cmjc

Like most, I've used Wise for many years with no problems... BUT I've ceased using them now, after trying to update my residential address. No utility bills have my name on them, so are no use for ID. So I presented to Wise the Thai Immigration form, "Notification of Change of Address" properly stamped and accepted by Imm. Wise info says they accept Government docs as proof of address. The proof of change of address was rejected without explanation. When I contacted Wise about it, they simply ignored my polite and patient query. Repeatedly! My Wise account still shows the original (now wrong) address. With customer service like that, these folks cannot be trusted, though I've never had any problem with transfers of funds. Shame, but can do better.

A Swiss friend crashed his bicycle, injuring himself, whilst avoiding a chicken in the road, which I thought surprisingly noble of him. The other day, I passed a mother-hen attentively gathering her brood of chicks off AH1 onto the grass verge, and my heart was warmed by her tender care, at the risk of her own life. Therefore, I've decided our garden must have some chickens to remind us daily what's most important in life. I shall build a secure coop to protect them from marauding Tom cats, dogs and Mongooses, but where do I get live chicks locally? Bantams, Hi-sex Browns, Japanese Quail etc., all will do. Enter fowl innuendoes stage left, followed hopefully by a useful response in pursuit. .

In the monsoon flooded town of Maesai, Chiang Rai today, I spotted a truck with the tailgate painted as a Palestinian flag, and snapped a picture of the Thai owners. What a wonderful idea... Free Palestine!

Discovered this week after hamfistedly destroying the rear dropouts on my treasured 36 year old Panasonic Bicycle. With deep remorse I determined to replace them, the rear hub, and the rim. FatFree bike shop supplied a new 36 hole rim, and I already had a new rear hub, so I laced that up, and set about finding new dropouts... Bingo... https://framebuildersupply.com/collections/rear-dropouts/products/rear-vertical-dropouts-tab-style-2-eyelets-59-seatstay-chainstay-angle "Bird" at Fatfree said there were no bicycle frame builders in Chiang Rai, but suggested asking car-radiator repair shops to braze the dropouts on. I asked several metal-work shops, but they all frowned at the impossibility of them performing brass-rod brazing. Until... I found this fabrication shop on the main highway 10km north of Maechan in Baan Maekham. It's next to a large agricultural supplies shop. The owner "Lorng" said he'd never brazed a bicycle frame, but did lots of brass-brazing on cars and tractors etc, so we watched these YT videos of removing and replacing bicycle dropouts, and he said he'd have a go. Here's an Aussie chap removing a front dropout, the action starts at 2:13 Brazing a dropout: Here's some snaps I took of "Lorng" at work on my frame, which is now ready for repainting. We aligned the dropouts by eye, and with judicious cold-set bending, soon got the new rear wheel aligned good as new. He charged me pennies, and I heartily recommend "Lorng" to you for any; metal work, oxyacetylene cutting, fabrication, welding, soldering, or brazing. He's a young chap, works alone, and needs your projects to keep afloat in these testing economic times. Support your local artisans, or be at the mercy of the big-box-store-throw-away mentality. I'm drawing him a worksheet to make a new chimney for my stainless-steel/brick bread-oven. Then I'm going to ask him to cut and drill some one inch square metal tubing to make a sala-frame held together with bolts and wing-nuts, so I can move and store it easily.

Thankfully, not in CM, but I've seen what looks like that in packets in Lotus (or as they misspell it Lotus's). The dreaded Grocer's apostrophe strikes again.

Yes, I was aware of that, I painted my bicycle basket with Shellac to weather-proof it. Here's the chap in Baan Huai Khian who made the baskets. I was suggesting Cochineal as the other ingredient you mentioned with an insect connexion. So are you saying this is; Shellac, plus filler such as sawdust and charcoal? That makes sense, being readily to hand.

That brings this to mind... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal But no mention of their use in glue, only those sticky RED lips, we all know to beware of, don't we Lads?

Thank you, I'll try and get some to taste. I love sourdough bread, and so do my tummy-bugs! However, my attempt at home-made cider-vinegar was a complete failure.

My guess is Shellac and fish bones... but it doesn't smell, even when alight.

Can you tell me the recipe, sounds wonderful.

To explain myself. Clearing the woody shrubbery this morning the machete blade flew from the wooden handle for the umpteenth time. Grasping my small but trusty axe, the head flew off after two blows. Tired of Araldite, and various Chinese epoxies failing, then jamming nails, screws and bolts into the gaps, I decided to take it to the local Artisans to fix for me. The first shop I tried was a sweet lady of at least my age (70) who instantly had the cure for the ailing machete and axe.. She rummaged around the back of her shop, and pulled out the brown flat object pictured, calling it, "Khao Kaang", with precise verbal instructions how to use it. I took it home, set fire to it, and dripped the molten goo around the shafts, as well as around the handle holes, and tapped in some slivers of teak. Fixed the Thai way! Now for the purpose of posting here... What does the "Khao Kaang" consist of? I don't know, it burns readily and is brittle, so suspect it is largely Shellac. Anybody know?

CORRECT!

Buffalo hide is another good guess, but no Ma'am :) I too would not have known what this is, until this morning. And I've been here for three decades.

They do look like bite marks, come to think of it, but no Sir.

Like it, and there's plenty of that around North Thailand. But sorry, incorrect.