The new news 24 thread

[madrat]

It's a grim business.

 

I don't really like to kill anything, but they need to go. Have you tried a bucket of water based trap? My pal had great success with this but I think it was mice he was dealing with. Looks like a bleak end for the critters but he was catching them by the fistful.

I hate the idea of killing them, but as you say they have got to go, couldn't do the water way, would rather shoot them than that, dose anyone no anything about air guns? Havant used one since I was a teenager, had a good shooting eye though so might have to think about it.

[SiC]

Rats are good swimmers. So would be a pretty slow, painful death for the little critters.

[wuvvum]

Transporter, Crafter, modern Transit

Apart from the 2.4D Transporter, none of those could be described as "plodders" though.  The 5-pot Transits GLF.

 

My money is on either the aforesaid Transporter or an old T1 310D.

[dollywobbler]

Still got a rat problem in the garden, wont go near humaine traps and after 2 weeks they haven't touched poison?  Running out of idea's.

 

Rats love almonds. We had to resort to killer traps in the end. Sorry rats, but they really do have to go.

[madrat]

I know, they are so cute though, and I've had pet rats so even worse.  If the little buggers would just go in the humane traps, I would take them to the woods.

[danthecapriman]

Drive it then Dan. That's the only way you'll know if it's right...

It's a fair comment. And keep something suitable for tapping the carbs if they get all sticky. Seems to work for Roadkill. Only problem is that if this happens on the wedding day, people may assume the car wants to make a toast.

Very true.

I’ve got to fix the drivers seatbelt yet though! Something else that’s now broke! It’s jammed half retracted, won’t pull out at all and won’t retract either. Can’t really drive it legally without it.

 

Last time I used it the carb refurb seems to have worked. Plan is this weekend to get it out, give it a good spanking then see how it;

A: runs and drives

B: what it’s like restarting from hot after use. That’s what seemed to cause grief before.

 

I’m yet to be convinced it’s fixed tbh, but it has driven fine since the carb rebuild. I’ve just got absolutely no confidence in it. Time will tell I suppose.

[danthecapriman]

I hate the idea of killing them, but as you say they have got to go, couldn't do the water way, would rather shoot them than that, dose anyone no anything about air guns? Havant used one since I was a teenager, had a good shooting eye though so might have to think about it.

I hate killing things too but feral rats are filthy disgusting and can be dangerous too. You can’t leave them, the longer you do the more established they’ll become and that means more of them.

I’ve had similar issues, poison worked for me but the unwanted side effects were a potential danger to any other wildlife and our dogs, plus the rats tended to eat the poison the run off and die in inaccessible places which caused vile smells when the corpse started rotting!

I’ve had good success with a cage and trap door trap. Bait it with peanut butter (they seem to love it!) then set trap overnight. I’ve had loads this way but you must keep an eye on the trap as it’s also caught a squirrel and even a robin before which I released!

Once you’ve caught a rat I use a scoped air rifle to dispose of them. It’s not a very pleasant thing to do tbh but you have to. A headshot is way quicker and less painful than other methods. Poison can be an awful slow death btw!

I’ve also used peanut butter to bait certain areas of the garden I know they use for feeding and runs then sit and watch, again using the rifle to take them out.

 

You don’t need to spend silly money on an air rifle. Some of them are mega bucks, nice guns but expensive! I think mine was about £400 new with a good scope and pest control pellets. You can get something easily good enough for the job for half that though. I only paid more as I wanted a decent brand (BSA) and an underlever spring compressor with fixed barrel. For taking out garden pests a cheap break barrel rifle should do the job.

 

Btw, if you do get a dead one make sure you bag and bin them! We’ve got a few foxes living in waste ground/woods over the back of the garden and they actually help keep the rats numbers down too.

I know foxes are pests too but I like them!

[Supernaut]

Somebody I know through another forum used to use an air version of an MP5 sub machine gun to kill spiders.

 

He didn't get the deposit back on that flat.

[SiC]

Our cat seems to be very effective at eliminating spiders. I keep finding flattened remains of them around the house. I don't think she even plays with them, just gives them a wack with her paw and walks off. Fingers crossed, in over a year we've have let her out, she's never bought anything back.

[madrat]

Yes they have got to go, Mrs Madrat is going to see her brother later he did shooting and will be able to get us a .22 air riffle.  I will take up residency in a corner of the garden and wait, they like the bird feeder in the mornings. I feel like Jasper Carrott and his mole lol

[madrat]

Our cat seems to be very effective at eliminating spiders. I keep finding flattened remains of them around the house. I don't think she even plays with them, just gives them a wack with her paw and walks off. Fingers crossed, in over a year we've have let her out, she's never bought anything back.

We have 2 cats and a Jack Russell Westy cross , the cats just sit there watching the rats and the dog is to slow and stupid.

[madrat]

"You see Ivan when we drink many vodkas we create glorious new way to fuck up entire planet"

 

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/04/russia-launched-a-floating-nuclear-power-plant-this-weekend/

[mercrocker]

 I feel like Jasper Carrott and his mole lol

 

I read once about a Lincolnshire farmer who was driven to distraction by moles excavating his front lawn.   Realising they were active at night he lined his Mk Ten Jag up, on all four beams, against the edge of the garden and waited.....Sure enough the little mounds started appearing just as he was falling asleep in the warm confines of his Jag, probably listening to Radio 3 as there was fuck all else on the wireless at night in late Sixties East Anglia.   

 

Apparently he floored it towards the little critters, stood on the anchors and slid straight through his front parlour......

[cort1977]

Aside from the small matter of potential sinking there are some good reasons to have a floating reactor, it makes decommissioning easier as you can tow it away again and you're less likely to run out of coolant as you're floating on it.

[madrat]

Aside from the small matter of potential sinking there are some good reasons to have a floating reactor, it makes decommissioning easier as you can tow it away again and you're less likely to run out of coolant as you're floating on it.

STORMS!

[madrat]

Think Mrs Madrat got carried away

 

IMG_20180430_195121 by Ian Grice, on Flickr

 

Came with duck and rabbit targets, gas canisters ammo and a rest, when she tried it she hit 8 in a row plus 2 bullseyes.  I'm never arguing with her again!

[stuboy]

Went up to collect company galaxy we just spent 1700 quid fixing and mot'ing

[Guest Hooli]

"You see Ivan when we drink many vodkas we create glorious new way to fuck up entire planet"

 

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/04/russia-launched-a-floating-nuclear-power-plant-this-weekend/

 

America has a few of them, they call them aircraft carriers & sail them where people can shoot at them....

[DodgeRover]

Think Mrs Madrat got carried away

 

IMG_20180430_195121 by Ian Grice, on Flickr

 

Came with duck and rabbit targets, gas canisters ammo and a rest, when she tried it she hit 8 in a row plus 2 bullseyes.  I'm never arguing with her again!

 

Beware when you actually want to shoot the rats the cartridge will have lost its gas.....

Springs work everytime, but noisier

Loads of fun just don't let the neighbours get excited - tell them you are eliminating a rat problem rather than them ringing the firearms squad.

[dollywobbler]

Aside from the small matter of potential sinking there are some good reasons to have a floating reactor, it makes decommissioning easier as you can tow it away again and you're less likely to run out of coolant as you're floating on it.

 

Where do you tow this horrific floating environmental disaster to exactly?

[Guest Hooli]

A decommissioning facility?

 

 

Just a wild thought n all...

[bramz7]

So did a little check on the Rover today and it appeared to be devoid of coolant. Right. 

 

Promptly went to the shops and bought some, filled it and let it run a bit warmer. Probably ran idle for about 15 mins (it took an age to get temperature) and turned it off. Looks alright in there, no mayo etc. However it has a really quite lumpy idle, which seems to worsen the warmer it gets. Hmmm. Bother. 

 

I would like to hope it's due to a pretty lax servicing the past few years but cannot be sure.

 

 

Oh and typically I got wind of a nicer (but rusty) one of equal age today, for less than I paid. FFS.

[madrat]

My neighbors are cool

[Bobthebeard]

Am now pretty deep into the sump drop and clean on the Saab 9-3 convertible. Upgraded breather kit also to go on. New filter, fully synthetic oil and replacement sump plug and copper washer all ready.

Just need to somehow drop the subframe slightly to allow sump wiggling free space.

Some body flex has occurred as the pic of the door window shows. Both sides exactly the same.

That gap wasn't there before the car was jacked up (on the sill jacking points both sides... Axle stands close to rear of the subframe just for safety)

Hope this is normal! Internet wisdom? TADTS. Possibly...

No nasty noises when jacking up and the car appears totally rust free everywhere.

[Kiltox]

This is interesting - previous keeper info now missing from V5 assumedly to do with GDPR https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=1739995&d=0#seperator

[somewhatfoolish]

Aside from the small matter of potential sinking there are some good reasons to have a floating reactor, it makes decommissioning easier as you can tow it away again and you're less likely to run out of coolant as you're floating on it.

It's also feasible to design the reactor to be melt-down resistant in this size range, something which isn't practicable in gigawatt sized units so you end up with engineering things like core catchers, which even if they work scare people when you tell them about it.

[madrat]

Well managed to get 2 rats today, both did a back flip and ran off   I don't like this at all, have ordered some flat head and hollow tip pellets, pore little fluff's  

[Bobthebeard]

Well managed to get 2 rats today, both did a back flip and ran off I don't like this at all, have ordered some flat head and hollow tip pellets, pore little fluff's

 

Do not like.

Do not like rats either if they are disease ridden or a pest in other ways.

But the American stylee blow 'em to bits thing yee har doesn't sit well. Neither does just maiming them for fun...

Sorry.

[wuvvum]

Am now pretty deep into the sump drop and clean on the Saab 9-3 convertible. Upgraded breather kit also to go on. New filter, fully synthetic oil and replacement sump plug and copper washer all ready.

Just need to somehow drop the subframe slightly to allow sump wiggling free space.

Some body flex has occurred as the pic of the door window shows. Both sides exactly the same.

That gap wasn't there before the car was jacked up (on the sill jacking points both sides... Axle stands close to rear of the subframe just for safety)

Hope this is normal! Internet wisdom? TADTS. Possibly...

No nasty noises when jacking up and the car appears totally rust free everywhere.image.pngimage.pngimage.pngimage.pngimage.png

Those things have the structural rigidity of a damp paper towel, so it doesn't surprise me in the least that they bend a bit when you jack them up.

[Bobthebeard]

Those things have the structural rigidity of a damp paper towel, so it doesn't surprise me in the least that they bend a bit when you jack them up.

It did bend a tad.... As long as it goes back to how it should be when lowered all ok.

I think..