nokia

Blinky,

Thank you for the very detailed instructions on how to sharpen a knife.

Do you normally sharpen your own knives?

Firstly i need a clamp to hold the stone.

Secondly I think each knife has different basic & final angles.

Lastly, its not easy to maintain the same angle after many strokes.

Hey CM folks,

what do you normally do with your blunt knives? Throw them away?

Or your knives are never blunt?

Cheers!

Hey folks,

thank you for all your interesting answers.

I can get a stone or a steel but the problem is that it's difficult to get the sharpening angle right.

Sometimes, the knife gets sharper, othertimes, more blunt.

Alternatively, i could get purchase a few more new knives instead?

Cheers!

There are few tools more dangerous than a dull knife! It'll slide when you want it to cut, and it'll cut when it stops sliding--usually when it hits your hand. Ask ten different people how they sharpen their knives, however, and you may get ten different answers. Not only that, but each of these ten methods are all sworn to be the best by ten venerable trail guides from ten mountain towns (who've all been sharpening knives since they were knee-high to a carpenter ant and don't you forget it buddy). What's a poor soul with a dull knife to do? You can start with this tutorial, which will lead you out of the tangled thicket of knife-sharpening opinions.

Choose your stone

First, there's the question of whether or not to use a liquid on the sharpening stone. A fiery debate rages on this issue, and you'd better figure out which side you're on, so you're not mistaken for the enemy and accidentally shot. Some stones are marketed as specifically for wet and dry uses, so keep the following points in mind as you shop around.

One school of thought insists that using oil, water or saliva helps "float" the tiny metal shavings away from the stone when the blade is being sharpened.

The other camp demands that using any type of liquid just clogs up the pores of the stone (which ruins the stone forever) and only polishes the blade, rather than grinding it.

The method below works with both dry and wet stones.

Recreate the basic edge

If you were to peer at the point of a nicely sharpened, multi-purpose knife blade, it would look something like Figure 1. You'll notice that the blade is actually beveled to form the final edge, but you won't create that bevel just yet. First, you'll form the basic edge, which is a little simpler in shape, as we see in Figure 1A.

One of the key points of knife-sharpening is maintaining constant angles between the blade and the stone. There are two: the angle between the blade and the edge of the stone, and between the blade and the surface of the stone.

Place your flat, medium-grit stone on the table in front of you. Lay the blade flat on the stone at a 45 degree angle, as shown in Figure 2. This 45 degree angle is the first of two angles.

Grasp the knife by the handle. With your index finger along the back of the blade, raise the blade off the surface of the stone at a 20 degree angle, as shown in Figure 3. This is the second angle.

Keeping the edge of the blade in contact with the stone, firmly and carefully draw the knife towards you. This action will grind the blade from hilt to point. Maintain the 45 degree angle, and the angle that you've raised the blade off the stone.

Apply medium to light pressure as you're drawing the edge across the stone. (For the sake of comparison, zero pressure would have the knife blade resting on the stone without you touching it.) Apply a little pressure or a bit more, depending on how old the knife is, how many times you've sharpened it, and the current condition of the edge. A very dull edge will require more pressure.

Turn the knife over, and repeat the process. If you keep the knife in the same hand, you'll be pushing the blade away from you this time. It's important to maintain the same angles on both sides of the blade. Go slowly and alternate strokes on the stone until each side of the blade has been stroked several times. A very dull knife will need a few more strokes than a better kept one.

Create the final bevel

Now that you have a basic edge on the blade, it's a time to create the final bevel. This will strengthen the edge, so that it stays sharp longer and is less prone to be damaged by everyday use. You'll create the bevel simply by repeating Step 1, with two modifications: use a fine-grit stone, and raise the blade a bit higher off the stone (the second angle) when you draw it across.

Place your flat, fine-grit stone on the table in front of you, and lay the blade flat on the stone at a 45 degree angle, as you did before.

Grasp the knife by the handle. With your index finger along the back of the blade, raise the blade off the surface of the stone at a slightly greater angle than before--maybe 25 to 30 degrees. See Figure 4.

Keeping the edge of the blade in contact with the stone, firmly and carefully draw the knife towards you. This action will grind the blade from hilt to point. Hold the 45 degree angle, and the angle that you've raised the blade off the stone, as constant as possible. Again, apply medium to light pressure as you're drawing the edge across the stone.

Turn the knife over, and repeat the process. Alternate strokes again until each side of the blade has been across the stone several times--about five strokes for each side should suffice. The pressure that you apply while drawing the blade across the stone should get progressively lighter with each stroke.

At this point you should have a pretty sharp knife. You can test it by holding a piece of paper vertically, and drawing the blade across the edge and down. A sharp knife will cut the paper.

And next you may choose to do a course in basic first-aid.

Summary of answers to the original question: "I don't know."

Hey folks,

thank you for all your interesting answers.

I can get a stone or a steel but the problem is that it's difficult to get the sharpening angle right.

Sometimes, the knife gets sharper, othertimes, more blunt.

Alternatively, i could get purchase a few more new knives instead?

Cheers!

hi CM folks,

I have a couple of blunt kitchen knifes. Anyone know where can i have them sharpened & how much?

Thanks

ignis & John,

Thank you for the responses.

A small shop nearby charged me 290 baht yesterday evening including delivery.

Cheers!

Hey CM folks,

My seldom used 15kg LPG gas tank is finally empty after a few years.

What's the current price for a changeover bottle ?

Thank you so much.

Mac,

Thanks for replying. You seem to be quite familiar with Don Muang.

On the hand, i might take an airport express bus to Hua Lamphong since it's a long wait &

Don Muang station & airport seem to be quite quiet nowadays.

Cheers!

Nokia

Should work OK. However, check the schedule as you might have a long wait at the Don Muang station, and also check available seating. You can purchase a ticket at Don Muang if there's such available.

http://www.railway.co.th/english/index.asp

FYI, Henry J. Beans bar/restaurant opens about 1700 hrs there at the Amari Airport Hotel if you're thirsty and still waiting.

Mac

hi folks,

I will be arriving in Suvarnabhumi Airport this wednesday before 1pm and i plan to take bus 554 or a mini-van to Don Muang &

catch a sleeper train to Chiang Mai.

Can i assume that

1. the bus/van will drop me just beside the Don Muang train station &

2. i can still purchase my ticket there instead of going all the way to Hua Lamphong station?

In the event that all the sleeper trains are fully booked, the next option is to take a taxi to MorChit2 northern bus terminal

for a VIP coach to Chiang Mai.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Cheers!

Recycle for sure. Have a big old bag in the back yard as we speak, will be off to sell them in the next day or so. . In addition I have about 20klo of News papers.

That's green! What's the going rate for plastics? I heard it was about 50-60baht per kg?

The 4 spam posts are gone.

Polestar has increased the price for 20 one-liter (quart, 950 cc) bottles from 30 to 35 baht. I do not trust klong water for drinking, even though we have a fancy filter system.

Thanks for the price update. So it's now about 1.75baht/ one-litre.

hey, I do not trust ground water for drinking either, even though we have a simple filter system.

Well, unless 1 day there is a proper sewage system in CM. When will that be???

Nestle deliver to my home, 6 pack 1.5lt bottles(Bt60). I buy 10 six packs for Bt600. They cost about 67 bahts per six pack at lotus/Big C. NO delivery charge, just call Nestle's main office and within an hour or so a delivery truck is at my front door. Great service, place where ever you want it in your home. No hassle lifting and loading/unloading myself after a shopping trip to Big C or Lotus. They also deliver the 5lt bottles or an side they sale.

It's a good idea instead of the hassle of carrying them from Big C/Lotus which i have done so many times.

btw what do you do with the empty 5L bottles? Discard them at your rubbish bin or recycle?

Cheers!

TOT Hi-speed Internet PostPaid

256/128 500 baht

512/256 700 baht

1,024/512 1,000 baht

Is the contract for 1 yr or longer? As i stay in CM for a few months' each time, what options do i have for Broadband Internet as i find dial-up rather slow?

Any advice is appreciated! Cheers!

Coming in to this discussion late and admittedly have not read every post so I don't know if anyone has brought up Atmospheric Water generators. We have a unit that produces water from the moisture in the air. At 35% humidity it will produce 30 liters a day. In Thailands higher humidity it produces a lot more, if I had to guess I would say we are getting 40 -50 liters a day. It has 6 filters including air filters, RO, UV.

Most (if not all) tap filters cannot remove many substances found in todays groundwater no matter where you live. Many bottled waters are tap water and the rest are ground water. We used to use a tap filter but when the powers that be decided the water was too dirty they simply dump more chlorine in it and the taste became horrific. After some research and finding that even in 1st world countries that is usually the solution add more chlorine if you have a problem. Then you read the headlines about pharmacuticals in drinking water in the US, prozac in the UK, desalinated water has become the choice in many areas and that provides you with enough sodium to give anyone a heart attack.

Our water tastes great. In fact I hate when I am out now and forced to buy bottled water as I don't like the taste. No bottles to store, carry. lift it just sits there and makes water quietly until its full and then shuts off until more is needed. It has a cold, hot and warm spiget on the front. Admittedly it is an import and more expensive than the simple (ineffective) RO units you can buy here, but I feel much better that my family is drinking this versus and unknown chemical ridden water. Other filters cannot remove things loke drugs and pesticides and we all know Thailand uses many pesticides long ago outlawed in 1st world countries. The WHO has not even written new standards for what is in ground water these days.

Your unit sounds like a gd idea, except when there is a blackout. btw, what is the energy consumption(cost) like?

They see perfectly well in the dark, except they'd be looking at chicks in mini skirts and bottles of Chang.

Last post by Ajarn is fair enough: if indeed you are speeding then it's perfectly acceptable to pay the fine. There are of course also plenty examples of people being stopped for little reason (indeed, everyone is stopped, including Thais) but Thais too just talk/negotiate with police, which was my main point. Sitting there like a deaf mute (as advocated in the post I was responding to) isn't going to help anyone anyway. If you then pay the fine or negotiate it down is all fine with me.

Excellent advice indeed. If you speed, then you have to pay the price.

If you drive below 100kmh, and the coppers hail you down, then it's not fair to pay, right?

If you have time, better talk/negotiate, otherwise pay if you are in a hurry.

I think whether you talk in Thai or English, may or may not make a difference.

It depends on the scenario, the coppers mood & personality & so on etc etc.

Everything is so fluid....

It's not the bottles.

It is because people usually do not take proper precautions in sterilizing bottles and caps before refilling. Most will drink straight out of the bottle, introducing cooties (foreign fellows), and whatever possible bacterial or viral infestations that will then reproduce in the water. It took me a long time to teach my wife that you don't bring home an empty water bottle with a used drinking straw in it and refill it without proper sterilization. I do a chlorine bleach rinse and let the bottle competely dry if I have any doubts.

I know, I know, sounds overly cautious but how easy is it to pass on the common cold...?

Not to mention, I also know where my mouth has been...

So it's not the bottles right?

As long as you dont put your mouth to the bottle, nor drink straight from it, it is unlikely to have bacteria. Of course, regular flushing with water helps.

btw, who drinks straight from a 5L/6L PEP bottle?

What's the speed limit on highway #1 to avoid being caught by coppers/speed traps?

100kmh?

Whatever the policman feels like--the've fined me twice, on this very same road [ in last 8 years, I drive it a lot] and 'claimed' I was going 110 KM. when I know I was under 100--plus I've been overtaken by several cars doing well over 100KM and a police truck was in the queue--so, just slow down when you see BIB ahead, and never speak Thai with them. BTW there's one Police check 30 KM north of Kamphaeng Phet, a couple in the Thoen district [ plus several between Tak and Maesot, but you will not be going this way unless you really want 'scenic'--i.e. Mae Sariang--Mae Hong Son-Chiang Mai]

You mean whenever they need coffee money even when you drive at a road hogging speed of 90kmh?

So what happens when they "claimed" you were going 110kmh, and you reply in English, "It is only 90kmh"? Must you still give tea money ?

Are the police checks you mentioned routine id/passport checks or speed checks?

When I´m in Isaan with the wife, I drink the rain water, which the family collects in those huge pots they all have in their gardens. It doesn´t taste bad, I´ve never had any stomach problems from it............. and it costs nowt!!!!!! Anyone know a cheaper method????

DO you boil the rain water before drinking?

As long as there is no factory causing pollution nearby, rainwater is fine.

What's the speed limit on highway #1 to avoid being caught by coppers/speed traps?

100kmh?

having no previous formal learning in the language is this still good choice

AUA is a better choice, provided you dont need any visa.

You can do the "Academic" Thai course at Payap (not the so-called "Intensive" course) and get an ed visa. My understanding is that you have to sign up for two terms. It is quite expensive---much more so than AUA. AUA will provide you a letter for immigration/consulate, but say that this may not get you the visa. However, I met several people studying at AUA who had got an ed visa on this basis, so it is worth talking to them.

Neil

Folks, i got a Tourist Visa at the Thai embassy with AUA's letter because it was addressed to my name rather than to the embassy.

If i continue to study at AUA CM after this 60 hour course, then i have to leave LOS to get another tourist visa.

Despite the better reputation of AUA compared to other schools, those who are hoping to get an ED visa like me,

pls take note of AUA CM's no visa policy. So what is the use of the letter?

From AUA CM's website:

http://www.auathailand.org/chiangmai/ThaiLanguage.html

AUA is not authorized by the Thai Government to offer anyone the student's visa. Upon request and 50 percent deposit of the whole tuition fee, we would issue only a letter addressing to the student's name and saying that he is accepted as an AUA student for the specific period. The letter will be sent to the student, not to the Embassy or Consulate. However, this kind of letter may not prove as enough evidence in some places. Should you need the letter from AUA, please check well with the Embassy/Consulate.

Not to mention bird and gecko poop and dust and cement grit and......

Hey, if I lived in a moo baan I'd probably order it delivered as well.

Here's some photos of the machine in my soi I took this afternoon:

Whatever works for you, works for me, too!

Thanks for the pics Mcgriffith. Looks good.

Do you drink straight from it like most locals or do you boil it before drinking?

I'll take a photo soon and post it here.

It says prominently on the front "Reverse Osmosis System"- I was wrong in my first post. Discovered my error a day later when I saw the lettering on the front of the machine- I'd missed it before. Also has the proprietary logo for "Microban" (a patented anti-bacterial process).

Just filled up a 6L this evening...still 3 baht total.

It's a block up a soi next to my apt bldg. I have 2 bikes, 1 is a Wave 100 with a basket. I can fit the 6L bottle, and a few shopping items in the basket, and hang other light items off the left handbar if necessary. 6L lasts me about 5 or 6 days. I use it only for drinking water, coffee/tea, ice cubes and cooking (I get free chilled bottled water daily at my gym, so don't drink so much at home).

If you have a family and/or use a lot of water, but own a pickup- buy some of those cheap but bulletproof plastic "milk crates"; about 2 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide, and about a foot deep (sorry I'm US in measurements!). Bungee a group of them together in one area of the pickup truck bed. There are dozens of ways to secure these so they don't slide around. Fill your bottles, put them in the milk crates, and drive home....

mcgriffith, it's very convenient for you since you live in a apt blk, rather than in a moo ban, and you can fill the 6L whenever you go past the machine.

Food vendors in Hang Dong also fill from the machine using 20L bottle(partially), and pour into the plastic jars for customers to drink. No need to boil.

At home, we boil just in case. The milk crates i had seen in Makro are for 1L bottles, and the oblong plastic containers are not suitable either. Maybe i will find a rubber mat, so that they dont slide around like jelly beans.

Anyone else filling from the ubiquitous machines found all over CM, and care to comment on the water quality?

I've settled on refilling a 6L container with RO water from a dispenser machine in front of my local soi Tesco Lotus Express. Costs 3 B for 6 liters.

Makes crystal clear ice cubes. Tastes fine. Minimal carbon footprint. Sure it is water from the Ping, or wells, filtered and purified. And then filtered and purified again.

But the more you read about water, and bottled water in particular, the more you will realize that when you take a sip of your imported Fiji water @ $10 a liter....it probably contains at least one atom of Aristotle's pi_s.....

Quit buying this basic commodity at an exorbitant price. It is a scam and a rip off, pandering to fear. It is marketing, pure and simple.

I was dumbstruck reading an earlier post on this topic by a well meaning chap who said he only uses (Brand X) imported from EU for all his needs.....brushing teeth, cooking, etc.

Ah well, to each their own....

--

I started using it recently. It is filtered and UV treated (but no RO).

You can bring your 1L, 5L, 6L, 19L whatever. Put your coins in the machine, push a button.....

Costs a whopping 2 baht for 4 liters, and I trust it over the water delivery services. I have no idea where THEY get the water they're filling their bottles with. My machine obviously gets it from the city water supply, filters it and treats it with UV to kill bacteria. Tastes good, makes great ice cubes....and doesn't have any off duty policemen driving a diesel-belching pickup truck despoiling the planet. Nothing against policemen, or diesel pickups....I just hate the idea of all that wasted energy to bring me water. And I reuse the same Tesco Lotus 5L bottle, personally wash it after every use, and make sure it is a clean receptacle.

My 200 satang's worth

It's a good choice, but it's not easy lugging a dozen 6L containers every fortnight on the pickup bed, to the machine at Tesco Hang Dong. It costs 5B for 6 litres, and i'm not sure whether they change the filters regularly. Maybe i might consider paying 12 baht for 20 litre for Glacier, if they deliver to my doorstep.

Saves effort & time.

mcgriffith, are you sure it's RO? And how many bottles do you carry there each time? One?

Some good news : immigration starts again to distribute Certificate of redidence !

The immigration office in Chiang Mai had

suspended issuing the letter of residence to

expatriates for the last few months as they

are pending to check the policy with

Bangkok office. Now, the immigration

office in Chiang Mai has re-opened this

service which allows you to request the

letter to support applications or renewing

your driving license as well as contacting

other government agencies.

You need to prepare the following

documents:

1. Request form

2. A copy of lease contract of your

house, condo or house where you

reside.

3. Two passport size photos

4. Fee 500

Sounds gd. Must you hold a 1 yr Non-Immigrant Visa too?

Do you have to pay the normal 7% VAT(Value added tax) when buying & selling gold at any Thai gold shop?

Thanks in advance!

TheThai gold price is the same all over Thailand.

The current price is approx 14400 to sell and 14500 baht to buy. On top of the buying price you would expect to pay approx 500 baht for one baht weight so therefore the price to buy is say 15000 baht. On selling, you would also have to pay a commission of approx 500 baht for one baht weight. Shops vary in commission prices so check around. I would recommend China town.

I purchased Thai gold when the price was under ten thousand baht - a good investment I would say long term.

Sorry, do you have to pay the normal 7% VAT(Value added tax) when buying & selling gold at the shop?