Well, maybe not as silly as thinking I should buy that old game called "Operation" to practice picking up and placing bullets. I learned my lesson with the handle already. I may decide to replace the Bakelite with something a bit more robust though. My pick-n-place operation needs tuning and re-tooling. I did the 35s with a set of curved hemostats and the control was great, but they left marks if I didn't clear the coated surface with the tines suddenly - like dropping the bullet from 1/16" off the parchment by quickly opening the jaws. I modified a set of long needle-nose pliers with no jaw serrations, but they're balky opening and closing. I have extra hemostats at work and know just which set I will bring home and do this "nose-job" on, and should be much less apt to knock over bullets or mar the noses.
I thought I was going to have to go out and buy a new convection toaster oven, but this is working just fine. I'll need to bypass the 15-minute mechanical timer, but that's easy enough. If I end up doing this more often, I may just mount a dedicated controller to it. It's 1450W, element on top and bottom, all stainless and pretty robust. I think I paid $15 for it on the big auction site in 2007 or '8. Finally getting some use out of it.
So far, the only thing I've had to BUY to make this work is the powder. I'm not counting the thin silicone mats since they won't be part of the project, but they will find their purpose some day, as most things I've kept long enough do - it just won't be for THIS. All the help and information shared here is, well, priceless.
I totally "get" the dry-run concept, too, Ian. I build furniture (not often enough any more) and dry assemble EVERYTHING before ANYTHING sees a spot of glue. Everything get s laid out, steps are reviewed and written down, if required, clamps positoned strategically - the whole nine yards. It doesn't take longer either, because if I DON'T do that "dry-run," something WILL go wrong and recovering always takes longer than practicing.
Some people don't know that as aliphatic resins absorb into wood, that the cells swell and make tenons GROW. SOME people DO know that, only because they once patiently and painstakingly put glue on EIGHT tenons (hey, aliphatic resins set slowly) and each one got harder and harder to beat into its previously perfectly sized mortise. I may learn the hard way sometimes, but one is less apt to forget the most painful lessons.
I thought I was going to have to go out and buy a new convection toaster oven, but this is working just fine. I'll need to bypass the 15-minute mechanical timer, but that's easy enough. If I end up doing this more often, I may just mount a dedicated controller to it. It's 1450W, element on top and bottom, all stainless and pretty robust. I think I paid $15 for it on the big auction site in 2007 or '8. Finally getting some use out of it.
So far, the only thing I've had to BUY to make this work is the powder. I'm not counting the thin silicone mats since they won't be part of the project, but they will find their purpose some day, as most things I've kept long enough do - it just won't be for THIS. All the help and information shared here is, well, priceless.
I totally "get" the dry-run concept, too, Ian. I build furniture (not often enough any more) and dry assemble EVERYTHING before ANYTHING sees a spot of glue. Everything get s laid out, steps are reviewed and written down, if required, clamps positoned strategically - the whole nine yards. It doesn't take longer either, because if I DON'T do that "dry-run," something WILL go wrong and recovering always takes longer than practicing.
Some people don't know that as aliphatic resins absorb into wood, that the cells swell and make tenons GROW. SOME people DO know that, only because they once patiently and painstakingly put glue on EIGHT tenons (hey, aliphatic resins set slowly) and each one got harder and harder to beat into its previously perfectly sized mortise. I may learn the hard way sometimes, but one is less apt to forget the most painful lessons.