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ShopTalk Sunday: How “Farm Work” Changes as We Age

Doggonit, if this isn’t an interesting column this week. Because it was one of those weeks when “the magic happens” between the ears.  Weeks we learn something deep – and meaningful – about how Life works.

Start with Two Broken Tractors

Yeah, the Fourth of July weekend didn’t turn out quite right.  Plan was that everything would go according to Hoyle and I would have had a few “unallocated hours” in which to build the new ham radio that’s been awaiting assembly for more than a month.

Nope. Didn’t happen.

This is one of our security cameras capturing my mowing pass just before “The Big Clunk.”

Instead, while I was mowing the rifle range – which is really part of the fire break system here now that the heat is on and fire risk is rising – and I heard this God-awful “Clunk!”  At which time the 3-point brush hog instantly stopped turning, and that was the end of a good mowing session.

The obvious course of action was to park the tractor in the work-on-it position.  That’s where I back whatever the ornery implement is under a 2 by 12 beam where I can get a chain hoist around it, lift to access the problem area – put jack stands in for safety – and then get to work on things.

It was warm so I parked in position – flipped the seat forward so animals (and dirt) wouldn’t get on it, and left it for dead until Monday. “I’ll think of something by then…” I told myself.

That was Saturday.  So after last Sunday’s ShopTalk I went out to mow the yard.  Early – cold – just 76°F.  Which went to 83 by the time two acres’ worth was shorn.  Toward the end of the haircut, I noticed one side of the mower deck was digging in and leaving seriously uneven grass.

“Well, hell, if that don’t beat all…two days of projects and two broken tractors.”  Then it was already warm – so I pressure-washed the riding mower – and put it back.  I did the only thing a rational man could do.  “I’ll just park this problem until Monday, too…”

Sleeping on Problems Pays Off – BIG

“Experience” is having made the same mistake many times before.  And the Big Clunk on  the Kubota was quickly sorted out. I was playing back all past tractoring disasters as I dozed off Sunday night – certain I would solve things by Monday morning.  It worked. I have a huge database of error sounds in my head.

When I run over one of my ham radio antenna experiments – like a hundred feet of 300-ohm twinlead – you don’t get a pronounced jarring “Clunk!”  More like a “Grrr…rrr….rrrr…stop!” Part of the antenna spools up underneath, sure. But, that’s the cost of field science.  Besides, there’s enough friction that it slows almost gently into the non-op condition.

When running over other (man-made) field obstacles – such as a rolled-up hunk of field wire that someone never got around to moving off the shooting fairway – there’s more of a metallic grinding noise at the end of work progress. This one was different.  Hmm…

This one was really a hard – STOP – clunk.  The kind that only a rock can make.

When I woke up Monday morning, I had the answer and it was almost too damn simple.

PTOs Turn Clockwise (from the rear)

Coffee in hand, I sneaked up on the brush hog and inspected the U-joint at the implement end.  Here’s how it looked:

It didn’t take but a second to see the “2-minute miracle answer!”

I would just take a long breaker bar – 8 feet of 3/4″ galvanized pipe (6 feet would have worked fine).  I slipped it through and gave a mighty tug. Counterclockwise viewed from the rear.

Suddenly – all at once – the stuck blade of the brush hog was clear – leaving Mr. Ure – ass over teakettle – laying in the pea gravel holding a runaway breaker bar.

When the stars went out, I got up, shook off the pain, and gently twisted the shaft by hand. Only to mutter “Well, I’ll be damned!” It was free!

Implement lifted up, I moved the tractor forward, and there it was! The very rock – which looked more like a piece of concrete – was jeering back at me.  (I kicked it a few times and peed on it to explain my displeasure but I’m not sure if that registered, or not.)

The scar lines from the brush hog blade will no doubt be a curiosity for future archeologists – if ants have such things when our turn at the helm of Earth is over.

My error: I overpowered the breaker bar, expecting it would be harder to do than it was. Next time, I’ll start with a lot less “Armstrong” and sneak up on success. I did learn a good deal about breaker bar aikido, though.

Now I Was On a Roll!

Sunday afternoon, I had come back out to see what the riding mower issue was. Was the blade deck coming loose or something else causing the left side scalping?

Found it!  Slow leak in the left rear tire.  One minute with the battery-powered inflator and it was at 15 PSI and ready to rock – again.

Then I decided to check the opposite rear tire.  That’s when I discovered that when Lowe’s had assembled this tractor, they had put the rear wheel on “inside-out.”  The only clue – and it took three years to come to light – was that the valve stem was under the chassis.

Oops!

No problem now, however.  After backing the rider out, I ran the bucket of the grownup tractor in at a 45-degree angle like so…

This allowed the bucket fork to get some purchase on the lifting and towing bracket. A light tap on the bucket lever and the whole ass-end was airborne.  Zero sweat involved.

Somewhere in here I decided I was blessed in many ways.  Because one of the lug nuts on that right side had not only come clean off – gone AWOL – but the remaining three were also loose.

The good news?

The left side – the one with the slow leak – had a missing lug nut adventure two years ago and here’s the farmerly tip for you:  When you have more lug nuts than you need, don’t put them up in that shop/barn/hardware store clone you’re building.  Put them on the open lug bolt ends and snug them just a bit.  This way they act like lock bolts and you don’t have to chase all over tarnation looking for lug nuts.  (I got more, anyway.  Belt and suspenders is the ticket out here.)

That semi-eidetic memory is a useful thing now and again. Leaving spares on the left, the fresh batch went on the right.

There you have it – two marvelous outcomes due to “sleeping on it” and the “where to put your nuts” trick.  No, not that one…sheesh.  Come on, Bubba…

The Almost Accident Case

Last Sunday, after the rider crapped out, I moved on to greenhouse work.  After measuring the pH of the water in the two 55 gallon rain barrels, I decided to add 100 ml of dilute phosphoric acid – the main ingredient in a hydroponic product called “pH Down” by General Hydroponic.  Great stuff.

But here’s where Mr. Ure had this week’s “close call with disaster.”

I had left the pH Down jug in the greenhouse (in the sun!) and UV had – over the prior six months – turned the plastic brittle as hell – ready to break at a touch. Of course, I didn’t know that so…

I picked it up, and was taking the cap off to pour when the whole top of the jug sheared off in my hand, splashing acid all over me.

Because I was working with acid, I already had a 5/8th inch water hose charged and running. Having a son in heavy duty construction safety, I’ve gotten PPE paranoid.   So literally – within 10 seconds there wasn’t a stitch of clothing on me, and every inch of me was being flooded with cold water and the acid was long gone, soaking into the pea gravel.

Incident Review

This is one of those  times when “good outcomes” and “sometimes you just get lucky” all come together.  Here’s what I did right:

  • Eye protection on. Non-negotiable.
  • Ready to strip off clothing in seconds.
  • Cold water running.
  • After three minutes initial flooding, I dribbled into the house for a much longer cold shower… that must have been a half hour’s worth. During which…

  • Elaine brought baking soda, with me still in the cold shower – which I made into a paste and applied all over—rinsed off after 10-20 seconds. (Not medical advice, obviously—I’m just telling you what worked for me after the initial flooding. For anything serious, get professional help fast!)

Legal says I should add that “Current first-aid guidance is prolonged water flushing—not trying to neutralize the chemical on your skin.”   I argued that my mentioning it was low risk: This isn’t prescribing treatment for serious burns or exotic chemicals. It’s “I flooded with water then used this common kitchen item.”  (But I shut up and listen when people who charge money to talk are around.)  They want you to remember water, water, water on any skin exposure. We’re OK with that.

I eventually got out of the shower when I looked like a shriveled-up pickle. (May have had something to do with being 77, but we can’t be sure.)

Maybe it’s because (being from a firefighter family) I was trained to over prepare for everything.  I never work with any chemicals without eye protection and an already running hose and a forward disaster plan just in case.

Part of my upbringing included a very detailed introduction to acids and alkaline compounds in the workplace.  For example, when laying brick or block (Portland cement is quite alkaline) we would use a couple of tablespoons of vinegar rubbed on our hands for 10-15 seconds, or so and then rinsing well. Again, NOT medical advice, but doctors don’t make house calls anymore, so there you go.

There’s the real lesson of Murphy, right there: If something can go wrong, it eventually will.  And I’m here – with no burn or injury to tell you for a fact that when you are working with real seriously dangerous farm shit (chemicals, machinery, etc) you ARE going to have an accident.

What sorts out the slickers is whether the farmer has planned the work, planned the errors, and worked the plan. (I don’t think the feral cats have ever seen a self-irrigating fat human before, but we’ll get them into counseling and they should be fine.)

On that, off to get into still more trouble – which is what makes life such a fine adventure ride – You need to do enough things right enough to ride to the end.

Well, except falling with a big breaker bar and watching your mind work the high-speed calculations.  “If I let go, is this breaker bar going to bean me on the head?”

That was the week’s Martial Arts “time dilation moment” like in a movie fight scene, that one!

Sideband Dream III

To keep you up to speed: In my June 30th column, I wrote about a precognitive-feeling dream about buying a used Drake TR-5 transceiver that would soon appear on the market.  Sure enough, the matching radio showed up – but the price was too high.

The rest of the story is I countered, the seller came down a bit, but it was still higher than the “dream price” so I made that offer and explained how the dream set the cap, not me. But, I also assured the seller I was not attached to the outcome – so whatever the call was on his end (take it or leave it) it’s not like I don’t have two dozen other (more actually) HF ham rigs to pick from.  Besides, while the TR-5 was pushy enough to make it into a dream, it’s not like a “magic radio” like the Hermes Lite (which we will get into next weekend).  It’s a good radio, but for raw CW (Morse) chops the GSB-100, Drake 2-series (2B or 2C, switchable) and a Johnson Thunderbolt are at least as enjoyable.

The real ponder has been “Was there some point to this dream of “owning something”?  I mean, like: “Did the Universe want the seller to learn something about negotiation, or me to learn something about my being well past reasonable ownership levels in HF gear?”  Still pondering that.

Meanwhile, the unit did sell, though I have no idea as to price. I have no idea what the Universe was getting at.

Meanwhile, a long-time reader & friend sent me an amazing package of food-related items including some very specialized Japanese seasoning.  Here’s where a “Ure quirk” surfaces.  I try never to enjoy a gift until I have figured out some equal kindness in return.

So, before I whip out my Ginzu knifery and wander into experimental Wagyu-ing, I’m working through which ham radio to send him in return. I don’t need to idolize anything related to food (got a memo from my belt just last week on this).  So his punishment may be “radio disease!”

The choices are a classic HF (small Icom – like a 721) or a classic “get your feet wet” receiver like the Radio Shack DX-160… hmm.  Things to think about as I “plow through” today’s pre-breakfast entertainment sequence. Yee-haw ‘bota.

Write when you take PPE seriously,  G2 doesn’t have time to read my columns, so the acid story is between us, right?

Write when you’re neutral.

George@Ure.net

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51 thoughts on “ShopTalk Sunday: How “Farm Work” Changes as We Age”

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  1. pickers back from fishin .. telling truth big time . enough he reckons . only a few commie / facist patriot / low function deluded dreamers left . voltaire was right . its in the genes , hundreds of years . ahh well good luck to em mate .

    • I will try to build that into the training manual for the traumatized ferals….by way of explanation detail footnotey kind of thing. (Ever since, they have murmured I looked better without the clothes on…)

    • The scarious acid I ever worked with was Hydrofluoric acid… one of my day labor jobs..I put an acid resistant bung in it…went to get the mixing tub and the bung was gone..the fumes dissolved it..scary stuff..

      • Glad you survived. Just remember to never fill a second story cast iron bathtub with it, regardless of the need or purpose!

      • I worked with nearly every acid / acetic compound available when we had fewer warnings and the potent good stuff solvents.

        I went full hazmat, fresh carbon filter in serious maskage, tyvec (hooded) suit, disposable gloves and … water supply. 5 gal buckets pls.

        Often, these were jobs you couldn’t hand off to Joe Painter hourly if you wouldn’t do it yourself. One job we didn’t want was hose to rescue a Butcher’s wife whose new bank of coolers came in plain when she ordered white.

        Was there a way to do this? Yes. But … lady was broke, end of project and delay stopped store opening. She was into me for milling 4-figures which I agreed to take in trade (steaks, every cut, for several years).

        I was explaining how many washes were required to remove / clean off dimpled aluminum to hold the epoxy finish coat(s). She didn’t care, it was on the mfgr. and … there would be no bids.

        7hm, the I don’t want this job estimate is 18 grand, half in advance. Butcher wife asks if we can start Monday. A crew had just moved off their job. Yes, I will be here Monday, providing there’s a 9 grand check here.

        Don’t honk off a Butcher or his Wife. Gal required the sales guy come in, that day. We started Saturday. On with the tyvec … a very good less toxic compound is TSP (tri sodium phosphate).

        Egor

  3. “G2 doesn’t have time to read my columns, so the acid story is between us, right?”

    Yes, but was the camera on and he now has a picture of his dad buck naked, hosing himself down and is afraid to bring it up in a conversation?

  4. Experimental Wagyu-ing ?

    Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    Dont do it Chief, just stick to the tried and true method of Steak Perfection.

    This is serious Manhood scheisse we be discussing, must be done right and taught to next generation of Males. Otherwise we could end up ruining millions of pounds of high quality protein..heaven forbid.

    Steaks up top 1.5 inch thick – Steakhouse Method . Pregame it Homegamerz, Envision Ureself making each step, prior to the actual cooking of said wagyu’s…SRF, WildFork…

    Preheat oven -350F

    Season those badboys Generously with kosher Salt, or fav steak seasoning.

    SEAR – light coat Oil to HEAVY Skillet and place on High Heat. SEAR steak in the hot skillet for 2 minutes. Turn and SEAR for 2 more minutes. Fat screen big help in keeping splatter to a minimum.

    COOK – place the Steak and Skillet in a hot Oven for about 8 minutes, flipping after 4 minutes. Check the thickest part of Steak for doneness; 120F for Medium Rare. Not telling the other temps or stages, as Medium Rare, Rare and Black & Blue are the only 3 ways to order/oprepare Ure Steak .
    Remove skillet from oven when Steak reaches desired temperature. DO NOT FORGET – THE HANDLE TO SKILLET IS HOT ENOUGH TO CAUTERIZE – Use caution when handling.
    *Ure Steak is more important than Ure Beer..put it down and save the Steak from burning.

    Remove Steak from skillet and cover loosely for 7 minutes. Steak will continue to cook, and the temp will rise about 5 more degrees. Anything thicker than 1.5 inches, like a Tomahawk Steak, needs be prepared Reverse SEAR.
    * side note – if you have been playing drinking games; drink every time harry kane of england rolled around on ground crying about a grain of sand that got stuck in his granny pants, then have someone else sober come in and assist.
    Cowinkydinking Urban Survival comments – who would have thunk it, but Black Walnuts are indeed edible and used in tons of recipes. I seriously was not aware of any of this, but the Philadelphia Inky is, so I be sharing with youse all, just in case you like black Nuts.
    -https://www.inquirer.com/food/black-walnut-chefs-amaro-foraging-20260708.html

    As for the markets going into Monday – up up and away Jose and Hose B, till just after mid-terms..as for light footed lindsey, hopefully they bury him with his Ass sticking out of the ground, so diaper donny can stop by for a Cold One every now and then..This butts for you!

  5. Ag chemicals and fertilizers are very dangerous. Something I always shake my head at is how we hear nothing but how awful glyphosate is but you can go to almost any hardware or garden center store where you can pick up a gallon and walk out the door without even a whisper of safety rules. Same with just about any other cheical, herbicide or insecticide. Sheesh Louise. Glad you were not damaged after wrasslin with that breaker bar too. I have to ask though. I’m going to assume, yes I know what assume is, you reinstalled that rear tire correctly and even further what other silliness and nonsense did you discover that Lowes did to your machine?

    Stay safe. 73

    • .Yeahs – fun week, huh Jim? No other silliness found (there’s an air filter in it, etc) but wow, huh? I’d have never though to ask. Though rebersing Kunota wheels on read is often if working steep slopes – widens footing a tiny bit…

      • GU : “… The very rock – which looked more like a piece of concrete – was jeering back at me. (I kicked it a few times and peed on it to explain my displeasure…”

        So, tell me I’m not the only BushHog driver who thought “you hit something and jammed the blades?”

        Then, we be breathless to learn you didn’t give tractor tires the thumb test before climbing into the cockpit. Pls tell me this required sleeping on it? Simply must give jabs Tex.

        Other than the naked scaring cat visual thing it must have been a slow Sunday Tool news day. Harumph. Only 2.5 hot wars underway and all.

        Markets Monday? Ever peek at the SK hospital?
        https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP.bQS1XyValprjK7XYV_b0LgHaF6%3Fr%3D0%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=154bfa0c361ee7338bda76a169ede6e55d4af883e0364d0190672065e3ef41aa&ipo=images

        It will be OK, really [not advice]
        Egor [no wind, no boats]

        • “So, tell me I’m not the only BushHog driver who thought “you hit something and jammed the blades?

          “Then, we be breathless to learn you didn’t give tractor tires the thumb test before climbing into the cockpit. Pls tell me this required sleeping on it? Simply must give jabs Tex.”

          A 10″ piece of 4×4 + a 16″ piece of dowel = wood mallet and blade unfreezer.

          My tractors never pass the thumb test. I am installing an air compressor on my JD-332 L&G “mule” (cuz I can’t justify pissing the money away for a Gator.) I may run the wiring tonight, mosquitoes willing. The JD store and frickin’ Wal-Mart are the only two places in town that can seal a leaky tire and have it stay sealed. (Wal-Mart doesn’t do tractor tires, the JD Store charges John Deere prices and they don’t have a remote truck.) My trusty old Ford is the only tool in the livery with tires that all hold air, all the time, and two of its tires are 73 years old…

        • @George Ure

          “You didn’t get the memo? Korea will be next administrations Berlin air lift”

          I don’t think so. You didn’t get MY memo: We’re bailing on South Korea. They elected a pro-China, pro-reunification under communism, regime a few months ago, which no longer wants us around.

          What do YOU believe the chances are, that Mr. Trump will patiently outwait the commie nutjobs now installed in Seoul…?

      • Um, my blower has its tires reversed. Reversed tires tend to ride on snow instead of sinking. That said, I had it done intentionally, which means the stems are on the outside of the wheels.

        Gonna opine, whoever mounted yer tires is a doofus, and should have just installed them on the rims instead of mounting them — probably couldn’t find a sheep the night before…

    • Lol lol lol…we had a cookout last night.. I worked the fourth…. we got talking a out horse flys..years ago there were horses across the street in the field..a house full of flys.. we got this spray..one squirt and every fly in the house was gone.. the wife brought up the agent orange and benzine ..I had a small bottle of AO.. put one tsp in a spray bottle to kill the weeds between the garage..it took everything down and almost killed the apple tree..one squirt..the wife made me dispose of it.. and get round up instead..that was thirty plus years ago..lol lol if we killed the weeds we wouldn’t have any grass..lol lol

    • Speaking of Lowe’s:

      They’re doing a massive recall of Cobalt battery power tools because their current (sic) batteries are exploding at, something like 200x industry average. The report I read said ” nine people” but I don’t recall whether that’s injured or killed, and I’m on a cell so -not gonna do the search.

  6. As a general rule, I never pry on the mower coupling. Best to raise the deck and look before unjamming it. I put the deck on something and brave the poison ivy and oak oils. I decontaminate thoroughly with Tecnu scrub afterward. Use Woolite with the normal detergent for the clothes.
    I have jammed with cables. chains and logs, but never a rock. I pick the deck up and mow high around rocks.

    • Yeah – that’s the thing with you x-ray vision guys – when I can’t see through the grass (waist high) (which i used to be able to do before all the eye surgeries) that would have been tehe preffered mow-ed….Good tips on tecnu and woolite – thanks

  7. Murphy’s law get ya every time. We have two riding mowers. You’d think if one is down, the other can be used, but nope. They either both work, or both broken. No friggin idea why it’s gotta be that way, but that’s the law here in my slice of heaven.

  8. George
    If it helps you feel better about it, know that a Real Chemical Engineer does very similar when he works with chemicals at home and In The Lab as well.
    When using acids keep baking soda handy, when using caustic soda ( NaOH, or any other strong base) have the Vinegar handy. And always have the hose handy. Especially when charging or jumping off a car battery . (Don’t look in it to see if the water level is OK while charging. Ask brother Art why.)
    He had the hose handy fortunately.

  9. I was taught to use water first on acid or caustic, then baking soda or other alkaline on acid , weak acid, as in in vinegar on caustic.

  10. The end of april..I put the gas stabilizer in the cub cadet snowblower..last fall I had to have a new carburetor ..I had used it twice..the first time I made it halfway through the driveway and it quit..called cub..they basically said..sorry you bought it..then used it twice and a new carburetor this winter I used it three times then started it and put the extend in the fuel run it a half hour..last monday..I was putting it away went to start it..took it in …it needs another new carburetor.. what’s good is cubs color is lemon yellow…
    the old snowblower I had cost one fifth of the cub..and it worked flawlessly for thirty years..

    • You may not think of it this way LOOB, but carbs are one reason people live in the South. Power equipment is used year-round (even the morer is every month or two in winter). Blue pump at Murphy gas station in front of Walmart – no ethanol – which is known south of the MasDix to be a carb killer. People here damn near live on your carb budget! (OK not as stylish as you, but…)

    • In these parts the outdoor power boyz stress the need to start tools up at the end of the season and let them run until they run out of gas. This is the quick ‘n dirty way to purge the carburetor, tank, and lines. That “modern gasoline begins to degrade at 5 weeks post refinery” thing isn’t obvious in a car because of the sheer quantity of fuel in the tank. Crap gas will still burn (for a while.) The smaller the tank, the more obvious the degradation and the worse the damage to itty bitty Chinese (Tillotson knock-off) carburetors.

      You rarely need a new carb, IF you can find a set of engine oil passage brushes and know how to make your own gaskets. The new carb is more expedient because they’re usually 30-50 dollars and it takes several hours to disassemble – clean – reassemble one of those tiny carburetors, with no guarantee you’ve done it correctly.

      I have had no issues with any tool stored with gas in the tank, as long as it’s real gas with PRI-G added. It took me a new carb on a post hole digger and one on a string trimmer to learn this lesson. While YMMV, I suggest you not waste my pain…

  11. the pickers 2 paragraphs were the best 2 paragraphs i have read in years . his brutal honesty and cold assessment gave me respect for him . looks like the fishin cleared his head . thanks rick , welcome back .

    • Yesterday’s high temperature: 67°F (it was actually 74° at midnight…)
      I received 2.05 inches of rain, which brought out both river flood and flash flood warnings. Despite living on top of a hill, my front yard was underwater. Weather prediction was 87°/64° and .31″. I don’t think the corn is as high in my neighborhood as the corn I saw a couple weeks ago in Western Indiana, but there’s 1-2 fields around me that’re pushing nine feet and beans that’re probably 32-34 inches high & “strung out.” It’s about time to take a ride to Silvermitt’s neck o’ the woods, to pick up some of the world’s finest muskmelon. Southern Indiana can’t elope is incredibly flavorful. They typically run about the size of a volley- or soccer-ball, and about 17 pounds. Sumpin tells me they’re going to be bigger and juicier this year. Everything east of Colorado and between US-30 and I-40 is ridiculously blessed this year WRT crops. I’ll bet Tennessee melons, Indiana ‘maters, and NY apples are going to be insanely good, this year…

  13. Nice and chilly here. Must be winter. Heat dome not.

    I’ll still be happier when it’s warmer.

    Stiks

  14. Well crap !

    Another fire has broken out. Right on the edge of town., behind the brand new hospital.
    Luckily the wind was in our favor and blew the fire away from town.
    It headed over the small ridge and down towards the Columbia River.
    [ The one video I saw made the fire look damn impressive ! ]
    As I remember there are just a couple of houses tucked away back there. Which is where the fire crews are probably making their stand.
    A helicopter bucket loader showed up damn fast.
    Looks as though they will get handle on this one really quick. I hope !
    Went to 25 acres in the matter of minutes.

    “Stay Frosty !”

  16. “After measuring the pH of the water in the two 55 gallon rain barrels, I decided to add 100 ml of dilute phosphoric acid”

    Phosphoric acid is a lightweight, as acids go. It is common photographic acid, and also the acid that’s used in “rust converters.” It is the best agent for dissolving teeth, which is why soda companies put it in soda pop, then their corporate partners in the medical field tell us not to drink pop.

    Hydrofluoric is probably the most-dangerous (except for picric, of course, which is both nearly as explosive as nitroglycerin and damn’ near as unstable.) My faves are nitric and sulfuric, and of course hydrochloric, any of which will remove your fingerprints, up to your elbows if not careful.

    I ALWAYS include a box of that stuff that made Armand a millionaire, in every first aid kit. A baking soda poultice will suck poison from flying, stinging insects out of your body before the anaphylaxis hits. It neutralizes acid, cleans teeth, stops indigestion cold, and a dozen other really handy medicinal things.

    For an acid spray I favor a good old fashioned lye soap shower — either my own, or in a pinch, Fels Naphtha.

    For either acid or alkali skin contamination, ALWAYS use cold water. Warmer water tends to make the irritant more active and make the burn harder, faster, and more-thorough.

    Maybe that was the wrong Drake TR-5…?

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