pvc pipe

High-end groupings help patio furniture increase sales 25%

2011-09-08T15:17:00.001-07:00

Continuous spring rains did little to dampen discounter enthusiasm for patio furniture growth in 1984 and 1985.

To strengthen this mix, Wykoff said he'll follow the step of local market competitor Meijer's Thrifty Acres and add PVC pipe groupings to next spring's assortment. He'll position glue-, rather than screw-assembled, sets in the middle of his price range of $239-$259 every day.Meanwhile, current fashion tastes have buyers concentrating sku's on bold whites, yellows and greens, with many eying pastel peach, plum and gray for 1985 assortments.He also plans to replace Finkel, which "didn't come near to meeting our orders." He'll also push other suppliers to either drop ship or consolidate their packaging into fewer boxes in order to limit possibilities of chain disbtribution center routing errors.Heck's delayed its markdowns until early August this year--a full month later than in 1983--and will start next year's outdoor season in January. Danners, which was hurt by delivery problems this year, expects to double category sales in 1985 after changing its mix of vendors and lengthening its outdoor season.Most sales activity centered in the $200 to $350 range, with recently added heavy duty PVC pipe sets a major attraction in this price segment, buyers said. Moreover, many said they would shop the Hardware Show for expanded assortments of PVC pipe, aluminum and metal "wrought-iron look" sets that could help raise top-of-the-line everyday retails to $400.Expansion PlannedDanners added a three-piece metal bistro set to its mix for promotional emphasis throughout the Christmas gift season.The weather-induced late sales start this year only made the summer rebound seem that much more impressive: Chain merchandisers reported shoppers flocking to the stores to buy high-end groupings, such as five-piece aluminum sets as costly as $500 at Bradlees.To dminish markdowns this year, Danners buyer Richard Wykoff will institute on Labor Day a fall outdoor program of shrubs and oil conditioners. "Since September and October make up the second best period to plant all year, we're hoping that customers for the planting program will buy much of our remaining lawn and garden furniture," he said.Much of Danners' seasonal furniture mix reflects "consumer demand for better grade furniture," said Wykoff. It includes Finkel seven-piece sets at $349 every day and $279 on promo; Keller five-piece at $199 daily and $179 on sales; Craft House five-piece metal wrought-iron look at $249 every day and $189-$199 on promo.Cautious steps taken by discounters venturing last year into this fashion-influenced category have given away to a veritable sprint for sales.Many buyers are projecting 25% category sales gains this year, and even more aggressive pursuit of sales starting next spring.At some chains, three-piece redwood stain sets are lagging in popularity as consumers trade up. And buyers who report continued strong sales of grid chairs this year are beginning to question how hot they'll be in their third season.

He also plans to replace Finkel, which "didn't come near to meeting our orders." He'll also push other suppliers to either drop ship or consolidate their packaging into fewer boxes in order to limit possibilities of chain disbtribution center routing errors.

At last: the croquet set that won't trip you at dusk

2011-09-07T03:17:00.001-07:00

Seeing well enough to play croquet at dusk is no problem with these homemade wickets. Their white PVC pipe legs stand out much more clearly than their thin wire counterparts.

Designed by William Stanley of Buellton, California, the simple, lightweight wickets and end posts can be built in just a few hours. To make complete set of nine wickets and two posts, you'll need two 10-foot lengths of 3/4-inch schedule 125 PVC pipe, 8 feet of 2-by2 redwood or fir, 20 galvanized gutter spikes 7 inches long, 6 feet of 3/4-inch hardwood dowel, a box of brads, and epoxy glue. Materials will run about $15 to $20.Glue the longer dowel pieces into the 2-by-2 tops, then glue on the piping. Add the short dowels with gutter spikes to the bottom of each pipe. To further lock the pipe and dowels in position, add the brads where indicated (predrill small holes to prevent cracking).Using a hacksaw, cut the PVC pipe into 18 pieces 11 inches long and two pieces 18 inches long. (You can remove any lettering on outside with acetone or by lightly sanding.) Check that the dowel fits into the pipe; sand the wood down if necessary, then cut the dowel into 20 pieces 2 inches long and 20 pieces 1 inch long. Hold the 1-inch pieces with pliers and drill holes through their centers so that gutter spikes will pass through snugly. Glue the spikes in position, with heads flush.Just for the fun of it, Mr. STanley added decorative tops to the 18-inch-high end posts. The rooster shown above was cut from 3/4-inch pine. Its comb, wattles, and tail were cut from 1/4-inch plywood, the feet carved from scrap wood. The legs are short pieces of 1/4-inch dowel covered with a plastic drinking straw. One leg dowel extends down from the body into a 3/4-inch dowel in the end post.

Just for the fun of it, Mr. STanley added decorative tops to the 18-inch-high end posts. The rooster shown above was cut from 3/4-inch pine. Its comb, wattles, and tail were cut from 1/4-inch plywood, the feet carved from scrap wood. The legs are short pieces of 1/4-inch dowel covered with a plastic drinking straw. One leg dowel extends down from the body into a 3/4-inch dowel in the end post.

Detrex Corporation Reports Results for 2009

2011-09-06T15:17:00.001-07:00

During 2009 the company spent $4.1 million on environmental remediation projects. Several of these projects are complete or nearing completion while others are in the early phases of corrective action. The previously mentioned charge of $3.9 million was made at the end of 2009 to increase the environmental reserve to $5.3 million. As the result of the Chrysler LLC bankruptcy, two sites have become liabilities again after having been settled nearly twenty years ago. The additional environmental charges are related to new developments at existing sites and the formerly closed projects and cost increases for changed conditions. The company expects to spend $2.1 million in 2010 on environmental matters.The company utilized cash flow from working capital management and an increase in net borrowings of $1.2 million in 2009 to fund $4.1 million in environmental expenditures, $1.0 million in pension and retiree health funding, $1.2 million in capital expenditures and other business needs. In June of 2009 the company’s bank, JP Morgan Chase NA, waived the company’s default with certain of its debt covenants; the agreement was subsequently amended in November. At this time the facility provides for a term loan and revolving credit facility totaling approximately $20 million. This facility has a term that expires in January of 2011.The unfunded status of the company’s pension plan decreased to $10.6 million in 2009 from $15.7 million in 2008. This reduction was the result of gains in the investment portfolios, freezing of the plans so that active employees no longer accrue additional benefits and contributions to the plans. The company also terminated its post retirement benefit plan which resulted in a reduction of this liability to $0.2 million from $1.6 million. Partially offsetting these balance sheet improvements was a $1.6 million reduction in the value of the piece of property that has been held for sale since 2001.The company had a net loss of $2,963,752 or ($1.85) per fully diluted share, for the full year of 2009 compared to net income of $887,915, or $0.56 per fully diluted share, in 2008. Earnings in both years were impacted significantly by several non-operating adjustments. The 2008 results include pre-tax environmental charges of $1,250,000, of which $300,000 was in continuing operations and $950,000 was in discontinued operations. In 2009, total pre-tax charges of $3,758,467 were made including the following: 1) a $3,900,000 environmental charge, of which $1,600,000 was in continuing operations and $2,300,000 was in discontinued operations; 2) a $1,618,818 charge to write down property held for sale in order to recognize the impact of severely depressed real estate values in the Detroit market; and 3) an offsetting gain of $1,760,351 recognized due to a post-retirement benefit plan termination. The approximate total after-tax effect of these non-operating adjustments for 2009 was to reduce earnings by $2,470,000.The combined sales of the company’s two business units – The Elco Corporation and Harvel Plastics, Inc. – totaled $74.5 million in 2009 compared to $98.6 million in 2008. The decline in sales was the result of the sharp fall-off in demand that began in the fourth quarter of 2008 and continued into 2009. While market conditions began to stabilize late in the first quarter of 2009, business activity remained at a low level throughout the year at Harvel while showing some improvement at Elco. In response to the economic conditions, actions were taken across the company to reduce costs and expense. In addition to general cost reduction measures, these actions included freezing of the pension plans, elimination of the 401-k match, officer salary reductions, headcount reductions and pay freezes at all operating locations. The effects of these actions phased in as the year progressed and in combination with measures to improve market penetration resulted in steady improvements in operating performance in the third and fourth quarters. In the fourth quarter, profits from operations were positive prior to non-operating adjustments.Statements included in this press release that are not historical in nature are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “1995 Act”). The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “guidance,” “target” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Certain risks and uncertainties are identified from time to time in the Company’s reports. Some factors that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements include: market conditions, environmental remediation costs, pension expense and funding requirements, liquidation value of assets, and marketability of real estate and the market value and future liquidity of Detrex stock. The Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the 1995 Act.[Table Omitted]

[Table Omitted]

Fish assemblages associated with three types of artificial reefs: density of assemblages and possible impacts on adjacent fish abundance

2011-09-06T03:17:00.001-07:00

Abstract--We evaluated the effectiveness of wooden artificial reefs (ARs) as fish habitat. Three types of ARs, made of cedar logs, broadleaf tree logs, and PVC pipes, respectively, were deployed in triplicate at 8-m depth off Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, Sea of Japan, in May 2004. Fish assemblages associated with each of the nine ARs were observed by using SCUBA twice a month for four years. Fish assemblages in the adjacent habitat were also monitored for two years before and four years after reef deployment. In the surveyed areas (ca. 10 [m.sup.2]) associated with each of the cedar, broadleaf, and PVC ARs, the average number of fish species was 4.14, 3.49, and 3.00, and the average number of individuals was 40.7, 27.9, and 20.3, respectively. The estimated biomass was also more greater when associated with the cedar ARs than with other ARs. Visual censuses of the habitat adjacent to the ARs revealed that the number of fish species and the density of individuals were not affected by the deployment of the ARs. Our results support the superiority of cedar as an AR material and indicate that deployment of wooden ARs causes no reduction of fish abundance in adjacent natural reefs.

The primary goal of the present study was to confirm the efficacy of wooden ARs, especially those made of cedar tree logs as fish habitat. For this purpose, fish assemblages associated with ARs made from cedar trees were compared to those made from broadleaf trees and those made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. There is a debate whether ARs merely attract fishes from adjacent areas or whether they do improve fishery productivity (Grossman et al., 1997; Pickering and Whitmarsh, 1997). We therefore tested the possibility that ARs attract fishes from adjacent areas and thus concentrate fish abundance at the ARs, rather than fish abundance is spread over the fishing ground as a whole. A visual census had been conducted twice a month for more than two years before the deployment of these ARs in adjacent areas; hence the fish fauna was compared in the area before and after the deployment of ARs.The recent trend for ARs in Japan has shifted from concrete to wooden construction. This has been partly due to funding shortages, but also because fishermen have found that wooden ARs attract fish more rapidly than those made of concrete or steel. Indeed, most coastal prefectures in Japan deploy wooden ARs with or without governmental subsidies under the supervision of local fishermen's cooperatives. The materials and shape of wooden ARs differ depending on each fishery cooperative. As much as 70% of the land area in Japan is forested, half of which is plantation forests of conifers, such as Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa). Although these forests require occasional thinning, many of them lack such maintenance because of the decline in the market price of timber. Therefore, the construction of wooden ARs also has the socioeconomic potential to stimulate the demand for forestry materials.Twice monthly visual censuses of fish assemblages associated with each AR were conducted for four consecutive years after AR deployment. All census observations were made by the first author with SCUBA equipment. The area in and around each AR was observed for about three minutes and the species, size, and number of fish were recorded. A census commenced from one of the lateral sides of an AR and extended out to about 1 m from each side. The observer then swam around and above the AR, and the fish inside the AR were recorded. Fish were considered as associating with an AR if they were swimming or dwelling within 1 m of the AR (Sherman et al., 2002), and thus fish in an area of about 10 [m.sup.2] were counted for each AR. Fish standard length (SL) was estimated with the help of a scale marked on a clipboard and was recorded. Length estimates were occasionally calibrated by capturing and measuring fish. These calibrations revealed that visual SL estimates were within 10% error of the actual measured SL. Water temperature and visibility during observations ranged from 10.1[degrees] to 28.8[degrees]C and from 1 to 5 m, respectively. Biomass calculation for each AR was conducted according to the method of Santos et al. (2005) and Friedlander et al. (2007). The estimated average length of each species for each sample was converted to mass by using the length-mass relationshipThese three types of ARs were constructed in triplicate and deployed at a depth of 8 m off the Maizuru Fisheries Research Station (MFRS), Nagahama, Maizuru, Kyoto (35[degrees]29'N lat. and 135[degrees]22'E long.) on 21 May 2004 (Fig. 2). The shore in this area is a concrete bank and its subtidal zone consists of natural rocks, concrete blocks, both partly covered by live oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and their dead shells, and sandy silt with some macroalgal vegetation. The substrate in the research area consisted of muddy silt with no macroalgae vegetation. Each AR was sunk with 240 kg of sand bags (60 kg attached to each corner of the AR). ARs were set 15 m apart.**********Although the deployment of structures functioning as ARs may well have started long ago by fishermen in various localities around the globe, research on this subject is relatively recent (Seaman and Sprague, 1991). Two countries, United States and Japan, have relatively long histories of nationwide projects on ARs. In the case of the United States, the main goal of deploying ARs has been to improve catch for recreational fishermen. Common materials used for these ARs have been waste products, such as automobiles, tires, and oil and gas platforms. The use of such products has caused environmental concerns, resulting in a shift toward the construction of ARs with concrete (Collins et al., 2002). In contrast, the purpose of Japanese deployments of ARs have primarily been to improve commercial fishery production, and governmental agencies have invested heavily in the construction of large ARs made of concrete and steel to be deployed in coastal areas.[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]Three types of ARs were prepared. The design of the ARs was modified from that designed by the Atake Forestry Association, Yamaguchi, Japan (http://www.geocities.jp/ abu_kikori/katsudou/gyosyou/gyosyou2.html, accessed on December 2003; also see Fig. 1). The first type of AR (cedar AR) was constructed of 16 log sections (1.5 m long, 6.9-18.4 cm diameter) of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) arranged in a parallel cross formation. Each corner was tied with rope and fixed with a stainless steel rod. Diagonal wires helped maintain the rectangular shape. The second type of AR (broadleaf AR) was constructed from six species of broadleaf trees harvested from the Ashiu Forest Research Station, Kyoto University, and assembled with the same dimensions as those used for the cedar AR. The broadleaf tree species used were Japanese cherry birch (Betula grossa), hornbeam (Carpinus laxiflora), Japanese beech (Fagus crenata), Chinese chestnut (Castanea crenata), redvein maple (Acer rufinerve), and macropoda holly (Ilex macropoda). The diameter of broadleaf and cedar logs ranged from 7.5 to 19.2 cm. The third type of AR (PVC AR) was made of hollow PVC pipes (11.8 cm diameter, 3 mm thickness) and was assembled in the same manner as that used for the other two types of ARs.Materials and methodsHabitat complexity plays a major role in the survival of young demersal fishes by providing a refuge from predation (Ferreira et al., 2001; Scharf et al., 2006; Hamilton and Konar, 2007). Fish species richness is highly dependent on the rugosity and variety of growth forms in the habitat, whereas the height of vertical structures is an important predictor of total fish abundance (Gratwicke and Speight, 2005). In this respect, artificial reefs (ARs) are often deployed to improve the quality of habitat (Gorham and Alevizon, 1989). In addition to their role as refuges, ARs host encrusting invertebrates that can be consumed as prey by fishes (Seaman and Jensen, 2000). Fish are often more abundant at ARs than at natural reefs, probably because the vertical structures potentially allow more varied refuges for fish settlement and recruitment than the usual more moderately sloped bottoms of natural reefs (Rilov and Benayahu, 2000; Reed et al., 2006).

Twice monthly visual censuses of fish assemblages associated with each AR were conducted for four consecutive years after AR deployment. All census observations were made by the first author with SCUBA equipment. The area in and around each AR was observed for about three minutes and the species, size, and number of fish were recorded. A census commenced from one of the lateral sides of an AR and extended out to about 1 m from each side. The observer then swam around and above the AR, and the fish inside the AR were recorded. Fish were considered as associating with an AR if they were swimming or dwelling within 1 m of the AR (Sherman et al., 2002), and thus fish in an area of about 10 [m.sup.2] were counted for each AR. Fish standard length (SL) was estimated with the help of a scale marked on a clipboard and was recorded. Length estimates were occasionally calibrated by capturing and measuring fish. These calibrations revealed that visual SL estimates were within 10% error of the actual measured SL. Water temperature and visibility during observations ranged from 10.1[degrees] to 28.8[degrees]C and from 1 to 5 m, respectively. Biomass calculation for each AR was conducted according to the method of Santos et al. (2005) and Friedlander et al. (2007). The estimated average length of each species for each sample was converted to mass by using the length-mass relationship

DIGITAL ABORIGINAL

2011-09-05T15:17:00.001-07:00

AN ELECTRONIC DIDGERIDOO GIVES TRADITIONAL AUSTRALIAN MUSIC A NEW SPIN

-GREGORY MONEyou built what ?!Kyle Evans, a 24-yearold artist, bought his first didgeridoo in a small shop in Cairns, Australia, three years ago. The owner helped him pick out one of his handmade Aboriginal instruments, and after Evans taught himself to play, he decided to build an enhanced version: an electronically modified, Bluetooth-enhanced PVC pipe that cranks out didgeridoo-like sound with added digital flourishes.When Evans plays, he blows through a beeswax-coated mouthpiece on one end, as with a traditional didgeridoo, and a wireless microphone positioned inside the far end relays the sound to his computer, which outputs sound to a speaker. At the same time, he can adjust the knobs, wirelessly signaling his computer to modulate the notes. He's thinking of recording original music for it and has performed with it at some small venues. But the one audience he really wants to play it for are the Aboriginal people whose instrument inspired his invention.

-GREGORY MONE

Pipe in road sparks Widefield bomb scare

2011-09-05T03:17:00.001-07:00

A man found what appeared to be a pipe bomb on a neighborhood street in the Widefield area, El Paso County sheriff's deputies said.

The El Paso County sheriff's explosive ordnance disposal team planned to detonate the object to ensure it wasn't a threat. It was not detonated, but the team did destroy it with a water cannon and made sure it was totally disabled, Sevene said.The man, who found the pipe about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, brought it into his garage. He grew suspicious upon a closer examination and called 9-1-1 for help, sheriff's Lt. Lari Sevene said.

Holy ground: in Rome, all paths lead to history

2011-09-04T15:17:00.001-07:00

I recently traveled to Rome with Mary, Our Lady of Light. I sat in coach, she in a plastic PVC pipe in the overhead compartment. She was painted on a piece of rolled-up canvas and I was accompanying her to her new home in the chapel of my religious community's headquarters. Mary, under that somewhat obscure but lovely title, is the patron of my community, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, and I had been commissioned to create an image of her, which I was now delivering.

Our community's house is beautifully situated in Trastevere, one of the most ancient and interesting of Roman neighborhoods. It is halfway up the highest of the city's seven hills, called the Janiculum. When you look down from this hill, you get a stunning panorama of the Eternal City. The toughest decision I faced each morning, after descending the thirty-three steps from the front door of our house to the street, was whether to turn left and climb to the top of the Janiculum, where there's a magnificent Baroque fountain, or turn right, downhill, and walk around Trastevere. The heart of Trastevere is the ancient Basilica di Santa Maria, one of the oldest parishes in the Christian world, renowned for its stunning mosaics. Whichever way I decided to turn, a treasure hunt awaited me--as did a very steep climb, either coming or going. And, since this was August in Rome, a steep climb had to be finished by noon: after that, things get a little toasty under the Roman sun, which revolves around the earth, as decreed by popes of yore.On October 16, 1943, in the square just outside this church, one thousand Jews were rounded up by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps, from which only sixteen returned. I stood and sketched in this spot, trying to take it all in: the church, the synagogue, the faded Crucifixion with Mary and John at the foot of the cross. I tried to imagine the mayhem on that awful autumn morning. I also tried to picture Blessed Pope John there, praying for peace in the back of his limousine on a moonlit night just fifteen years later. And later still, John Paul II praying there with the head rabbi of Rome. I knew I was on holy ground; my pen couldn't move fast enough across the pages of my sketchbook.Beneath the synagogue is a museum with artifacts such as liturgical objects and furniture, along with a lot of historical information. I read about Pope Paul IV (1555-59), who built a wall around the ghetto and forced Jews to wear silly yellow hats on the streets. Later, I discovered that he also stepped up the Inquisition, called Ignatius of Loyola a heretic, waged war on Spain, and stopped the Council of Trent because it was too progressive.As I waited to walk through the huge bronze doors, I wondered if I would have the same reaction I had the first time I entered St. Peter's Basilica twenty-five years ago. Then, my breath was taken away by the sheer size of it all--height, width, and depth on a scale difficult to describe. The little baby cherubs holding up the holy water fonts at the entrance are six feet tall. I was slack-jawed and breathless that first time, too overwhelmed to do much drawing.It was sublime. I had five days to do nothing but wander and sketch, with only two things on my must-do list: a walk up and over the Janiculum to Saint Peter's, which I'd already visited several times over the years; and a tour of the Jewish ghetto, just across the Tiber from Trastevere. It had been calling to me ever since I read about the renowned Roman Jewish fried artichokes in the travel section of the paper years ago. My desire for new and interesting food (and cold beer) outweighed my desire to see more Baroque angels swirling around yet another dome. When you've been to one Counter-Reformation church you've been to them all.What moved me the most that morning was what I saw next: the tiny church of San Gregorio delta Divina Pieta (heavenly mercy), which is situated right at the entrance to the ghetto, alongside the synagogue. Over the centuries, Jews were forced to go to St. Gregory's for conversion classes on Thursday evenings, the night before their Sabbath. On its facade is a faded eighteenth-century mural of the Crucifixion by Stefano Parrocel. Over the door, in Latin and Hebrew, is an inscription from the prophet Isaiah. It reads: "I stretch out my hands all the day to a rebellious people who walk in evil paths and follow their own thoughts."So, on my first full morning I decided to get the churchy thing out of the way and turned left to make a pilgrim walk to San Pietro. And a true pilgrimage it was--as evidenced by the sweat pouring from me. (Have I mentioned how hot it was?)The Roman Catholic schoolboy in me was eager to bask in the power and glory of the ever-ancient, ever-new universal church; the artist in me wanted to savor and sketch the magnificent art and architecture; and the American in me came really close to calling an air-conditioned cab but restrained himself. Pilgrimages are supposed to be irksome.This time, not so much. My sketch of Michelangelo's Pieta, which is just on the right as you enter the basilica, pretty much captures what a different experience this trip was. It occurred to me that perhaps I've become harder to impress over time. After you pass the Pieta, to which I couldn't get very close because of the crowd, there aren't very many images of Jesus to ponder--or of Mary, for that matter. But there are plenty of symbols of the kingdom, the power, and the glory of Rome. It's all Barberinis and Borgheses, Bramantes and Berninis. Papal tombs and monuments fill the side aisles and altars.The next day I went in the opposite direction: downhill, through Trastevere and across the Tiber to the old Jewish ghetto of Rome. My first stop was the synagogue, a most unusual building that features the only square dome in the city, an intentional contrast to all the round domes of the churches that dot the skyline. It was here that John XXIII asked his driver to bring him the first night he was elected pope. Sitting silently in the back seat of his limousine, he prayed for a while, and then went home. It was also here, a generation later, that John Paul II became the first pope in history to pray in a synagogue (sticklers might say the second pope, after Peter). These two great modern popes, each a survivor of WWII, each a witness to the Shoah, were passionate about healing our relations with the Jews after two millennia of hostilities.Admittedly, a part of me felt a tinge of excitement at being a baptized part of this splendid display of human achievement and imagination. But I didn't feel any holier. Nor was I aware of holy ground beneath my feet. And my pen wasn't gliding across the pages of my sketchbook as much as I'd hoped it would. I was left with no heightened awareness of God to contemplate on the way home. Other than a few reflections on how my faith has apparently evolved over the years, I was more concerned about making it to the house in time for dinner, and about whether I'd left the air conditioner on in my room. Please, God, let it be so.St. Peter's Basilica can hold sixty thousand people, and I think they were all there that morning. The line to enter, which snaked halfway around the piazza, moved slowly. There we were, people of every race and tongue gathered from the four corners of the earth. The more intelligent ones (not I) had umbrellas, as only the morbidly thin (again, not I) could find relief in the teeny sliver of shade cast by the ancient Egyptian obelisk in the middle of the square. We all patiently wended our way toward the metal detectors.A mammoth marble Gregory XIII spilled into my path as I made my way to visit John XXIII. The irony didn't escape me--this tripping over the elaborate marble train of a prince's robes on my way to see the tomb of a proud peasant papa. I made a note to myself to look into this Gregory XIII and see what he had done to merit such a memorial.

On October 16, 1943, in the square just outside this church, one thousand Jews were rounded up by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps, from which only sixteen returned. I stood and sketched in this spot, trying to take it all in: the church, the synagogue, the faded Crucifixion with Mary and John at the foot of the cross. I tried to imagine the mayhem on that awful autumn morning. I also tried to picture Blessed Pope John there, praying for peace in the back of his limousine on a moonlit night just fifteen years later. And later still, John Paul II praying there with the head rabbi of Rome. I knew I was on holy ground; my pen couldn't move fast enough across the pages of my sketchbook.

Detrex Corporation Reports Profit for the First Quarter of 2010

2011-09-04T03:17:00.001-07:00

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- Detrex Corporation (Pink Sheets: DTRX), a diversified manufacturer of PVC and CPVC pipe, duct and shapes and specialty chemicals including additives for industrial petroleum products and high purity hydrochloric acid, today announced first quarter net income of $345,209, or $0.22 per fully diluted share, compared to a net loss of $321,284, or $0.20 per fully diluted share, in the first quarter of last year.

[Table Omitted]

Detrex Corporation Extends Shareholder Rights Plan

2011-09-03T15:17:00.001-07:00

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- Detrex Corporation (Pink Sheets: DTRX), a diversified manufacturer of PVC and CPVC pipe, duct and shapes and specialty chemicals including additives for industrial petroleum products and high purity hydrochloric acid, announced today that its Board of Directors has extended the Company’s shareholder rights plan designed to protect its shareholders from certain unsolicited takeover proposals.

For Port of Portland, pipe installation cheaper if done 2 at a time

2011-09-03T03:17:00.001-07:00

To complete part of a project to improve a deicing system on time and within budget for the Port of Portland, Northwest Underwater Construction and Kinnan Engineering discovered that installing two pipes simultaneously would be better than installing them individually.

"The key was preparing the hole and making sure the tunnel was clear," Kinnan said. "Ideally, all you want left in the tunnel after it has been pre-reamed is drilling fluid."The port's pipe installation was part of its Deicing System Enhancement project. Airlines apply anti-icing and deicing materials during cold weather to remove ice and snow from aircraft. But the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in 2006 determined that an excessive amount of deicing fluid was being discharged into the Columbia Slough. The new pipes will lead runoff from the runways to a new deicing treatment plant, as well as several 6 million gallon storage tanks. The entire upgrade will cost about $76.5 million.Horizontal directional drill pulling is a pipe installation technique created in the 1920s to access oil wells. Rather than drilling vertically, a pilot hole is drilled downward at a slight angle until the desired depth is reached. The drill, or reaming head, is pulled out until the pilot hole is about one and-one-half times the size of the pipe and the tunnel is cleared of debris. The pipe is then threaded slowly through the hole.But as workers cleared out the tunnel, they found a high concentration of ultra-fine silt that wasn't predicted in the ground survey performed for the project. Before the team could proceed with drilling, silt had to be hauled away and drilling fluid had to be added."Thirty-eight-hundred feet of pipe is already on the long side for a horizontal drill pull," said Alan Parks, Northwest Underwater Construction project manager. "Pulling the pipes in tandem is something that hadn't been done before on a port project. It was challenging, but I think everyone is happy with how it turned out."The two 3,800-foot-long pipes last week were installed horizontally beneath ground at Portland International Airport. Drilling two separate holes for the 24-inch and 6-inch pipes would have required an additional half-day of work, and cost an extra $300,000. So, the project team chose an unconventional strategy: pulling both of the large, fusible PVC pipes in tandem.Pulling the pipe through was an easier task. Special equipment was installed along the pipeline to ensure the pipes were pulled at the same speed.Keith Kinnan, owner of Kinnan Engineering, an Oregon company based in Camas Valley, had previously pulled multiple pipes for utility projects. But the largest pipe Kinnan had pulled before this project had been 12 inches in diameter. Pulling a pipe double that size along with a significantly smaller pipe would require four months of drilling work."We needed both pipes to be pulled at the same rate to be sure the smaller pipe didn't get twisted around the larger pipe," Parks said. "It took about 13 hours, and we did it in one shot."Taking both pipes through one hole saved $300,000, but the Port of Portland also saved about $4 million by performing the horizontal directional drill itself. The drilling was performed underneath the airport, so the port avoided a much longer pipeline path that would have wound around the airport. General contractor JE Dunn Construction Co. is expected to finish project work by April 2011.

"We're hoping this work will allow us to come in under budget," said George Seaman, Port of Portland project manager. "I think this is a method we'll use again in the future. The alternative would have been daunting."

The price is right: Price Hardware True Value is this year's Tools of the Trade Award winner

2011-09-02T15:16:00.001-07:00

John Price said a fairly typical customer in his Price Hardware True Value store used to stop in for a PVC elbow or similar pipe fitting and be gone in about 10 minutes. Today, that customer is apt to grab a shopping cart, stroll through the aisles and purchase several items.

Price was skeptical when his wife Carol suggested they expand their repertoire to include housewares, cooking utensils and bridal gifts. John thought the categories would yield little gross margin benefit.So much so that John Price moved the paint department next to Kitchenette. Soon women were attending the cooking classes, buying the hard-to-find utensils they carry, and also purchased paint and supplies while they were there.The new layout features wider aisles, a cleaner merchandise look, fluorescent and accent lighting, new colors and flooring. "The lighting makes a huge difference," John said." [True Value] wanted us to improve the lighting, but how we did it was really up to us.""My kitchen store wouldn't make it on its own," Carol said. "Without the hardware store it wouldn't be nearly as successful. The hardware enhances my department."Those attending the cooking class, which generally runs two to two-and-a-half hours, get store discounts on Kitchenette items sold at the store. Often they buy the cooking utensils used in the class.A Woman's Touch"She has items in her department that you won't find anywhere," John said. "It takes a real passion to do what Carol does, and my wife has that."Carol Price said the cooking classes are not just good for business--they are good for the community. "The chef this week was from Atlanta, Ga. He said, 'Y'all are doing a service for the community by having these classes.'"The store's balancing act is its secret.Between 20% and 30% of the store's business is in the Kitchenette bridal registry departments. In the fourth quarter of 2010, Kitchenette was the No. 2 category at Price True Value.So Carol took John shopping. She had seen a store with a cooking area and a bridal registry and suggested that could work at Price True Value. Six years ago this month, Price True Value created a 900-sq.-ft. space for cooking classes and bridal registry. "I never regretted it," she said. She named her little nook "the Kitchenette."Indeed, much has changed at Atlanta, Texas-based Price True Value, the 2011 Tools of the Trade Award winner. True to its roots, Price will always be the hardware store where loyal customers can shop for a PVC elbow, power tools or leaf blowers. However, the store has evolved to include more female shoppers and, if you're lucky, you just might catch a whiff of the gourmet coffee beans being grinded or take in the aroma of spicy shrimp Creole pasta.Price expanded its store in late 2010 through Destination True Value, a format that allows independent retailers to adapt their layout and custom-select merchandise assortments that are relevant to their local market. "We worked on our floor plan for six to eight months," John said, noting that the store did not close for a single day. "It was tough to get through it but was well worth it in the end," he said.The bridal registry is another big hit. The store has hosted wedding showers for brides, "Couples Showers" and even "Honey Do" showers for the grooms. Carol offers free gift-wrapping and uses a specialty wrapping paper that customers love."It has been very successful, and we have drawn in the women," she said.The sales figures for both the cooking department and paint are up considerably, John said. "They complement each other," he said.

"My kitchen store wouldn't make it on its own," Carol said. "Without the hardware store it wouldn't be nearly as successful. The hardware enhances my department."

A better PVC bender is the bet for local business

2011-09-02T03:16:00.001-07:00

Build a better way to bend PVC, Reese Delorey and Vic Johnson believe, and the world will beat a path to your door.

"I'm still going to go back and do some cool illuminated stuff, too," Johnson said.Voila.Plumbers, electricians, furniture makers, set designers, even dog agility course builders could all use a better way to curve PVC, he said. Delorey said the company plans on selling only a handful of units initially, but thinks those niches could add up to a demand for as many as 4,000 units a month.Delorey is the president and CEO of PVC Bendit, a new local company that is assembling and, as of Friday, selling a heating system invented by Johnson to bend PVC pipes. Gluing pipes together with fittings is limiting, slow and clumsy, Delorey says, while bending pipes offers more functional and aesthetic possibilities.PVC Bendit so far is only selling its products on its website, pvcbendit.com, but hopes to get it in specialty stores and general hardware stores in the future."We think we really have a niche that needs to be filled," Delorey said. "It's amazing no one has filled it yet."The one thing PVC Bendit won't do is bend those acrylic tubes that started Johnson down this road.Johnson told his friend Mike Warner, president of the local inkjet cartridge supplier R-Jet Tek, about his idea. Warner offered him warehouse space and put him in touch with Delorey, who had recently retired as a Lockheed Martin executive. Delorey saw the product's potential and came on board as an investor and as CEO."It's got a pretty broad application," Delorey said. "What most people don't understand is there are a lot of people out there now bending PVC, they're just doing it in very arcane ways."That is, he was bummed out until someone told him that they make transparent PVC, too.The flexible, in-pipe heating system can be made in various lengths and sizes. The company's current offerings range from 3 feet up to 18 feet; prices begin at $199.Three years ago, local inventor Johnson was trying to find a way to bend clear acrylic tubing with the intention of making lighted archways or pergolas or the like. Acrylic tubing is expensive, so he was doing mock-ups with PVC pipes, but the existing bending systems were too short or allowed the pipe to burn or kink. Johnson disassembled an old baseboard heater unit and stuck the heating element inside a piece of flexible metal hose so that it could slide inside a length of PVC and heat the pipe from the inside."I tell people I flunked retirement, I only stayed retired for two weeks," Delorey said. "It's fun for me. I've gone from where I was worrying about a $9 billion account to where I'm the chief cook and bottle washer.""When I got this perfected, I went back to the acrylic to try my method out and it failed miserably," Johnson said. "I was completely bummed out."The unit heats up to about 225 degrees, enough to make the PVC flexible but not enough to scorch or weaken it. Johnson, who applied for a patent on the idea, believes if people realize there's a better way to bend a pipe, they'll probably come up with completely new things to do with it. He's working on a number of styles of jigs or frames to aid production work using the PVC Bendit."I'm hoping that once this gets on the market, a lot of people are going to realize that there are things you can make that you couldn't make before," Johnson said.Conventional PVC benders use a heat gun, a heated box or a spring and conduit bender.

"I'm still going to go back and do some cool illuminated stuff, too," Johnson said.

"PVC / Vinyl Windows and Doors Are the Greenest Choice" Says Greenpeace Co-Founder Dr. Patrick Moore

2011-09-01T15:16:00.001-07:00

There are so many reasons why vinyl (PVC) makes for superior doors and windows, not the least of which are environmental. From beginning to end, PVC has one of the smallest carbon footprints of all comparable building materials. Vinyl is one of the world's most versatile plastics and is used to make everything from medical devices to flooring.

Vinyl windows perform favourably in terms of energy efficiency, thermal-insulating value and have low contribution to greenhouse gases. Since PVC/vinyl windows and doors are lighter in weight, transportation costs are also lower."The Canadian Plastics Industry Association is the national voice of Canada's plastics industry, representing the interests of processors, material suppliers, equipment manufacturers, recyclers and brand owners across the country.Vinyl is widely used for building and construction because it is strong, resistant to moisture and abrasion, will not rot or corrode, does not require painting and can be cleaned with mild cleaning products. It is ideally suited for windows/doors, pipes, cladding, fencing, decking, roofing, wallcoverings and flooring. There is little waste: "Virtually all of the vinyl is converted into product," says Dr Patrick Moore. "The scrap, trim and off-spec material is recycled from the vinyl production process. This adds up to more than 1 billion pounds per year. This means that 99% of all manufactured vinyl is made into products - not sent to landfills."Contacts: Canadian Plastics Industry Association Darlene Gray 905.678.7748 ext. 239 www.plastics.ca"Recent life-cycle studies show the health and environmental impacts of vinyl building products are comparable to or less than the impacts of other competing products," says Dr. Moore, who advises organizations on sustainability. "PVC/vinyl windows are so durable and long-lasting that the vast majority of them installed over the past two decades are still in use and therefore not yet eligible for end-of-life or post-consumer recycling. However, when PVC windows/doors come out of service - like all polyvinyl chloride products - they can be recycled.PVC windows and doors come out way ahead on conserving energy. ENERGY STAR © certified products like vinyl windows/ doors are guaranteed to be energy efficient, saving on heating and cooling costs for the consumer. When installed and maintained properly, PVC/vinyl windows and doors promise a long and reliable service life including energy savings for the consumer. "Vinyl windows are the number one choice in the residential new home construction and replacement market due to their ability to provide consumers with both environmental and economic benefits - energy efficiency, low maintenance and exceptional durability." Dr. Moore says.

Contacts: Canadian Plastics Industry Association Darlene Gray 905.678.7748 ext. 239 www.plastics.ca

How to Build and Shoot a Marshmallow Gun

2011-09-01T03:17:00.001-07:00

Marshmallow blow guns are safe and fun for boys and girls of all ages. Even dads will enjoy this toy. A marshmallow gun or shooter is a terrific Christmas, birthday or anytime gift!

3. Cut four pieces of PVC pipe 1/3 of the barrel, two for the handles and two for connecting pieces of PVC pipe together. Cut one piece 1/3 of your handles. Cut one more piece of PVC pipe 1/2 of your barrel.As a side note, you will have leftover materials since PVC only comes in ten foot lengths. Cutting the PVC may be a hassle, but painting the gun takes several coats and adult supervision. Some people choose to buy these guns completely made since you can find them online at inexpensive prices.6. Now that the pieces are all put together start spray painting the marshmellow gun. The marshmallow gun can have designs. If you want designs, cut shapes out on a piece of paper, and spray paint through the paper on to the marshmallow gun.4. Now, place the PVC pipe that is 1/2 of the barrel on your elbow. Put a PVC pipe (1/3 size of the barrel) in the other t. Place an elbow on the end of your PVC pipe that is 1/3 size of your barrel.First, put a marshmallow in the beginning of the nozzle, the top piece. Do not put it in the barrel. Then blow one big breath of air, not a long weak breath. The bigger and harder the breath, the farther the marshmallow will go. To have even more fun, meet your friends at the park and have a really big marshmallow gun war.The first marshmallow blow gun I ever received was at a birthday party. We played �Capture the Flag� with marshmallow guns. After the party, we all received a marshmallow gun for a party favor.5. Place the last PVC pipe (that is 1/3 the size of the barrel) on the T. Place the last cap on the PVC pipe that is a 1/3 size of the barrel.2. Cut your PVC pipe however long you want the barrel.1. Buy 1/2 inch PVC pipe, 2 PVC elbows, 2 PVC T's, 2 PVC end caps, spray paint, marshmallows (ammo)Shooting the Marshallow GunSince you know how to build and shoot a marshmallow gun or shooter, run out to the store and buy your supplies. Before you know it, you will be shooting marshmallows with your own gun.Building the Marshmallow Gun3. Get two T's, two elbows, and two caps. Place the smallest piece of PVC pipe in between the two T's. Now put two of the PVC pipe (1/3 size of the barrel) on top and bottom of the T's. Place a cap on the bottom PVC pipe and an elbow on the top PVC pipe. Put the barrel in the t that's PVC pipe has a cap on the end of it.7. Let dry overnight.

Since you know how to build and shoot a marshmallow gun or shooter, run out to the store and buy your supplies. Before you know it, you will be shooting marshmallows with your own gun.

Detrex Corporation Reports Profit for the Second Quarter of 2011

2011-08-31T15:17:00.001-07:00

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- Detrex Corporation (Pink Sheets: DTRX), a diversified manufacturer of PVC and CPVC pipe, duct and shapes and specialty chemicals including additives for industrial petroleum products and high purity hydrochloric acid, today announced second quarter 2011 net income of $1,267,352, or $0.78 per fully diluted share, compared to net income of $769,029, or $0.49 per fully diluted share, in the second quarter of last year. Year-to-date net income was $2,536,496 or $1.56 per fully diluted share, compared to net income of $1,114,238, or $0.70 per fully diluted share, in the same period of 2010.

Commenting on the Company’s results for the first half of 2011, President and CEO Tom Mark said, “Both Harvel and Elco are achieving remarkable results in an economic environment that is still challenging. We remain optimistic about continued solid performance in the months to come based on the value of our product offering and relationships with our customers. Raw material costs have been increasing significantly, and we are striving to adjust selling prices proportionately.”The growth in the first half of the year resulted in a working capital increase of $2.96 million, however this increase in working capital leveled off in the second quarter and began to decline as receivables began to catch up. As a result, bank debt increased by approximately $1.7 million in the first half of the year, which includes a decrease of $783,000 in the second quarter. Detrex said it continued to manage liquidity very closely to continue to fund its legacy liabilities. Nonetheless, the Company maintained ample availability under its current credit agreement.The year-to-date sales increase was comprised of 51.7% growth at Elco and 17.9% growth at Harvel. Elco continued to generate growth from generally improved market demand as well as new business. Harvel’s growth was the result of improving conditions in its industrial end markets as well as increased penetration in a number of sectors. Both companies achieved additional volume across almost all product lines, and the sales increase also reflects higher pricing due to the effects of rising raw material costs.The earnings improvement is the result of a combination of higher volume, better margins from improved pricing power and continued expense control. A portion of the earnings improvement was offset by an environmental charge of $550,000 in the second quarter and $1 million year-to-date which reflect the Company’s current practice of replenishing the environmental reserve by an amount at least equal to spending in the current year. No such charges were made in the first half of 2010.Second quarter net sales increased 22% to $29.5 million from $24.2 million in the comparable period last year. On a year-to-date basis, sales were $58.9 million, an increase of $13.5 million, or 29.8% compared to the prior year. The second quarter and year-to-date increase in sales was the result of gains in both of the Company’s subsidiaries, The Elco Corporation and Harvel Plastics, Inc.[Table Omitted]

[Table Omitted]

Research and Markets: Growing Demand of PVC and HSAW Pipes is Expected to Boost the Overall Pipe Industry, Finds Netscribes

2011-08-31T03:16:00.001-07:00

DUBLIN -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/934e68/pipe_market_in_ind) has announced the addition of the "Pipe Market in India 2011" report to their offering.

The competition section provides a product matrix with brief profiles of the major players in the market along with their financials. Key development section highlights the major happenings in the pipe industry.Netscribes (India) Pvt. Ltd., launches a report on the Pipe Industry in India 2011 as part of Netscribes' Manufacturing Industry report series.An analysis of drivers explains growth factors such as increasing spend by the government on various oil & natural gas projects and hence the need for pipelines. This also explains the special emphasis on the major upcoming pipelines and the expansion of city gas distribution network. Expansion of water projects and the focus of government towards urban development, competitive edge of Indian players with respect to European counterparts and the tremendous growth in real estate and auto sector are the other important drivers The key challenges identified include rising input costs, appreciation of rupee and tremendous competition from the Chinese manufacturers. Recent trends in pipe market include increasing popularity of PVC pipes, preference of HSAW pipes in comparison to LSAW pipes and entry barrier for a new player.For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/934e68/pipe_market_in_ind

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/934e68/pipe_market_in_ind

Tips On Home Made NFT Hydroponics Systems

2011-08-19T20:44:00.001-07:00

Nft hydroponics systems have been round since the mid 60�s Allen cooper of England developed nutrient film technique.

As an avid gardener for many years and also worked in garden nursery's with interests in hydroponics stretching back to the early 90's.All rock wool fibre has a high PH value, which if not balanced to your hydroponic nutrients solutions PH value before use, will throw you your hydro fertilizer off wake, �above 6.5� so soak in a water solution of 3 Ph, over night in a bucket first, then squeeze out the excess water before installing.MAKING YOUR OWN NFT HYDROPONICS SYSTEMIn siol, a grower needs to be very experienced to know exactly how much to feed there plants, too much and the plants will not be able to access oxygen, too little and the plants will lose the ability to transport nutrients, which are typically moved into the root while in the solution.One of the biggest mistakes �not the only one though� is using oval guttering for your homemade system, as the very nature of this system is to have a film of water �between 1mm & 3mm� over a fairly wide surface area, so as you can see, using a round water gully is somewhat pointless.You�ll probably have noticed from looking at other nft hydroponics homemade system setups that square rock wool cubes are mainly used, but as my NFT system is a also homemade, I�ve tried keeping the cost down as 70 rockwool cubes would have cost a few quid. so to avoid this expense, my alternative, Earthwool zero carbon loft insulation, the roll covers 8sq meters, so I�m guessing that�s enough to fill my pots and the best part is that the hole roll cost me 5 quid from my local hardware store.If you do try these pvc pipe hydroponic pots with Earthwool zero carbon loft insulation then you�ll need to roll the earthwool up fairly tightly, so�s the nutrient rich water solution is drown up the rock wool.� GLUING YOUR HYDOPONICS HOMEMADE NFT SYSTEM TOGETHER� NFT HYDROPONICS HOMEMADE MEDIUM �TOP TIP�� REMEMBER� NFT WATER TANKUsing the right water pump is also very important, as having on that to large/powerful, will mean you having to restrict the flow from your reservoir, which will put a strain on the water pump and at the same time, may over heat your nutrient solution too as the max temperature for the water solution is 21c, any hotter and nutrient lock out will take over and some algae may start growing too.� NFT WATER PUMP to large/powerfulDepending on the high or distance your water nutrient solution needs to travel, take my vertical NFT hydroponics system for example, the height of which the water needs to travel is two meters, so a 1000 Litre an hour water pump is just right for the job, although with a horizontal NFT hydroponics growing system, getting hold of a pump that�s to small to manage the small vertical clime is fairly difficult, as I�ve even used a bird bath fountain pump before, but I don�t recommend these pumps as there not all that cheap and also break down more than most pumps too.Because NFT hydroponic systems are so susceptible to pump and other failures, I use soaka felt that�s used in bench top growing to soak up excess water and to help with stopping plants from falling over, as plant roots grow into the felt side of the matting, and its ideal for NFT systems as a fail safe, if placed in the bottoms of the NFT channels it will help eliminate any dry spots accruing as the roots grow within the growing channels, as the roots grow, some damming of the water solution may accrue, and at least this felt will help with damming and also pump failure.� NFT WATER PUMP to small/underpoweredChoose a Tank that�s no higher than your lowest gully, and of course it need to be light proofed to fervent algae growth and also large enough for lots of nutrient enriched water.Alternatively you could use rock wool slabs, take the plastic wrap off and cut the rock wool slab into slices, doing it this way would also keep costs down.Choosing the right glue to keep nft systems water tight, and keeping the pvc pipes water-tight, well you have a couple of options, I�ve tried both of these and each work well, utility/ bathroom/kitchen, silicone sealant is fine to use, or pvc piping and guttering is also very good too, which ever one you do you use, you�ll need to lightly rub the surface where sealing is needed with some sand paper to ensure good contact.Making your hydroponic NFT system water tight, at the same time as being able to remove the channels from a homemade NFT hydroponic setup is easy enough as long as you give a little thought into how.As you can imagine, using a squire gully makes life a lot easer as the fidally job of light proofing your water channel, by other means has already been taken care of, all that�s left for you is to blank of the end and cutting out some holes for your plants to grow in, also a way for the nutrients to recalculate back to your nutrient tankThe fact that nutrient film technique hydroponics has many advantages other soil culture, but the biggest is the fact that the root system of the plants have constant access to oxygen and that plants have access to as much or as little water as they need, this is important as one of the most common errors when growing is over/and under watering, and that hydroponics prevents this from occurring as large amounts of water can be made available to the plants roots and water that�s not used simply drains away, recalculating and then actively aerated, which eliminates anoxic conditions which can cause problems in root systems.Pots that I�ve made for the NFT gullies, all the PVC pipe is, 40mm waste piping, that cut to length, plus a bit extra so�s I can pull the pot out when needed, oh yeah a small groove that will let water underneath the pots easily, Earthwool zero carbon loft insulation IS VERY loose/ airy, and in my opinion is better than the ready bought cubes, as you can decide how airy you need your medium to be, and also mix with other hydro growing mediums if you wish.As your water needs only to be 1mm to 2mm depth within the water gully channel, so any lip/ edges need to be as flat as the base of the gully, any extra height will increase the depth of the water dramatically, and may cause some water logging at the far end.

As an avid gardener for many years and also worked in garden nursery's with interests in hydroponics stretching back to the early 90's.

Author: Timothy Belk

Cold Weather and Frozen Pipes

2011-08-19T08:49:00.001-07:00

Cold weather is a big problem for home and property owners- especially if you�ve moved and your home is setting empty. Why? PLUMBING!

- Lastly, if you experience flooding or water damage from a broken pipe, be sure to watch the home for mold or mildew. Black mold can be a serious after effect to a flooded home that�s far worse to deal with than the actual water damage.The last piece of advice is always the best... If you fail to unthaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber before the pipe breaks.How to keep it from happening�- Drain and store outside garden hoses.- Your home should have inside valves on your outdoor water supply lines. Close them, then open the outside faucet and let the water drain. Leave the outside faucet open all winter.If your home gets too cold, the water in your pipes can freeze overnight and then burst in the day when it warms back up. This leaves the potential for extensive flooding and water damage to your home. The pipes you need to be most concerned about are those that have the most exposure to the cold -- outdoor hose faucets, swimming pool supply lines, underground sprinkler systems, and plumbing in unheated basements, crawl spaces, attics and garages. Pipes that run against exterior walls are also at risk.- Keep the home temperature set to no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. I know it�s tempting to turn the thermostat down when you leave town for a few weeks or if you have an unsold home that is setting empty, but the higher heat bill is quickly offset by the cost of repairing a pipe and cleaning up water damage.When it�s cold outside, you should periodically check all the faucets in your home. If it doesn�t work or water is just a trickle you may have frozen water in your pipes. Attempt to locate the frozen area by looking in the area most likely to freeze- i.e. the coldest. Use a heat lamp, space heater, hair dryer or electrical heat pad to begin to thaw out the pipes. Remember to keep the faucet open as you work. That's because running water will help melt the ice faster. Apply heat until full water pressure is restored, then consider going to your neighborhood hardware store to purchase insulation for the areas of the pipe that froze (to help prevent it from happening again).DO NOT use any sort of blow torch or open flame to warm the pipes. I can not stress this enough, so let me say it again. DO NOT use an open flame. First off, an open flame is a fire hazard and if you are working in a confined area there is a threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. Every year there is a story in the news of some person burning down their home or suffocating themselves to death while working on frozen pipes.- If you haven�t already done so, drain the water from your swimming pool and lawn sprinkler system. As mentioned above, insulate plumbing that's most susceptible to freezing. You can find supplies at your local hardware store, Home Depot, or Lowes.What to do�The second reason not to use an open flame is if it gets too hot you can melt your pipes (especially PVC plastic pipes). Third, too much heat too quickly creates the potential for an explosion. That�s because water expands as it gets hot. A blow torch or other device will cause the water to boil, and boiling water trapped in the middle of a frozen pipe has no place to expand- so it explodes.

Author: Darin "Sid" Cameron

PEX Manifold - The Top 5 Installation Schemes

2011-08-16T19:42:00.003-07:00

Pex manifold is polyethylene which has been cross-linked to create a much stronger material that last for a longer period of time. It can withstand extreme temperatures without cracking or falling apart. If you are planning on using the Pex plumbing system to replace or repair your old pipes but is unsure how to make repairs yourself, know that there are five different ways to install pex plumbing system:

PVC windows and doors come out way ahead on conserving energy. ENERGY STAR © certified products like vinyl windows/ doors are guaranteed to be energy efficient, saving on heating and cooling costs for the consumer. When installed and maintained properly, PVC/vinyl windows and doors promise a long and reliable service life including energy savings for the consumer. "Vinyl windows are the number one choice in the residential new home construction and replacement market due to their ability to provide consumers with both environmental and economic benefits - energy efficiency, low maintenance and exceptional durability." Dr. Moore says.This system is much like conventional copper pipe system, which uses trunk lines to provide smaller branch lines that run to the fixtures. What sets Pex trunk and branch system is that there is no need for any coupling fittings at all. Compared to copper trunk and branch system, pex tubing reduces the chances of leaks and allows sweeping turns because pex are very flexible."Recent life-cycle studies show the health and environmental impacts of vinyl building products are comparable to or less than the impacts of other competing products," says Dr. Moore, who advises organizations on sustainability. "PVC/vinyl windows are so durable and long-lasting that the vast majority of them installed over the past two decades are still in use and therefore not yet eligible for end-of-life or post-consumer recycling. However, when PVC windows/doors come out of service - like all polyvinyl chloride products - they can be recycled.This set up is the combination of both trunk and brand and home-run schemes where the manifolds are fixed in accessible locations close to multiple fittings. The hot and cold water trunk lines are connected to the remote manifold and each branch line run through each fixture. Though remote manifold set-ups require more fittings that home-run set up, they need lesser piping.This scheme is very much similar to home-run scheme though this set up use a number of flow-through manifolds instead of the usual central manifolds. One advantage of this set up is that it uses less pex tubing and deliver heated water faster than any pex schemes mentioned in this article.Vinyl windows perform favourably in terms of energy efficiency, thermal-insulating value and have low contribution to greenhouse gases. Since PVC/vinyl windows and doors are lighter in weight, transportation costs are also lower."The Canadian Plastics Industry Association is the national voice of Canada's plastics industry, representing the interests of processors, material suppliers, equipment manufacturers, recyclers and brand owners across the country.Modified Home-Run SchemeVinyl is widely used for building and construction because it is strong, resistant to moisture and abrasion, will not rot or corrode, does not require painting and can be cleaned with mild cleaning products. It is ideally suited for windows/doors, pipes, cladding, fencing, decking, roofing, wallcoverings and flooring. There is little waste: "Virtually all of the vinyl is converted into product," says Dr Patrick Moore. "The scrap, trim and off-spec material is recycled from the vinyl production process. This adds up to more than 1 billion pounds per year. This means that 99% of all manufactured vinyl is made into products - not sent to landfills."

This scheme is very much similar to home-run scheme though this set up use a number of flow-through manifolds instead of the usual central manifolds. One advantage of this set up is that it uses less pex tubing and deliver heated water faster than any pex schemes mentioned in this article.

Author: Trinh Jaconskii

"PVC / Vinyl Windows and Doors Are the Greenest Choice" Says Greenpeace Co-Founder Dr. Patrick Moore

2011-08-16T19:42:00.001-07:00

The concept of structured plumbing is the redistribution of heated water with the manifolds set in group fixtures. The hot water line requires open-ended manifolds so that the heated water return line creates an extension to the heated water supply. Because water is redistributed, this scheme reduces energy and water usage, making it ideal for homeowners who prefer cost-effective, energy-efficient plumbing scheme.Remote Manifold SchemeThis scheme uses hot and cold-water pex manifold to deliver water all over your house. For this system, the main water lines as well as the heater line are fed in the manifold while the smaller lines are connected from the pex manifold to the individual fittings. Generally, this set up requires the manifold to be installed in a central area in the home such as the basement or service closet. Manifold for the heated water is fitted no closer than 18 inches to the heater while the manifold for cold water is fixed beside the heated water manifold.Trunk and Branch SchemeVinyl is largely derived from salt via chlorine, an abundant and inexpensive resource. While some, such as Greenpeace, denounce chlorine, Dr. Moore, a founder of the group who later left in part due to his science-based understanding of the benefits of chlorine says, "Chlorine is the most important element in the periodic table for public health and medicine. It purifies our drinking water and contributes to many of our prescription medicines, thereby preventing the spread of disease."Structured Plumbing Scheme

Contacts: Canadian Plastics Industry Association Darlene Gray 905.678.7748 ext. 239 www.plastics.ca

Sewer Connection Guidelines to Prevent Sewage Cleanup in Belleville, IL

2011-08-16T16:48:00.005-07:00

In order to connect the sewer of the building to the main sewer provided by the city, there are certain regulations that residents of Belleville must follow. These are to maintain a sense of order and to protect the interests of the majority of the people. It is only in this situation that sewage cleanup in Belleville, IL can be avoided for more residents.

You will then use the 1� wooden screws to fasten one end of the bracket to the board, and the other end to the pole. As I mentioned above, if you can find brackets that have 2 holes on each end, if will be even more secure.Platform Bed - Roundover InstructionThe minimum size of the pipe should be four inches in diameter for residential structures. For buildings that have heavier users such as churches, schools, or duplexes, the size is increased to six inches. One clean out should be built within five feet of the building foundation. The sewer piping should not be reduced in size in consideration of the direction of the flow of water. Otherwise, there is a risk for backlog and the need of sewage cleanup in Belleville, IL arises.Nominal Fitting Diameter

Finally, all the connections and materials that are employed should have the approval of the superintendent of sewers or his representative before any kind of work is done.

Author: Leo Nov

Storing You Silk Flower Stems For Silk Flower Arrangements and other Crafts

2011-08-16T16:48:00.003-07:00

Storing Silk Flower Stems for your Silk Flower Arrangements and other Crafts.

Finally, all the connections and materials that are employed should have the approval of the superintendent of sewers or his representative before any kind of work is done.1� woods screws (approx 30)3" or Morepower screwdriver if you have it)2� sq. piece of �� particle boardPower drill1/8"Now that we have one on, we can figure out how we are going to position the rest. You can definitely experiment with this depending on the length of your silk flower stems, but in most cases I found two idea methods:3 x L shaped bracket (should have at least a drilled whole in each in, two in each end would be even better. Make sure the holes are not larger than the head on the 1� wood screws.)3/4" - 2"Once you have proceeded to fasten each of your 4� rings to the pole, you should find that you can easily adjust their angle to accommodate the different lengths of stems and what is beneath and below each ring. Once completed, you can then fill each ring with your silk flower stems.A small wood router can work well for this task. In fact, if you can gently hold the router in some sort of clamping or holding device like a vise, bit side up, then hold the fitting as you feed it into the cutter. Be careful not to squeeze the router case too hard. A router table may work, but sometimes it can be too restricting. Be careful not to get your fingers too close to the cutting blade. Also, it's always a good idea to wear safety goggles, a dust face mask over your nose and mouth, plus ear plugs.Staggering the rings around the pole as you work your way up orIn open areas where you can�t place the large 4� pipe pieces, you can then place these small pieces perpendicular with the ground against the pole to hold additional small silk flower supplies (close against the pole) out of the way of the larger holders.The other item the craftsman can do to add elegance to a project is to round over the sharp corners of the Pipe Fitting�s socket bells. This can be done by hand filing, but that is quite tedious. The best way to do this is with a small wood router with roundover bit. As the Table below shows, the roundover bit should have a pilot bearing and be of the correct size for the socket bell wall thickness.(White or Black Color)Bit Cutting Radius6� long / 4� diameter PVC pipeFor your crafters that like to work with silk flowers for all your many hobbies, if you are like me, it is hard to find a method of storage for all your silk flower supplies. I like making silk flower arrangements, artificial floral candle rings and wreaths, you usually like to keep supplies around since you find great deals when you�re shopping. You probably have found that storing them by laying them down does nothing but ruin its posture. Or storing them in vases takes up a lot of floor or shelf space, and you also have to compensate for the size of each container. Today I wanted provide a quick how to article stepping you through the process of creating a platform that allows you to store your many different silk flower supplies with a small foot print.We will now proceed to take the second 6� long PVC pipe and cut it in segments of 4� long pieces. This should give you approximately 18 pieces. This might or might not be enough depending on how big you are making this or how much you want to cram in on this pole. If you need more, you�ll need another pole PVC pipe to cut more 4� long pieces.You could leave an area for hanging silk flower wreaths or silk flower candle rings. Based on the diameter of your wreaths or candle rings, you would leave this much room on the pole before your holders start. Then taking a 1� PVC pipe (length is up to you) and by drilling a slightly bigger hole through the middle of the main pole, slide your 1� pipe through and create a place to �hang� your wreaths and candle rings.the Platform Bed. They have even been accented with simulated brass trim. http://www.eplansets.com/The photograph shows how the rounded over fittings look on the footboard ofThere should also be sufficient bedding material available on site to provide at least two inches of cover of the building sewer once approval by the inspector has been achieved. During inspection, the tap, fittings, and pipes should still be seen.With the 2� particle board flat on the ground we will stand the 6� long, 4� diameter PVC pipe on end on top of, and in the middle of the board we have flat on the ground. (This is the only part an extra pair of hands would come in handy).Equipment you will need:The sewer lines should be made out of vitrified clay pipe, cast iron soil pipe, or PVC sewer pipe that conforms to the regulations issued by the government. When the building sewer is to be built using the PVC pipe, then there should be at least two inches of bedding of an approved granular material to the center line of the pipe that is made from the same material. The length of the building should be at this condition until it has passed an inspection by the city inspector.(Beige Color)Holding the 4� pipe piece against the pipe, we are going to line up the side that is the very opposite side from the side you drilled the hole. It would be idea to have someone hold this piece so you can concentrate on fastening. Place the wooden screw inside the ring, using your other hand feed the screwdriver through the hole. And commence with fastening the screw through the ring into the pole.With a tight fit, you should find that you can swivel the ring around. We will want to put it at 90 degree angle to figure out where the next one will go.You can change the dimensions of this design to fit your needs easily. I am making this at 6� high, but could be at any height, but I probably wouldn�t go below 3�. Once you get the hang of what you are accomplishing it will be a breeze to complete. The hardest part will be figuring out the layout of what you want.If you are lucky to have someone hold the pipe the following will not be a problem. We are going to take the 3 �L� shaped brackets and place them equally around the pipe, with one end flush against the side of the pipe, while the other end of the bracket is flush with board.When placing the bunches of stems in each ring, be careful not to overcrowdItems you will need:1/2"

You could leave an area for hanging silk flower wreaths or silk flower candle rings. Based on the diameter of your wreaths or candle rings, you would leave this much room on the pole before your holders start. Then taking a 1� PVC pipe (length is up to you) and by drilling a slightly bigger hole through the middle of the main pole, slide your 1� pipe through and create a place to �hang� your wreaths and candle rings.

Author: Max McCarty

Creating Elegance With a Plastic Pipe Project

2011-08-16T16:48:00.001-07:00

Just like with any Woodworking or Furniture Building project, the key element in doing elegant work with PVC Plastic Pipe & Pipe Fittings, is craftsmanship. Work carefully and pay attention to details. Some people do not understand that making things from Plastic Pipe can lead to beautiful creations. That is what needs some explanation.

The premise for the design is to take advantage of height and shape of silk flower stems to �stack� your silk flowers in an organized and easily maintainable way. You can picture a pole to hang coats, but instead of hooks were going to use rings to hold the flowers at an angle.1/4"Phillips Screwdriver (the neck of the screw driver �the metal part- will need to be most likely 5-6� long.As another example, making a very simple project, like our Under Desktop CPU Holder out of CPVC Plastic Pipe, is much easier than making it as a woodworking project or a metal working project. All PVC Plastic Pipe fittings have a natural aesthetic beauty. It has something to do with the implied �flow� or flowing characteristics. Adding to the beauty and character is the way the socket bells of each fitting are expanded to fit around the Pipe.All the items I mentioned above can be obtained from your local hardware store. You are also not required to have exactly those dimensions. If your retailer carries 3� diameter PVC only, you can use that, it just won�t hold as many silk flower stems as a 4� or 5� diameter pipe. The �L� shaped brackets are used for securing items like two boards perpendicular to each other. In our case, were going to use it to fasten the polePVC or ABSWe are now going to use our drill to drill �a� hole on one side of each of the 4� long pieces of PVC pipe we cut. Make sure to drill the hole in the dead middle of the ring. To be clearer, I mean the middle as in between the top and bottom of the ring. We are going to use this hole, to put our long neck Phillips screwdriver through in order to turn the screw that will fasten the opposite side to the pole (more on that in a minute).PVCOnce you are done drilling the hole through all the pieces, we are going to start at the bottom of the pole and work our way up. You must stop and understand that the intentions are not to set the holder so it is holding the group of silk flower stems perpendicular to the ground. Rather at a 90 degree angle. This is important as you will want to start high enough off the ground on the pole so that at 90 degrees the bottom of the stems is not touching the ground. You will probably have to put your stems through the ring (holder) and place against the pole to find the right starting point. This is where you would hold them at a 90 degree angle to get the right height.Other great ideas is taking small 2�-3� pipe and cutting into 5� lengthsApprox 3/8 drill bit (must drill holes bigger than the head of your wood screws)Some type of power saw or hand saw to cut the PVC pipe.Let�s start by picturing your standard pole for hanging coats on. We�re going to recreate this concept by fastening one of the poles to the 2� sq particle board we have.Below are a couple additional tips:Picture a candy cane strip as it works its way up the pole.1/2" - 1"CPVC6� long / 5� diameter PVC pipeThe connection made with the sewer of the city should be characterized as either a "WYE" or "TEE" branch. If this is not possible, the connections should have to be approved drilled or sawed tap and saddle. Under no circumstance should the sanitary sewer be broken.(TIP) if don�t have someone that can support the pole, you can opt to set the brackets around the pipe the way they will end up, mark the holes on the board (only), then remove the pipe. You can then proceed to fasten the brackets to the 2� sq particle board first. Then proceed to put the pipe back in-between all three brackets and finish off securing the top part of each bracket to the pipe - make sure the pipe is plumb (straight up and down).1/16"For example, making a project like the Platform Bed out of PVC Plastic Pipe is easier than making it as a woodworking project. For instance, making a bed with this much detail out of wood, would require cutting each piece to width, height and length. With our Plastic Pipe Platform Bed, you just have to cut the various pieces of Pipe to the lengths in the "Cutting Schedule" provided in the Project ePlanSet. The equivalent woodworking project requires making special joints. The Plastic Pipe project does not. The assembly of a Plastic Pipe Project requires the use of a rubber mallet. If you choose to build our Platform Bed, the alignment of all the pieces and gluing are made very easy, if you follow the Project ePlanSet instructions.

the Platform Bed. They have even been accented with simulated brass trim. http://www.eplansets.com/

Author: Doug Stahnke

Detrex Corporation Reports Profit for the Second Quarter of 2011

2011-08-16T13:42:00.005-07:00

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- Detrex Corporation (Pink Sheets: DTRX), a diversified manufacturer of PVC and CPVC pipe, duct and shapes and specialty chemicals including additives for industrial petroleum products and high purity hydrochloric acid, today announced second quarter 2011 net income of $1,267,352, or $0.78 per fully diluted share, compared to net income of $769,029, or $0.49 per fully diluted share, in the second quarter of last year. Year-to-date net income was $2,536,496 or $1.56 per fully diluted share, compared to net income of $1,114,238, or $0.70 per fully diluted share, in the same period of 2010.

[Table Omitted]Remove the garden hose cap from the other end of the PVC pipe, and fill the pipe with pre-mixed (ready to use) RoundUp. Replace the garden hose cap and you have yourself a weed dabber. The RoundUp will seep out the hole in the end of the pipe cap and be absorbed by the sponge. As long as the garden hose cap is tight, the vacuum in the pipe will keep the herbicide from running out too fast. Once the sponge is damp, you can start dabbing weeds. Remember, you only want the weeds damp and not dripping wet. As long as you are leaving some RoundUp on the weeds as you dab them, the herbicide should kill them.The earnings improvement is the result of a combination of higher volume, better margins from improved pricing power and continued expense control. A portion of the earnings improvement was offset by an environmental charge of $550,000 in the second quarter and $1 million year-to-date which reflect the Company’s current practice of replenishing the environmental reserve by an amount at least equal to spending in the current year. No such charges were made in the first half of 2010.Now you are ready to attach your wind turbine to the tower and wire everything so you can start producing your own electrical energy. I realize this is just a glimpse of how I built my own wind turbine, but it gives you a starting point to build your own. I have a guide that I used available at my website.Start by going to your hardware store and buying a piece of 1- 1/2� PVC pipe. You only need a piece 30� long, but they might make you buy a 10' section. It's pretty cheap though. You'll need a plastic PVC cap for one end of the pipe, and on the other end you'll need an adapter to convert the PVC pipe to a standard pipe thread. You'll have to let the clerk at the hardware store help you find the best combination of fittings to use. What you need to do is to get the PVC pipe reduced down to a male garden hose type fitting. Hardware stores sell brass fittings that convert standard pipe thread to the same thread used on garden hoses.Now I am ready to fabricate my turbine blades that will turn the motor in the wind. I used a piece of 6� PVC schedule 40 white plumbing pipe, and I cut it into 3 equal pieces 36� long. These must be cut exact so that very little balancing will have to be done. To be honest with you it took me two tries at this to get it right.

[Table Omitted]

How to Make a Weed Dabber

2011-08-16T13:42:00.003-07:00

You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as is, including the contact information at the end. Website URLs must be active links. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliate link, http://www.freeplants.com/resellers.htm

Statements included in this press release that are not historical in nature are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “1995 Act”). The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “guidance,” “target” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Certain risks and uncertainties are identified from time to time in the Company’s reports. Some factors that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements include: market conditions, environmental remediation costs, pension expense and funding requirements, liquidation value of assets, and marketability of real estate and the market value and future liquidity of Detrex stock. The Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the 1995 Act.One problem that as always been a part of a horizontal wind turbines is called wire twist, were the constant wind change of direction will cause the wire to twist and eventually brake. To solve this problem I devised a simple stop system by drilling a hole through the 1-1/2� PVC just above the rigid conduit, with a �� hole. I placed a 2� long �� bolt through the hole securing it with a nut and lock washer. Next, I placed a 3� piece of �� rod or bolt secured vertically to the end of the 2� rigid conduit, spacing it away from the 1-1/2� PVC so it doesn�t rub. I secured the vertical bolt with 2 hose clamps around the 2� rigid conduit.Cut a piece of pipe 30� long and glue the pipe cap on one end, and the PVC to pipe thread adapter on the other end. Apply a small amount of pipe dope or Teflon tape to the threads of the adapter, and screw the male garden house fitting onto the adapter. Screw the garden hose cap to the male garden hose fitting.Next I needed a way to allow the wind turbine to pivot freely in the wind, so I got a 3� PVC tee fitting. However, I decided to use a 2� rigid mast for my tower which allowed me to reduce the tee fitting down to 1-1/2� PVC pipe which slips nicely into the 2� rigid conduit allowing a smooth turning point.Depending on the temperatures, it could take a week or so before you can see the effects of the herbicide. If the sponge gets too dry you can loosen the cap a little to release the vacuum and more herbicide will be released onto the sponge. Or you can simply turn the tool upside down and that should let some air into the chamber, thus releasing the vacuum. As always, read the label and follow the directions on the herbicide package.Now back to the end of the pipe that you glued the pipe cap to. Drill a very small hole right in the middle of the pipe cap. You might have to experiment a little with the size of the hole you need, but make sure you start with a very small hole. I'd start with 1/16�. Cut a piece of regular household sponge in a square about 1-1/2� square. What you are going to do is place this sponge over the small hole you drilled in the pipe cap, and secure it there by covering it with a piece of lightweight screen or mesh cloth. Maybe even a piece of an onion bag. You can secure the mesh to the PVC pipe with a hose clamp, or electrical tape.The growth in the first half of the year resulted in a working capital increase of $2.96 million, however this increase in working capital leveled off in the second quarter and began to decline as receivables began to catch up. As a result, bank debt increased by approximately $1.7 million in the first half of the year, which includes a decrease of $783,000 in the second quarter. Detrex said it continued to manage liquidity very closely to continue to fund its legacy liabilities. Nonetheless, the Company maintained ample availability under its current credit agreement.The PVC fittings have to be glued on so you'll have to pick up some PVC pipe glue and cleaner. You have to use the cleaner to remove the film and gloss from the PVC pipe and fittings before you glue them. Once you have them cleaned, just apply a coating of glue to both the pipe and the fitting, slide the fitting on and twist it at the same time. Hold the fitting tight for 60 seconds and it will be glued tightly.

Depending on the temperatures, it could take a week or so before you can see the effects of the herbicide. If the sponge gets too dry you can loosen the cap a little to release the vacuum and more herbicide will be released onto the sponge. Or you can simply turn the tool upside down and that should let some air into the chamber, thus releasing the vacuum. As always, read the label and follow the directions on the herbicide package.

Author: Michael McGroarty

How I Built My Own Wind Turbine

2011-08-16T13:42:00.001-07:00

I want to reveal to you how I constructed my own wind system from start to finish. Here is a list of materials that I used to get started. I purchased a DC permanent magnet motor from eBay. The motor is a 48 volt dc motor that as an rpm rating of 2000 rpm, which means at 12 volts dc it, has an output of 5.8 amps at 500 rpm which is ideal to charge a 12 volt battery system.

I decided to make my wind turbine out of PVC pipe which is readily available at your local home supply store. The diameter of my motor is 3� so I used 3� PVC pipe so that I could slip the motor inside the PVC pipe. First I quartered the 3� PVC just enough to allow the motor to slip in the PVC easily. Now that I know how to easily slip the motor in the pipe I used 2 large hose clamps to secure the motor in the PVC.The weed dabber is a tool used for spot treating weeds without getting the herbicide on other plants.Next I decided to use a piece of 2� PVC for a tail section. I made the wind tail section out of a piece of Plexiglas I had, approximately 12� high and 24� long. I split the 2� PVC 24� long vertically to allow the piece of Plexiglas to fit between the PVC and drilled through the PVC and the vertical tail section so I could bolt it securely in place. You must balance the tail section with the motor installed in the 3� PVC so that it balances at the pivot point of the 2� rigid conduit allowing smooth turning. I had to cut off my 2� PVC until it balanced perfectly.Commenting on the Company’s results for the first half of 2011, President and CEO Tom Mark said, “Both Harvel and Elco are achieving remarkable results in an economic environment that is still challenging. We remain optimistic about continued solid performance in the months to come based on the value of our product offering and relationships with our customers. Raw material costs have been increasing significantly, and we are striving to adjust selling prices proportionately.”The tool that I am going to tell you about is for using herbicides such as RoundUp. The biggest mistakes that people make when using non-selective herbicides like RoundUp is overspray getting the herbicide on plants that they did not intend to spray, and over applying the product. If you spray to the point of run off, you are applying way too much.

Now you are ready to attach your wind turbine to the tower and wire everything so you can start producing your own electrical energy. I realize this is just a glimpse of how I built my own wind turbine, but it gives you a starting point to build your own. I have a guide that I used available at my website.

Author: Jerry Standefer

How To Build A Bird House

2011-08-16T10:40:00.005-07:00

How To Build A Bird House - If you enjoy spending time around birds then you may want to build a birdhouse. Building a birdhouse is a great way to become a companion of birds. Birdhouses add attractiveness to any landscape. Crafting, designing and building birdhouses is a in-expensive hobby.

First, put a marshmallow in the beginning of the nozzle, the top piece. Do not put it in the barrel. Then blow one big breath of air, not a long weak breath. The bigger and harder the breath, the farther the marshmallow will go. To have even more fun, meet your friends at the park and have a really big marshmallow gun war.Since you know how to build and shoot a marshmallow gun or shooter, run out to the store and buy your supplies. Before you know it, you will be shooting marshmallows with your own gun.7. Let dry overnight.3. Cut four pieces of PVC pipe 1/3 of the barrel, two for the handles and two for connecting pieces of PVC pipe together. Cut one piece 1/3 of your handles. Cut one more piece of PVC pipe 1/2 of your barrel.For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/934e68/pipe_market_in_indIt is important not to use metal to build your birdhouse, not even nails; use non-toxic outdoor wood glue. Metal can become very hot when the sun is beating down on it, plus it can have very sharp edges. Wood is the best material to build a birdhouse. To keep water out of the entrance of the birdhouse you need the roof to pitch enough to shed water.3. Get two T's, two elbows, and two caps. Place the smallest piece of PVC pipe in between the two T's. Now put two of the PVC pipe (1/3 size of the barrel) on top and bottom of the T's. Place a cap on the bottom PVC pipe and an elbow on the top PVC pipe. Put the barrel in the t that's PVC pipe has a cap on the end of it.For more great information be sure and visit:5. Place the last PVC pipe (that is 1/3 the size of the barrel) on the T. Place the last cap on the PVC pipe that is a 1/3 size of the barrel.

Don't forget to treat your feathered friend with feeders, bird baths or bird pond sprinkle the area with some wild flower seeds. When your wild flower are in bloom your feathered friend will provide you with constant delight. ~ Anthony Benjamin ~ http://www.mysecretsites.info

Author: Anthony Benjamin

Research and Markets: Growing Demand of PVC and HSAW Pipes is Expected to Boost the Overall Pipe Industry, Finds Netscribes

2011-08-16T10:40:00.003-07:00

DUBLIN -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/934e68/pipe_market_in_ind) has announced the addition of the "Pipe Market in India 2011" report to their offering.

If you want to know how to build and shoot a marshmallow gun, the plans are below. Learning how to build and shoot a Marshmallow Gun without plans can be tricky, so we are giving the Marshmallow Gun-Shooter Plans to you for free!The first marshmallow blow gun I ever received was at a birthday party. We played �Capture the Flag� with marshmallow guns. After the party, we all received a marshmallow gun for a party favor.Building the Marshmallow GunShooting the Marshallow Gun

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/934e68/pipe_market_in_ind

How to Build and Shoot a Marshmallow Gun

2011-08-16T10:40:00.001-07:00

Marshmallow blow guns are safe and fun for boys and girls of all ages. Even dads will enjoy this toy. A marshmallow gun or shooter is a terrific Christmas, birthday or anytime gift!

An analysis of drivers explains growth factors such as increasing spend by the government on various oil & natural gas projects and hence the need for pipelines. This also explains the special emphasis on the major upcoming pipelines and the expansion of city gas distribution network. Expansion of water projects and the focus of government towards urban development, competitive edge of Indian players with respect to European counterparts and the tremendous growth in real estate and auto sector are the other important drivers The key challenges identified include rising input costs, appreciation of rupee and tremendous competition from the Chinese manufacturers. Recent trends in pipe market include increasing popularity of PVC pipes, preference of HSAW pipes in comparison to LSAW pipes and entry barrier for a new player.Netscribes (India) Pvt. Ltd., launches a report on the Pipe Industry in India 2011 as part of Netscribes' Manufacturing Industry report series.The competition section provides a product matrix with brief profiles of the major players in the market along with their financials. Key development section highlights the major happenings in the pipe industry.4. Now, place the PVC pipe that is 1/2 of the barrel on your elbow. Put a PVC pipe (1/3 size of the barrel) in the other t. Place an elbow on the end of your PVC pipe that is 1/3 size of your barrel.When you are ready to clean your bird house simple unscrew the 12" x 12" base mounting screws, slide off the base with it's attached birdhouse and clean it! When cleaned, replace the 12" x 12" base and reinsert your screws. Now wasn't that easy!You need to construct a birdhouse that is easy to clean. It should be sturdy, cool, and rainproof as well. Remember, this is your birdhouse, so use your imagination; you will have something unique and all your own when your project is completed..http://www.bird-city.comWhen your bird house is built it is time to mount it. When mounting your birdhouse it is important to keep in mind predators, such as squirrels, cats and snakes. Place your bird house mount out of the range of jumping and climbing animals. The best mount for a birdhouse is PVC pipe which can be purchased inexpensively at your local home hardware supply store. Get an 8' long piece of PVC that is 3 or 4" in diameter. Also be sure and buy a "flange" that will fit into the PVC. When looking at a 'flange' from the side it has the shape of a man's dress hat, as one would also look at the dress hat from from it's side view. The round part of the 'hat' - or 'flange' slips down, about 2" into one end of the PVC pipe. The flat part of the 'hat' - or 'flange' should have a small hole pre-drilled in each corner. A large, approx. 12" x 12" piece of plywood is attached, to the flat part of the 'hat' or 'flange' with screws via the pre-drilled holes. Be sure this is placed in the middle of the 12" x 12 plywood. This will serve as your birdhouse base. Now turn this over and simply slide the round part of the 'hat' - or 'flange' into the end of your PVC pipe. On top of this securely mount your bird house. When you have moved your PVC to an upright mounting position, you would be looking upward, and see the screws that attached flange to your 12" x 12" base.Add a couple small holes near the top of the birdhouse for ventilation on hot days. The bottom of the birdhouse should be constructed with screws, so it will be easy to take apart when you clean it.Mumbai, India - Aug 4, 2011 - Netscribes (India) Pvt. Ltd., a knowledge consulting solutions company, announces the launch of its Pipe Market in India 2011 report. Cost advantage and tremendous expansion in natural gas sector boosts the demand for pipes. The report begins with the structure of the Indian pipe industry and goes on to explain the various major segments of the pipe industry. The market overview section includes information regarding the Indian market scenario, market size and growth as well as the segmentation of the market based on the products. It also highlights the various characteristics of the pipes available in the market and includes the size, raw material, manufacturing process, differentiating factor, application as well as key players manufacturing the product.Now it's time to mount your bird house. Dig about an 18" hole and drop it in! Be sure and pack the dirt solidly back around the base to secure it. For added security you could pick up an inexpensive bag of ready mix cement. Just mix it with water, set the PVC in the middle of the hole and pour the cement evenly around it. It is a good idea if you could put your hands on a level to make sure your PVC stays vertically straight while working. That's all there is to it!Don't forget to treat your feathered friend with feeders, bird baths or bird pond sprinkle the area with some wild flower seeds. When your wild flower are in bloom your feathered friend will provide you with constant delight. ~ Anthony Benjamin ~ http://www.mysecretsites.infoIf you lightly coat the PVC pipe mount with in-expensive vegetable oil ants and other crawling insects will not be able to climb disturb the bird nest.2. Cut your PVC pipe however long you want the barrel.

Since you know how to build and shoot a marshmallow gun or shooter, run out to the store and buy your supplies. Before you know it, you will be shooting marshmallows with your own gun.

Author: Hunter Beck

No More Wire Hangers

2011-07-10T08:37:00.001-07:00

Joan Crawford was right. Wire hangers just won�t do.

Our Toyota mini motor home has a clothes closet equipped with the standard flat metal bar with the small triangular opening for the clothes hangers. This arrangement works well for keeping the clothes hangers from sliding about while under way. It also makes it impossible to use any of the more popular styles of clothes hangers.

We soon were frustrated at trying to stuff enough clothes into the limited hanging space of our small wardrobe. Each hanger had two to three items of clothing on it. Many of the tops that Shirley liked to wear had a large �boat� neckline and would simply slide off the wire hangers.

After some thought, it became clear that I could put the metal hanging bar to good use by using it to suspend another rod. I went to Walmart and purchased a package of the wire shower curtain hanger rings. They are available in a package of twelve for a little over a dollar. I then stopped at the home improvement store and purchased a piece of one inch pvc pipe and some end caps.

Back at home, I measured the length of the metal hanging bar in the wardrobe and cut the pvc pipe to match. The end caps were installed on each end of this piece but not glued. The normal tight fit of the caps will do just fine. Six of the shower curtain rings were slipped over the piece of pvc pipe.

The small end of each of the shower curtain ring is placed through the metal hanging bar in the wardrobe starting at the end and spacing them out every six to eight inches. Our metal bar was only three feet long so six of the rings was plenty.

This installed the pvc closet rod about one to two inches below the metal bar in the wardrobe.

Now any type of hanger, plastic, wooden, or yes even wire will work in our wardrobe.

We also can store a lot more clothes as each hanger does not have to fit in one of the little holes in the metal bar.

*******************************************************

Lee McPherron

Happily Rving in �Dolly� our 1985 Toyota Dolphin Mini Motorhome.

Read the Toyota Motor Home Handbook

http://www.thorntonnetsales.com/toyotamotorhome/

Author: Lee McPherron

How To Build A Bird House

2011-07-09T20:37:00.001-07:00

You need to construct a birdhouse that is easy to clean. It should be sturdy, cool, and rainproof as well. Remember, this is your birdhouse, so use your imagination; you will have something unique and all your own when your project is completed..

It is important not to use metal to build your birdhouse, not even nails; use non-toxic outdoor wood glue. Metal can become very hot when the sun is beating down on it, plus it can have very sharp edges. Wood is the best material to build a birdhouse. To keep water out of the entrance of the birdhouse you need the roof to pitch enough to shed water.

Add a couple small holes near the top of the birdhouse for ventilation on hot days. The bottom of the birdhouse should be constructed with screws, so it will be easy to take apart when you clean it.

When your bird house is built it is time to mount it. When mounting your birdhouse it is important to keep in mind predators, such as squirrels, cats and snakes. Place your bird house mount out of the range of jumping and climbing animals. The best mount for a birdhouse is PVC pipe which can be purchased inexpensively at your local home hardware supply store. Get an 8' long piece of PVC that is 3 or 4" in diameter. Also be sure and buy a "flange" that will fit into the PVC. When looking at a 'flange' from the side it has the shape of a man's dress hat, as one would also look at the dress hat from from it's side view. The round part of the 'hat' - or 'flange' slips down, about 2" into one end of the PVC pipe. The flat part of the 'hat' - or 'flange' should have a small hole pre-drilled in each corner. A large, approx. 12" x 12" piece of plywood is attached, to the flat part of the 'hat' or 'flange' with screws via the pre-drilled holes. Be sure this is placed in the middle of the 12" x 12 plywood. This will serve as your birdhouse base. Now turn this over and simply slide the round part of the 'hat' - or 'flange' into the end of your PVC pipe. On top of this securely mount your bird house. When you have moved your PVC to an upright mounting position, you would be looking upward, and see the screws that attached flange to your 12" x 12" base.

Now it's time to mount your bird house. Dig about an 18" hole and drop it in! Be sure and pack the dirt solidly back around the base to secure it. For added security you could pick up an inexpensive bag of ready mix cement. Just mix it with water, set the PVC in the middle of the hole and pour the cement evenly around it. It is a good idea if you could put your hands on a level to make sure your PVC stays vertically straight while working. That's all there is to it!

When you are ready to clean your bird house simple unscrew the 12" x 12" base mounting screws, slide off the base with it's attached birdhouse and clean it! When cleaned, replace the 12" x 12" base and reinsert your screws. Now wasn't that easy!

For more great information be sure and visit:

http://www.bird-city.com

If you lightly coat the PVC pipe mount with in-expensive vegetable oil ants and other crawling insects will not be able to climb disturb the bird nest.

Author: Anthony Benjamin

Sewer Connection Guidelines to Prevent Sewage Cleanup in Belleville, IL

2011-07-09T08:36:00.001-07:00

The sewer lines should be made out of vitrified clay pipe, cast iron soil pipe, or PVC sewer pipe that conforms to the regulations issued by the government. When the building sewer is to be built using the PVC pipe, then there should be at least two inches of bedding of an approved granular material to the center line of the pipe that is made from the same material. The length of the building should be at this condition until it has passed an inspection by the city inspector.

There should also be sufficient bedding material available on site to provide at least two inches of cover of the building sewer once approval by the inspector has been achieved. During inspection, the tap, fittings, and pipes should still be seen.

The minimum size of the pipe should be four inches in diameter for residential structures. For buildings that have heavier users such as churches, schools, or duplexes, the size is increased to six inches. One clean out should be built within five feet of the building foundation. The sewer piping should not be reduced in size in consideration of the direction of the flow of water. Otherwise, there is a risk for backlog and the need of sewage cleanup in Belleville, IL arises.

The connection made with the sewer of the city should be characterized as either a "WYE" or "TEE" branch. If this is not possible, the connections should have to be approved drilled or sawed tap and saddle. Under no circumstance should the sanitary sewer be broken.

Finally, all the connections and materials that are employed should have the approval of the superintendent of sewers or his representative before any kind of work is done.

Author: Leo Nov

Learn How You Can Have Free Electricity

2011-07-08T20:36:00.001-07:00

If you want to reduce your electricity bill without reducing your energy consumption, you need to find alternative ways of producing electricity. That is not too difficult a task if you know what to do. All it takes is a few hours a day and you can make yourself a generator that produces free electricity. Most people accomplish this within one or two weekends.

There are basically 2 types of generators you can make - a solar generator and a wind generator.

Learn more about renewable energy resources

A solar generator comprises of solar cells connected in series and glued onto the base of a shallow wooden box that acts as the solar panel box. First, you need to buy 36 solar cells from eBay or someplace like that. They are much cheaper than new industrial solar cells because those in eBay are usually factory seconds but they still work fine. Next, make your shallow box (or have the carpenter do it) according to dimensions that can fit the cells connected together in series in a 6x6, 4x9 or even 3x12 matrix. Paint your box with weather proof paint. While the paint dries, you can connect the cells together in series by soldering the tab wires that come with the cells onto the front of one cell and the back of another cell. Do this for all 36 cells.

The solar cells are then glued onto the base of the wooden box which is covered with a plexiglass top. If you have connected your cells correctly, you can test it under bright sunlight and you will find a reading in your voltmeter. The wires leading out of the box are connected to a battery to store the electricity generated.

On the other hand, a wind generator is made out of a set of wind generator blades, a motor, a body to house the motor, a vane and a tower to hoist the motor and blades. I recommend buying the blades and motor from eBay. All you need to do is screw the blades onto the hub of the motor. Now connect the motor to a voltmeter and test your generator by spinning the blades. If you get a reading, you're in business. Next, connect your motor to a battery using an electrical rotary connector. This connector allows you to connect your motor (which will be turning according to the wind direction) to the battery without getting any wires tangled up.

The next step is to make a body for the motor. A PVC pipe can be used for this purpose. Make one cut down the PVC pipe lengthwise to enable the motor to be mounted onto the top of the tower later. Now make a vane (tail) out of a flat piece of aluminum and attach it to the back of the body (PVC pipe). Place the motor into the PVC pipe securely and attach a flange at the bottom of the motor so that it can turn following the wind's direction. Now use some lazy susan bearings to connect the motor to the top of the tower. You can either buy the tower from eBay or use an old TV tower. Just make sure that you place your tower out in the open, at least 15 feet higher than any other object within 30 feet from your tower. Remember to earth your tower, too.

The final thing to do is to make sure you have a blocking diode connected in your circuit before the battery so that the charge does not flow back to your generator from the battery. Also it would be a wise move to have a voltage regulator to ensure your battery does not get overcharged. You will also need to convert the DC current in the battery into AC current via an inverter before powering your appliances with the electricity.

Both these ways can produce free electricity and substantially reduce your utility bill.

Learn more about alternative energy house

Author: Niellete Philip

Storing You Silk Flower Stems For Silk Flower Arrangements and other Crafts

2011-07-08T08:36:00.001-07:00

Storing Silk Flower Stems for your Silk Flower Arrangements and other Crafts.

For your crafters that like to work with silk flowers for all your many hobbies, if you are like me, it is hard to find a method of storage for all your silk flower supplies. I like making silk flower arrangements, artificial floral candle rings and wreaths, you usually like to keep supplies around since you find great deals when you�re shopping. You probably have found that storing them by laying them down does nothing but ruin its posture. Or storing them in vases takes up a lot of floor or shelf space, and you also have to compensate for the size of each container. Today I wanted provide a quick how to article stepping you through the process of creating a platform that allows you to store your many different silk flower supplies with a small foot print.

Items you will need:

6� long / 4� diameter PVC pipe

6� long / 5� diameter PVC pipe

1� woods screws (approx 30)

2� sq. piece of �� particle board

3 x L shaped bracket (should have at least a drilled whole in each in, two in each end would be even better. Make sure the holes are not larger than the head on the 1� wood screws.)

Equipment you will need:

Phillips Screwdriver (the neck of the screw driver �the metal part- will need to be most likely 5-6� long.

power screwdriver if you have it)

Power drill

Approx 3/8 drill bit (must drill holes bigger than the head of your wood screws)

Some type of power saw or hand saw to cut the PVC pipe.

You can change the dimensions of this design to fit your needs easily. I am making this at 6� high, but could be at any height, but I probably wouldn�t go below 3�. Once you get the hang of what you are accomplishing it will be a breeze to complete. The hardest part will be figuring out the layout of what you want.

All the items I mentioned above can be obtained from your local hardware store. You are also not required to have exactly those dimensions. If your retailer carries 3� diameter PVC only, you can use that, it just won�t hold as many silk flower stems as a 4� or 5� diameter pipe. The �L� shaped brackets are used for securing items like two boards perpendicular to each other. In our case, were going to use it to fasten the pole

Let�s start by picturing your standard pole for hanging coats on. We�re going to recreate this concept by fastening one of the poles to the 2� sq particle board we have.

With the 2� particle board flat on the ground we will stand the 6� long, 4� diameter PVC pipe on end on top of, and in the middle of the board we have flat on the ground. (This is the only part an extra pair of hands would come in handy).

If you are lucky to have someone hold the pipe the following will not be a problem. We are going to take the 3 �L� shaped brackets and place them equally around the pipe, with one end flush against the side of the pipe, while the other end of the bracket is flush with board.

(TIP) if don�t have someone that can support the pole, you can opt to set the brackets around the pipe the way they will end up, mark the holes on the board (only), then remove the pipe. You can then proceed to fasten the brackets to the 2� sq particle board first. Then proceed to put the pipe back in-between all three brackets and finish off securing the top part of each bracket to the pipe - make sure the pipe is plumb (straight up and down).

We will now proceed to take the second 6� long PVC pipe and cut it in segments of 4� long pieces. This should give you approximately 18 pieces. This might or might not be enough depending on how big you are making this or how much you want to cram in on this pole. If you need more, you�ll need another pole PVC pipe to cut more 4� long pieces.

We are now going to use our drill to drill �a� hole on one side of each of the 4� long pieces of PVC pipe we cut. Make sure to drill the hole in the dead middle of the ring. To be clearer, I mean the middle as in between the top and bottom of the ring. We are going to use this hole, to put our long neck Phillips screwdriver through in order to turn the screw that will fasten the opposite side to the pole (more on that in a minute).

Once you are done drilling the hole through all the pieces, we are going to start at the bottom of the pole and work our way up. You must stop and understand that the intentions are not to set the holder so it is holding the group of silk flower stems perpendicular to the ground. Rather at a 90 degree angle. This is important as you will want to start high enough off the ground on the pole so that at 90 degrees the bottom of the stems is not touching the ground. You will probably have to put your stems through the ring (holder) and place against the pole to find the right starting point. This is where you would hold them at a 90 degree angle to get the right height.

Holding the 4� pipe piece against the pipe, we are going to line up the side that is the very opposite side from the side you drilled the hole. It would be idea to have someone hold this piece so you can concentrate on fastening. Place the wooden screw inside the ring, using your other hand feed the screwdriver through the hole. And commence with fastening the screw through the ring into the pole.

With a tight fit, you should find that you can swivel the ring around. We will want to put it at 90 degree angle to figure out where the next one will go.

Now that we have one on, we can figure out how we are going to position the rest. You can definitely experiment with this depending on the length of your silk flower stems, but in most cases I found two idea methods:

Staggering the rings around the pole as you work your way up or

Picture a candy cane strip as it works its way up the pole.

Once you have proceeded to fasten each of your 4� rings to the pole, you should find that you can easily adjust their angle to accommodate the different lengths of stems and what is beneath and below each ring. Once completed, you can then fill each ring with your silk flower stems.

You should now find that you have assembled a 6� pole, aligned with holders for silk flower stems. You can group them by project, or by type. What I have found is setting them into the holder, then taking the stems and giving them a very slight tub to snug them in place helps. There are a ton of other bells and whistles that am a not exploring in this article that you can add or change about your setup. I have included a few of those ideas in the below additional tip section. Enjoy.

Below are a couple additional tips:

When placing the bunches of stems in each ring, be careful not to overcrowd

Other great ideas is taking small 2�-3� pipe and cutting into 5� lengths

In open areas where you can�t place the large 4� pipe pieces, you can then place these small pieces perpendicular with the ground against the pole to hold additional small silk flower supplies (close against the pole) out of the way of the larger holders.

You could leave an area for hanging silk flower wreaths or silk flower candle rings. Based on the diameter of your wreaths or candle rings, you would leave this much room on the pole before your holders start. Then taking a 1� PVC pipe (length is up to you) and by drilling a slightly bigger hole through the middle of the main pole, slide your 1� pipe through and create a place to �hang� your wreaths and candle rings.

Author: Max McCarty

North Carolina ace sparks creativity

2011-07-07T20:37:00.001-07:00

The workers at Outer Banking institutions Ace Hardware, with 6 places in Eastern North Carolina, a short while ago channeled their inner youngsters when they were asked to establish a "wonder wall" comprehensive with hardware-inspired routines at Children's Place, Inc., a native children's play zone.

The "wonder wall" is made up of color plywood painted like a jigsaw puzzle and options objects among them PVC pipes, a working doorbell, a pulley program, an Ace bucket whole of fittings, a backyard hose and significantly more.

Children's Destination Inc. hopes to inevitably acquire into a children's museum to offer residents hands-on activities concentrating on the advancement of nearby little ones.

Whilst the Ace wonder wall was just recently installed in October, Kathy Seko, operations supervisor at Outer Banks Ace Hardware, states employees are previously developing further recommendations for actions.

She stresses the significance for retailers to connect and assist their communities by these types of donations.

"We hope the wall will help children acquire skills and curiosity about how important things labor, and who appreciates, quite possibly build potential Ace buyers," says Seko.

How I Constructed My Own Wind Turbine

2011-07-07T08:36:00.001-07:00

I want to reveal to you how I created my private wind technique from launch to complete. Right here is a checklist of materials that I used to get commenced. I purchased a DC permanent magnet motor from eBay. The motor is a 48 volt dc motor that as an rpm rating of 2000 rpm, which would mean at twelve volts dc it, has an output of 5.8 amps at 500 rpm which is ideally suited to charge a twelve volt battery technique.

I made the decision to make my wind turbine out of PVC pipe which is readily accessible at your native dwelling provide retailer. The diameter of my motor is 3� so I applied 3� PVC pipe so that I could slip the motor inside the PVC pipe. First of all I quartered the 3� PVC just sufficient to make it possible for the motor to slip in the PVC quite easily. Now that I know how to quite easily slip the motor in the pipe I used two large hose clamps to secure the motor in the PVC.

Future I desired a way to allow the wind turbine to pivot freely in the wind, so I got a 3� PVC tee fitting. Yet, I resolved to use a 2� rigid mast for my tower which permitted me to greatly reduce the tee fitting down to 1-one/2� PVC pipe which slips nicely into the 2� rigid conduit letting a clean turning point.

Now I am all set to fabricate my turbine blades that will flip the motor in the wind. I chosen a piece of 6� PVC schedule 40 white plumbing pipe, and I reduce it into three equivalent pieces 36� prolonged. These needs to be lower precise so that extremely little balancing will have to be completed. To be honest with you it took me two tries at this to get it perfect.

Up coming I made a decision to use a piece of 2� PVC for a tail portion. I designed the wind tail segment out of a piece of Plexiglas I had, approximately 12� significant and 24� extended. I split the 2� PVC 24� lengthy vertically to help the piece of Plexiglas to fit among the PVC and drilled through the PVC and the vertical tail area so I could bolt it securely in spot. You have to stability the tail segment with the motor set up in the 3� PVC so that it balances at the pivot position of the 2� rigid conduit enabling easy turning. I had to minimize off my 2� PVC until it balanced properly.

A person obstacle that as normally been a part of a horizontal wind turbines is known as wire twist, had been the constant wind change of course will lead to the wire to twist and gradually brake. To resolve this obstacle I devised a rather simple put a stop to strategy by drilling a hole as a result of the 1-one/2� PVC just above the rigid conduit, with a �� hole. I placed a 2� lengthy �� bolt by means of the hole securing it with a nut and lock washer. Subsequent, I placed a 3� piece of �� rod or bolt secured vertically to the conclude of the 2� rigid conduit, spacing it away from the one-1/2� PVC so it doesn�t rub. I secured the vertical bolt with 2 hose clamps all-around the 2� rigid conduit.

Now you are prepared to attach your wind turbine to the tower and wire anything so you can start out providing your possess electrical vitality. I understand this is just a glimpse of how I constructed my private wind turbine, but it provides you a starting up level to put together your own. I have a instruction that I made use of on hand at my blog.

Writer: Jerry Standefer

For Port of Portland, pipe installation cheaper if done 2 at a time

2011-07-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

The two 3,800-foot-long pipes last week were installed horizontally beneath ground at Portland International Airport. Drilling two separate holes for the 24-inch and 6-inch pipes would have required an additional half-day of work, and cost an extra $300,000. So, the project team chose an unconventional strategy: pulling both of the large, fusible PVC pipes in tandem.

"Thirty-eight-hundred feet of pipe is already on the long side for a horizontal drill pull," said Alan Parks, Northwest Underwater Construction project manager. "Pulling the pipes in tandem is something that hadn't been done before on a port project. It was challenging, but I think everyone is happy with how it turned out."

Horizontal directional drill pulling is a pipe installation technique created in the 1920s to access oil wells. Rather than drilling vertically, a pilot hole is drilled downward at a slight angle until the desired depth is reached. The drill, or reaming head, is pulled out until the pilot hole is about one and-one-half times the size of the pipe and the tunnel is cleared of debris. The pipe is then threaded slowly through the hole.

The port's pipe installation was part of its Deicing System Enhancement project. Airlines apply anti-icing and deicing materials during cold weather to remove ice and snow from aircraft. But the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in 2006 determined that an excessive amount of deicing fluid was being discharged into the Columbia Slough. The new pipes will lead runoff from the runways to a new deicing treatment plant, as well as several 6 million gallon storage tanks. The entire upgrade will cost about $76.5 million.

Keith Kinnan, owner of Kinnan Engineering, an Oregon company based in Camas Valley, had previously pulled multiple pipes for utility projects. But the largest pipe Kinnan had pulled before this project had been 12 inches in diameter. Pulling a pipe double that size along with a significantly smaller pipe would require four months of drilling work.

"The key was preparing the hole and making sure the tunnel was clear," Kinnan said. "Ideally, all you want left in the tunnel after it has been pre-reamed is drilling fluid."

But as workers cleared out the tunnel, they found a high concentration of ultra-fine silt that wasn't predicted in the ground survey performed for the project. Before the team could proceed with drilling, silt had to be hauled away and drilling fluid had to be added.

Pulling the pipe through was an easier task. Special equipment was installed along the pipeline to ensure the pipes were pulled at the same speed.

"We needed both pipes to be pulled at the same rate to be sure the smaller pipe didn't get twisted around the larger pipe," Parks said. "It took about 13 hours, and we did it in one shot."

Taking both pipes through one hole saved $300,000, but the Port of Portland also saved about $4 million by performing the horizontal directional drill itself. The drilling was performed underneath the airport, so the port avoided a much longer pipeline path that would have wound around the airport. General contractor JE Dunn Construction Co. is expected to finish project work by April 2011.

Author: Nathalie Weinstein

How to Make a Weed Dabber

2011-07-06T08:37:00.001-07:00

The tool that I am going to tell you about is for using herbicides such as RoundUp. The biggest mistakes that people make when using non-selective herbicides like RoundUp is overspray getting the herbicide on plants that they did not intend to spray, and over applying the product. If you spray to the point of run off, you are applying way too much.

The weed dabber is a tool used for spot treating weeds without getting the herbicide on other plants.

Start by going to your hardware store and buying a piece of 1- 1/2� PVC pipe. You only need a piece 30� long, but they might make you buy a 10' section. It's pretty cheap though. You'll need a plastic PVC cap for one end of the pipe, and on the other end you'll need an adapter to convert the PVC pipe to a standard pipe thread. You'll have to let the clerk at the hardware store help you find the best combination of fittings to use. What you need to do is to get the PVC pipe reduced down to a male garden hose type fitting. Hardware stores sell brass fittings that convert standard pipe thread to the same thread used on garden hoses.

Probably what you'll end up with is an adapter that will convert the 1-1/2� PVC to 3/4� male pipe. Then an adapter to convert the 3/4� male pipe to a male garden house fitting. They also make a cap that you can install on the end of a garden hose, you'll need one of those. This cap must have a rubber garden hose washer in it so it seals properly.

The PVC fittings have to be glued on so you'll have to pick up some PVC pipe glue and cleaner. You have to use the cleaner to remove the film and gloss from the PVC pipe and fittings before you glue them. Once you have them cleaned, just apply a coating of glue to both the pipe and the fitting, slide the fitting on and twist it at the same time. Hold the fitting tight for 60 seconds and it will be glued tightly.

Cut a piece of pipe 30� long and glue the pipe cap on one end, and the PVC to pipe thread adapter on the other end. Apply a small amount of pipe dope or Teflon tape to the threads of the adapter, and screw the male garden house fitting onto the adapter. Screw the garden hose cap to the male garden hose fitting.

Now back to the end of the pipe that you glued the pipe cap to. Drill a very small hole right in the middle of the pipe cap. You might have to experiment a little with the size of the hole you need, but make sure you start with a very small hole. I'd start with 1/16�. Cut a piece of regular household sponge in a square about 1-1/2� square. What you are going to do is place this sponge over the small hole you drilled in the pipe cap, and secure it there by covering it with a piece of lightweight screen or mesh cloth. Maybe even a piece of an onion bag. You can secure the mesh to the PVC pipe with a hose clamp, or electrical tape.

Remove the garden hose cap from the other end of the PVC pipe, and fill the pipe with pre-mixed (ready to use) RoundUp. Replace the garden hose cap and you have yourself a weed dabber. The RoundUp will seep out the hole in the end of the pipe cap and be absorbed by the sponge. As long as the garden hose cap is tight, the vacuum in the pipe will keep the herbicide from running out too fast. Once the sponge is damp, you can start dabbing weeds. Remember, you only want the weeds damp and not dripping wet. As long as you are leaving some RoundUp on the weeds as you dab them, the herbicide should kill them.

Author: Michael McGroarty

Westlake Chemical Declares Quarterly Dividend of six.35 Cents per Share

2011-07-05T20:35:00.001-07:00

HOUSTON, May possibly 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE: WLK) declared on Friday a dividend of six.35 cents for each share, payable on June 17, 2011, to stockholders of report on June 3, 2011.

This is the 27th successive quarterly dividend that Westlake has declared considering the fact that completing its first public providing in August 2004.

Westlake Chemical Corporation is a company and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and fabricated products and services with headquarters in Houston, Texas. The company's collection of programs comprises: ethylene, polyethylene, styrene, propylene, caustic, VCM, PVC and PVC constructing products and services this includes pipe, windows and fence. For a great deal more information, check out the company's World wide web online site at www.westlake.com .

Resource Westlake Chemical Corporation

PVC Bendit Is Shaping the Long term of PVC by Furnishing a New Instrument to Bend PVC Pipe for Totally New and Impressive Utilizes

2011-07-05T08:33:00.001-07:00

Reese Delorey, President of PVC Bendit, announces that PVC Bendit Inc. has opened its via the internet retailer at www.pvcbendit.com . PVC Bendit is the only PVC bending model that heats pipe from the within enabling uniform speedy heating of the PVC pipe. Bendit fills a would need for all users of PVC to reliably and flexibly bend PVC pipe. It also opens the door for entirely new employs for PVC because it allows bending lengths up to 18 feet and up to four inches in diameter into nearly any curved shape without misshaping, crimping, or changing the qualities of the PVC. Prior to PVC Bendit bending PVC was really difficult, inconsistent, overpriced, and even unsafe. With the PVC Bendit tool bending PVC has develop into effortless, easily affordable, steady, and safe.

The agency will also provide you with the Produce-A-Bend system to assist in the bending practice and to allow repeating the very same precise bend on a variety of pieces of pipe. This will be most definitely beneficial when attempting to assemble various merchandise of the very same shape and sort factor, for example greenhouse hoops. The Make-A-Bend Technique is a set of precut pipe sections and an instruction procedure for aligning those items to design kinds that will be implemented to bend PVC Pipe into exact repeatable styles.

When demonstrating PVC Bendit for a 22 12 months hardware save skilled, he exclaimed, "This is beautiful. I have had potential customers trying for this for years."

Brooks Owens, who operates WWW.PVCWorkshop.com , reported, "Relatively neat equipment! ... The Bendit seems to be like a winner to me. You have stuffed a really need and I am guaranteed there are some avenues to revenue with that toddler."

Image On the market: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/body_mw?attachid=1620003

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Make contact with: Reese Delorey PVC Bendit Inc. 719-304-1480 719-578-9722 fax Electronic mail Contact www.pvcbendit.com

Westlake Chemical Corporation Discloses Recent Operating Developments

2011-07-04T20:34:00.001-07:00

HOUSTON, June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE: WLK) announced today that its North American Pipe Corporation subsidiary has shut down its Springfield, KY PVC pipe production facility in an effort to reduce costs and optimize production operations as a result of excess capacity in the PVC pipe market. The Springfield site is one of the company's smallest pipe facilities. Customers currently being serviced from Springfield will not experience any supply disruption and will now be served through North American Pipe's other PVC pipe plants. Impairment and shutdown-related costs are expected to negatively impact second quarter 2011 pre-tax earnings by approximately $4 million.

During the second quarter of 2011 our Lake Charles, Louisiana facility has also been negatively impacted by an unscheduled outage caused by a weather related power supply failure from a third party power provider, resulting in reduced production and repairs at an ethylene unit. We estimate that the lost production, repair costs and other expenses resulting from this event will lower second quarter 2011 pre-tax earnings by approximately $10 million. We expect proceeds from insurance recoveries to offset a majority of this impact in future periods. The unit has returned to normal operations.

Westlake Chemical Corporation (WLK)

Westlake Chemical Corporation is an international manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and building products with headquarters in Houston, Texas. The company's range of products includes: ethylene, polyethylene, styrene, propylene, caustic, VCM, PVC resin and PVC building products including pipe, windows and fence. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.westlake.com.

SOURCE Westlake Chemical Corporation

How to Put together and Shoot a Marshmallow Gun

2011-07-04T08:34:00.001-07:00

Marshmallow blow guns are secure and exciting for boys and girls of all ages. Even dads will relish this toy. A marshmallow gun or shooter is a great Xmas, birthday or at any time present!

The foremost marshmallow blow gun I ever acquired was at a birthday social gathering. We played �Capture the Flag� with marshmallow guns. Just after the social gathering, we all acquired a marshmallow gun for a social gathering favor.

If you want to know how to establish and shoot a marshmallow gun, the options are beneath. Grasping how to put together and shoot a Marshmallow Gun without having strategies can be difficult, so we are providing the Marshmallow Gun-Shooter Strategies to you for absolutely free!

Developing the Marshmallow Gun

one. Invest in 1/2 inch PVC pipe, 2 PVC elbows, 2 PVC T's, 2 PVC finish caps, spray paint, marshmallows (ammo)

2. Reduce your PVC pipe even so long you want the barrel.

3. Cut four items of PVC pipe one/3 of the barrel, two for the handles and two for connecting items of PVC pipe collectively. Cut one particular piece 1/three of your handles. Reduce an individual added piece of PVC pipe one/2 of your barrel.

3. Get two T's, two elbows, and two caps. Place the smallest piece of PVC pipe in around the two T's. Now place two of the PVC pipe (1/three dimensions of the barrel) on top and bottom of the T's. Spot a cap on the bottom PVC pipe and an elbow on the top PVC pipe. Put the barrel in the t that is PVC pipe has a cap on the conclude of it.

four. Now, area the PVC pipe that is 1/2 of the barrel on your elbow. Put a PVC pipe (one/3 dimension of the barrel) in the other t. Area an elbow on the finish of your PVC pipe that is 1/3 size of your barrel.

5. Area the very last PVC pipe (that is one/3 the dimensions of the barrel) on the T. Spot the very last cap on the PVC pipe that is a 1/3 size of the barrel.

6. Now that the pieces are all put with each other start off spray painting the marshmellow gun. The marshmallow gun can have patterns. If you want models, reduce shapes out on a piece of paper, and spray paint as a result of the paper on to the marshmallow gun.

seven. Let dry overnight.

As a facet note, you will have leftover elements considering the fact that PVC only arrives in 10 foot lengths. Cutting the PVC will probably be a headache, but painting the gun can take quite a few coats and grownup supervision. Some buyers choose to invest in these guns 100 % prepared considering that you can get them using the net at low-cost prices.

Shooting the Marshallow Gun

Initially, set a marshmallow in the starting of the nozzle, the top notch piece. Do not put it in the barrel. Then blow one giant breath of air, not a very long weak breath. The larger and more difficult the breath, the farther the marshmallow will go. To have even even more entertaining, meet your close friends at the park and have a ultimately enormous marshmallow gun war.

Seeing that you know how to form and shoot a marshmallow gun or shooter, run out to the retailer and buy your materials. Just before you know it, you will be shooting marshmallows with your own gun.

Author: Hunter Beck