[Bob from Aus]

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I was wandering what kind of projects people are doing or planning during their lock down. I'm at serious risk if I get the virus, so I can see I'll be hiding at home for the next 6 months. Yesterday I could only wave to my grandkids from my deck as they peddled past on their bikes.

Around three weeks ago, I decided my cornoavirus project would be to scan my slides. I have about 2 cubic yards of them stored in files, albums and crates. Some are more than 40 years old. They are of family, work and wildlife. My decision was based on purchasing an epson V800 flat bed scanner that will do a dozen 35mm slides. It's been very therapeutic. Dianne at times will help me sort family photos and she is always excited to see the family scans. It brings back many fabulous memories.

I've set up in our large laundry which has a long bench and I have a mac, scanner and large light table. I can stick crates around the laundry as I go through boxes of slides and have a large bin to throw out dead slidest. Lightroom processing will be done on another computer.

This should keep me entertained for at least a couple of months and is some consolation for not being able to travel.

Best wishes to those bunkered down, and please share your projects.

[noelpolar]

Sounds very rewarding. Laundries are a great under utilised resource..... I take over ours each week for a day making pizza and bread.... have made a few large wooden trays that sit on the bench tops.

[Bob from Aus]

Sounds very rewarding. Laundries are a great under utilised resource.

I now have a license to use the laundry because Dianne is working from home and needs my computer to run lessons.

[luftfluss]

I'm cleaning out the basement.

[edom31]

I'm working on my landscape (very small back/front yard).

Also ordered a few prints and a few frames that I've been meaning to hang (we got the house mid 2019; still doing cosmetic work on it).

Speaking of cosmetic work - might be able to facelift the laundry room/utility room...

I already cleaned and organized my vinyl.

[brewmaster15]

Bob,
When not out in the yard taking pics I am doing as you.. Going through all my old slides and negatives... sorting and scanning. Im using an epson v600 and trying to use an old nikon coolscan Ls30. The v600 has been working ok for me... the old nikon coolscan has been a project itself to get up and running. I finally got some decent results with it today.

stay well!
AL

[MarkJerling]

I've built my son a weight lifting bench as the gym is off limits at the moment.\
And my wife is working on one of her quilting projects.

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[Just1MoreDave]

I started thinking about a "social distancing stick" as a joke, then I remembered I had to finish modifying a hiking stick for my wife. She wanted the ball at the top, which I bought.



Then I had to finish sharpening all my chisels. The ones on the left are just an eBay addiction. You can buy three or four rusty old chisels cheaply. The cleanup takes a while. I still have to work on getting the handles to match.



Today I cleared off the workbench and started making another canoe paddle, my third attempt.

[Bob from Aus]

Going through all my old slides and negatives... sorting and scanning. Im using an epson v600 and trying to use an old nikon coolscan Ls30

I have a very nice minolta scanner. However there are no current drivers so it can only be used on an ancient computer. Good to hear you got your Nikon scanner going.

---------- Post added 03-31-20 at 03:31 PM ----------

And my wife is working on one of her quilting projects.

And if Dianne was working and bringing the money (I have no work) she would be in her quilting room. It's at least as good as a mens shed.

[MarkJerling]

I started thinking about a "social distancing stick" as a joke, then I remembered I had to finish modifying a hiking stick for my wife. She wanted the ball at the top, which I bought.



Then I had to finish sharpening all my chisels. The ones on the left are just an eBay addiction. You can buy three or four rusty old chisels cheaply. The cleanup takes a while. I still have to work on getting the handles to match.



Today I cleared off the workbench and started making another canoe paddle, my third attempt.

You've just reminded me that I need to do a big tidy-up of my workshop area. It's long overdue.

[dstar]

Bought from closed gym station bike sign to 3 months pelaton free program
Place in garage add more strong WiFi connection
Work out for me and my wife
Peloton very good selection program

[noelpolar]

I decided life is too short for 12" pizzas.... so I made a 16" pizza peel and a 2 ft rectangle one.... tried them today.... much quicker results then making gym equipment.






Rotating the rectangular one in the oven was my mental exercise for today.

I gave my wife due consideration today and did the left 6inches as vegetarian.

A sheet of ply, a bit of dowel and a few hours.... nothing flash but does the job.


All SMC K30/2.8.... with canon S screen in K1.

[dstar]

I decided life is too short for 12" pizzas.... so I made a 16" pizza peel and a 2 ft rectangle one.... tried them today.... much quicker results then making gym equipment.






Rotating the rectangular one in the oven was my mental exercise for today.

I gave my wife due consideration today and did the left 6inches as vegetarian.

A sheet of ply, a bit of dowel and a few hours.... nothing flash but does the job.


All SMC K30/2.8.... with canon S screen in K1.

Look great

[brewmaster15]

I have a very nice minolta scanner. However there are no current drivers so it can only be used on an ancient computer. Good to hear you got your Nikon scanner

Bob, I also ran into lack of driver issues as mine uses a scsi card ... unsupported in the more modern windows . LINUX however works just fine and is free... . There is a good program called xsane that works free standing and can also be used in conjunction with Gimp as a plug in. Dust off the minolta and give it a try.

VUSCAN is supposed to work as well as a paid software under newer windows but I tried it with multiple os and it just would not work with the scsi card I have.

AL

[BigMackCam]

Although not a project as such, we've started a simple, enjoyable, regular mid-afternoon "activity"...

In December, after watching a documentary on YouTube, I bought a book called "Britain's Treasure Islands: A Journey to the UK Overseas Territories" by Stewart McPherson:

"This book accompanies the TV documentary series Britain's Treasure Islands, broadcast on the BBC and across the world. The UK Overseas Territories are Britain's most remote outposts. Scattered across all Seven Seas, the territories cover an area seven times the size of the United Kingdom. They are home to 350,000 British subjects and thousands of unique animals and plants, including many of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth... Join explorer and naturalist Stewart McPherson on his intrepid three year journey across all of the United Kingdom's overseas lands. Journeying on RAF flights, one of the last working Royal Mail ships, freight vessels, ice breakers and charter yachts, Stewart set out to discover the unique wildlife, history and cultures of the territories - the true treasure of these little-known outposts of the United Kingdom. Travel through tropical rainforests, exploding volcanoes, arid deserts, coral reefs and icy polar wastes to discover the thousands of unique species which call the Overseas Territories home, and learn the fascinating roles that each territory played in defining modern British and world history. Complimented by over one thousand spectacular, full-colour images, including dozens of full-page and double-page spreads, a special feature of this book is its 17 specially-commissioned gatefold maps that showcase the geography of each territory. No previous book has ever explored the subject in comparable detail. This visually spectacular work is both a fact-filled reference volume and a riveting account of Stewart's adventurous and exciting journey. The resulting 704 pages will transfix all audiences, and resonate particularly with all those interested in natural history, travel, exotic places, culture, geography, as well as British and world history."

I hadn't had a chance to read this huge tome since buying it, so a couple of days ago we decided to enjoy it together as a family. My Mum's not keen on reading anything other than magazines, whilst my Dad generally prefers short stories... Both, however, like watching documentaries - yet we've watched more TV than usual of late. So, as something different, I'm reading a little of the book each day to them, we're looking at the wonderful accompanying maps and photos together, and discussing it. In the last couple of days, reading just a few chapters of the book, we've already learned so much that we didn't know or had previously misunderstood.

It's a rather pleasant way to pass an hour of each day, especially with a big steaming mug of tea or coffee