# Hobbies and interests other than exploring



## HistoryBuff (Nov 29, 2022)

I'm curious, and probably most of us are. Aside from your exploring activities, what other interests or hobbies do you spend time on? Pictures would be cool.


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## night crawler (Nov 29, 2022)

My exploring days are curtailed unless I find something easy and accessible but I do write a lot of blogs which are listed in my Siggy. I'm Church Crawler so the Church Explorer takes a lot of my time visiting them and taking photo's along with writing the blog. Apart from that I tend to do some work in the garden and make things




You have to do something when you retire


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## BikinGlynn (Nov 30, 2022)

Crikey where do I start!
as u prob know I do a fair bit of wildlife photography which goes along side exploring quite nicely.
As you may also of guessed I ride bikes!
Iv rode mountainbike since I was 10 (36yr) also have done fair bit of road riding (I did 328 mile in 24hr about 8yr back but would struggle to do 32 now lol) & ridiculously I started riding bmx a few years back which just hurts!
I do a bit of running just to try & keep fitness but cant do that like I used to cos of dogey back.
My son is 17 & also rides & is getting rather good now, dont u hate it when that happens & u are suddenly struggling to keep up.

I love cars & have 2 projects on the go which Ill prob never get finished.
Also have house Im doing ground up restoration which Im getting there with but have been there 6yr already lol, its a luxury of living on my own that I dont need to rush. (the girlfriend wouldnt live in my place the state its in lol)

Oh I have a couple of canoes too just cos well u know I may get bored.

Lifes too short IMO I like to cram as much in & liv life at 100mph but love it!

Anyway only pics I have at work are these few birds & one of my lad at suffolk bike park few months back


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## BikinGlynn (Nov 30, 2022)

night crawler said:


> s
> View attachment 520012
> 
> You have to do something when you retire


pretty cool, is that wood? is it hand cut or laser?


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## night crawler (Nov 30, 2022)

BikinGlynn said:


> pretty cool, is that wood? is it hand cut or laser?


Dam I hate you. How do you get shots like those of the birds, I struggle with a kite using a 400mm
The brid feeder was basicly done using a circular hand saw a roughter to get the angles right and a jigsaw to cut the shapes out. This is what I am making at the moment, it's neary finished and is a Tit box. The doorways are closed off and a hole for the blue tits to enter added. I had the nesting in the last one till a dam woodpecker opened the holes out last jan and the starlings moved in. The moon gazing hare done with a scroll saw.


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## artie (Nov 30, 2022)

I am a biker first and foremost but also enjoy restoring old Mamod steam engines.


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## Cuban B. (Nov 30, 2022)

For physical pursuits, I like my martial arts, some hill walking and trying to keep myself in shape. Here's a couple of my speedbags:


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## BikinGlynn (Dec 1, 2022)

night crawler said:


> Dam I hate you. How do you get shots like those of the birds, I struggle with a kite using a 400mm
> The brid feeder was basicly done using a circular hand saw a roughter to get the angles right and a jigsaw to cut the shapes out. This is what I am making at the moment, it's neary finished and is a Tit box. The doorways are closed off and a hole for the blue tits to enter added. I had the nesting in the last one till a dam woodpecker opened the holes out last jan and the starlings moved in. The moon gazing hare done with a scroll saw.



thanks I really have a dated set up of canon 7D mk2 & sigma 150-600 really need to go mirroless I think.

Thats really nice woodwork there


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## BikinGlynn (Dec 1, 2022)

artie said:


> I am a biker first and foremost but also enjoy restoring old Mamod steam engines.


Crikey I remember my mamod lol.


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## Hayman (Dec 1, 2022)

BikinGlynn said:


> Crikey I remember my mamod lol.


That took me back to my childhood! I used a Mamod to drive a 'factory' I'd build with Meccano.


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## brendoncardiff123 (Dec 2, 2022)

I'm a new member and keen photographer. I've recently started steel wire photography so I'm currently looking at *safe* locations to take shots. The shot below is something that I took last night on a footbridge over the Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire which is 5 minutes from my house.


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## cogito (Dec 2, 2022)

Photography, mountain biking, travel, beer, whisky, collecting art, eating out etc.

No wonder I've never got any money left.


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## BikinGlynn (Dec 3, 2022)

brendoncardiff123 said:


> I'm a new member and keen photographer. I've recently started steel wire photography so I'm currently looking at *safe* locations to take shots. The shot below is something that I took last night on a footbridge over the Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire which is 5 minutes from my house.View attachment 520022


Railway tunnels are always pretty good for this


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## BikinGlynn (Dec 3, 2022)

cogito said:


> Photography, mountain biking, travel, beer, whisky, collecting art, eating out etc.
> 
> No wonder I've never got any money left.


I know that feeling though I stopped drinking few months back thought, I was far too keen on nice ales was costing me a fortune lol


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## night crawler (Dec 3, 2022)

BikinGlynn said:


> I know that feeling though I stopped drinking few months back thought, I was far too keen on nice ales was costing me a fortune lol


I stopped drinking years ago, never liked the feeling of a hangover and my wife did not like me snoring, mind you it did not help my sleep apnoea


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## Hayman (Dec 3, 2022)

brendoncardiff123 said:


> I'm a new member and keen photographer. I've recently started steel wire photography so I'm currently looking at *safe* locations to take shots. The shot below is something that I took last night on a footbridge over the Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire which is 5 minutes from my house.View attachment 520022





brendoncardiff123 said:


> I'm a new member and keen photographer. I've recently started steel wire photography so I'm currently looking at *safe* locations to take shots. The shot below is something that I took last night on a footbridge over the Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire which is 5 minutes from my house.View attachment 520022


Please excuse my ignorance, but what is "steel wire photography", and how did you get the effect seen in the photo?


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## brendoncardiff123 (Dec 3, 2022)

Hayman said:


> Please excuse my ignorance, but what is "steel wire photography", and how did you get the effect seen in the photo?


You need fine steel wool, a hand whisk (the wire type), a lighter and something to attach to the whisk like a dog lead, metal chain or similar. You will also need a camera, SLR or mirrorless. Simply attach the whisk to (in my case) a dog lead, place some of the wool between the wires of the whisk. Set up your camera (use a tripod) ensuring there is adequate distance between the camera equipment and where you will be spinning the wire wool (to prevent damage). It helps if you are on your own to set the camera to timer. Settings are ISO100, F5.6 and an exposure time of 6 or more seconds. You then take a picture, while it's in timer mode get into position light the steel wool and start spinning it. The whisk then throws out burning pieces of wire wool and this is then captured as trails because of the long exposure time. CAUTION: WIRE WOOL BECOMES HOT, THE WHISK BECOMES HOT, CAUTION MUST BE GIVEN TO WHAT YOU WEAR (WEAR GOGGLES AND NON FLAMABLE CLOTHES), CAUTION MUST BE GIVEN TO YOUR LOCATION (NOT INDOORS AND AWAY FROM COMBUSTABLE MATERIALS), CAUTION MUST ME GIVEN TO OTHERS.

Lastly here's one I took last night


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## Hayman (Dec 4, 2022)

brendoncardiff123 said:


> You need fine steel wool, a hand whisk (the wire type), a lighter and something to attach to the whisk like a dog lead, metal chain or similar. You will also need a camera, SLR or mirrorless. Simply attach the whisk to (in my case) a dog lead, place some of the wool between the wires of the whisk. Set up your camera (use a tripod) ensuring there is adequate distance between the camera equipment and where you will be spinning the wire wool (to prevent damage). It helps if you are on your own to set the camera to timer. Settings are ISO100, F5.6 and an exposure time of 6 or more seconds. You then take a picture, while it's in timer mode get into position light the steel wool and start spinning it. The whisk then throws out burning pieces of wire wool and this is then captured as trails because of the long exposure time. CAUTION: WIRE WOOL BECOMES HOT, THE WHISK BECOMES HOT, CAUTION MUST BE GIVEN TO WHAT YOU WEAR (WEAR GOGGLES AND NON FLAMABLE CLOTHES), CAUTION MUST BE GIVEN TO YOUR LOCATION (NOT INDOORS AND AWAY FROM COMBUSTABLE MATERIALS), CAUTION MUST ME GIVEN TO OTHERS.
> 
> Lastly here's one I took last night
> 
> View attachment 520023


Many thanks for the explanation. Really ingenious, and I like the results. I've aways looked for patterns that are already present to photograph. The little piles of sand brought to the surface on Australian beaches where sand crabs live are one example;
the scum on the surface of settling tanks at the long gone Christchurch NZ gasworks another.

I became very aware of how wire wool can be ignited a few years ago when, by chance a whole bundle glowed red hot when it somehow completed a circuit that included a 12 volt motor bolted to a Dexion frame bench. The power supply was a battery charger, with the positive crocodile clip connected to the lead to the motor and the negative crocodile clip connected to the steel bench, and thus to the motor. 

One day I accidentally connected the clips the wrong way round and there was a bundle of wire wool on the floor that had one side resting against a steel leg of the bench and, by chance, the other side of the bundle against a copper water pipe. 

I can only think that the water pipe somehow completed the circuit back to the negative side of the house's consumer unit, for soon after the motor was turning (its direction did not matter) I found the bundle of wire wool glowing red hot. I pulled it away and doused it. Then I found I had clipped the positive crocodile to the Dexion bench, and the negative to the lead to the motor. 

From this I realised that a deliberate way of starting a fire is to use a battery with plenty of amperage with wires joined to some wire wool. For instance, if out camping
and without matches or a lighter for a camp fire. Not the best way to learn that.


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## BikinGlynn (Dec 6, 2022)

Heres one of mine


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## brendoncardiff123 (Dec 6, 2022)

BikinGlynn said:


> Heres one of mine
> 
> View attachment 520098


Truly a visual spectacular, thanks. I'll match that with this.


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## night crawler (Dec 6, 2022)

BikinGlynn said:


> Heres one of mine
> 
> View attachment 520098


Spectacular


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