What I did today -instead- of Rocketry.

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Watched the last Formula 1 race of the season...
My favorite Driver: Sebastian Vettel - GBR #5 Ferrari
finished fifth today, finished fifth overall for yearly points...
Should I play 555 for the daily number!?!

download.jpg
 
Vettle may be done w Ferrari...or vice versa.
I like Leclerc. Wonder if Renault let will stay in the engine manufacturing role...
 
Put up Christmas decorations. The little pine tree in the front yard isn't little anymore, next year I'm renting a cherry picker! Had out all my ladders, it wasn't enough.
 
Just got over the flu that’s been going around the company lately. Man I was out for three days last week and had a fever of 113 Fahrenheit. Boss was happy to see me again. Got caught up on work today.
 
Charles_McG said:
I hand dosed and filled 168 bottles with spikes of 27 different taste/aroma molecules using an improvised counter pressure filler.
Click to expand...
Can you speak more of the improvised counter pressure filler or is that off limits? Sounds interesting to say the least.
 
I didn’t think a fever of 113F was survivable. Typo maybe? Remember, biologist here. 103F in an adult is delirium and a hospital.

Counter-pressure, or isobaric, bottle filling isn’t new. It usually involves lots of valves, but I didn’t want to get my PLC driven semi-automatic filler dirty. It’s an hour setup and tear down.

I have a bottle filling wand that is essentially a straight tube with a foot valve on the bottom. Push it against the bottom of the bottle and it fills. But with an even moderately carbonated liquid, it foams with the pressure drop. Usually 5-10 psig. I found a spare rubber stopper that fit the top of the bottle and had a hole sized so I could slide it over the tube. I positioned it so that it sealed the bottle when I pushed down to open the foot valve. Imagine a backwards check valve with a pin sticking out - you push down and it lifts the seat. Release and it reseats and stops the flow. So the initial flow into the bottle foams, but that releases gas the pressurized the bottle. It stops foaming. It stops flowing, too - no more pressure drop. So I pressed against the stopper, or tilted it a bit, and let a small steady stream out. The bottle fills with liquid, with a tiny bit of bubbling. You stop at the top and wait for the stray bubbles to rise. Then release the pressure all at once ( lift up, break the seal, stop the flow). If most of the bubbles have already risen, it won’t gush. Then cap.
 
I finally finished shredding about 5 years worth of bills, credit card applications, bank statements, insurance policies, etc... All the paper that gets mailed to you, to support a household.

Yeah, the day finally came. We just piled it on top of the shredder, with eh intent to do it. This past week-end was 'the day'..
 
jqavins said:
Nice. So your fermenter is a (low) pressure vessel?
Click to expand...

I bottle from a ‘bright tank’ - typically held at 15psig for moderate carbonation. Fermentation is ambient pressure - or a fraction of a pound held back by the gas lock.

This cider was initially kegged back in the spring and set aside for this purpose. I haven’t checked my notes, but it looks like I didn’t filter it all the way to brilliance at the time. So I did that on Saturday and it was dreadful - a pectin haze blinded three sets of pads and two membranes. Not one of my better days.
 
Applied some old West Systems epoxy to a sheet of 3/4" plywood. I'm rebuilding an old trailer that we took out on the Bonneville salt flats for a couple of Hellfire launches. The corrosion is horrendous, lots of sandblasting and wire brushing. Then a coat of Rustoleum Rust reformer.
We spent several hours and dollars at the self car wash to clean off the salt, but you just can't get it all. Anybody taking a trailer out there should be prepared to write it off afterwards.
 
Boring old laundry and cleaning up. Booooo. Really wish my freaking Aerocon switches were here. I ordered them with next day delivery on a Friday but oh well.

Got another 13mm helicopter rocket apogee kit and more motors inbound Friday. Ermmmm. Just waiting in rocket components always feels sucky to say the least. No clue when my LOC kit or binder design switches or Loki 54/2800 casing get here.
 
Made dough for a two-crust apple pie which is chilling and will be filled and baked tomorrow. Used to be that my crust turned out crumbly or tough or soggy, so I used those Pillsbury disks of dough until I found a recipe that actually makes a decent homemade crust.
FWIW, for a 1 crust pie (I've not tried blind baking yet but will give the instructions):
125 g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
85 g (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 12 pieces
60 g sour cream

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Sprinkle butter pieces over the mixture and pulse again until coarse crumbs form. Add sour cream and pulse again until mixture begins to clump together. Shape dough into a ball, flatten slightly into a disc. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove chilled pie dough from refrigerator and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Allow dough to sit for about 5 minutes and then roll dough out into a 12" circle and fit into a 9" or 10" glass pie dish. If pie crust is to be used with a baked filling, follow that recipe's instructions for filling and baking. To blind bake, transfer your prepared pie dish to the freezer and preheat your oven to 350F. After a few minutes, remove the pie dish and gently line with aluminum foil or parchment paper; make sure the edges are covered so that they do not over-brown/burn. Fill the aluminum with sugar and place pie pan on an aluminum cookie sheet. Transfer to oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. Allow to cool completely before lifting out the aluminum foil and sugar, and finishing with desired filling.

PS: If you don't have a kitchen scale yet, fercryinoutloud, GET ONE! It's so easy to put the bowl on the scale, tare, add ingredient #1 till there's enough, tare, ingredient #2... And fewer dishes to wash!!
 
prfesser said:
Made dough for a two-crust apple pie which is chilling and will be filled and baked tomorrow. Used to be that my crust turned out crumbly or tough or soggy, so I used those Pillsbury disks of dough until I found a recipe that actually makes a decent homemade crust.
FWIW, for a 1 crust pie (I've not tried blind baking yet but will give the instructions):
125 g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
85 g (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 12 pieces
60 g sour cream

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Sprinkle butter pieces over the mixture and pulse again until coarse crumbs form. Add sour cream and pulse again until mixture begins to clump together. Shape dough into a ball, flatten slightly into a disc. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove chilled pie dough from refrigerator and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Allow dough to sit for about 5 minutes and then roll dough out into a 12" circle and fit into a 9" or 10" glass pie dish. If pie crust is to be used with a baked filling, follow that recipe's instructions for filling and baking. To blind bake, transfer your prepared pie dish to the freezer and preheat your oven to 350F. After a few minutes, remove the pie dish and gently line with aluminum foil or parchment paper; make sure the edges are covered so that they do not over-brown/burn. Fill the aluminum with sugar and place pie pan on an aluminum cookie sheet. Transfer to oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. Allow to cool completely before lifting out the aluminum foil and sugar, and finishing with desired filling.

PS: If you don't have a kitchen scale yet, fercryinoutloud, GET ONE! It's so easy to put the bowl on the scale, tare, add ingredient #1 till there's enough, tare, ingredient #2... And fewer dishes to wash!!
Click to expand...

But what kind of apples??
 
The orchard I work with grows about 200 varieties. I get spoiled. Most of our pies are one of each on hand.
Northern Spy and Wolf River are pie favorites locally.
 
I like pie from Romes or Macs. Gravenstiens are the best, but hard to get. For me, Granny Smiths give up too much water and make a watery pie.

PXR5 said:
My associate dragged me to a shopping mall...
Click to expand...
I feel your pain. I make it a policy not to go to a mall at any thime from Thanksgiving until New Years. I just won't do it.

prfesser said:
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Sprinkle butter pieces over the mixture and pulse again until coarse crumbs form. Add sour cream and pulse again until mixture begins to clump together.
Click to expand...
This works best if you keep you flour in the freezer. Keeping everything cold is key.
PS: If you don't have a kitchen scale yet, fercryinoutloud, GET ONE! It's so easy to put the bowl on the scale, tare, add ingredient #1 till there's enough, tare, ingredient #2... And fewer dishes to wash!!
Click to expand...
It's also way more accurate than measuring by volume, as densities vary far more than you might expect. Especially for flour. Even sifted flour is not consistent. Measuring by weight is far superior, if you can find recipes that give ingredient weights or you're making up your own. And you're likely to find yourself using a good kitchen scale for other things around the house, like -oh, I don't know - rocket parts?
 
Ender spool mod.jpg Re-Bracketed the spool holder on my 3d printer. I was tired of having to slide the printer forward to put on or take off a spool...
 
prfesser said:
Made dough for a two-crust apple pie which is chilling and will be filled and baked tomorrow. Used to be that my crust turned out crumbly or tough or soggy, so I used those Pillsbury disks of dough until I found a recipe that actually makes a decent homemade crust.
FWIW, for a 1 crust pie (I've not tried blind baking yet but will give the instructions):
125 g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
85 g (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 12 pieces
60 g sour cream

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Sprinkle butter pieces over the mixture and pulse again until coarse crumbs form. Add sour cream and pulse again until mixture begins to clump together. Shape dough into a ball, flatten slightly into a disc. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove chilled pie dough from refrigerator and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Allow dough to sit for about 5 minutes and then roll dough out into a 12" circle and fit into a 9" or 10" glass pie dish. If pie crust is to be used with a baked filling, follow that recipe's instructions for filling and baking. To blind bake, transfer your prepared pie dish to the freezer and preheat your oven to 350F. After a few minutes, remove the pie dish and gently line with aluminum foil or parchment paper; make sure the edges are covered so that they do not over-brown/burn. Fill the aluminum with sugar and place pie pan on an aluminum cookie sheet. Transfer to oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. Allow to cool completely before lifting out the aluminum foil and sugar, and finishing with desired filling.

PS: If you don't have a kitchen scale yet, fercryinoutloud, GET ONE! It's so easy to put the bowl on the scale, tare, add ingredient #1 till there's enough, tare, ingredient #2... And fewer dishes to wash!!
Click to expand...
My recipe is similar but uses shortening in lieu of butter. I used it for an apple pie for work yesterday. The recipe make enough for 2 bottoms, so the pie is topped with a sugar crumble and baked in a paper bag to brown the topping instead of melting it.
 
While everyone else on the forum was building rockets. I was stuck in a car for eight hours driving home from family. It’s good to see family and all. I just dislike long drives somedays loooool.
 
I was busy doing Christmas stuff (cleaning house for the last 2 weeks, Christmas dinner (BBQ helped out of the turkey.....very recommended), opening gifts, playing board games, etc). Honestly I haven't touch anything rocketry-wise for the last 2 months. Just been busy with life.

I do have a couple of builds collecting dust....I should get back to them when time permits.
 
Don't understand "haven't touched anything rocketry for two months"
I hope you meant two hours. That's about as long as I can last.
 
Brought back a small present from the inlaws. Let me tell you it's a lot easier to load with four people than to use a tiny tractor to unload.IMG_20191226_143901.jpg
 

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