Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

Popperwell wrote: »

If needs be I'll take the plug off the TV.

No need to take the plug off.

Just disconnect the aerial and detune.

Disconnect any STBs and store away.

You can still legally use the TV, for Bluray/DVD/VHS, games consoles, CCTV, indeed anything but watching/recording LIVE TV.

GreyQueen

boultdj wrote: »

I also have had fun trying to communicate with TVL, it was when Mum died and her house put up for sale, the daft begger's sent a bloke round to check, so I tried selling him the house:D, pity it didn't work.

Nice one.

The physics experiment is ongoing (stove is 4 steps away so I'm multitasking).

I have harvested a lot of burned down candles, some of mine, some from freecycle and some from pals. Y'know, when you end up with slumpy unburnable bits. There's a lot of wax there and wastefulness sits ill with me. Anyroad, if the grid was down for any length of time, you'd not want to be wasting the candles, you'd want to be melting them on your campfire to re-constitute them.

In the spirit of OS, I decided to experiment ahead of a crisis although the gas stove is being deployed. I'd previously turned the huge puddles of candlewax into shavings using a veg paring knife and sorted them into poly bags by colour.

I then looked at hobby shops for candlemaking accessories. Ye gods and little fishes, they had to revive me with smelling salts after seeing those prices. So, I scoped around the web and worked out that I needed the following;

A double-boiler. Wick. The wax and a mold or three.

You can make candles in heatproof receptacles like jars and crocks, but I decided I wanted a disposable mold so have settled on the tall cartons that 1 litre of UHT milk comes in.

With tops cut off, washed and dried, I've cut a notch into the top of the carton on opposite sides to hold a knitting pin. With shop-bought wick, I attached the base to the centre inside of the carton and then wrapped the top around a steel knitting pin sitting diagonally across the carton top in the grooves.

I've got about 3 inches of water in my biggest steel pot on the fast burner on the stove, and the wax shavings are in 3 soup tins, melting away. I have an old bent knitting pin to prod them from time to time. I top up the shavings as they melt.

When they're all melted, I lift the can out carefully with tongs, steady the base with my other hand in an oven glove, and pour into the carton. No bad things have happened yet. I'm keeping the water in the pot topped up as it's at a rolling boil and the cans are rattling nicely on the base.

The first one is starting to solidify (I'm using pink wax) and I'm making a second one which is being topped up at the moment. Then I shall move onto white wax and top up the solidifying candles to get a two tone effect.

This is baby's first candlemaking adventure so I'm finding my way step by step. The cartons are standing on a strong steel tray alongside the stove in case of spills but the UHT cartons seem perfectly OK. I shall after plenty of cooling (probably tomorrow) rip the cartons apart to reveal rustic square sectioned pillar candles.

I bought the wick but have since found out how to do homemade wicks on the web. This is going to be added to my portfolio of preptastic skills.

Anyway, I'm enjoying myself pottering around on a day of spectacular sleety showers interspersed with solar radiation.

[Deleted User]

Have you considered putting half a dozen wicks, spaced out evenly, into each candle?

http://www.goldenglowcandles.co.nz/images/cart/MWB_Multiwick_Block_large.jpg

That would produce far more light, per candle.

bossymoo

wondercollie wrote: »

I remember my favourite manager telling me, that no matter how busy the ward was, no patient should ever die alone. That's a conversation I've never forgot.

That's wonderful. The hospice where my husband was were brilliant. Thank goodness they had room for him as the hospital was just awful. Me and his mum even stayed over (he was in a side room) in the chair as once they knew it was terminal they just didn't give a hoot. How do people manage when they don't have family to stick up for their rights?

The hospice had family rooms with sofa beds, so I was with my husband at the end. They told me his breathing changed once I entered the room and it was just 15min later that he died. His parents and myself were there and we all "coached" him through it, telling him it was ok, just another part of his journey, and that he would be free of this body that didn't work any more.

We didn't know what else we could / should do. He was a brave brave man. :A

GreyQueen

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Have you considered putting half a dozen wicks, spaced out evenly, into each candle?

http://www.goldenglowcandles.co.nz/images/cart/MWB_Multiwick_Block_large.jpg

That would produce far more light, per candle.

That's a good idea. Some of the cannibalised candles were multi-wickers which had collapsed into mega puddles of wax. Seeing as the cartons I'm using are tall and thin, multi wicks wouldn't have worked in this case but it's something to bear in mind for the next time.

I now have one just-shy-of 1 litre UHT carton candle in pink, cooling, and another 3/4 full of pink wax, solidifying. All the pink wax is gone, now.

Am now having a late luncheon and then will melt some white wax to bring the 3/4 one up to the top. That leaves some other wax to play. I'm contemplating the Pr*ngles tubes I was forced to buy in order to get cardboard cylinders. I threw the contents away uneaten, of course.:A;)

I'm of the opinion that it's better to practise things before you need them, as you don't want nerviness adding to bad situations as you strive to do unaccustomed things at short notice.

boultdj

I hope you'v got the window open GQ, last time I made candle's it stank the kitchen out, it was 1 of the kit's that you can still get, but at least you get mould's to reuse.

pineapple

If I recall rightly there has been at least one argumentative thread on here about TVL! It's best not to engage with the agency hirelings who operate on commission. They can't interview you if you refuse to have a dialogue with them and they can't ordinarily make you have a dialogue with them. Anyhow they are welcome to stake out my house but they would probably have to sit in the field opposite disguised as a cow. Hmmm got an image now of a panto cow with an antenna sticking out it's bum.... :rotfl:
I was thinking this is all off topic but maybe not. The state is gaining more and more control and if we can't deal with this level of intrusion, we are well and truly lost.
Major health kick effort starting NOW. Just had some oatmeal porridge with a covering of freshly ground organic flaxseed. Plus I've tracked down some local unpasteurized milk. I'll check out their credentials nat but I remember it as tasting so much better (even if it does kill me). We'll see!

Popperwell

This sounds a great plan GQ...

What will you stand your HM candles in/on when you have to use them so they don't spoil what they are stood on/melt into a puddle? Just interested...

What we get upto in our homes:p

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen wrote: »

Seeing as the cartons I'm using are tall and thin, multi wicks wouldn't have worked in this case

You could lie the cartons on their sides, and cut out the short side instead of the top.

You can also make candles, by repeatedly dipping the wicks into a pot of liquid wax.

Leave the candle for about 30 seconds, between dippings.

Each dipping adds a concentric layer of wax.



Personally, I think it will be a long time, before I need to make any candles.

I currently have 32 8" candles and 500 tealights (not to mention 4 paraffin Hurricane Lamps), in my emergency stores.

[Deleted User]

pineapple wrote: »

they can't ordinarily make you have a dialogue with them.

Correction: they can't ever make you have a dialogue with them.