ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 11, 2017 8:31:20 GMT -5
Garage Rocker, Who? Me? That's the most "grownup" word anyone has ever used to describe me. I like it.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 11, 2017 7:14:14 GMT -5
I use plastic containers from The Container Store
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 10, 2017 21:19:10 GMT -5
WHAT? This just messes up my entire visiting experience. Man, way to ruin a perfect website.
Um, yeah. Right.
What I meant to say is thank you for taking over and making some changes. I've run a few message boards before and it's tough to make updates. But I appreciate the time and effort you're putting into making this site better each and every day! And a big THANK YOU for adding numbers to the bottom of a page.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 10, 2017 17:25:38 GMT -5
I don't think Highland Park is the same company anymore. I think the new saws are all made in China which explains the price.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 8, 2017 21:48:54 GMT -5
Nice, I love bacon. We have a local meat company that made the best bacon I have eaten this last fall. Their hams fell short though and I have been giving them away. One year someone gave me a small pig about 100 lbs live weight for butchering their larger hog. I had the whole thing smoked...wow smoked hocks, hams, ribs, chops....I am going to raid the fridge now. Yum! That sounds delicious.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 8, 2017 19:20:51 GMT -5
Well, 12 hours of smoking has been finished and here is the final product. This will get wrapped up and stored in the fridge for 5 or 6 days to let the smoke mellow out a bit. I'll slice it up and vacuum seal a bunch of bags and then it's off to the freezer.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 8, 2017 14:50:05 GMT -5
Thanks. Can I do it in the oven, or does it get too smokey? You would definitely need to do this outside. You'd set all the smoke alarms off in the house!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 8, 2017 14:21:11 GMT -5
Can I get the meat at the grocery store butcher? Do they just slice up a pig? I get the pork belly from Costco. I doubt most grocery stores carry that particular cut, but if you have an old-school butcher shop nearby I'm sure they have it available.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 8, 2017 13:57:20 GMT -5
Bacon is actually really easy to make assuming you've got a way to smoke it. The only weird ingredient is curing salt, but it is easily ordered online. That gets combined with kosher salt and sugar to make a curing rub. You can add any other flavors you like after that. The biggest issue is making sure to weigh everything so you know exact amounts of cure. Then it's just a long day of watching the smoker. But the finished product is amazing (and MUCH faster than tumbling rocks).
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 8, 2017 9:57:26 GMT -5
Well, I just pulled 10 pounds of pork belly from the fridge after curing for 14 days and then letting it sit and dry out for 2 more. Turned the smoker on at 7am and will be attempting to "cold" smoke this for 12 hours using a mixture of apple and pecan wood. It's supposed to be 70 here today so I've already had to start adding ice to keep the chamber temps below 100. This would be my other hobby! I really enjoy making jerky, sausages and bacon. I'll post some updates as things progress.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 7, 2017 19:24:46 GMT -5
Are you referring to the tutorial on identifying rocks for noobs? No. I was referring to the link to the PDF that takes you to an 11 page "how to tumble step-by-step with pictures" document.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 7, 2017 14:59:00 GMT -5
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 6, 2017 16:36:24 GMT -5
Can't wait to see the finished material. I really treated my obsidian like everything else, just kept in its own barrel. I started using 60/90 but eventually went back to my 46/70 grit. I'll be curious to see if you have a bunch of pieces chip while running thru the Lot-O. I seem to have 10-20% that need to go back to rough grit for a bit even though they looked perfect going in.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 6, 2017 10:19:15 GMT -5
rollingstone, awesome batches. It's amazing what the archives hold on this site. Garage Rocker, thanks for including those links.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 6, 2017 7:51:23 GMT -5
I'm also a big fan of picture jasper. I tumble quite a bit of it, but there always seems to be very tiny pits leftover. Your pieces look perfectly smooth. Do you have this issue? Thanks for sharing!!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 6, 2017 7:48:57 GMT -5
Wow. Nice batch. The first group photo from the 8lb one are great. Looking forward to future posts about this material you collected.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 5, 2017 19:16:38 GMT -5
I think that's a great batch. Nice shine!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 5, 2017 10:02:55 GMT -5
Once again, thanks for all the info. I have signed up for the Midwest Faceters beginning class happening in August. $95 seemed like a good price to try something out. I just wish it were sooner, but this gives me some time to set some money aside in case I decide to dive in head first (which is usually how I operate). I'll post a report afterwards in case anyone else is interested.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 4, 2017 21:08:26 GMT -5
Love #26 and #27. Great shine and an amazing group of materials!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 4, 2017 17:03:01 GMT -5
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