Yes, totally off topic. What is the best way to harden off a conker?
They have to be infant school legal ways as well - no stories of making moulds and then casting them from iron please
I know most schools dont allow them on health and safety grounds as well but i want to introduce my 4yr old daughter to the old art of conkers.
airing cupboard for a couple of days - if you have one.
Can't you roast them in the oven?? Oli.
Or coat them in epoxy lacquer! - not sure its infant friendly though.
Second to the airing cupboard. ( tough used to have to hide them round the back of the tank so my mum would not find them.)
also been know to varnish them.
the type of string used was also important a good quality walking boot lace( didnt cut into the shell ).
My grandad used to take me to his old farm an up into one of the woods had my pick of the best conkers from 20 to 30 trees. Simple days ( ahhh ).
regards
Agriv8
don't forget the eye protection,safety gloves. ear protections, steel toe capped boots. and to sign away your right to sue the
school,teachers,LA, Goverment, goveners.
Thanks for that. I used to use airing cupboard as well but recall stories of baking, varnishing, vinegar etc etc. It always seemed to be a bit of a
black art! I seem to remember using the old laces out of my old doc martins - those boots were a great donor, laces for conkers and leather for
catapults.
I work in a converted farm building that has been turned into a mini business park. The guy who owns the land has a row of Horse Chestnut up the side
of his bungalow. i have been given permission to pick as many as i want so it is like my own little private conker plantation.
Certainly brings back happy memories. Its so nice to be able to share some happy times with your kids without there being an entrance fee and shop in
the way!!
Nothing beats just spending a long time finding a good one!
All coatings and techniques are just a temp fix - you need to find an old one (get as many as you can this year and put half of them in a box in the
back of your airing cupboard until next year)
Yep leave them for a year.
Or, as I'm about to do for my son, scoop out as much of the insides as you can and fill it with gripfill, that'll f*ck 'em.
It takes some of the innocent childhood qualities out when you start drilling them out and filling them!
But if you must - might as well fill it with lead!
Ah If we are into taking things into 'modding' I once piked out the inners mixed glue and 12 bore lead shot. filled and left to set that
was a good one !.
After kit car building I would think about filling with liquid metal or somthing similar that should be good one.
regards
Agriv8
quote:
Originally posted by StevieB
It takes some of the innocent childhood qualities out when you start drilling them out and filling them!
But if you must - might as well fill it with lead!
It just scorches or burns through the shell. Best thing I found was to cut around the pale bit
with a craft knife, remove the inner and fill with polyfilla. Stick the top back on and give it a good coat of varnish. Has to be a matt or satin
finish though. When hardened, drill a hole through it and stick it on some old boot lace. I seem to recall that soaking it in vinegar hardened it up nicely? Or was that to toughen up your feet before a hill walk? Try it with the conker
first, if it doesn't work, don't bother with the feet!
Airing cupboard sounds like a plan, only problem i dont have one as such. It now houses the combi boiler so is never that warm (unless heating is one for a short while or running hot water). Ive put some in there anyway, might just have to leave them longer. I guess the plan is to dry them out slowly in a warm dark dry place.
Soak them in vinegar then put them in the airing cupbaord for a week.. Needs to be warm though.
My parent have a huge great conker tree in their garden so i had a nice personal crop of them.
AS said aswell put some in the airing cupbord now for next year.
...I was just wondering what all the non-UK readers are thinking when they read this thread...
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
...I was just wondering what all the non-UK readers are thinking when they read this thread...
Lol at this
Might i suggest filleting/radiusing both the top and bottom edges of the string hole to avoid stress concentrations
Liam
[Edited on 29/9/06 by Liam]