DIY: Rust removal on chrome

For people that like shiny chrome there’s nothing worst then having it rust. I usually get bicycle that have rust on their handle bars, chain rings and other parts. That doesn’t look good. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Unless the chrome is really rusted through there’s most likely a chance to bring it back to his like new shine. You don’t need to spend a fortune  into it and most of the time it takes a few minutes depending on the surface. In this post I will show you how to do it.

You will need:
– WD 40 or Varsol
– a Scotch bright pad
– a brass brush (nylon are too soft and steel will scratch)
– a rag
– protection glasses
– a rusty chromed item

What you need

 

Please wear the protection glasses while doing this as WD 40 and Varsol are toxic and you wouldn’t want them in your eyes. I also recommend rubber gloves and and something to cover your clothes as these products will stain. I also recommend to install yourself on a surface you don’t mind damaging or outside somewhere safe. A well aired area is a must have. Vapors from WD 40 and Varsol are not good for you.
I choose to make the demonstration with an old 10 speeds chain ring. The green rusty thing in the picture is my scotch bright. It’s well used and yes I need a new one. This poor thing have suffered enough!

Now, I’m in a WD40 mode lately but Varsol work just as good. Instead of spraying the Varsol pour  some it in a container you won’t need anymore.  Take your item and spray some WD 40 on a small area. For those using Varson dip the Scotch bright and apply on the rusty item. Then start scrubbing with the pad. If it’s too much work use the brass brush applying some pressure. Once the first area is scrubbed wipe it with the rag to see if there’s touch ups to be made. Then spray another area, scrub, wipe and keep going until the full piece is done. At the end give a good wipe to the full piece and you are done.

Results

 

My chain ring took me less than 5 minutes to do. It’s looking good. I the back side of it is still rusty as I haven’t done it. Maybe a total of 10 minutes no more would have been required to do this piece.

Note: I have noticed that chrome fenders on bicycles are easy to scratch. I use the Scotch Bright as much as possible to not alter the finish. Before using the brass brush test in a hidden area to make sure it won’t scratch.

I find it fun do clean rusty chrome as the result is great. A nice shiny chrome piece. How nice! Have fun cleaning your pieces.

Pet Therapy: PALS of Calgary

After reading an e-mail about new volunteering opportunity with my pet therapy group it inspired me to make a post about it. I’m a member of PALS of Calgary. PALS stands for Pet Access League Society. This group form and screen pets and their human to go visit people in need of pet therapy. The people and pets going through the screening process are gems. The process is taken very seriously and this made PALS an awesome group to be a part of. It’s not just about dogs. There are also cats, a mini horse, hamsters, birds, you name it. All of which as to go under the same screening process. Yes it might be hard to get in and I noticed that it’s either you fail or you pass.

Questions I get asked about the process of being a member of PALS.
-Q: Is it your dog? A: Yes we as handler are also the guardian of our pet.
-Q: Does you pet require special training? A: Not necessarily but a basic obedience is a must have with the dogs. I can’t speak for the other critters tho. A good temperament is the base of it. If you have a calm affectionate animals that is not stressed under strange circumstances chances are it can be a therapy pet.
-Q: How does the screening process go? A: When we get screened we sit in a room with many other dogs and sometimes other animals. The pet needs to remain calm at all time and not try to play or bark or fool around. No sniffing of each other is allowed. If your dog fail one of the previous requirements it is excused. If you still wish to be a part of the group you may come back for another screening round after a certain amount of time. If you are still in the room you will get called in an office where 2 volunteers will test your dog and ask questions about it. They will test its reactions with a sudden loud noise, with a falling crutch, a person in crutches, a person in a wheel chair, a person in a wheel chair moving around and more. Your dog needs to remain calm at all time.
-Q: How old does your dog need to be in order to qualify for the group. A: It needs to be one year or older but not older than 8 years old.
-Q: Does your dog need to be vaccinated? A: Yes he does and we have to show proof of it all along.

I visit with my Great Pyrenees dog Hank. Hank is now 7 years young. He started with PALS at the age of one. You might think he’s a veteran? For a dog yes but 6 years for a human volunteer is nothing. A lady in my visit group have been around for 15 years! More about my friend Hank. I adopted Hank at 10 months old from the Cochrane and Area Humane Society. He was shy and skittish. After a few months of showing him he was safe I saw the gem in him wanting to be loved by anyone. He always have been a very quiet gentle giant dog. Always wanting to please you and anyone so I got him involved in the group. He passed his screening with flying colors. Through the visits he mature to be a better dog. The therapy benefited not only the people but him too. I once visited a school with kids with learning disabilities. While I was there for the first time I almost cried of joy seeing my pal Hank being so at ease with the kids and loving them so much. I don’t have kids so I didn’t know what he was going to think about them. In one of the classroom there was that cute little girl in a special wheel chair. She didn’t smile much. Hank was attracted by her. A few minutes later she started showing sign of wanting to pet him. The then proceed to dig her fingers in his fluffy white fur. A smile grew on her face. The teacher was amazed and very happy as I was told the little girl was not smiling quite often. Hank just knew he could bring something to her and he operated his magic. Hank is an amazing dog that needed to blossom in the right hands. He’s doing therapy with me everyday. I’m happy to be able to share Hank’s talent with others that needs him. We are planning on visiting people until he doesn’t feel comfortable anymore.

Hank

PALS is like a family to me. The office people are genuine and their hearts are at the right place. The volunteers are also amazing. I have met so many wonderful people through this group. I’m proud to be a part of this. Pet therapy rocks and will always do. PALS is a charitable organization.

After you read this take a look at your pet (if you have one) and tell them you love them.

To get in touch with the PALS group please visit their website. http://www.palspets.com
If you are interested in giving support or a donation please check the tab on their website.

I would like to had that PALS did not requested me to post about them nor was I paid for this. I did it because I believe in this group and what I do.

PALS

Book: The Mad Trapper of Rat River

This time I got an old book out of the library. Sometimes (a lot of times) the dusty pages of an old book have a lot to offer. This book was first published in 1972. I like history and the one of my country even more. My friend Neil suggested me this reading as he also like his Canadian history. I know I can trust Neil when it comes to good books. So I headed to my online library and ordered this book. The first one to come was from the High Prairie Municipal Library.

The “Mad Trapper of Rat River” by Dick North takes place in the north country in the Yukon Territories and North West Territories from the late 1920’s to 1932. The book is devised in three parts. First one is about Albert Johnson, the second about Arthur Nelson and the third about their similarities and the rumors while tracking Johnson/Nelson’s tracks. While reading about the Johnson history I was amazed about the super powers of the guy. He carried a loaded pack with snowshoes weighing 10 pounds each on 85 miles in three days! The mounties were after him and the chase lasted for a total of 52 days in the crude winter with temperature averaging 45 below 0. While being chased Johnson couldn’t do any fire to not mark his position. No one knows how he did to survive that long without food. No one knows his real identity.The Nelson’s story is not as flamboyant as the Johnson’s one but it seems like the two guys were related as they are trying to make the relation in part three of the book.  A total mystery.

A book to read. It’s a short one but well made. Very interesting until the last part.

The Mad Trapper of Rat River

Moto Bicycle

The bike flipping season is officially started. With the first 10 bikes sold I think I can say so. The weather started to be great then today it’s turning. We are expecting about 15cm of snow. It’s been covered all day and started snowing about an hour ago. The ground is slowly getting covered and the thermometer is lowering. I’m not sure how to feel about this. A part of me is happy to see all of that snow and another part of me is feeling guilty of being happy. I would like the flurries to be big and fluffy. They are only little things. We’ll see how it’s going to to turn.

So this bring me to my recent bike addition. A Chinese moto bike. I think it’s an older model but I have no knowledge whatsoever about that kind of bike. I had it running but the power it’s generating is far from being sufficient to go coasting on flat ground. My boyfriend said he would look a it. Nonetheless is a pretty little machine. The down top tube are showing the Shuangma brand. Not really sure if it’s a brand  but that’s the only thing I can read on the bike. The head badge is chinese and so are most of the components on it. I will also get my hands on the owner’s manual soon which is apparently all in chinese too. I have no idea what the cc are for the engine but we’ve guessed 25 to 50cc at the very most. It as a light and a horn that are operated by the motor. It’s a friction system which is not the greatest as it wears the rear tire quite fast. The bikes as drum brakes which makes looks like a moped more than a bike. It’s neat thing and glad to have it my collection.

If anyone as any information about those moto bikes or that can translate the words on the bikes for me please let me know. That would be much appreciated. 🙂

 

Moto Bike

 

head badge

 

 

front wheel

 

Rear wheel

 

Rear wheel other side

 

Front

 

Top front

 

Decals

Books: Making Bombs for Hitler

It’s been a while since I posted. I should do it more often or more regularly. I got a call from the library some days ago telling me that Making Bombs for Hitler was finally arrived. When I ordered it through the online system a few copies were available through Alberta and there was  a line up for it. It only took some weeks to be able to get it. Yay!

Making Bombs for Hitler is another book by Marsha Forchuk Srypuch. Published at the Scholastic editions. In this book you follow Lida from the time she’s abducted by the Nazi and put to work in the concentration camps. This is like the sister book of the author’s previous book Stolen Child that I liked. You can see my review in my previous posts. Lida is Larissa’s older sister. You get to follow her in her surviving of the camps and making herself useful to not be killed using her skills learn with her family before they died. It took me 2 nights to read through it. The first night I went through 1/3 of the book and the following night I was almost grateful for my boy friend’s super loud snoring so I had to go in the spare room to be able to sleep. I brought the book with me and finished it in the early hours of the morning. I didn’t get much sleep but that was worth it! I couldn’t get out of that book even more than with Stolen Child. The details were awesome. The author must have been doing a lot of research. It was sometimes hard to read as the things that happens to those kids is horrible. The turnip soup and saw dust bread they get to survive and how their clothes are turning into rags are just a few things that you read in the book.

Another must read book. It was really interesting. I’m also reading From a Buick 8 from Stephen King and Stolen Child and Making Bombs for Hitler were far more interesting. Good work Marsha for another great book. When is the next one? I can’t wait!!!

Book Cover