The new mower with the old mower in her arms
Yes, I broke down and bought a new one. Or Uncle B did. I didn’t think I was up to a carburetor disassembly (my hands still aren’t quite right).
(My blog knows I’m in England and would really like me to spell that carburretor).
Also, the old one had a hole in the rubber pumpy bulb thing and the cover to the air filter won’t stay on. It’s time, I guess.
I’m going to miss the old one, though. You can see how little it is compared to the new one (which is the current smallest one they make). With the plastic decking (no rust!) it was super light and maneuverable.
(My blog would really like me to spell that manoeuvrable).
The new one doesn’t have that rubber pumpy bulb thing. This concerns me. That was an important part of getting ‘er started on every other lawnmower I’ve owned so far. Do they really not need it no more?
June 2, 2021 — 7:37 pm
Comments: 14
Not a gemstone
Hast thou heard of Fordite. It’s overspray from car spray booths – hundreds and hundreds of layers of it – baked hundreds and hundreds of times and (usually) as hard as a gemstone. This article says 997 layers per inch, though that seems a little precise to me.
Eventually, the clumps of overspray got in the way and were chipped off and thrown away. I imagine in the era of “any color as long as it’s black” it wasn’t particularly interesting stuff. But the colorful ones people often took home to keep.
Also called ‘Detroit agate’ or ‘motor agate’ or even the specialized Corvettite. People do make jewellery out of it – it’s apparently light enough to be especially good for earrings and pendants. Early bits are more subdued, then the colors get louder and louder. Remember that?
In the 80’s, they switched to a different process. No more spray booths and baking. That means the supply of Fordite is limited, and we all know what THAT means.
Judging by the Ebay listings, there’s still plenty to be had., but the prices are getting on for semi-precious gemstone territory.
I just did another Ebay search. Man, people make some stupid stuff out of amethyst.
June 1, 2021 — 8:29 pm
Comments: 11