The Night Mail

[simontaylor484]

My Dad's mum was a really good cook especially Yorkshire puddings large tin ones. I wish I could make them like it and freeze them Aunt Bessie watch out.

 If you went for Sunday dinner no sooner were the dinner plates away the table was set for tea.

Only problem was she used to over butter things like sandwiches.

She used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen on the worktop there was a glass of whisky on the side it looked like it was never touched it just kept getting topped up . She was only 66 when she died of some alcohol related problem she had survived throat cancer a broken neck and angina just to drink herself to death.

I was 17 when she died

[bbishop]

4 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Welsh rugby. Never the same since they dropped Charlie Faulkner.

 

(retires behind blast wall to wait for incoming)

 

Dave

 Not dropped - retired.  Well he was 60!

Did absolutely nothing around the park, except crucify the opposing tight head.  Bill

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Evening all,

 

This was acquired today, a very well used example of a Goodell Pratt hand drill from 1898, complete with a chuck that wasn’t seized! 
 

It’s going to be a quick resto project, basically just needs some degreaser and a repaint as the handles have survived very well. The drill’s unusual in that it has a two speed gearbox, that isn’t really a gearbox as it works using dog clutches from what I can discern. 
 

 

 

This morning one of the nations big cat sanctuary’s was visited, a hot but interesting experience and far better than any zoo I’ve ever been to. Less people and animals that don’t spend their days hiding in concrete cell blocks rather than parading before the public.

 

 

The current view.

 

 
 

Douglas

Edited July 19, 2022 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Darlington_Shed]

9 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

The current view.

That's a very nice writing slope, albeit in need of some TLC - I have a project on my to-do list to make one for Mrs Shed. 

 

As for the Goodell-Pratt "eggbeater", another good find... I have a couple, one about that size and another very small, as seen here above the workshop window (the third handdrill in the middle is an old Stanley):

 

Woodworking in general, and acquiring old tools, has been my main interest for the past 20 years. This picture of the workshop dates from around 6-7 years ago, when I retired - before that the "summerhouse" was my WFH office.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

22 minutes ago, Darlington_Shed said:

That's a very nice writing slope, albeit in need of some TLC - I have a project on my to-do list to make one for Mrs Shed. 

 

As for the Goodell-Pratt "eggbeater", another good find... I have a couple, one about that size and another very small, as seen here above the workshop window (the third handdrill in the middle is an old Stanley):

 

Woodworking in general, and acquiring old tools, has been my main interest for the past 20 years. This picture of the workshop dates from around 6-7 years ago, when I retired - before that the "summerhouse" was my WFH office.

Thank you,

 

The slope does indeed need some TLC but only the fabric, the rest is in very good condition, except for the marbeling on the bottom which has mostly been worn off. 
 

Lovely workshop btw, did you make the benches?

[jjb1970]

On food, two of the hardest to use flavours in my experience are lemongrass and ginger. These are staples of a lot of Asian cooking but I find them to be a nightmare. If they're not present then something is definitely missing from a lot of Asian dishes, but the slightest excess results in lemongrass or ginger over powering everything else so it is like eating lemongrass or ginger. I guess this is part of what separates a good cook from someone like me.

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

On food, two of the hardest to use flavours in my experience are lemongrass and ginger. These are staples of a lot of Asian cooking but I find them to be a nightmare. If they're not present then something is definitely missing from a lot of Asian dishes, but the slightest excess results in lemongrass or ginger over powering everything else so it is like eating lemongrass or ginger. I guess this is part of what separates a good cook from someone like me.

I definitely agree with that. Garlic can also be problematic - although Mrs iD loves garlic (in fact I created a garlic based dish for her: a Garlic Risotto with a Spicy Tomato Coulis - the secret is to cook the sliced garlic low and slow in butter so that the sugars in the garlic caramelise).

 

I think that in many ways cooking is like music - you really need to know how to do (play) the fundamentals before you can start improvising/experimenting. Which is why the first time I use a recipe I follow it to the letter - then I can start tweaking it (incidentally I’ve found that there a more than handful of recipes from famous chefs that don’t work as written. The one chef whose recipes work perfectly every time when followed correctly is Garry Rhodes).

[Sasquatch]

3 hours ago, Darlington_Shed said:

That's a very nice writing slope, albeit in need of some TLC - I have a project on my to-do list to make one for Mrs Shed. 

 

As for the Goodell-Pratt "eggbeater", another good find... I have a couple, one about that size and another very small, as seen here above the workshop window (the third handdrill in the middle is an old Stanley):

 

Woodworking in general, and acquiring old tools, has been my main interest for the past 20 years. This picture of the workshop dates from around 6-7 years ago, when I retired - before that the "summerhouse" was my WFH office.

Looks like a museum compared to my wood shop. Nothing seems to stay dust free for longer than ten minutes!

 

Regards Shaun

 

@ Hippo...How on earth have I not found this great thread before. (There's a chance I might become a regular on here from now on)

Edited July 19, 2022 by Sasquatch

[Happy Hippo]

43 minutes ago, Sasquatch said:

 

 

@ Hippo...How on earth have I not found this great thread before. (There's a chance I might become a regular on here from now on)

Shaun, Your presence here is more than welcome.

 

Just remember that  sometimes we live right on the edge (Probably of the naughty step.)

[jamie92208]

Woke up to the smell of smoke this morning.  The sky looks overcast but it's 10 degrees cooler and there is rain forecast for this evening.  Possibly smoke from the big fires south of Bordeaux. 

 

@Florence Locomotive WorksThat drill is a standard 2 speed affair. I have a similar one somewhere. As you'd never need to change gear whilst drilling dog clutches are fine. No need for syncromesh.  Over here several classes of loco have them to change gear ratio but only when stationsry.

 

Jamie

[polybear]

4 hours ago, Darlington_Shed said:

That's a very nice writing slope, albeit in need of some TLC - I have a project on my to-do list to make one for Mrs Shed. 

 

As for the Goodell-Pratt "eggbeater", another good find... I have a couple, one about that size and another very small, as seen here above the workshop window (the third handdrill in the middle is an old Stanley):

 

Woodworking in general, and acquiring old tools, has been my main interest for the past 20 years. This picture of the workshop dates from around 6-7 years ago, when I retired - before that the "summerhouse" was my WFH office.

 

Bear jealous......

 

[Northmoor]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

I definitely agree with that. Garlic can also be problematic - although Mrs iD loves garlic (in fact I created a garlic based dish for her: a Garlic Risotto with a Spicy Tomato Coulis - the secret is to cook the sliced garlic low and slow in butter so that the sugars in the garlic caramelise).

 

I think that in many ways cooking is like music - you really need to know how to do (play) the fundamentals before you can start improvising/experimenting. Which is why the first time I use a recipe I follow it to the letter - then I can start tweaking it (incidentally I’ve found that there a more than handful of recipes from famous chefs that don’t work as written. The one chef whose recipes work perfectly every time when followed correctly is Garry Rhodes).

We don't have a lot of cookbooks as neither Mrs Northmoor or I are keen cooks (I enjoy eating but cooking, I get no more enjoyment from than washing up afterwards), but we were amused to find in Gino D'Acampo and Nigella Lawson books, an almost identical recipe.  It rather confirms the suspicion that TV celebrity chefs don't write their own books.

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Northmoor said:

..... but we were amused to find in Gino D'Acampo and Nigella Lawson books, an almost identical recipe. 

Is that the one about the GWR BLT?

 

 

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Is that the one about the GWR BLT?

 

 

No it's one for fish fingers with ketchup.........

[Tony_S]

22 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

No it's one for fish fingers with ketchup.........

It is understandable why some recipes will be the same. Jamie Oliver received death threats for including chorizo in his paella recipe. 

[Darlington_Shed]

7 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

did you make the benches?

 

I made the big one under the window. Before I repurposed the office I had a smaller workshop in the garage and the little bench was my main workspace in there. But it was always a piece of junk and building a proper bench was a long-term ambition. I intended to dispose of the small one, but it immediately became useful as a place to put wood and project parts being worked on, and as a sharpening station, so it remains.

[newbryford]

[Happy Hippo]

Meawhile, whilst rhe rest of the UK is hotter than Satan's groin, in Tenby the water is falling from the sky!

[Tony_S]

5 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Meawhile, whilst rhe rest of the UK is hotter than Satan's groin, in Tenby the water is falling from the sky!

I thought the hottest thing on the planet was a McDonalds Apple Pie. 

[Happy Hippo]

Latest from Tenby:

And very good it was too.

[polybear]

20 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Latest from Tenby:

And very good it was too.

 

And only seven quid profit too.  Bargain....

 

 

[simontaylor484]

@Florence Locomotive Works check out this channel on You Tube 

Mr Chickadee. He uses a lot of antique tools in woodworking/timber framing.

He looks Amish but is actually ex USMC

[simontaylor484]

@Sasquatch nice to see you visit these pages hope to see more from you in the future

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

And only seven quid profit too.  Bargain....

 

 

 

Far to mean PB. At least £7.25.

[Winslow Boy]

3 hours ago, Darlington_Shed said:

 

I made the big one under the window. Before I repurposed the office I had a smaller workshop in the garage and the little bench was my main workspace in there. But it was always a piece of junk and building a proper bench was a long-term ambition. I intended to dispose of the small one, but it immediately became useful as a place to put wood and project parts being worked on, and as a sharpening station, so it remains.

 

Definitely envious there.

 

Everything laid out neatly so that you can find things straight away and not having to stop and search for the right tool.