MacGyver

I’m glad he lived long enough to get clean and see some acclaim. His version of Smile that was released around 2000 and was his version of their abandoned version from the 60’s is truly a great album.

Man, look at the finish on that thing!

Those first two are perfect little bird knives.

Wow. Tell me if you find my 16mm too?

@BigK is right. A bead won’t do anything a 3/8 nut - or even a stopper knot on your paracord won’t do. But, you should enjoy the gear your carry. So, if it brings you joy, go for it. I’ve run beads from CountyComm and LunchNW over the years. Casey Lynch’s deep carry pocket clips are great - and it’s a true “made in the USA” small business.

Hey, congrats! I knew some kids graduating yesterday morning. I wonder if they knew each other? Tennessee Tech had taught some great engineers over the years - and a lot of other things too. Y’all should be so proud.

I’ve run two separate four stroke Yamahas. First a 90 and currently a 115. They’ve both been great. They are quiet and really sip fuel. I was hesitant the first time around. I really wanted a Honda. I’d buy another one in a hot second. I’ve run a few Tohatsus on skiffs. They’re fine I guess. I wouldn’t take one further than I could swim or row. Honestly with the tariffs, I expect that ship has sailed so to speak. These days for micro skiffs and paddleboards I love the Honda 2hp four stroke. That’s my goto.

Making a knife isn’t terribly hard. You can do it with a hack saw, hand files, some sanding/polishing stuff - and a lot of elbow grease. Everybody needs a hobby - and this is a good one. I’d encourage anyone to try their hand at it. Even the patron saint of TGO knife makers @Grand Torino got started by looking at a few YouTube videos and saying, “yeah, I think I could do that.” Just because anyone can - doesn’t necessarily mean everyone should. Knifemaking takes time. And if people are at a market somewhere with a whole table full of knives - I’d look carefully at the quality before committing. For my money, I’m first interested in the steel. Is it 1095 or 1084? These aren’t the most modern steels - and that’s okay. They can be effectively heat treated by a hobbyist - are easy to sharpen, and can be made just blisteringly sharp. They’re a carbon steel - so they’ll rust if neglected. Second, just take a good look at the blade. Is it ground evenly? Is it consistently sharp down the length of the blade? You’ll be able to visually see the care a maker has put into a knife. At the end of the day though, by what appeals to you - and by all means support your local makers. If I lined all the knives I’ve bought over the years up end to end - they’d probably reach from here to the state line. I could pare down to a few if need be I guess - but then I’d probably just start over.

I’ve got a friend with three that they’ve paddled hundreds of miles. They’re amazingly durable.

Hey, that’s great news!

That’s about as good as a 9mm 1911 gets. Nice.

May as well keep it in the family.

I need to talk to you about the choices you’re making…

I bet that reloader is no longer in business…

Ask the seller in the thread to PM you.

That’s a good looking knife!

Metro’s emergency alert system seems to work. We were getting warnings for about three hours. My poor dog decided that whatever the weather risk was - that was surely better than the noise all those phones were making. She checked herself out of the safe space and went and hid in her crate.

That’s right. Sugar can be used in a lot of instances - but salt is what really does the trick. Another note - this is advice for unprocessed cuts of meat. If you look at the package and it says, “this product may contain up to 10% solution for moisture” the processor has already ruined it. Not need to screw with it trying to make it more palatable.

A good brine will make a potentially tough piece of meat a lot juicier. It will take a good piece of meat and make it even more flavorful. They basic principle is that they help the meat retain moisture by osmosis, denaturing, and surface dehydration. That's a lot - so if you remember high school biology - you'll remember that salt water moves from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration. So, since the cells in the meat have a lower concentration of salt than the mixture - they draw that moisture in. This is one of the key reasons that the same wet brine in your recipe will make your Thanksgiving turkey way juicier. That meat is drawing the moisture in from the mixture. Second - it denatures or unravels some of the proteins that hold some of the muscle fibers together. This helps to make a tough cut much more tender. Last, some of the cells on the outside of the meat will actually absorb so much saltwater that they swell until they explode - thus drying out the surface. Even though it sounds like something you might not want - you can use this to your advantage because it locks some of the moisture in and keeps it from escaping. Thus, patting a brined meat dry and then searing it really well will give you a great crust - and lock in a ton of moisture. That same brine recipe in your post would work great on poultry - especially turkey that can be quite dry. It'll also improve a chuck roast. Think of the roasts you've had cooked in a crock pot that were just dry. Brine it, pat it dry, and sear it before putting it in the crock pot and you'll have an exponentially better piece of meat to go with those potatoes and carrots and onions. As to dry brining - I love to generously rub a good steak down with kosher salt and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator for a few days. The salt is going to draw moisture out - and that will help produce a great crust. Truth be told - I dry brine as opposed to wet brining most of the time. My preferred mix before putting a piece of meat on the smoker is half and half salt and sugar - maybe with a little teriyaki sauce if it's a piece of salmon. On fish, I generally give it a good rinse before putting it on the smoker. Here's a great explainer: https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-dry-brine

A good brine - dry or wet - will improve just about any piece of meat. That sounds great.

There is no one as special as a grandparent that loves you. I’m so sorry for your loss.

I was just thinking about that the other day. There are some folks I really miss.

Oh. Agreed. Just seems like the one in Memphis was a complete dud. i think the group organizing it would like it to be a way bigger deal than it actually seems to be.

I think we may be to the point that it’s gotten more attention here than just about anywhere else.

Imagine if Ernst Blofeld had access to Ketamine.