The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

Category: Oddities

Who’d’a thunk it?

Deer at the Bird Feeder

This was not included in my threat model for the bird feeder seed trays:

Deer at bird feeder tray

The deer managed to unfurl enough tongue to reach over the edge, but the birds leave very few intact seeds and I suspect the result was just a mouthful of dry hulls.

The woods beyond that large tree is Vassar College territory, with its conspicuous lack of undergrowth due to the overly large deer population eating essentially everything. Vassar has an annual deer cull in the Preserve, but plenty of deer remain in the surrounding area and it’s not unusual to see six deer browsing in our yard.

2026-02-12
Ice Flow

Spotted at the local library:

Roof drain ice

Putting the downspout inside the building probably made architectural sense, but I’d much rather have that pipe on the outside of the wall where a leak won’t be so expensive.

It hasn’t leaked yet, but in a few months I won’t be surprised to learn my tax dollars were hard at work fixing the ensuing water damage.

Taken at maximum zoom through a grubby windshield, so the picture quality isn’t up to contemporary standards.

2026-01-28
Snow Day

Today looks like a good day to fire up the snowblower and clear the driveway:

Snow – 2025-01-26

One of the bolts holding the muffler on the engine worked its way past its rebuilt locking plate and will require attention before getting out there.

Fortunately, it looks like a good day for shop projects …

2026-01-26
Blog Summary: 2025

Few enough folks stop by to make the bump from Hackaday’s mention of the Wasp Blower stand out:

Summary – 2025

Apparently Subaru fuses remain elusive and that old Thermador wall heater retains its hotness:

Post Views – 2025

The WordPress AI came up with this prompt and image based on the minimal text above:

AI Image – 2025

Gotta get me a workshop like that …

The AI Assistant says this post needs improvement:

AI Assistant – 2025

Which is why I don’t use AI for anything …

2026-01-01
OMTech Laser: It Was The Focus Pen Wire

Because the focus pen worked on the bench, I was certain this had to be true:

OMTech focus pen – failed 24V wire

There is a break somewhere along the blue wire carrying 24 V to the focus pen. The signal and 0 V wires are fine.

I updated the original post, because I’m going to use that picture a lot whenever the subject of laser machine wiring comes up.

2025-12-26
Desktop PC Fuzz

Obviously, I haven’t popped the top on this PC for a while:

Optiplex 9020 – intake fuzz

Some fuzz made it past the grille:

Optiplex 9020 – internal fuzz

PSA: In the unlikely event you still use a desktop PC, it’s time to pop the top on yours, too.

2025-12-16
Smashed Glass Coaster: Rivers of Crack

Looking at that big smashed-glass coaster from a different angle showed interesting patterns:

Printed Fragment Coaster – 165mm – long cracks

Although the larger fragments were still holding together when I laid them in their recesses, they apparently consist of several sub-fragments with larger continuous cracks letting the epoxy flow / ooze inside.

Now that I know what to look for, the original picture also shows them, albeit less distinctly:

Printed Fragment Coaster 165mm – overview

They’re not obvious in the scanned image of the fragments, although I could convince myself I see some:

Fragments 165mm square – scan sample

The many smaller fragments I’ve been turning into coasters probably separated from similar large chunks along such cracks, which is why I’ve never seen rivers of crack before.

Apologies if you arrived here expecting a tirade concerning the drug trade … :grin:

2025-12-08