What Irked You Today?

[TarheelRick]

8 hours ago, A modeler named mike said:

there is light at the end of the tunnel! 

Just hoping it's not a freight train.

[TarheelRick]

10 hours ago, stavanzer said:

That's what You Think!

I'll bet the Softball team gets Carl's Jr. tonight.

Other than being engulfed in charcoal smoke, that was the most enjoyable part of the day. I love those girls and would do anything for them.

[A modeler named mike]

3 minutes ago, TarheelRick said:

Just hoping it's not a freight train.

I hadn't thought of that, but your a retired Vet, so I'm sure you've handled worst. That being said, Thank you for your service. I truly appreciate all that you and others like yourself have sacrificed for others! 🙏

[stavanzer]

Found Out Yesterday that one of my oldest Friends had passed away 3 weeks ago. We have known each other for 45 years. We don't talk as often as we used to. I was caught totally off guard, by the news. Still processing it.

He was a Model Builder, and Vietnam Vet. Only 73 Years Old. He built 1/35 Scale Tanks, and 1/32 Airplanes. He dabbled with Sports cars too. I know he had talked about owning and someday build the Revell Nissan (Datsun) 510, racer, and the Revell Porsche 904.

I'll miss him!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Hypocrisy. You have to be pretty stupid...and devoid of self-awareness...to chastise other people for what you do yourself.

Edited April 3 by Ace-Garageguy

[89AKurt]

On 3/20/2025 at 9:40 AM, 89AKurt said:

Two or three months later, still having an incompetent kleptocrat on a power trip, telling me to screw up my drawings because she says so.  Last job of my career, and I'm having a (bleeper) raising my blood pressure.

Yea I'm quoting myself. 🙄  Only two weeks later did we get a permit.  So off to the Pleased thread.

[slusher]

Not so much irked but nervous with these storms and tornado warnings and watches constantly going off. My  son is scared to death and my cat. My son would not go to sleep until the power came back on"..

[TonyK]

Black and Decker tools. It used to be these were the top of the line but not so sure now. I've had a hedge trimmer and grass trimmer for about a year and they are both manual types.

The hedge trimmer had a loose handle and I managed to make it work better with duct tape. Doesn't look good but I'm able to use it without the handle falling off.

Yesterday the grass trimmer went "snap" and some plastic part inside that controls the spring broke so it's useless.

[TarheelRick]

6 hours ago, TonyK said:

Black and Decker tools. It used to be these were the top of the line but not so sure now. I've had a hedge trimmer and grass trimmer for about a year and they are both manual types.

I dumped most of my B&D tools a few years back. Was having too many issues with them so I switched to Porter Cable, pretty satisfied with the change.

[Mark]

I believe the Black & Decker brand is being phased out; it was bought out along with several other brands, and the new owner already owns a couple of other tool brands.  I have been seeing other B&D branded items (spray paint, sandpaper) at closeout stores.

[A modeler named mike]

Just my opinion and from a woodworking point of view from using B&D tools in a cabinet shop. They're what we called throw away tools. Years ago they weren't that bad, but that was long ago. The palm sanders didn't last long, and their routers were junk, Same goes for Ridgid tools. I'm with Ricky, Porter Cable is a far more superior product. We also had a Freud 3 1/4 HP 1/2" shank plunge router that was great.

[Mark]

I'm surprised about Ridgid tools having gone downhill.  The first time I worked in construction (in the office), they were the go-to for things like pumps for dewatering trenches.  I've got one of their submersible sump pumps in my house, I bought it about 25 years ago and it's been great. A while back, I thought about getting another one for backup, but Lowe's and Home Depot don't stock Ridgid in the stores, they're pushing their own in-house brands.  

Ridgid had nice calendars back in the Eighties though.

[Old Buckaroo]

5 minutes ago, Mark said:

Ridgid had nice calendars back in the Eighties though.

Almost everybody had nice calendars back then !

[TonyK]

I had forgotten about those calendars. Used to get them from some contact I had but all that is "politically incorrect" now. Guessing Snap-On calendars are boring now too?

[89AKurt]

Woodworkers unite!  There should be a thread just for this subject!  I never used B&D, Makita has been my go to, still have the router that eased all the edges on my house.  Have a cordless Ridgid drill which I like alot, but the same battery on the reciprocating saw won't stay in place, have to hold it while using it, which is unsafe, so that's due for destruction.  Got a new Stihl chainsaw, the first one lasted over 30 years but can't get an air filter, and it was running bad anyway, can't start the new one to save my life.  I have a woodshop, just did a major purging cleanup recently, replaced the fluorescent lights for LED (now there aren't kits to convert, just buy the whole unit), so I'm ready to help make trophies for the antique auto club show.
Oh wait, this is the Irk thread, try finding a tool *not* Made In China.

[Ace-Garageguy]

17 hours ago, TarheelRick said:

I dumped most of my B&D tools a few years back. Was having too many issues with them so I switched to Porter Cable, pretty satisfied with the change.

 

2 hours ago, Mark said:

I believe the Black & Decker brand is being phased out; it was bought out along with several other brands, and the new owner already owns a couple of other tool brands.  I have been seeing other B&D branded items (spray paint, sandpaper) at closeout stores.

Some few years back, somebody gave me a bunch of B&D rechargeable-battery tools. I thought it was a nice score until I tried to actually use them. Pretend "tools", from my perspective.

Decades ago the brand made decent stuff.

Typical. Buy the name, cheapen the product as much as possible while "offshoring" production, run it into the ground. 

Happily for me, most of my 30 to 50 year-old US-made tools still work fine.

EDIT: Somehow, we need to break the popular illusion that cheap  offshore-made goods are actually worth buying.

You don't always get what you pay for, but you ALWAYS pay for what you get.

Quality  costs  more.

 

 

Edited April 5 by Ace-Garageguy

[Big John]

Cheap and Inexpensive are not =  Always bought quality tools and took good care of them. 40 yr on they still work well.

[NOBLNG]

I’m gonna twist this tube in half before the lid comes off.🤬 Nice of them to give me a big knurled lid though so I can really get a grip on it.🤯

Edited April 6 by NOBLNG

[FoMoCo66]

Went to put some clear on my model painted with testors enamel metallic red and almost emedietly lifted . Now I have to go back to the hobby shop for the 3rd time after 2 painting misshaps. Hopefully 3rd times the charm though.

Edited April 6 by FoMoCo66
Pic added

[JollySipper]

Oh, that's too bad! I saw how nice that paint job looked in the other thread......... What clear? DupliColor, if you have a way to get that, makes a clear that's safe over pretty much everything. It's called 1K Clear.......... If you want to try it, just be sure to get the high gloss one, as they have a pearl one also..........

[crazyjim]

Looks like lacquer over enamel.

[John M.]

Weatherwise, it's a repeat of last weekend. Drizzles, cool and raw so a nice drive in my newly purchased 09 Corolla is out of the question. 

[stavanzer]

Rottweilers!

And their incessant Chewing. She tried to eat an extension cord winder this morning, and is trying to Chew on my new Weedeater.......

She's two years and 3 months old.

When does it stop?

[Rodent]

26 minutes ago, stavanzer said:

When does it stop?

When they die, if my S.I.L.'s experience is any evidence. Her Rott's favorite chew toys were the inside windowsills. It lasted until she passed.

[FoMoCo66]

2 hours ago, JollySipper said:

Oh, that's too bad! I saw how nice that paint job looked in the other thread......... What clear? DupliColor, if you have a way to get that, makes a clear that's safe over pretty much everything. It's called 1K Clear.......... If you want to try it, just be sure to get the high gloss one, as they have a pearl one also..........

Yeah I was really happy with it. I was using rustoleum enamel clear which I've had really good luck with over their other paints. I thought sence it's a enamel it would work... and it did on my test spoon. I think I just got impatient and sprayed it on to thick. I will probably decant and try again.

2 hours ago, crazyjim said:

Looks like lacquer over enamel.

No it was actually a enamel paint over enamel. Just a little too heavy and hot for the testors.