[Kiwi645hauler]

Not quite a full Pentax, but Ricoh have just announced the GR IIIx, not as a replacement for the GRIII but as a compliment.. Still APS-C 24mp but the lens is now a 40mm equivalent f2.8! Pricing hasnt been confirmed for NZ but ETA hopefully late October/Nov

[Kiwizinho]

My father spent every 'late-night Friday' (Yes a long while ago!) buying woodworking tools and machinery in anticipation of his retirement.

As he was a lifelong Heavy-Machinery Mechanic the desire did not translate to any interest, and I am now unpacking and using pristine kit.... (repeat...never-ever used !)

Triton saw bench complete with ancillary sheet table, Masport Dyco table saw... Masport 350 Band-saw, Omega Drill-press,
and a few barely used others...Fuji Lever Roller-Chain Hoist. (Mostly Kiwi or Aussie made back when we actually made things ;-)

I am intending to hammer them as often as time allows and have them all expire from use before I do !! .

My auntie died last year, with multiple storage units full of stuff. Red Cross made over $20K out of her estate, and apparently had never seen anything like it.

One of the things I like about digital photography as a hobby, is if you're going to hoard photos, you can do so without taking up much physical space, even with multiple backups of everything.

Even my gear collection doesn't take up much space compared to other possible hobbies, although I'm glad I haven't got too serious about portraits as studio lighting equipment tends to be bulky.

[MarkJerling]

With all this talk about old sheds and rusting things. I'm looking for two things: One large, one small.
Large: A Model T Ford in any condition for restoration, not for hotrodding.
Small: Any parts for a Victor D talking machine.

This is a Victor D:



Almost like this, but not quite...

[Kiwizinho]

Very nice, looks like you had fun

I still need more practice, and need to work out what kind of images make the best cyanotypes.

As an aside, I was doing some research on the chemistry, as I understand there are issues to consider to ensure the long term stability of cyanotypes, and quite by chance came across a paper from 2018 in a reputable scientific journal investigating the anti-viral properties of one of the ingredients.
In the conclusion of the paper, the researchers stated that although generally non-toxic (indeed it's an approved food additive), the chemical in question could cause unpleasant side-effects when taken orally in high doses, so they helpfully suggested investigating suppositories as an alternative form of administration.
Obviously none of the conspiracy theorists or alternative remedy people have found that paper, otherwise I suspect I wouldn't have been able to get hold of the ingredients to make cyanotypes.
I'm quite happy for them to stick to dosing themselves with anti-malarials, and enough veterinary medication to worm a horse, since I'm not aware of any means to use these to create images.
The other ingredient contains the cyanide ion, which is actually quite safe in the context of cyanotype for the same reason it's toxic on it's own; it binds strongly to iron, which is present in the chemistry of cyanotype, but is also present in haemoglobin in blood. The cyanide can be released from the iron with certain strong chemicals though, so the optional practice of toning cyanotypes if done with too much of the wrong chemicals might earn an entry in the Darwin Awards.

[GUB]

I still need more practice, and need to work out what kind of images make the best cyanotypes.

As an aside, I was doing some research on the chemistry, as I understand there are issues to consider to ensure the long term stability of cyanotypes, and quite by chance came across a paper from 2018 in a reputable scientific journal investigating the anti-viral properties of one of the ingredients.
In the conclusion of the paper, the researchers stated that although generally non-toxic (indeed it's an approved food additive), the chemical in question could cause unpleasant side-effects when taken orally in high doses, so they helpfully suggested investigating suppositories as an alternative form of administration.
Obviously none of the conspiracy theorists or alternative remedy people have found that paper, otherwise I suspect I wouldn't have been able to get hold of the ingredients to make cyanotypes.
I'm quite happy for them to stick to dosing themselves with anti-malarials, and enough veterinary medication to worm a horse, since I'm not aware of any means to use these to create images.
The other ingredient contains the cyanide ion, which is actually quite safe in the context of cyanotype for the same reason it's toxic on it's own; it binds strongly to iron, which is present in the chemistry of cyanotype, but is also present in haemoglobin in blood. The cyanide can be released from the iron with certain strong chemicals though, so the optional practice of toning cyanotypes if done with too much of the wrong chemicals might earn an entry in the Darwin Awards.

and enough veterinary medication to worm a horse,

Yep I won't need my top up injection tomorrow - got enough of that ivermectin today just as splashage from doing the bulls. A wonder drug that fully deserves it's 2015 nobel prize.

[GUB]

With all this talk about old sheds and rusting things. I'm looking for two things: One large, one small.
Large: A Model T Ford in any condition for restoration, not for hotrodding.
Small: Any parts for a Victor D talking machine.

This is a Victor D:



Almost like this, but not quite...

I think there is still 2 -4 wooden T wheels in the recesses of my shed.

[MarkJerling]

I think there is still 2 -4 wooden T wheels in the recesses of my shed.

Cool! Save them for me will ya?

[zkarj]

Fathers who collected things that never got used. Mine collected plastic aircraft kits, all 1/72nd scale. He taught my brother, who I learned off mostly, though I also got some direct help on some matters. My brother still builds a few and my nephew has the bug. But in all the years I can remember, Dad only built one I can recall. It was an incredible build, though. All I remember specifically was the ordered from overseas canopy moulding, and the boom made from fuse wire (and more than a little swearing).

13.4cm long total!

[Kiwizinho]

Fathers who collected things that never got used. Mine collected plastic aircraft kits, all 1/72nd scale. He taught my brother, who I learned off mostly, though I also got some direct help on some matters. My brother still builds a few and my nephew has the bug. But in all the years I can remember, Dad only built one I can recall. It was an incredible build, though. All I remember specifically was the ordered from overseas canopy moulding, and the boom made from fuse wire (and more than a little swearing).

13.4cm long total!

I built a fair few of them in my younger days - and my daughter demolished a fair few of them.

One flying boat that I was particularly proud of got demolished by a falling clock. I guess you call that a time bomb?

I still have a few kits lying around that haven't been built as marriage, parenthood and photography got in the way, but at the time I bought them, there was a reasonable prospect that I was going to build them.

My daughter is quite keen on aircraft, and now that she's learnt from experience that the things do not fly particularly well, I think she might enjoy helping me complete those that remain unfinished.

Somewhere, I've also got a diesel model aircraft motor - I could never figure how to get the thing going reliably, and painstakingly building balsa models, only to watch them crash and self-destruct was a bit soul destroying.

I've also got a glow motor that I did get going, complete with ejecting enough castor oil smoke in its exhaust to make a Sopwith Camel pilot proud.

[zkarj]

Somewhere, I've also got a diesel model aircraft motor - I could never figure how to get the thing going reliably, and painstakingly building balsa models, only to watch them crash and self-destruct was a bit soul destroying.

In my late teens I watched on as my brother and brother-in-law painstakingly built, painted, briefly flew (under instruction) and then totalled a nifty RC aircraft. It wasn't a replica of anything, just a training aircraft kit. After that they went to a different kind of kit. The fuselage was essentially a square-section drain-pipe. The tail boom a smaller cross section. The wings were attached with rubber bands, and the whole empennage (tail section) was removable/replaceable. Basically it was designed to crash and then be back in the air within a short time. We'd go out to a flying club near McKay's Crossing and watch far more skilled pilots with amazing machines, including a Piper Cub that must have been 6 feet across and nearly entered the boot of my brother's car while we were sitting there watching it!

[Kiwi645hauler]

Fathers who collected things that never got used. Mine collected plastic aircraft kits, all 1/72nd scale. He taught my brother, who I learned off mostly, though I also got some direct help on some matters. My brother still builds a few and my nephew has the bug. But in all the years I can remember, Dad only built one I can recall. It was an incredible build, though. All I remember specifically was the ordered from overseas canopy moulding, and the boom made from fuse wire (and more than a little swearing).

13.4cm long total!

Very cool, i am currently in the process of building Model Rail kits with the plan to build a model railway layout. I am working in a scale known as NZ120 which is 1:120 scale, but runs on N scale track which depending if you run English or American is 1:148 or 1:160 scale. I have white metal kits for some NZ Rail loco's and wagons, i am at the painting point for an NZR DFT Class diesel loco. I wonder if a link to my non camera blog would be ok...

[zkarj]

My brother had an HO layout for many years and I think I may even have some N gauge stuff in a box somewhere from an early collaboration my wife and I planned that never turned into anything.

I've seen the NZ120 stuff in shops, and have also seen various NZ layouts at the train show that is often put on in Lower Hutt (been three times I think) and the one in Napier which I think I saw the first time when we were up there for a family wedding in pre-digital days (sometime 1998-2002), but may have been on my honeymoon in 1991. Most recently we were there in 2017 and I have just finished reprocessing the photos from that trip.

[Kiwi645hauler]

That is a cool shot,
Most of the NZR stuff in shops is all the HO based Frateschi NZ87 which is not quite prototypical of NZR stuff.

It is very cool though, i enjoy working on something that not many in my club work on

My brother had an HO layout for many years and I think I may even have some N gauge stuff in a box somewhere from an early collaboration my wife and I planned that never turned into anything.

I've seen the NZ120 stuff in shops, and have also seen various NZ layouts at the train show that is often put on in Lower Hutt (been three times I think) and the one in Napier which I think I saw the first time when we were up there for a family wedding in pre-digital days (sometime 1998-2002), but may have been on my honeymoon in 1991. Most recently we were there in 2017 and I have just finished reprocessing the photos from that trip.

[MarkJerling]

Very cool, i am currently in the process of building Model Rail kits with the plan to build a model railway layout. I am working in a scale known as NZ120 which is 1:120 scale, but runs on N scale track which depending if you run English or American is 1:148 or 1:160 scale. I have white metal kits for some NZ Rail loco's and wagons, i am at the painting point for an NZR DFT Class diesel loco. I wonder if a link to my non camera blog would be ok...

If you add the link to your signature, that will be perfectly fine in terms of the rules.

[zkarj]

I've just done a study of my 55-300 shooting parameters using Lightroom Classic's nifty filtering tools. I said before I almost always shoot at f/11. Certainly since I've had the WR, there was a period where I seem to have tried out f/8 for a bit before returning to f/11 and all the other stops barely get a look in. But with the previous ED model, I guess I took a while to learn where that sweet spot was, but once again, f/11 rules the roost. I also thought it would be interesting to look at the focal length used. I would have picked that 300mm would rule here, but I was surprised by how uniform the other values were (noting that LR normalises these to a discrete set of numbers).

The ED was used 11 Jan 2009 – 2 Oct 2017 (8.8 years)
The WR has been in use 4 Oct 2017 – present (4 years)