Poppular Photography

Fixing HP Photosmart C6180

2012-01-27T17:40:00.001-05:00

Today, I replaced some failing capacitors on an HP Photosmart C6180 printer. Four TEAPO electrolytic capacitors showed signs of failure. Three were 330 uF 10 V and one was 680 uF 6.3 V. The procedure took about an hour due to the through hole capacitors being more difficult to remove than anticipated.

The initial instructions I found to do this fix was on the web site www.fixyourownprinter.com in a 09/22/2010 posting by user dodo105: CLICK HERE Thanks to this Internet poster for providing the repair information.

Tools one needs are Torex screw driver (I used a Craftsman T8 x 2 1/2), long nose pliers to grip capacitors, wire cutters to clip capacitor leads, camera to photograph original part placements, soldering iron, thin line solder, desoldering tool, and scissors to remove new capacitor packaging..

First step was opening the printer lid and taking off the side panel of the printer. Three torex screws needed to be removed as seen in the next two photographs. Inspect plastic pieces for clips to unlatch as well on the top, bottom, and sides of printer.

Three plastic sections removed from printer.

I next removed five Torex screws keeping the circuit board in place. I also unlatched four wire harness connectors to allow the board to fold over better allowing easier access to capacitors.

Component side of circuit board now shown.

The arrows mark the capacitors to be replaced. I believe the locations were: C613, C614, C660, and C662.

This next picture shows the board after two capacitors have been replaced, one is removed and awaiting replacement. The desoldering process consisted of heating the two leads on solder side and removing as much solder possible. Next gripping the bad capacitor with the pliers on one side of the board and heating the connections on the other allowing it to be pulled off. Once the capacitor was off, heating the holes some more and using the desoldering sucker to remove excess solder.

When placing new capacitors remember the + and - polarity and properly placed them on the marked circuit board.

Once all the capacitors are replaced, the leads are trimmed and the soldering iron is used to touch up the connections.

Picture of bad capacitors removed.

Pictures of new Panasonic replacement capacitors.

Printer is turned on and test pages printed. It is then burned in overnight to make sure power is good.

Section of self test page.

Autumn Reflections

2011-12-13T15:49:00.001-05:00

Uranium Glass Marble Christmas Tree

2011-11-29T16:34:00.001-05:00

Here is a picture of some uranium (vaseline, carnival) glass marbles that are arranged in a Christmas tree pattern. The top marble is an orange-reddish fluorescent under ultraviolet (UV) light. The fluorescent activator could be magnesium. The trunk marble is just a brown swirled glass and has no fluorescent properties.

The tree glows when exposed to black light from a compact fluorescent bulb. See one here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultraviolet-UV-LW-Black-Light-Bulb-Fluorescent-calcite-mineral-uranium-marbles-/110785264269?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cb50fa8d#ht_981wt_1365

See the Christmas tree pattern marbles here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Christmas-Tree-Pattern-5-UV-Light-Fluorescent-Uranium-Vaseline-Glass-Marbles-/110785256231?pt=Marbles&hash=item19cb50db27#ht_663wt_1365

Animation of Queen Tears Flower Blooming

2011-11-15T02:17:00.001-05:00

Here is a video I created from a series of images taken on 11-11-11 over a span of several hours at 7 minute intervals. The plant is called Queen Tears or Billbergia nutans. The video is dedicated to my Aunt Nita who gave me this flower many years ago.

Enjoy!

Model Airplanes on Display

2011-10-29T02:51:00.000-04:00

The Jeffersontown Historical Museum has an impressive display of model aircraft on display until 2012. The models are the life's work of Floyd Wilder. He served in the U.S. Navy and then worked for AT&T. This first picture is of a flying wing of model he created himself. See next image for description.

This next picture is of one of the model display cases.

Historic plane models are on display as well such as the Bell X-1 (first plane to break the sound barrier). In addition, models of the X-15 and NASA Space Shuttle can be seen.

Maybe one of the fastest airplanes ever to fly, the SR-71 Blackbird model is shown in the image below.

These next two images are just a small sampling of military aircraft models. Probably the majority of models are of World War II aircraft made the United States, Great Britain, Japan, Germany, and Russia. In addition, a number of World War I aircraft and jet age models can be seen.

Here is a post-war Japanese defense force jet protecting Japan from monsters like Godzilla!

Plaque educating visitors about the model assembler, Floyd Wilder.

Learn more about the museum located in the Jeffersontown, Kentucky library building at their web page: http://www.jeffersontownky.com/Museum%20Historic.html

Evening Rainbow

2011-10-14T00:00:00.002-04:00

Part of a rainbow seen during a rain storm when sunlight broke through the clouds in the west.

Watermelon Harvest 2011

2011-09-25T14:40:00.004-04:00

The watermelon harvest was disappointing this year will three melons picked and maybe another two that will be harvest in the next few weeks. A total of 47.6 pounds of watermelon was picked which consisted of two Charleston Gray melons and one unidentified green striped melon with almost jet-black seeds.

Over 40 immature or rotting melons were picked and thrown away. I did not do enough to control weeds this season and the lack of rain during the growing season seemed to contribute to the bad harvest this year.

The watermelon shown that has been sliced is delicious. It is quite sweet.

Robber Fly in Kentucky

2011-09-05T02:07:00.001-04:00

While tending to the watermelon plants in Hodgenville, Kentucky, I came across a robber fly (maybe Atomosia puella). It had taken a grasshopper that was larger than itself and was having trouble flying. I was able to take these pictures.

One can see more information about these at the University of Kentucky Entomology web site: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/flies/robber/robber.htm

This web site shows a number of robber fly pictures which helped determine the species of this insect: http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/robber_flies_asilidae

Unfortunately, the watermelon crop is one of the worst I have seen in many growing seasons.

Summer Flowers - July 2011

2011-08-05T05:30:00.002-04:00

Potato Flowers

2011-08-04T05:27:00.000-04:00

Potato flowers growing in a garden in southern Indiana (July 2011). The progress of the potato was checked as well. See next image. As one can see, they are being grown in grass clippings.

Repairing Another Samsung LCD TV

2011-08-03T11:58:00.000-04:00

This Samsung LCD TV (model LNT4065FX/XAA) was having a number of problems including taking 30-45 seconds to power on and sometime showing purple lines on the display when first turned on (see blog post about it with pictures CLICK HERE). After contacting Samsung through their on-line form, I was contacted days later by a service person. He did not think the problem was caused by capacitors but was instead the display controller board. Well, apparently not. The repair took about 30 minutes but capacitors had to be ordered on-line, they were $0.91 a piece. After the repair, the television turned on it about 5 seconds and no recurrence of the purple display issue.

See this entry about another Samsung LCD TV that needed a similar repair: CLICK HERE

Tools I used to make this repair: Philips screw driver, Weller soldering iron with stand, desoldering tool, wire cutters, and solder

This next picture shows the cluster of capacitors causing the problems.

The green arrow points to the area of the power supply board the capacitors were found on.

The next two pictures show the 1000 uF 25 V SAMWHA electrolytic capacitor with bulging tops. Note the small brown spots on top of two of the capacitors.

Last two pictures are of the repaired board with Panasonic capacitors.

Picture of underneath circuit board before the capacitor leads are clipped.

Fixing Samsung Television

2011-08-01T20:43:00.001-04:00

Recently, I was asked to look at a Samsung LCD television (model code LN26A450C1DXZA) that would not turn on. The red LED was lit so the power supply board was still supplying power to the television. Even so the television would not come on. The red LED would blink from time to time.

If one does research on the Internet one can find that Samsung LCD televisions have had issues with capacitors. So I decided to investigate. On the power supply board, a SAMWHA 2200 uF 10 V electrolytic capacitor was found with brown material out of the top. I did not have a spare one but found a salvaged 2200 uF 35V one and wire it in. The television began to work so I ordered extra capacitors because we had another Samsung television having trouble powering on. See this problem in an earlier post: CLICK HERE and it was repaired (documented in this posting CLICK HERE).

Here are the pictures of the repaired television. It now turns on almost immediately. The new capacitor costs ($0.89). I ordered an extra one. A possible class action lawsuit might be filed against Samsung about this issue. I read part of the filing and the lawyers contend this is being caused by a design flaw in the board allowing the capacitors to overheat. If this really is the reason then this capacitor could fail again. Oddly, they also bring up faulty capacitors which means it is not the board but the components used. In this case, I believe the new part is from Panasonic.

Furrow Spiders

2011-07-26T19:00:00.000-04:00

The Furrow spider (genus Larinoides) is a orb-weaver spider found in Kentucky. Learn more at the University of Kentucky Entomology web site on orb-weaver spiders.

Washington D.C. Church

2011-07-17T05:14:00.000-04:00

UPS Plane Flying Over Louisville

2011-07-16T05:13:00.000-04:00

View From 30,000 Feet

2011-07-15T05:12:00.000-04:00

Fixing a G&E Dryer

2011-07-11T12:43:00.000-04:00

A while back, I got an e-mail from a relative about their dryer being broken. They wanted to know I could haul it off before the replacement unit arrived they had ordered. After inquiring why they were replacing it, the answer was it would not turn on. Well, one should investigate before spending a lot of money for a replacement. Possible causes could be a blown fuse or failed connection.

My response was to hold off on ordering a new unit until the old one could be examined. Looking at the dryer it indeed did not turn on. I first looked for a fuse that might have failed. After not finding one, I went over the control knobs and switches which seemed to be in working order. Next the door switch was examined. It was somewhat difficult to pry out and part of the outside plastic broke but it did come out. Using a multimeter the switch was always opened thus it failed. As a test, I shorted the two wires that connected the switch and dryer began to work. Since the dryer was pulled out, all the area was vacuumed to remove lint and dust.

A new switch was ordered on the Internet for about $25 with $10 shipping. Once the switch arrived, I replaced it and the dryer is back in service. Interestingly, the dryer was manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky years ago.

Australian UV Fluorescent Halite

2011-06-27T10:27:00.000-04:00

Found this a the Bloomington, Indiana fossil and mineral show 2011. CLICK HERE for more details.

Flowers in a Lexington, Kentucky Garden

2011-06-11T05:23:00.000-04:00

Fun With Fluorescents

2011-06-04T11:49:00.000-04:00

Smiley face made with uranium marbles under longwave ultraviolet (UV) light.

Two types of uranium marbles with a UV LED light for sale on eBay with FREE shipping: CLICK HERE

Franklin, New Jersey mineral with calcite glowing red-orange and the small specks of green (willemite) while being illuminated with longwave UV light.

Thunder egg from Oregon with quartz and agate(?) under white light and longwave UV light.

Calcite geode from Durango, Mexico under white light and shortwave UV light.

Mineral Bacon Slice

2011-06-02T05:03:00.003-04:00

This fluorite sphalerite and galena specimen from southern Illinois was sliced with the diamond saw to see if the fluorite would be come more pronounced. It worked fairly well. The way the slab was cut reminds me of slices of bacon.

Hail Cross Section

2011-06-01T05:34:00.001-04:00

There was a storm in the spring that produced marble sized hail. I gathered some on a plate and placed it in the freezer. A while back I removed the plate and let it melt some before photographing it. Here is a cross section of pieces of the hail that fused together.

Purple Iris

2011-05-31T05:16:00.000-04:00

UV Light Fluorescent Calcite

2011-05-30T05:23:00.001-04:00

This very fluorescent mineral specimen was found in Franklin, New Jersey. When exposed to shortwave ultraviolet light it turns a reddish-orange (calcite areas). The green specks are willemite.

Fluorescent Troostite and Calcite

2011-05-29T05:40:00.002-04:00

Fluorescent troostite (green) and calcite (red) found in Franklin, New Jersey. Thanks to Milt for letting me use his UV light.

Fluorescent Troostite

2011-05-28T04:38:00.000-04:00

Pictures of the mineral troostite (variety of willemite) found in Franklin, New Jersey. Thanks to Milt for showing me this specimen.

Fluorescent Wernerite (Scapolite)

2011-05-17T11:51:00.000-04:00

This mineral produces a strong yellow color when exposed to longwave ultraviolet (UV) light. It is called wernerite a variation of scapolite. The label for this mineral lists it as being from Otter Bay, Canada. I could not find any reference to this locality but did find that scapolite was found at Otter Lake, Québec, Canada.

Specimen is approximately 4 cm x 4 cm x 3 cm in size.

H.C. Dake 1953 book The Uranium and Fluorescent Minerals describes wernerite 'is generally regarded as one of the strongest of all long wave mineral "fluorescents."'.

According to mindat.org this mineral was named in 1800 from Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749-1817) who was a German mineralogy professor.

It is for sale on eBay CLICK HERE

Fluorescent Fluorite from Rogerly Mine, England

2011-05-16T05:37:00.012-04:00

The Rogerly Mine of England produces amazing UV fluorescent fluorite. It is normal a green fluorite in visible light but take it outside in bright sunlight and it starts turning blue. Longwave ultraviolet (UV) light turns this fluorite blue/purple.

Hardystonite - Franklin, New Jersey

2011-05-15T18:34:00.000-04:00

This specimen was bought from the Franklin Museum at Franklin, New Jersey. It was obtained October 10, 1970. It has a great orange glow under ultraviolet light.

Derby Hats!

2011-05-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

Since this is Kentucky Derby weekend, it seemed like a good idea to post pictures of hats on display at the Louisville Science Center. These hats were carefully selected from the larger apparel collection stored at the Louisville Science Center. It is part of an exhibit entitled "Hats! Reflections in Time". All the hats have labels describing the specimen and listing the donor.

Since the Louisville's star attraction, The Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, May 7, 2011, the Louisville Science Center is closed so for visitors still in town on Sunday or beyond visit the science center and view this classy exhibit in the Discovery Gallery on the second floor.

Learn more that the Louisville Science Center web site.

Colors from Heaven

2011-04-29T05:53:00.000-04:00

A gift after all the rains this week...

Happy Easter 2011

2011-04-25T00:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter every one! This year I colored eggs again with two of my nephews with some mixed results. The rainbow egg turned out a little more abstract than last year.

As for flowers, no Easter lily but orange-red tulips instead.

Dr. D. Jayne's Medicinal Bottle

2011-04-22T05:59:00.000-04:00

While fossil hunting I came across this blue bottle probably from the early 1900s. It had some sort of medicine(?) from Dr. Jayne's Family Medicines (founded 1831). The company lasted over 100 years. Learn more about the operation HERE

The bottle has a seam line going to the lip which is a sign that it is machine made. So it was made after 1905 or so. The aqua glass was used till about the 1930s so it was before then. Someone listed a picture of a bottle that looks similar to this one back in 2005 on Antique-Bottles.Net

UV Fluorescent Calcite from Illinois

2011-04-21T05:07:00.006-04:00

This is a nice piece of calcite that is almost cabinet size. It has fluorescent activated sections almost entirely around the mineral when exposed to longwave ultraviolet (UV) light.

UV Fluorescent Fluorite from Illinois

2011-04-20T23:57:00.001-04:00

Most minerals that I find that fluoresce under longwave ultraviolet (UV) light tend to be white calcite. This mineral is an exception being yellow fluorite found in southern Illinois. One side of reacts to the light by producing a yellowish lemon colored glow.

Fluorescent Calcite from Kentucky

2011-04-18T22:25:00.001-04:00

Longwave ultraviolet light fluorescent calcite from Hardin County, Kentucky. I need to figure out how to filter out the visible purple light though. Image taken with 2.5 second exposure.''

Fluorescent Calcite from Illinois

2011-03-27T05:33:00.000-04:00

Purple Flowers Blooming

2011-03-24T05:43:00.001-04:00

Blooming Red Flowers

2011-03-22T05:42:00.000-04:00

Red flowers blooming in Clark County, Indiana.

More Spring Flowers

2011-03-21T05:40:00.000-04:00

More spring flowers blooming in Clark County, Indiana.

Helleborus Flower "Christmas Rose"

2011-03-20T05:49:00.000-04:00

Two colors of flowers blooming at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville, Indiana. The flower is called Heleborus Christmas Rose.

First Daffodils of Spring 2011

2011-03-14T06:23:00.000-04:00

Purple Line Problem with Samsung LCD TV

2011-03-13T12:29:00.004-04:00

Samsung LCD televisions manufactured in 2007 can develop display issues when they are first turned on. See image of small purple dots and vertical lines that appear throughout the picture. If the television is turned off and immediately turned back on the display clears up.

The issue has been reported to Samsung service so I will see what their response is. They told me it was not the capacitors but maybe the computer display board. I did not pursue finding out how much the board costs.

Reading this web site, the problem appears to be with the capacitors in the television: http://www.fixya.com/support/t5448000-samsung

I did not see any pictures of this phenomena so I posted these images. Last picture is close up of screen.

UPDATE: The problem was caused by three 1000 uF 25 V SAMWHA electrolytic capacitors. The tops had bubbled up but not begun to leak yet. Another Samsung television I worked on which failed to turn on also had a SAMWHA 2200 uF 10 V capacitor fail. Whew! I am glad this is fixed. It took about 30 minutes to repair though I did have to order the capacitors which took about 3 days to arrive from Mouser Electronics.

The problem documented in this posting now appears fixed. See this posting for the fix CLICK HERE

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T18:28:00.001-05:00

Tiger Moth

2010-12-10T20:46:00.000-05:00

Fluorescent Willemite

2010-12-10T05:45:00.007-05:00

Willemite Turned Green by UV Light

2010-12-09T05:24:00.002-05:00

Fluorescent Willemite

2010-12-08T05:18:00.007-05:00

Willemite mineral from New Jersey that turns green in ultraviolet light.

Orange Calcite

2010-12-07T05:07:00.006-05:00

Orange calcite from Arizona that turns orange when exposed to ultraviolet light (254 nm).

Fluorescent Green Fluorite

2010-12-06T05:05:00.002-05:00

Green fluorite from England that turns purple when exposed to ultraviolet light (254 nm).

Fluorescent Blue Calcite in UV

2010-12-05T20:57:00.000-05:00

Calcite from Mexico that turns blue when exposed to shortwave ultraviolet light (254 nm)

Cranes Flying South

2010-11-28T20:50:00.001-05:00

Picture taken at Taylorsville Lake, Kentucky of formations of ~~geese~~ sand cranes flying south for the winter. Using Photoshop count tool, I determined there were 89 ~~geese~~ cranes flying (see image below).

UPDATE: I originally identified these as geese but thanks to Kenny he informed me they were probably sand cranes.

New Jersey Calcite

2010-11-27T06:33:00.001-05:00

Example of fluorescent calcite from Franklin, New Jersey. A pink or red glow appears once specimen is illuminated with shortwave ultraviolet light (254 nm).

Willemite Mineral

2010-11-26T19:29:00.000-05:00

Example of a fluorescent mineral from the famous Franklin, New Jersey locale. This mineral is Willemite photographed under two different lights. The fluorescence shows up under shortwave ultraviolet light (254 nm).

Louisville Zoo Polar Bears Need Our Help

2010-11-21T21:35:00.004-05:00

Yikes! Would not want to be on this bear's Thanksgiving menu.

The Louisville Zoo of Kentucky is building a section called Glacier Run that provides habitat for the seals and sea lions plus the polar and grizzly bears. If all the money is raised it will also house snowy owls, Steller's sea eagles, and arctic foxes. [Note: No photographers were harmed taking these pictures.]

The zoo has till January 1, 2011 to raise the final $820,000 of $7,700,000 in order to receive a $900,000 challenge grant from the non-profit Kresge Foundation of Troy, Michigan. The entire project overall has raised approximately $23.9 million. Parts of the Glacier Run exhibit are already open (the living area for the seals and sea lions).

Allowable matching funds are tax-deductible and can be in the form of

cash or pledges from corporations, foundations and individuals. Donations can be mailed to:

Jill Kaplan, Director of Development

c/o

Louisville Zoo

1100 Trevilian Way

Louisville Ky. 40213

For information call 502-459-2181 or read the full story at the Courier Journal web site.

These stuffed polar bears are on display at the Discovery Gallery at the Louisville Science Center. The polar bears were donated back in the 1970s to the museum.

Clement Museum Fluorites

2010-11-20T05:05:00.000-05:00

Fluorite specimens seen at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum display at the KYANA Geological Society 2010 Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Blue Fluorite

2010-11-19T05:02:00.002-05:00

Blue fluorite specimen was at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum display at the KYANA Geological Society 2010 Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Calcite Crystals

2010-11-18T05:38:00.002-05:00

Calcite specimen was at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum display at the KYANA Geological Society 2010 Show in Louisville, Kentucky. It might be mixed in with some purple fluorite.

Fluorite

2010-11-17T14:38:00.000-05:00

Fluorite specimens that were at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum display at the KYANA Geological Society 2010 Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Galena

2010-10-31T05:45:00.001-04:00

Cactus with Leaves

2010-10-30T05:44:00.003-04:00

Learn more about this plant at the Backyard Nature web site. It is known as the False Cactus, Candelabra Cactus and Dragon Bones.

White-Pink African Violet

2010-10-29T17:43:00.000-04:00

Sansevieria trifasciata

2010-10-28T17:40:00.000-04:00

Close up of a snake plant leaf (Sansevieria trifasciata).

2010-10-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

A picture of a piece of fluorite found during a mineral dig at The Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum. The piece in everyday light is rather plain but expose it to ultraviolet (UV) light (395 nm). UV light makes part of the mineral glow a whitish-yellow.

Fluorescent Painting

2010-10-16T20:44:00.003-04:00

Two pictures of the same oil painting obtained in Paris, France in 2009. The image on the left was illuminated with iridescence light while the one one right was lit with longwave ultraviolet (395 nm) light. White arrows show three sections of the painting that fluorescent bright orange.

It would be good to know what material in the paint exhibits this illumination property.

Learn more about fluorite and fluorescence at the Delaware Mineralogical Society web site.

Galena on Calcite

2010-10-12T05:08:00.001-04:00

Galena with calcite mined at Ozark Lead mine in St. Joseph Lead District, Missouri. On display at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Tyrolite

2010-10-11T05:00:00.001-04:00

Tyrolite mineral found at Brixlegg, Tyrol, Austria. Displayed at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Pyromorphite

2010-10-10T20:57:00.001-04:00

Mineral Pyromorphite found at Bunker Hill mine in Kellogg, Idaho. Displayed at mineral hall of Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Datolite

2010-10-09T17:15:00.000-04:00

Picture of Datolite mineral with copper from Lake Superior district, Michigan. While doing research on fossils and rocks to find in upper peninsula of Michigan I came across "Rockhounding Trip Through Michigan's Upper Peninsula August 2008 Report by Jim Adams". His report talks about finding Datolite for the first time in Michigan.

Banded Fluorite

2010-10-05T18:42:00.001-04:00

Fluorite (111.2 carats) found in Hardin County, Illinois.

Mesolite

2010-10-04T18:32:00.003-04:00

Mesolite with fluorapophyllite found in Poona, Maharashtra, India. Part of the Mary Horner Stuart collection on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Mineral Hall.

More Halite

2010-10-03T18:19:00.002-04:00

Halite crystal with calcite found in Eisleben, Thuringen, Germany.

Halite crystals found in Death Valley, California. Images take August 2010 at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Halite is composed of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) or table salt.

Quartz var. amethyst

2010-10-02T18:23:00.004-04:00

Amethyst which is a variety of quartz that is purple. Found at Serra do Mar. Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Displayed at Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. This specimen was once part of 32000 kg geode!

Halite

2010-10-01T18:16:00.000-04:00

Halite crystals displayed at Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Halite is also known as Sodium Chloride (NaCl) or table salt. The mineral is from Stassfurt, Sachsen, Germany. Picture taken August 2010.

First Transistor

2010-09-30T09:28:00.000-04:00

Model of first transistor created by Bell Laboratories in 1948? It is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Air and Space in Washington, DC.

Rainbow on the Wall

2010-09-26T02:50:00.000-04:00

Cut Up Watermelon

2010-09-23T20:52:00.000-04:00

It is hard to beat having fresh cut up watermelon that has been chill'in the refrigerator!

Pyrite Cubes

2010-09-20T21:42:00.000-04:00

Pyrite cubes found in the Waldron Shale of southern Indiana. The last picture is of a pyrite ball. Pyrite is also known by the common name "fool's gold".

Hot Air Balloons

2010-09-19T21:11:00.003-04:00

Balloons over Jeffersontown, Kentucky during the Gaslight Festival of 2010.

Beryl variation of Aquamarine

2010-09-17T05:13:00.000-04:00

Mined in Minas Gerais, Brazil, this uncut aquamarine crystal weighs in at 15,256 carats. Rare it that the stone remains uncut. On display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (August 2010).

Indian Emerald Necklace

2010-09-16T05:09:00.000-04:00

The Indian Emerald Necklace made with 24 Columbian gems. Jewels are set in platinum complimented with 100s of diamonds. Created in 1928-1929 by Cartier. As of August 2010, on display in the mineral gallery at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

Pyrite Ball

2010-09-15T05:40:00.005-04:00

Pyrite ball about the size of a marble found in the Waldron Shale (over 400 million years old) in Clark County, Indiana. Pyrite is also known as "fool's gold" or iron disulfide.

Butterfly at Arlington

2010-09-14T05:18:00.000-04:00

Butterfly on flowers found at Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C. (August 2010).

Flower Cluster

2010-09-13T05:16:00.000-04:00

Flowers at Arlington Cemetery in August 2010.

Praying Mantis

2010-09-12T05:07:00.000-04:00

Praying mantis walking up a guard rail of the Robert E. Lee's old mansion located on the grounds of Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C. Picture taken in August 2010.

Stiglitz Corporation

2010-09-10T22:10:00.000-04:00

An article in The Courier-Journal entitled "Longtime supplier to GE closes" by Chris Otts (September 9, 2010, B8) announced the equipment of Stiglitz Corporation had been auctioned off. They were one of Louisville's oldest manufacturers which recently employed 56 people. The article stated their primary customer was GE making parts for their dishwashers, ice makers, ranges, and air conditioners. The company was founded by Charles George Stiglitz in 1882 though their web site says their company history dates back to 1818 in Louisville after they acquired Bridgeford and Company.

The company started out as foundry pouring cast iron manhole covers. By 1949 they started manufacturing appliances fabricated with sheet metal. They later supplied Sears with gas space heaters and clothes dryers.
The operations were located in westend of Louisville (Portland) until the construction of I-64 moved them to 2.8 acre complex on Mellwood Ave.

Still remaining is their web site http://www.stiglitz.com/ (created in 2002?) which has its domain name paid for till 2017.

The Bridgeford company was profiled in the book The Industries of Louisville, Kentucky, and of New Albany, Indiana. It was published in 1886 by J.M. Elstner & Co. Publishers of Louisville. The guide lists them as "manufacturers of stoves, ranges, tin, and sheet-iron and japanned ware. The facility was located on 6th Street between Main and River. The entry on page 98 explains that the high grade casting sands found near the falls of the Ohio make it possible to make smooth castings. The heating stove highlighted is the "Orient" (shown in picture) that was patented in 1884. Described as "the handsomest, cheapest, and most perfect-operating open stove in the market."

Interesting, the company is listed as being organized in 1880 with $200,000. The president, James Bridgeford started with a different company in 1829, Wright & Bridgeford. Facts about the company operation in 1886: 250 employees, 18-20 tons of pig iron used daily, payroll of $4,500 a week and $500,000-$600,000 annually in sales.

Hummingbird

2010-09-09T05:05:00.000-04:00

Hummingbird in Hodgenville, Kentucky flying near feeder.

Peaches and Jello

2010-09-08T05:05:00.000-04:00

The peaches shown in an earlier posting now have been peeled and cut up.

After cutting up the peaches, Peach Jello is mixed up using boiling water and cold water.

Added the cut peaches to the jello in the bowl.

Last picture shows peaches in jello after being refrigerated for 12 hours.

UPS Plane Flying Over Downtown Louisville

2010-09-07T05:30:00.007-04:00

Indiana Skyline From Great Lawn

2010-09-06T05:28:00.001-04:00

Peaches

2010-09-04T13:30:00.000-04:00

I harvested 10 peaches from the one of the three trees that produced this year. In the beginning of the growing season, there were a lot more peaches on all the trees but these were the ones that made it to the finish line. I found two on the ground that some animal(s) had eaten on. Maybe a squirrel, rabbit, or chipmunk had eaten the exposed part of the peach down to the pit. It looked ripe so I decided time to pick.

More pictures posted when they are cut up and used in peach jello.

Lincoln's Pocket Watch

2010-09-03T05:01:00.001-04:00

President Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch obtained in Illinois. On display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History on August 2010.

Long Live the Seeded Watermelon!

2010-09-02T05:25:00.000-04:00

Newspaper articles are appearing lamenting the loss of seeded watermelons. First, it was The New York Times and now The Washington Post with an August 31, 2010 article entitled "Watermelons: What happened to the seeds?" by Jane Black (is that a real name?). The comments on the article are interesting to read. I agree with some of the comments that there are good seedless melons. I have grown some but they were difficult to grow an d the seeds were expensive. This argument that seeds are a choking hazard is bizarre.

Well, the seeded watermelon is alive and well growing in gardens in Indiana and Kentucky. Maybe on a smaller scale but they are being grown. This season I grew mostly Charleston Gray but also Crimson Sweet and maybe some sort of Jubliee striped melon. The great thing about seeded melons for the gardener is they provide you the seeds for future seasons to grow more melons.

Crop production for my small gardens probably will reach 450 pounds gross weight harvested. The melon in these pictures weighs a little over 40 pounds. After cutting this watermelon up and placing it containers in the refrigerator, I washed the table off. Small pieces of watermelon still remained with all the seeds and soon butterflies appeared to eat the watermelon sugar left on the table. So neat!

Yellow Flower in Washington

2010-08-23T05:00:00.005-04:00

A yellow flower seen on H Street in Washington, DC while walking down the sidewalk.

Star Gazer - Jack Horkheimer

2010-08-22T05:57:00.000-04:00

I was sad to learn that Jack Horkheimer had died on August 20, 2010. It has been over a decade since I watched one of his presentations. Watching his quirky astronomy show on Alabama Public Television in the 1980s made him memorable to me. Back then I think his show was called Star Hustler though. Maybe some of the exposure to his shows made me later obtain a telescope. Here is his last show posted on YouTube. Keep looking up!

2010 Watermelon Harvest

2010-08-21T20:58:00.000-04:00

The watermelon harvest has begun with these first 16 watermelons picked. The light green melons on the right side of the photo are Charleston Gray watermelons. The ones on the left are a little harder to identify. The striped spherical watermelon is Crimson Sweet. The other four striped melons might be some sort of Jubilee watermelon. I have a jar of saved watermelon seeds that I usually plant one hill of. It is sort of my mystery melon to grow.

These watermelons were grown in Hodgenville, Kentucky and were harvested August 21, 2010. I estimate the gross weight at 390 pounds [177 kg] (the largest striped melon is 37 pounds while the largest 3 light green melons weigh 40-41 pounds a piece). Not sure what makes produce organic but no pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers were used to grow this crop. The weeds were pretty bad this year probably because I did not use a tiller on the garden this year and the black plastic is getting old.

The pumpkin plants produced one small pumpkin but the plants appear to be dying (too much heat?) and the cantaloupe plants did not produce this year.

Growing watermelons is an enjoyable hobby for me that I have now been active in for at least 7 years. So I felt like sort of farming dinosaur after reading the New York Times article "Watermelons Get Small" by Kim Severson on August 17, 2010. It talks about trends in watermelon farming in Hope, Arkansas. The movement to grow icebox size seedless melons has caught on in the United States with the article stating that 2 out every 10 melons grown have seeds. Of that seeded variety, a small percentage are heirloom like I grow. The Arkansas old time melons mentioned are Jubilee, Black Diamond, Rattlesnake, and Charleston Gray. The newer seeded hybrid being grown is called Super Sweet 710.

The largest striped melon has been cut and its fruit placed in plastic containers to be refrigerated. The seeds have been saved and the juice collected to make watermelon lemonade. Sweet!

Eyed Flounder

2010-08-20T05:07:00.002-04:00

Eyed flounder fish on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in the Ocean Hall area (1st floor) in Washington, D.C. Fish is known by its scientific name: Bothus ocellatus, phylum Chordata. Picture taken August 2010.

May Fly at Ohio River

2010-08-11T19:31:00.000-04:00

May fly resting at the Ohio River front in Louisville, Kentucky (July 10, 2010).

Red-Yellow Day Lily

2010-08-09T05:32:00.003-04:00

Red-Yellow day lily that bloomed June 16, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Louisville Kentucky Skyline 2010

2010-08-08T16:15:00.000-04:00