboard is usually a wider board with a different profile than trim. And to me a wider board just looks better on the floor. They sell unfinished pine baseboard as well.

I usually always use a rag. But it really depends on the type of stain used as well as the profile used on the board. Meaning sometimes a brush gets into the grooves better than a rag. No real need to use a spendy brush either Lots use a sponge brush.

Also....I know you said you weren't going to top coat, but having at least some type of finish on wood really helps to seal the wood against moisture and dirt. With the stuff they have out nowadays, it's really a breeze. For just a light finish, I am a real big fan of "Wipe On" Satin Polyurethane. After your stain is dry all you have to do is wipe this stuff on with a rag (you can use a brush if you want) and that's it. I usually put two coats but you don't have to. It's up to you of course, but I highly recommend it.

Good Luck....