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Saturday, October 10, 2015

Epic Fail

I can't remember when I've seen so much rain.  Here in South Carolina, parts of the state have been hit hard by floodwaters from all the heavy rains.  Thankfully, for us, where we're located on the western side of the state, even though it poured for days on end, we didn't experience any flooding issues that have impacted so many other areas.  We do appreciate all the emails and comments from our readers and friends checking in to make sure we're okay. 

Certainly the benefit of having wheels under your home is the ability to move if things start to get too sketchy and we would have in a heartbeat if things in our area really got bad. 

One positive here at Thurmond Lake (or Clarks Hill Lake for our Georgia friends) was that the lake was at a very low state.  After all the rains, the lake is now up to normal levels, unusual for this time of year.  This is the view right outside the Journey's door.  Not too shabby, eh?  The sunsets are amazing.


It's been frustrating, though with a major project we're trying to do at the J. Strom Thurmond Corps of Engineers Project.  We enjoy the many varieties of tasks we can do here as volunteers.  We stepped up to take on the project of staining all the picnic tables at the Lake Springs area, over 150 tables need to have protective stain applied to extend their life for years to come.

Yet the rain keeps getting in the way.  Not only have we had days and days of rain, but the rare days when the sun comes out, we need a couple in a row to dry the wood so it can be stained.

We did get a rare period so far where the sun came out.  As the warm sun started drying the tables, I decided to make good use of the time and take some rides around the area on my motorcycle, I couldn't let the clear days go to waste.  The beauty of this area continues to amaze me.


Finally, on the third day in a row of sunshine and clear skies, we jumped in to start the work project.  We chose to start on tables in one of the protected group shelters where the wood was very dry, hoping to later in the day move on to the exposed tables, giving them a couple of more hours to dry.

I'm a person that is always looking for a better mousetrap, a better way to work smarter, not harder.  I came up with the idea that instead of using brushes and rollers to stain the tables, why not use a garden sprayer that would speed up the process and get the work accomplished much faster?

I picked up two sprayers to use, and set out to put my brilliant idea in motion.


Sadly, it turned out to be an Epic Fail.  I put the stain in the sprayer, pumped it up and was rewarded with a trickle like a water pistol, not a wide mist.  The stain is just too think to flow out of the nozzle.  No amount of fiddling with the nozzle was successful.  Bummer.  Major bummer!

Now it's back to rollers and brushes.  This is going to take a while to complete this project.  I know there are paint sprayers out there that would work, but there is no electricity to power them so the proven rollers and brushes are the way we're having to go. 

 
But don't think for a minute that the wheels in my mind aren't turning.  I'm still hunting that better mousetrap.   :c)
 
Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.
 
 

17 comments:

  1. Hey, I'm a pro with stain and a paintbrush. Too bad I'm out west. ;) Of course my specialty is sign posts...

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  2. I knew based on your location that you wouldn't have the flooding they had on the coast. Boy you sure have a great view now. First thing I was thinking about the sprayer is "how will he keep it from getting on everything under the tables as well". No problem now since it didn't work anyway. Sorry about that. Sounded good on the drawing board.

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  3. If the sprayers are no longer usable for anything else you should try drilling the hole on the spray nozzle to a slightly larger size. You might also have to remove the screen from the syphon line so the stain will flow through.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. I tried that, no luck at all. Paint rollers always are dependable... ;c)

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  4. I'd been wondering how you guys were, but everything looked ok from what I could see. Too bad those sprayers wouldn't work :(

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  5. I think you call that physics. You can't get a big plug through a smaller hole. Well, you can't if you don't enlarge that hole. :)

    We knew folks who ran away from all that rain. Now they're running away from the sunshine too. Go figure.

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  6. We learn more from our failures than our successes;o)) Anyway you tackle it, this is a big project and you two are awesome for taking it on!! Roll, Baby, Roll....

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  7. Too bad the sprayers did not work.
    How about a portable power inverter in a car or truck to run and airless sprayer, I did the quite a few years ago.

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    1. Part of the problem with that is many of the tables are very far from the roads in wild areas, otherwise that would certainly work.

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  8. yep we are still sitting here in NC looking for a route south without road closures...

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  9. So it is true that every thundercloud has a silver lining for someone?

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  10. Glad to see you guys didn't wash away!!! How about contacting the local boy/girl scouts, they are always looking for good reasons to volunteer and earn a badge or two. Heck they'ed probably bring there own brushes too!

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    1. We've had bunches of them here already helping out in other areas of the parks, they've done great work!

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  11. Well, it seemed like a good idea. That's great that the reservoir filled up. Now go get to work.

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  12. Well, it seemed like a good idea. That's great that the reservoir filled up. Now go get to work.

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  13. We made it to the Pacific coast, specifically Oregon. Here, rain is the norm and sunshine the rare thing except this past week, plenty of sunshine.

    Of course, we do not have any painting to do either so probably plenty of sun.

    Spoke too soon, wife just washed the car.

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