DIY Thread - Let's see your "Inventions".

[PrimroseMom1]

I would MUCH rather deal with the cold and snow than the heat and bugs that never die!!!!!
Lived in Florida for not even a year and hated it.
Even have a hard time with heat and humidity here...living in the south would kill me...or I would just have to hide in an AC'd house for most the summer.

Swim, swim and swim some more. Swimming pools are used from. April through September. September is really hot. Really so is October but sometimes a cool wave has briefly come in for Halloween, sometimes not.

 

[aart]

Swim, swim and swim some more. Swimming pools are used from. April through September. September is really hot. Really so is October but sometimes a cool wave has briefly come in for Halloween, sometimes not.

Swimming pools even here in Michigan get so warm that they are no longer refreshing....got to go to the big Lake Michigan to get some cool water.

 

[oldrooster]

LOL You are too much! We in Michigan are getting a real sense of what Canada must feel like (and are now taking back all of our snide little comments, too, about their love of hockey and ham).

It's hard to understand something until you've lived it! I grew up in KY and lived for years in TN, but I have no real sense of what a true southern summer feels like (LA, GA, MS, or AL style). We liked to gripe about the heat and humidity, but you all had us beat, hands down!

Several years ago I was at work in a store and mentioned that I thought it was bad but I was happy I was in Indiana because out in the Dacotas and Wyoming it was horrible -80 wind chills and the gas was gelling in the car's gas lines. I had a customer tell me that wasn't so because they where out west and everyone knows it warm out west! lol

 

[Rusnakes]

Several years ago I was at work in a store and mentioned that I thought it was bad but I was happy I was in Indiana because out in the Dacotas and Wyoming it was horrible -80 wind chills and the gas was gelling in the car's gas lines. I had a customer tell me that wasn't so because they where out west and everyone knows it warm out west! lol

 

[Angelicisi]

We have a pool here that's a God sent piece of heaven- until August too then its a warm bath but we swim in March and October too when all my Norther family is fighting the snow still

But give me heat any day over even a chill! Especially when down here, we get Snow days off with No snow even. The State shut down 2 times this year for severe cold (20's lol my mom up north is still laughing.)

Swim, swim and swim some more. Swimming pools are used from. April through September. September is really hot. Really so is October but sometimes a cool wave has briefly come in for Halloween, sometimes not.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

We have a pool here that's a God sent piece of heaven- until August too then its a warm bath but we swim in March and October too when all my Norther family is fighting the snow still

But give me heat any day over even a chill! Especially when down here, we get Snow days off with No snow even. The State shut down 2 times this year for severe cold (20's lol my mom up north is still laughing.)

Haha. Angel, you are so right. As you know, yesterday was warm and sunny. Here's the foto of the dog park yesterday. My granddaughter was in shorts, but in 2 two days it will be below freezing again and maybe.....snow.......again? Four times in a winter in south Louisiana????

Still not going to take down all the apparatus for keeping the coops warm in below freezing temps, but so ready to start spring cleanup in the chicken yard.

 

[AmyPaperlady]

We have a pool here that's a God sent piece of heaven- until August too

then its a warm bath

but we swim in March and October too when all my Norther family is fighting the snow still

But give me heat any day over even a chill! Especially when down here, we get Snow days off with No snow even. The State shut down 2 times this year for severe cold (20's lol my mom up north is still laughing.)

I'd rather have cold--you can always put more clothes on, but skin has to stay on, even indoors

 

[mustangluvrjen]

Ok lets see if I still remember how use this forum lol...Haven't been on here in years. Not anything real fancy but it is my diy project for this week.

I recently got a batch of button quail eggs to hatch. I knew they were small by the pics I've seen but to see them in person brings the tiny factor in more perspective....When I first open and unwrapped the eggs I felt like Olaf from the movie Frozen when he talks about his carrot nose being so cute like a itty bitty baby unicorn....

Well much like Olaf I tend to be all over the place due to my klutzability so my biggest fear was handling the eggs to turn them since I don't have egg turners. So I return to BYC to look for ideas for a diy turner. Got some great ideas but didn't have some of the much needed materials. Thus began my brainstorming(scary I know). While in deep thought I tend to look on to my fish friends in my aquarium. No seriously I will totally space/zone out and watch them...think me strange but I think they use fishlepathy on me to help me brainstorm. Well needless to say their fisholepathy works cause a little light bulb came on(just a itty bitty one).

In the aquarium hobby we use fluorescent light diffuser light panels as replacement/ tank covers. It is light weight, customizable and inexpensive. I happen to have scrap pieces tucked away in the corner just in case I found /needed a use for it. Long and behold I came up with my egg turner(with help from the fishlepathy of course).

I simply took a piece that will fit in the bator and snap out squares from the grid of light diffuser. Just big enough to the size of the quail eggs. This will the main part of the turner.

Next I went out to the garage to locate some fishing line(shhhh don't tell the fishlepathy gang) but could not find it.... So I found an alternative that would work...I think. It's garden ties by the spool(twist tie). I cut a long piece say 32" and then cut that in to equal halves. Any thoughts on where this is going yet?!

Don't worry I'll show ya

The diffuser panel with egg size squares punched out. I made a boo boo up top and broke edge of square out....whoops



Next came the garden ties/twist ties. I was hoping to use fishing line but I couldn't find it( I think my finned friends hid it from me).
I thread the twist tie thru the bator outside to inside. Kinda kinked up on me a bit but still got it thru without making a large hole in the Styrofoam(hence why fish line would be better). I thread the two halves on opposite sides of the bator.



Then I place my light diffuser rack into the bator and place it on the mesh screen. Took my twist ties from the inside and connected it to the sides of the rack closest to them.
Next I placed my eggs to be incubated in the inside my rack(I mean the rack).

Closed the bator and took my egg turner for a test drive. Here it is all connected inside with my itty bitty eggs.



Just pull on the twist tie on the outside to pull the rack to one side or the other. The eggs roll right along. VOILA simple but effective egg turner!!!

I will note for those who use this method. The grid of the light diffuser does NOT break away clean. It leave plastic spurs which need to be filed or they might puncture/crack an egg. I used my variable high speed dremel that I use for etching to sand off the sharp spurs of plastic.

Note 2. When threading the twist ties/fish line make sure you thread it straight across the bator. I goofed here and my line isn't straight so when I pull the tray it moves at a slight angle. I just keep slight tension on the opposite line to keep it straight.

Note 3. Sometimes while turning the eggs in this matter some the eggs will end up w/ narrow end slightly resting on the plastic. To remedy this defiant behavior of the eggs I simply jiggle the tray by softly pulling on the twist ties till the eggs right themselves... A lot like me trying to get into my favorite jeans after the winter months. Just pull shimmy and jiggle till they are on.

This way might not be preferred by others but it was a quick and free solution. I already ready cracked two eggs prior making the turner due to my klutzability.... Now I can turn the eggs without handling them or opening the bator. I'm dreading the time to candle them.....


Ironically the light diffuser from Home Depot is described/labeled as egg crate....

 

[aart]

What a great post to return this thread to inventions...after it digressed to complaining about geographical weather extremes(of which I'm guilty too) and cute dog pics.

Fantastic use of the egg crate and a fine example of ingenuity! My own fish tank mesmerizations have produced similar light bulbs.....
......I didn't realize it was fishlepathy!!! (looks at fish with just a tinge of trepidation).


I use egg crate to make ponding filter packs. Was glad to see you address the sharp shards breaking that stuff can create...I was thinking more about tender birdy feet.

Nice Job Jen!!

 

[Bens-Hens]

Cool turner!