What does everyone do for a hobby?

[Beastie]

I was at a boat ramp one day and there were two blokes in their boat pulled up on the beach carrying on like pork chops...5 mins later a snake handler arrives???

A Red Belly has somehow gotten into the engine and decided that it would make itself know while the blokes were fishing on the lake by popping its head out .


Once the snake handler had caught the snake, I got chatting to the guys and they told me that the lived on a property and this was their first trip out in the boat in ages...

I have a video of it on my phone - I'll see if I can upload it...Scary stuff!!!

[Beastie]

I got my son to upload it to Utube...

Here is the link to the snake in the motor...

https://youtu.be/-4-PydotXG4

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by The Beast

I hate snakes!!!

I hope you find it.

I hate them as well, and worry about my dogs, and to a smaller degree my kids only because the kids are snake aware having grown up in the bush and know to not annoy them.

May be in spring I find it, I believe they hang around the same area.

My daughter was nearly bitten (or could have been bitten) only two days ago, she picked up a tarp that she found in the back paddock and when she lifted it up a brown snake had decided to set up camp under it for winter.

Lucky it was sonly 10 degrees and it was not really active.

[Top_Ghia]

So I've now done my firearms safety course and sent off my application for a firearms license and a permit to acquire.
Tonight I put some money down on a Ruger American .223 package with a vortex 3-9x scope. Not the best gun in the world but it's somewhere to start. And at $825 I think it's good value. I also chose the .223 because it's a cheap caliber to shoot and I can buy ammo anywhere. I will use it around the farm to shoot rabbits and foxes and at the range to really learn how to shoot.

Next will be a .308 Tikka T3x lite stainless in left hand. That will be my hunting rifle. I've been asking around and there's heaps of deer around here. One farmer has shot 37 of them this year, all in one paddock.
I'm not sure how I'll actually cope with hunting deer. I've never enjoyed killing animals, not even fish. I wouldn't say I'm squeamish but I do like animals. Some guys just seem to want to shoot anything that moves.

I've always wanted a rifle for some reason. Not sure why. There's plenty of 12g shot guns here on the farm but they don't do much for me. Sure they're effective as a tool but it's kind of just too easy.
Anyway, like any new hobby the steep learning curve is half the fun.

[XR6WGN]

Well it started with me standing alongside a racetrack, waving little pieces of multi-coloured cloth at race cars 13 years ago!! (But as my signature says - We DO a lot more than that!!)

Now-a-days, that seems to have escalated and now I find myself being drawn more in to the Administration side of race control / allocating our officials to their respective positions.

Officiating at Hillclimbs is still my favorite - just a great day, laid back a bit when you compare it to a race meeting but just FUN!!

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by XR6WGN

Well it started with me standing alongside a racetrack, waving little pieces of multi-coloured cloth at race cars 13 years ago!! (But as my signature says - We DO a lot more than that!!)

Now-a-days, that seems to have escalated and now I find myself being drawn more in to the Administration side of race control / allocating our officials to their respective positions.

Officiating at Hillclimbs is still my favorite - just a great day, laid back a bit when you compare it to a race meeting but just FUN!!

I was a race official for 10 years or more, didn't do much flag waving except as starter, but I did a lot of fire /safety/ recovery, in the latter part I was the bloke who had overall responsibility for the people in pit lane and the grid, with the V8 rounds, allocated jobs to people, I did the safety messages on behalf of the track, etc, etc, you know, all the bull**** that comes with V8Supercars. Clerk of Course at some lower level stuff.

[hawkgirl]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

...Next will be a .308 Tikka T3x lite stainless in left hand. That will be my hunting rifle. I've been asking around and there's heaps of deer around here. One farmer has shot 37 of them this year, all in one paddock.
I'm not sure how I'll actually cope with hunting deer. I've never enjoyed killing animals, not even fish. I wouldn't say I'm squeamish but I do like animals. Some guys just seem to want to shoot anything that moves.

that will be exxy(left hand always cost more) but the Tikka is a nice rifle. Don't waste the venison though. Hunt Clubs & the SSAA offer field butchering courses. At the ABA titles, one of the guys had home made venison jerky from deer he had harvested himself. It was some of the best jerky i've ever had. Venison sausage is awesome too.

[Legit290]

I like to fly radio controlled planes and i collect stamps and coins.
I also keep a few pythons

[mr_h._simpson]

Slot cars!

Man they are so much fun. Pretty cheap and can do it with the kids.

Running on a routed timber track is nothing like the plastic-sets-on-carpet most of us have had a go on at some point. As the surface is so smooth and consistent how you set the car up has a huge impact on how it performs.

Like most things, the more you know about them the more there is to know. There are inline, anglewinder and sidewinder motor setups, magnet/no magnet, brakes/no brakes, weighted/no weight, million tyre compounds, etc, etc. All of which have an effect on how the car runs and its lap times.

Then you have the track surface, rubber build up, temperature, etc, etc.

You do need a bit of space for them but you can build to whatever space you have.

Highly recommended!

Below are some pics of my current work in progress track:

imagehost
upload pic
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image hosting over 5mb

[bingoTE50]

Reading car Forums and surfing car sale sites dreaming of what I might buy next , while the wife and my daughter watch Game of Thrones . Also race F1 on XBOX in leagues , latest game is a failure on line so that's stopped . New one in august so maybe it will revive. I get a lot of astonished guys online when I tell them I'm over 50 and beating them . lol

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by mr_h._simpson

Slot cars!



Man they are so much fun. Pretty cheap and can do it with the kids.



Running on a routed timber track is nothing like the plastic-sets-on-carpet most of us have had a go on at some point. As the surface is so smooth and consistent how you set the car up has a huge impact on how it performs.



Like most things, the more you know about them the more there is to know. There are inline, anglewinder and sidewinder motor setups, magnet/no magnet, brakes/no brakes, weighted/no weight, million tyre compounds, etc, etc. All of which have an effect on how the car runs and its lap times.



Then you have the track surface, rubber build up, temperature, etc, etc.



You do need a bit of space for them but you can build to whatever space you have.



Highly recommended!



Below are some pics of my current work in progress track:



image imagehost

image upload pic

[url=https://postimage.org/]image image hosting over 5mb

Wow that's pretty epic for a diy set up. Can you explain the process of building it and what is the track actually made of?
We should be in our new house by Christmas and I have been looking at scalextrix sets and train sets now that we'll have the room.
I have seen how fast proper slot cars can be but I just want more of a family friendly set up that everyone can use.
You must have poured many hours into that set up?

[mr_h._simpson]

Wow that's pretty epic for a diy set up. Can you explain the process of building it and what is the track actually made of?
We should be in our new house by Christmas and I have been looking at scalextrix sets and train sets now that we'll have the room.
I have seen how fast proper slot cars can be but I just want more of a family friendly set up that everyone can use.
You must have poured many hours into that set up?

Building it is pretty easy. The basic steps are:

-Design track. On did this on some paper, but there is free software out there like Ultimate Racer you can do it on.
- Build table to sit it on. This is optional. A lot of people don't build a table but just use bits of 4 x 2 or whatever to just support the track to whatever height they want.
- Route the track using a guide to run the router against. As soon as one lane is routed the other lanes are easy as you just stick a piece of plastic in the routed lane and use that as your guide for the other lanes.
- Then route the recess for the braid to sit in. Just gotta buy the right router bit that has a pin on it to follow the slot you have already routed. This is also optional in that some people use copper tape instead of braid to conduct the electricity. Copper braid method is cheaper but requires more maintenance.
- Cut the wood around the track using your lanes as a guide so it looks like a race track.
- Put borders on (6mm MDF). Some people don't do this but just landscape the track and the landscape acts as a border. Landscaping looks awesome but I don't have the patience for it.
- Paint.
- Lay braid. Stick down double sided tape, then stick braid to that. Or skip this and use copper tape.
- Wire it up.
- Have fun.

The wood I used is 12mm MDF. This is pretty much the standard people use but you can go thicker/thinner. Your slot is 8mm deep though.

This has taken me about two years but I've had very little time to work on it. If you could get a full day once a week you would easy do it in 3 to 4 months.

Two big differences between timber and plastic are the smoothness of timber but also the blending of corners and straights. On plastic you have straight pieces and corner pieces, with no transition between the two. On wood you can blend corners off straights into an apex and out again into the next corner or straight. Don't get me wrong in that you can still have fun on plastic and it has advantages in that you can run magnets and advanced software, I just personally prefer timber.

Two real good forums if you wanted more ideas and heaps more how to advice are:

- Auslot. Australian and NZ forum. Go to Members Home Tracks
- Slot Car Illustrated. Go to Tracks, Layouts and Scenery, and also Routed Track Scale Racing.

Let know if you want more info.

[Spurious]

RC Model building is my forte'

Built this in my late teens.


The current project.


My days of sitting idle at lakes edge whilst sailing are over, this ones being built tough for the beach surf!!!




I also indulge in offshore fishing,
spearfishing
Canoe & kayaking

Can never have too many hobbies.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

I put some money down on a Ruger American .223 package with a vortex 3-9x scope. Not the best gun in the world but it's somewhere to start. And at $825 I think it's good value. I also chose the .223 because it's a cheap caliber to shoot and I can buy ammo anywhere. I will use it around the farm to shoot rabbits and foxes and at the range to really learn how to shoot.

Mate do not underestimate the Ruger as a quality product, and don't let the price fool you.

I have had my Ruger Model 77 for probably around 15-20 years, it cost $595 including rings and I fitted a cheap Tasco Scope for around $200. It is a quality product that will hit a matchbox at 100 metres without fail and a cigarette packet at 200 metres. And been on more hunting trips than I can remember.

It's a .222 as it was bought before the .223 was popular.

Posted these photos before:



Here is what three shots at 100 metres look like:

[Blue Shadow]

Originally Posted by Spurious

RC Model building is my forte'

Built this in my late teens.
image

The current project.
image

My days of sitting idle at lakes edge whilst sailing are over, this ones being built tough for the beach surf!!!


image

I also indulge in offshore fishing,
spearfishing
Canoe & kayaking

Can never have too many hobbies.

How big is that boat?

[Gee-dog]

I like Sunday drives in the country:
Attachment 93048

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Mate do not underestimate the Ruger as a quality product, and don't let the price fool you.



I have had my Ruger Model 77 for probably around 15-20 years, it cost $595 including rings and I fitted a cheap Tasco Scope for around $200. It is a quality product that will hit a matchbox at 100 metres without fail and a cigarette packet at 200 metres. And been on more hunting trips than I can remember.



It's a .222 as it was bought before the .223 was popular.



Posted these photos before:



image



Here is what three shots at 100 metres look like:



image

Nice shooting. Is that less than half inch?
I do think the Ruger will be good. But the Tikka will be excellent. I've decided to get the Tikka T3X varmint which has a heavier barrel that should be a little better for target shooting but still not too heavy for stalking.
I can't wait. I got my game hunting license today but still probably 3 weeks away from getting my firearms license.

[arronm]

I used to buy Sprint clusters, but then I discovered they had no BOOST gauge, I quit and took up knitting....

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by Blue Shadow

How big is that boat?

67cm long

The largest one I've made to date was 57" (145cm)

[creative]

Gave my 180 quad a workout this weekend.... smashed through 10 batteries back to back!

turn your volume down.. its raw dvr footage



I love this ship and the way it flies!

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by psychobimbo

I fly, too. Both the variety you do (ok, I'm still very much a novice having only flown about 10 batteries worth of the Brother In Law's 'toys')

and the real thing! About to head off on a beautiful Gippsland Saturday morning....

image

Flying is good, almost as good as winding out an xr6 turbo down a straight country road, except legal and much more expensive.

[Trevor 57]

I will be camping (in a swag) up here next week while my sons and their mates going motorbike riding, this is a photo of a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't make that trip.

Bush camping is a significant part of my life and my families lives

[sprintman1]

Studying for Cert II in manure shovelling. Should pass with a Credit if not a Distinction!

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

I will be camping (in a swag) up here next week while my sons and their mates going motorbike riding, this is a photo of a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't make that trip.

Bush camping is a significant part of my life and my families lives

image

Now that is dedication...

[sprintman1]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

I will be camping (in a swag) up here next week while my sons and their mates going motorbike riding, this is a photo of a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't make that trip.

Bush camping is a significant part of my life and my families lives

image

Drove to Piccadilly Circus then Bulls Head a few days back and it was just like that. Got about 5k towards Mt Franklin but too much snow and trees down. Hard to believe just outside the capital..