Ticking Noise Elimination

Materials:
   

Silicon               Polyethylene         Silicon Lubricant
3" Long Screws, Drywall Screws, Zip Screws

Tools:
   
  Cordless Drill           Screwdriver                         Nutdrivers                  Flashlight 

Hammer                                                           Caulk gun                    Drywall saw

If you are having ticking noises in your basement most likely, they are coming from the hangers!
If you did not finish your basement off yet then it would be relatively simple to fix. Also, if in your basement you have a drop ceiling then consider yourself as a lucky one, the most difficult task would be if your ductwork is covered with the drywall!

Let’s start in the basement with the drywall on.

First of all, you have to locate where the noise is coming from. Don’t even waste your time on that! When supply duct contracting or expending it’s rubbing against the hangers and makes the ticking noise! So, where those bad hangers are? The first pair of hangers should be right at the duct’s end or maybe just a foot away. Find where, approximately, the supply duct ends and knock on the drywall. Find where drop’s member (I’m intentionally naming piece of 2 x 4 as a drop’s member because in your case it could be a metal stud or something else) ends and make a pilot hole by using a screwdriver and a hammer. Don’t use a drywall saw to make a pilot hole, because if accidentally you will hit a drop’s member you may bend it out:

• Shove a drywall saw in the pilot hole and cut it until you reach the next drop’s member
• Cut it in the opposite direction
• Make an opening big enough so you are able to work inside

Once the drywall is opened up:

• Unscrew the hanger, use a cordless drill with a ¼” magnetic socket or a nutdriver for that, bend the hanger up and look at it

First what you will see are the black spots. Those spots are indicating that in those particular spots a hanger is touching a duct and it's making this noise!

In order to fix the problem you have to put some silicon right on the black spots. Use only permanently flexible type of silicon, which is remain permanently flexible and will resolve your issue forever! After you cover up all the suspicious spots with silicon, screw the hanger back on.

However, some of my customers could not find this kind of silicon. So, if you are also having difficulties in obtaining the permanently flexible silicon use a piece of the polyethylene. For the better result use only thick one so it lasts longer. Cut a piece of the polyethylene, put it between the hanger and the duct and screw the hanger back on.

In some instances supply and return ductwork is hung too close to each other or it is too close to the I-beam, or to the drop’s members. In cases like this, you may use a hammer and a screwdriver to knock out a screw or maybe just pry the hanger away. Once it is done you can use a brush to bring some silicone in, or you can use a silicone-based lubricant.

After you have been done with the first hanger, find the second hanger on another side of the duct. Once the first pair of hangers was found and taken care of, you have to find the second one. Usually the last piece of duct is shorter than pieces before it, and it could be only one set of hangers taking care of this particular piece, but in general a piece of duct is 8’ long and the hangers could be found 1’ away from the each end. Sometimes there are pieces of duct 4’ long, this type of ductwork usually has only one pair of hangers and it’s difficult to be certain where they are. However, you can try to see them from the last opening in the drywall you just cut out.

Besides hangers using to hang the duct, there are some hangers that are using for the pipes. They also can be source for the ticking noise and use of the silicon will eliminate that.

In the same basement, one of the heat runs was making a ticking noise. When I cut the drywall there was not any hangers but it was a lose connection between two 6” pipes. Those pipes were moving against each other and making the noise. It was enough just to lift the pipes up and drive one more ½” zip screw, the noise is gone.

As you can see in the picture above in that basement were more than enough to fix only six hangers.
However, if your ductwork is open, just unscrew all the hangers one by one on all ductwork, supply and return, look for the black spots and fix them.

Once all hangers are done there could be more spots making the ticking noise, but it will be easier for you to find them, because there won’t be so many of them left, and now you know how to identify them – just look for the black spots.

If after you have been done there are still some places in your basement, which are making the noise, take pictures of the spots and send them to me.

Now I would like to introduce you a simple technique how to fix the holes in the drywall without too much trouble!

Buy a 2 x 3 stud (only $1.75 a piece) and start two screws for each piece necessary for the drywall. Cut those pieces with the flip-over saw and screw them to the drop’s members. Screw pieces of the drywall you just cut out, tape, send and paint them.
Some of my customers have supply duct fastened tight to the joists. As you can see in this picture a heating contractor screwed the duct from the side up to the joist. Such installation is illegal because it against code. Of course you can try to unscrew screws just a little bit, bring the duct down away from the joists, but better check out your local code in the code enforcement office and make your heating contractor to fix it free of charge.



If you are having a ticking noise in the walls, it can be because the oval stack is rubbing against

the rough strap at the top, floor angle at the bottom or it is touching the house wood frame. Also, noise can be transmitted from the basement. It is not difficult to understand the nature of the noise:

• If you hear a ticking noise with the metal sound in it, it is definitely coming from the metal parts, otherwise it's coming from the wood frame

Before you start cutting the drywall, try to find where the noise is coming from. If it’s coming from the top or from the bottom try to fix it with the long screws first – it’s always easier to repair a screw hole than a piece of drywall!
As you can see in the  pictures above there should be a rough strap 3 ½” wide at the top, but at the bottom you can screw it directly to the base molding. Some heating contractors are using floor angles  at the top also, so you have to be aware that they are only 1 ½” wide.
If you have a crown molding at the top of your wall you are still able to screw an oval stack to it:

• Predrill a hole with a drill bit. Size of this drill bit should match the screw’s size
• Use another drill bit big enough to hide the screw’s head
• Screw an oval stack to the crown molding and fix the holes with the sheet rock joint compound.

If your heating unit is located in the attic, try to find the oval stack in the attic first, try to move it and shove some fiberglass insulation in the hole around it.
Another source of the ticking noise are the B-vent pipes.


As you can see in the  pictures above, only source of noise can be in the places where the pipe is passing through the floor or to the attic in the chase and it is touching a firestop. The best solution in this case would be just to push pipe away from the firestop and fill the gap with the silicone. This kind of silicon is rated for 400* F and it is safe to use. If you live in a ranch, it is going to be the best solution. However, in the colonial you may need an access to the firestop between the first and the second floors.

Another most unlikely source of the noise could be if the B-vent pipes were not thoroughly attached to each other. In this case, you also need an access to them through the drywall and you can screw them together at the joint. While doing that try not to penetrate with the screw through the inner aluminum pipe and it would be better instead of ½” long zip screws use ¼” long ones. Fill the gap with the silicone.

Also, the noise could come from the duct laying uninsulated on the rafters. In this case you have to lift the duct up and shove some insulation in between, insulate thoroughly afterwards.

In the case of the PVC and copper pipes, you also have to look for the black spots. Normally they do not make any noises if a heating or plumbing contractor hang them right.

The copper pipes usually are making noises when they are inside the walls, so you have no choice, but cut the drywall out.

In the rare case when a PVC concentric is making a ticking noise you have to apply some silicon everywhere where concentric’ cap is touching the outer pipe.

That is it, I hope that I have answered all your questions, if not, please ask them on this page.

Masive car pileup 41/45

Cold Weather Clothing

Copied from a website
http://paulkirtley.co.uk/2011/winter-clothing-northern-wilderness-layers/

Thermal Layers and Shell Clothing

Clothing for winter in the northern wilderness must cope with a wide range of temperatures, from around freezing to -50^oC (-58^oF) or lower.  Your clothing may also have to fend off serious wind-chill, when travelling by snow machine or skiing across barren terrain such as the Hardanger Vidda in Norway. Your body core must be kept warm to prevent hypothermia and unless your core is warm enough, your extremities are more likely to suffer cold injuries. At times, both in the northern forest and on the northern fells, you will be working hard and generating a lot of heat. At other times, you will be stationary and need a lot of protection from the winter environment. Your clothing system therefore needs to be flexible. Your clothes must be able to minimise heat loss but they must also cope well with perspiration and be easily vented. Outdoor life in winter is tough and your clothes need to be well-made and durable. Another feature of life in the north is fire and hot stoves. Care must be taken with clothing made from synthetic materials that are easily melted as they can be damaged by heat in an instant.

This is the first of two articles on clothing for the northern wilderness. The second will cover footwear, handwear and headwear. You’ll get the most out of this article if you also read my article on heat loss and my article on how to dress for cold weather. Don’t worry, you can read them later. I’ll remind you at the end!

L is for Layers
Layering your clothing is a key principle for staying warm in the winter. Your clothes don’t add heat to your body, they keep you warm by minimising heat loss via conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. Air is a good insulator and in addition to air being held within your garments, by layering your clothes you also trap air between your garments. Multiple layers allow flexibility in dressing for varying degrees of cold and activity levels. In a previous article I covered the general principles of how to dress for cold weather. If you have read this article, you’ll remember the acronym COLD. L reminds us that our clothing must be layered.

Wool or Synthetic Base Layers?
You have two broad choices of material for thermal undergarments – wool or synthetic. While the fast moisture-wicking properties of synthetic undergarments are great for high intensity activities such as nordic ski racing, synthetic undergarments have a tendency to smell really bad after only a day or so of wear. Wool on the other hand does not smell bad even after weeks of wear. Moreover, wool garments can be aired for a short while and smell remarkably fresh afterwards. Wool also wicks moisture away from the skin. Wool stays warm when it is wet (up to a point) and, due to an exothermic reaction, actually gives off heat when it becomes damp. Wool has a reputation for being itchy but merino wool fibres are much finer and generally don’t cause any skin irritation. Wool, however, is not very tough. This means that some manufacturers such as Woolpower, add some synthetic materials to the wool to make it both more wear-resistant and machine-washable. Fine wool garments being easily damaged also means that you should avoid wearing them as an outer layer. You should wear at least a light shell layer over the top to prevent snags and pulls to the wool clothing. Wool is heat and fire-resistant though, which makes it good for wearing around hot stoves in cabins and tents. While it’s not critical, you can also buy merino wool underpants, which are warm and comfortable. Good quality wool thermal layers and underwear are produced by Woolpower, Icebreaker, Devold, Janus and Howies.

How to Layer Winter Clothing

The first thermal layer, or base layer, next to your skin should both insulate and wick moisture away from your skin.  Water conducts heat away from your body 25 times faster than air so your clothing’s job of transporting water away from your skin is a critical one. A 200g/m2 top and long-johns from Woolpower are ideal. These garments are surprisingly light in weight. The terry-knit of their base layers makes it warmer for the weight than other woven merino base-layers I’ve tried. 

The frosting on the clothing of the man on the right is perspiration that has been wicked to the outside of his Woolpower garments, then frozen by the low air temperature.

The second thermal layer, or mid-layer, is designed to trap more air. It is generally heavier than the first layer.  Woolpower’s 400g garment works well for this. A second thermal layer for your torso is needed more often than for your legs.

400g Woolpower top as the second thermal layer with Norrona 'Recon' trousers as shell (see below). Also note braces.

A third thermal layer can be taken – a knitted wool pullover, a fleece jacket or a lightweight synthetic duvet jacket – that can be worn over the first and/or second thermal layer to add warmth and flexibility to your clothing system. One advantage of a light synthetic duvet jacket is that the outer fabric will shed snow very well, whereas snow sticks to wool and fleece. This jacket can be worn over just the first thermal layer as an outer shell while digging snow holes or qunizes. It will also dry quickly.

A lightweight duvet jacket can be worn over the first or second thermal layer. It also sheds snow well and dries quickly.

Shell Layer
To minimise heat loss, a wind-proof protective shell layer should be worn over your thermal layers. The warm air trapped in your thermal layers must be kept there and a wind-proof shell will prevent this warm air from being displaced. Your shell layer also traps air between it and the thermal layer underneath, adding further insulation to your body. Your shell layer protects your thermal layers from environmental moisture and snow (snow sticks to wool very easily). As mentioned above, a shell layer also protects your thermal layers from wear and tear.

Shell clothing - Norrona cotton jacket and Fjallraven G1000 cotton/synthetic mix trousers

The shell layer can consist of a windproof material such as tightly woven cotton, Ventile, Gore-Tex or a similar material. Ventile and other tightly woven cotton fabrics are the most breathable of shell materials in extreme cold. 

A cotton jacket is my first choice if I don’t expect wet precipitation. If rain or sleet are a possibility then you need raingear that will protect you from this. Your jacket should be roomy. It should be loose (remember L in COLD is for layered and loose) enough to accommodate your thermal layers underneath, as well as spare gloves, hats and personal equipment in the pockets. A belt around the waist on the outside of a loose smock is effective in retaining warm air around your torso. Another feature to look out for is a generous hood that can accommodate your largest hat. A fur trim helps keep warm air near to your face. For really bad conditions, a snorkel-type hood is very good. Make sure it will turn with your head so you don’t end up looking at the inside of your hood every time you want to look left or right. The cuffs of your jacket should be roomy enough to accommodate gloves and have a secure fastening that will seal the sleeve around your wrist. This fastening should be easily adjusted.

Custom-made Ventile smock.

There are many manufacturers of cotton smocks. Mine is a Norrona Arktis Anojakke that no longer features on Norrona’s website. I fear that this excellent jacket is no longer made.  For Ventile there are number of good manufacturers and another option is to buy the material and have a jacket made to an existing pattern or even your own design.

For trousers the choice is less critical with respect to breathability as you sweat less on your legs. I make a decision based on how much time I’m likely to be spending in the snow, for example digging out snow shelters, and in the latter case I have a preference for tough Gore-Tex trousers. I find kneeling on snow in cotton trousers melts snow into the fabric, whereas this doesn’t happen with Gore-Tex. You need to be more careful with Gore-Tex and similar fabrics near fires and stoves of course. Braces are a really good idea in the north. Even better if your trousers have a high waist. This combination keeps your trousers high on your mid-section which, with no chilling draughts on your lower back, remains snug.

Top Thermal layer or ‘Mothership’ Jacket.
Your mothership jacket is one that can go on over the top of everything else. It should have an insulating material such as Primaloft or down and a wind resistant outer material. Useful when you are waiting to head out for the day or have stopped for a break, you can throw this jacket on and off easily without re-arranging any other layers. A mothership is also good for travelling by snow machine when you need all the insulation you can muster.  When not being worn, you can stow it in a place that is easily accessible.

Why am I wearing my duvet jacket inside the hut? Because after we dug through the snow-drift to get in, it was minus 18 Celsius (0 Fahrenheit) indoors!

When ski-touring I keep a synthetic duvet jacket (one size bigger than my normal) at the top of my pack to put on quickly over everything else when stopped for a break. I’ve had to wear this jacket inside cabins they have been so cold when I’ve arrived. In the northern forest, I use a Swedish military M90 jacket, as it is long enough to insulate my whole body core rather than just down to my waist. In really cold temperatures I find this longer design more comfortable than jackets that are cut higher.  Your mothership also makes an excellent pillow.

The hut from outside.

Manage your clothes.
Remember, however good your clothing is, you will only get the most out of it if you learn to manage it properly. You can manage your temperature and minimise sweat by adjusting layers, ventilating and regulating activity.

Adjusting layers: Be bold, start cold. Before exertion, take layers off and start a little cold. The exertion will soon warm you up. After exercise, put layers back on before you start to feel cold. Having a mothership jacket makes this easier.

Ventilation: Open up front zips, expose the neck, use ventilation holes (e.g. some clothing has zipped ventilation holes in the armpits), loosen sleeves or even roll them up. Again, try to do this before you exert yourself. Adjust as necessary during exercise.

Hot after digging snow, my hat is perched high on my head and my jackets are unzipped to allow ventilation and heat to escape.

Regulation: if you are still getting hot and sweaty despite the above measures then you should probably slow down a bit and pace yourself. Apart from pumping moisture into your clothing, you are possibly working at a rate that will leave you exhausted in a relatively short period of time. Low-blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) is a significant factor in susceptibility to hypothermia.

Learn From Experience

Everyone is different and will be warmer or colder than others at different times and during different activities.  Learn to use your clothing to its best potential through experience.  Having a flexible and well thought-out clothing outfit will help you to stay warm but not get too warm.

Black Walnuts and the Possible Connection to the Old Copper Culture

 Obviously the grooves are for “runoff” of something. 

Native American Indians enjoyed black walnuts long before Europeans arrived, using walnut tree sap in their food preparation and making dye from the nut husks. Archeological evidence in the upper Great Lakes region indicates walnut consumption dating back to 2000 BC.

The husks that protect nuts grown from black walnut trees were used by Cherokee Native Americans for cloth-dyeing purposes. Black walnut husks' dye color is yellow when it's ripe, but turns black as the fruit deteriorates. The nuts inside the black walnut's husks are edible and were an important source of nutrition for early American colonists. This tree  is found throughout the eastern United States to the Great Plains of Nebraska and Kansas. At maturity, the black walnut tree can reach heights of up 150 feet.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/list_7529284_native-american-plants-dyes.html#ixzz2nTQDGyyb

http://www.gardenguides.com/129100-black-walnut-trees-native-wisconsin.html











http://www.phancypages.com/newsletter/ZNewsletter538.htm

What to do with Black Walnut Shells and Hulls©

By Arlene Correll    I recently received an email from a gal named Sandy in Peewee Valley, KY inquiring about the uses of Black walnut shells.  Well Sandy, one of the things you can do is to make dye.  Black walnut (Juglans nigra), or nut hulls can be used to make a dye.  If you are a basket maker you can use this dye to color your baskets or splint materials. Walnut shells produce a brown color as do Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata Mill.)   Pecan (Carya illinoensis) hulls are also good and pecans produce a red/orange color.

A little history tells us that walnuts are the fruit of the Juglans regia, (also J. nigra for the black walnut), a Latin contraction of Jovis glans meaning regal nut of Jupiter or nut of "the Gods." Ancients believed the gods dined on walnuts, hence regia or regal. Origin of the term walnut has debatable origins. Some scholars say the term derives from the Teutonic German wallnuss or welsche nuss and others from the Anglo-Saxon word wealth meaning foreign or alien and hnutu meaning nut.

It's difficult to trace the native home of the walnut tree, but ancient Romans believe it originated in Persia. Early cultivation spanned from southeastern Europe to Asia Minor to the Himalayas. Greek usage of walnut oil dates back to the fourth century B.C., nearly a century before the Romans. Franciscan priests brought the walnut to California, USA around 1770. The oil of the nut has been used for centuries in the preparation of fine paints for artists. Also you could do what the Romans did with them, i.e. throw them to wedding guests for good luck. If you have sheep and shear, card and spin your own wool, you can use these dyes to color your yarn or really just about anything.  Just remember when you wash anything you have dyed, wash it separately as the colors will run.  To dye one pound of fiber, use four gallons of water per pound of dyestuff. Dyed items always lighten when dried. Be sure to dry fabric in the shade. To lighten or darken colors, decrease or increase the quantity of dyestuff. Also, experiment with the amount of time the fabric is left in the dye solution. Gently squeeze out excess moisture from fabric before hanging it to dry. Never wring fabric, or the dye will streak.   By adding mordant, which is alum (4 tablespoons you will achieve a golden brown dye.  If you omit the mordant, your dye will be light brown.  When dying wool then the following is a good rule to follow.  (Prepared yarn can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for several days.) Wind yarn into a series of 12" loops (a skein). To prevent tangling, use four separate 3" pieces to loosely tie the skein together (dye must be able to get under the ties). Fill a container with enough cool water to cover your wool. Add a few tablespoons of dish detergent. Soak for a few hours or leave overnight. Rinse thoroughly (gently squeeze out excess water). Greasy wool will not dye evenly. If you are not planning to dye the yarn immediately, store it in a covered container in refrigerator. Allow yarn to warm to room temperature before dyeing. When working with cotton, always wash cotton fabric before dyeing.  Dye while fabric is still wet (placing dry fabric in the dye may cause uneven dyeing) If you are a wood worker you can stain your woods with this dye. If you are fortunate enough to have a Black Walnut tree or have access to one, allow nuts to ripen on the tree. The husk changes from solid green to yellowish green when ripe. Press on the skin of the walnut with your thumb. Ripe nuts show an indentation. One gathers the large nuts in the fall, usually in September to mid-October. The dye is made from the husks, not the nuts themselves. You can save the nuts to process and use for other purposes if you like, but that does require extra effort. Remove the husks by cutting or crushing them off. If you have no need for the nutmeats, the whole nuts can be soaked to render the dye. Wear rubber gloves and protect surfaces to avoid splatters, as the dye will stain permanently if it comes into contact with something you didn't intend to dye. (I know of one woman who used to drive her car over the black walnuts to crush the shells.) If you have the time and inclination, do save the nuts for cooking as Black Walnuts are not only good tasting, they are also good for you. They are low in saturated fats, have no cholesterol, and are high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (the good fats) which can lower "bad" cholesterol levels (LDL) without damaging good cholesterol (HDL). Black Walnuts also contain iron, minerals and fiber, and contain no sugar. They provide the nutritional benefits of tree nuts that are enjoyed in the now-popular and healthy Mediterranean diets. Walnuts discolor when stored with husks attached and their flavor is ruined. Remember to wear gloves when removing husks because dye from the husks stains. Remove husks by applying pressure to the nut's ends. Pound side to side with a hammer while wearing safety glasses. Husks also can be softened in a container of water, then peeled. A third alternative is to place nuts in a hand-operated corn Sheller. After hulling, rinse the nuts, preferably outdoors since nuts stain. Next, check for insect feeding by placing the nuts in water. Nuts without injury will sink. For those of you, who compost, please remember this.  Do not compost walnut husks. Juglone, a chemical released by walnut trees, is toxic to some vegetables and plants. If you are going to save the nuts and eat them please follow the curing directions. Curing--The nuts must be cured. This prepares them for storage and allows flavor to develop. Stack the clean, hulled nuts in layers two or three nuts deep. Place them in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, out of direct sunlight for two weeks. When nuts are dry enough to store, kernels break with a sharp snap. If cured improperly, mold forms. After curing, store unshelled nuts in a well-ventilated area at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Cloth bags or wire baskets discourage mold. Keep the relative humidity fairly high, about 70 percent. To shell nuts, soak them in hot water for 24 hours. Drain and soak again for two more hours. Cover the nuts with moist cloths until you're ready to crack the shells. Bake nuts at 215 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. If stored at room temperature, use within a few weeks. Shelled nuts can be refrigerated up to nine months. They can be frozen for up to two years. There are many different ways to make your dye and here is a step by step recipe for one of them. Put the husks in a fabric bag or nylon stocking that will act as a strainer. Add just enough water to cover the husks and soak 3 days. Boil the husks for an hour or two, remove them from the heat and let them soak overnight. The next day, drain the liquid from the husks into another container and throw the husks away or store the stocking with husks in a plastic bag in the freezer to be used again. Strain the liquid to remove any solids. When you are ready to dye your materials, dampen them in clear water and then immerse them into the warm dye bath. Stir the pot frequently. Allow the material to steep until the color is deep enough. When you are finished, decant the dye into glass storage containers. The dye liquor is strong enough to eat through plastic containers if stored long term. Stain can be poured into a spray bottle and sprayed or painted onto a finished product, i.e. wood or basket splints. The liquid can sometimes get moldy. Vinegar can be added to the dye to inhibit mold growth. Keep the dye in the freezer to eliminate the problem of mold, if possible. One could make black walnut tincture which can be used for many things. However, you would need an herbal tincture press.  I have read that the tincture is good for many things, such as fungus. Use externally and apply frequently.   Black walnut tincture can be applied on itching skin. This works especially well if the irritation is due to a fungus or similar invasion. It is also supposed to be good for lice and to build up potassium as for cysts and tumors.  Also mixed with parsley, wormwood and ground cloves, one can make a pretty good pet parasite cleaner.   If you do not have an herbal tincture press, you might try the following to make your own Black Walnut Hull Tincture.  Again, in the fall, gather green hulls from the Black Walnut tree before they drop. Peel them (wear gloves as they stain) and place into a ½ gallon glass jar. Fill the jar as much as you want to and cover with alcohol. You can use any 40% proof or more alcohol: Vodka, whiskey etc. Let stand for 2-3 weeks and strain. Used by Asians and American Indians, Black Walnut Bark has been used to expel various kinds of worms; used to kill ringworms and tapeworms.

Here is a recipe for Black Walnut Shea Soap Ingredients: 4 oz grated soap 2 oz  shea butter 1 oz  olive oil 1 oz liquid soap (optional) 1 tsp black walnut shell powder

Directions:

Grate a 4 oz bar of soap (salad shooter works nicely, or for finer shavings, use a potato peeler). Put some soap shavings into an 8 oz container. Add shea butter, olive oil, and liquid soap as desired. Mix well with a fork or whatever you have to mush it all together - add in exfoliate (walnut shell powder)  Add more soap while mixing together to get desired consistency - I prefer a thick, almost creamy mixture. Put in the shower. Scoop and rub in circular motion to gently exfoliate and massage all while cleaning and moisturizing!!!

Black Walnut facial scrub

• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup black walnuts (very finely grounded)

Mix ingredients together. Wet your face then gently work the scrub into your skin. Rinse off with warm water.  Keep excess in refrigerator.

Grinding up the black walnut shells will result in Walnut Grit and it is used as an abrasive material to blast paint off surfaces and is mixed in paints that are used on surfaces near water, such as floors around a pool or on a dock. The texture of the grit stops the surface from being slippery and keeps people from falling.

Black Walnut Ink

• black walnut hulls (not the shells themselves, but the squishy outer coverings)
• water
• salt
• vinegar
• old sauce pan
• fine cheesecloth
• bottle with tight-fitting lid

NOTE: You may want to wear latex gloves while making this ink, to avoid stained fingers. Vinegar and salt will corrode your nibs; be aware and experiment with the ink without the salt & vinegar, or in lesser proportion.

Crush ten walnut hulls into small pieces with a hammer. Put into a sauce pan (one that you probably don't want) and cover with boiling water. Simmer until the water becomes dark brown.

Add 2 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons vinegar to make it permanent. Strain through cheesecloth into your storage bottle. Keep tightly capped. You will end up with about 3 oz. of brownish-yellow ink, which may need to sit to allow sediment to settle. You will get the best results if you crush the hulls, throw them (still containing the nuts) into a pan of water and allow them to soak for as long as you can bear to wait-- the longer the better, as you can keep them soaking indefinitely-- then boiling the whole mess.

A little more basic information:  For medicinal purposes the Nut, Leaves, Bark, rind of the Fruit are used.

The leaves are used for iodine.  Also the leaves are used as an alterative [an agent capable of favorably altering or changing unhealthy conditions of the body and tending to restore normal bodily function, usually by improving nutrition] and an astringent [a binding agent that contracts organic tissue, reducing secretions or discharges of mucous and fluid from the body].  Plus they are used as a detergent [an agent that cleanses wounds and sores of diseased or dead matter].  Finally the leaves are used as a laxative [an agent promoting evacuation of the bowels; a mild purgative]

The bark can be used as alterative [an agent capable of favorably altering or changing unhealthy conditions of the body and tending to restore normal bodily function, usually by improving nutrition], or as an astringent [a binding agent that contracts organic tissue, reducing secretions or discharges of mucous and fluid from the body], or as a  laxative [an agent promoting evacuation of the bowels; a mild purgative] or purgative [an agent that produces a vigorous emptying of the bowels, more drastic than a laxative or aperient].  It can also be used as a styptic [an agent that contracts tissues; astringent; specifically,  and a hemostatic agent that stops bleeding by contracting the blood vessels] vermifuge [an agent to expel parasitic worms, especially of the intestines]

The rind can be used  as a hepatic [a drug that acts on the liver] or as a sudorific (when green) [an agent that promotes or increases perspiration].

A strong decoction of walnut leaves, painted around doorways and woodwork, will repel ants and the green husks make a yellow dye that is often used in hair dyes and in dyes for wood for furniture.

Well, Sandy, hopefully this information will be of some help to you.  Working with Black Walnut shells and husks is pretty hard work.  The nut meats are hard to get out, but their fine taste is worth the effort. Perhaps working with all the rest of the shells and hulls will give you a lot of satisfaction. Just be careful how you decide to use any of this information. 

About the author,

Arlene Wright-Correll (1935-    ), free lance writer, award winning artist and avid gardener is mother of 5 and the grandmother of 8.  For almost 40 years she was an International real estate consultant and during the last 20 years of her career traveled to many parts of the world.  She has been a cancer and stroke survivor since 1992.  While working and raising her children she had many hobbies including being a very serious home-vintner for approximately 14 years while residing in upstate New York in St. Lawrence County producing 2,000 to 3,000 bottles of wine a year.  She was the president of the St. Lawrence County chapter of the American Wine Society in Potsdam , NY .  During that time she wrote a Home Vintner column for the Courier Freeman and the Canton Plain Dealer.  In 1975 her hearty burgundy won first place at the annual American Wine Society meeting in Toledo , Ohio .  This home vintner created many formulas or recipes for not only still wine, but sparkling wine and beer.  She enjoyed the friendship and fellowship that was created by working with other home vintners during those years. She is an avid gardener, an artist, and a free lance writer of many topics including, but not limited to “The ABC’s of Making Wine and Beer©” by Arlene Wright-Correll   this jam packed information CD includes 15 chapters on how to make your own wine and beer. This CD has loads of tried and true recipes, easy instructions, equipment identifying photos and it includes three bonus articles “How to Host a Wine Tasting Party”, “How to Build an Underground Wine Cellar” and “ Everything You Wanted to Know about Wine, but Were Afraid to Ask”.   This $19.95 value is on sale today for only $14.95 at http://www.cafepress.com/arlene_correll/1063470

"Tread the Earth Lightly" & in the meantime
may your day be filled with...
Peace, Light, and Love,
Arlene Wright-Correll

First Fishing Trip on the Salmon Boat

Annual Geminid Meteor Shower

Meteor Storm December 13-14

Friday, December 6, 2013 16:21

0

(Before It's News)

The annual Geminid meteor shower will peak on the night of Dec. 13-14, 2013. NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, along with Danielle Moser and Rhiannon Blaauw from his team of experts, will be on hand to answer questions via a live web chat on Dec. 13 from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. EST. A live Ustream feed of the skies over Marshall Space Flight Center will also be embedded on this page on the night of the chat.

The Geminid meteor shower is the most intense meteor shower of the year. It lasts for several days (Dec. 12-16), is rich in fireballs and can be seen from almost any point on Earth. The 2013 peak rate is between 100-120 meteors per hour. The waxing gibbous moon will reduce the rate by half, except for the brief time between moonset (4 a.m. local time) and sunrise. Convert to your local time here.
How to See Geminid Meteors
The best time to view Geminids is normally around 1-2 a.m. your local time. This year, the presence of a bright moon may make 4 a.m. to dawn a better time. Find a place away from city lights, then allow 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to darkness. Lie on your back and look straight up because no binoculars are needed.You might want to bring a blanket and some hot chocolate because baby, it’s cold outside! Enjoy the show!
More About the Geminids
Most meteor showers come from comets, which spew ample meteoroids for a night of “shooting stars. The Geminid meteor shower is different. The parent is not a comet, but a weird rocky object named 3200 Phaethon that sheds very little dusty debris — not nearly enough to explain the Geminids.
“The Geminids are my favorite because they defy explanation,” said Bill Cooke, lead for NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “Of all the debris streams Earth passes through every year, the Geminids are by far the most massive. When we add up the amount of dust in the Geminid stream, it outweighs other streams by factors of 5 to 500.”
This makes the Geminids the 900-lb gorilla of meteor showers.
Do You Have Photos of Geminid Meteors?
If you have some stellar images of the Geminid meteor shower, please consider adding them to the Geminid Meteors group in Flickr. Who knows – your images may attract interest from the media and receive international exposure.

Source: http://www.ineffableisland.com/2013/12/meteor-storm-december-13-14.html