Good reminder of the Coalitions idiotic ideological demand for smaller government no matter the real benefits a trained and committed workforce brings compared to their contractor scammers, anybody like PWC to take back over?

Oh right yeah, i sorta lost track of your intial question there.

I can’t see re-tensioning as an issue. This is because the spring is set in two un-adjustable holes/rings. Its the motion of the handle that looks like it adjusts the length of the spring. In the picture that springs looks like theres zero, or near zero tension on it.

But as u say, i’m just goin off the pictures.

Hahaha, what a legend! Practical teachers were always my favourite.

Yeah, i didn’t go into too much detail because i can’t really remember the story, so i don’t know if there was a legit problem, or the teacher was just reacting to the potential. I have this vague memory about him rolling it around the palm of his hand, but i don’t trust my memory on that detail.

Rust:

High heat (like a flame torch or burner) can help, the uneven expansion can crack the connection made between the two rusting metal surfaces, in this case thats the bolt and nut.

WD40 can also help, but make sure its dried off before applying heat, otherqise you’ll be starting a fire.

Hammering the bolt side can help crack the rust, but in this case due to how weak the metal is, i don’t know that this would be a great idea, due to the risk of deformation.

I can’t really see in the pictures how that ‘steel adjuster pole’ is connected to the blade, so i can’t really say whether you’d be able to get that disconnected from the blade itself or not sorry.

Another option: 2. Dremel/grinder that bolt and screw off, then replace them with new ones.

This sounds dramatic, but it might be the best option because that nut and bolt look like they’re old enough to be imperial measurement not metric. Thanks to the US there are still plenty of imperial measured tools about, but there are less in Aus, and it’d be annoying to have to buy specific imperial sizes just for this tool when you could probably replace the nut and bolt with a similar sized metric nut and bolt.

Couple options i’d look at. I’ll put them in different comments though.

Looks like you could disconnect the blade with the ‘steel adjuster pole’ by loosening the hex nut and flat head bolt connecting the blade to the hook’s head.

If that comes off looks like you can pull the ‘steel adjuster pole’s’ small hook out by turning it perpendicular, down at the handle.

I’d use a correctly sized flat head screwdriver, and a socket wrench with the correct size socket for that nut. Everything looks quite rusty so i’d be circumspect about using off-sized tools because you don’t want to strip or round the screw or bolt.

Reminds me of a story my partner told me about a ‘science geek’ in her year at school.

He brought loose mercury in with him to science class. As he showed the teacher, the teacher apparently evacuated the classroom. The kid got a good talking to apparently.

Not sure what happened to the mercury.

I think you mean Captain Planet.

I don’t know that i can help, but what do the connection points look like on the otherside of the tool? Top and bottom.

This is definitely one of those generational things my children will be embarrassed by when i talk about.

Fucking Dammit! I thought it was only going to be one day next week!

Couple interesting infographics from the article,

This snapshot shows the environmental score for a range of indicators in Australia. Australia’s Environment Report 2024, CC BY-NC-ND

This graph shows the relative abundance of different categories of species listed as threatened under the EPBC Act since 2000, as collated by the Threatened Species Index. Australia’s Environment Report 2024, CC BY-NC-ND

Yeah, undoubtedly they will. I’ve found its so hard to even get people and councils on the same page as to what we’re going to recycle on a simple milk carton, let alone the chemical differences in scrunchy single use bags.

Went outside to unpeg clothes from the washing line this morning. The welcoming chill air with clear skies was refreshing to walk out to. The intensity of our hot Summers has again abated for the year.

I’d imagine the jackpot would be waking up in the Dark Age of Technology.

Most soul crushing would have to be waking up as part of the Interex as they discover the Imperium.

A real artist would have got a pelican in a tutu standing on the pilon, obviously… pffffft. /j

Interesting picture as always! :)

Location?

This must be the ferry for the ferry terminal lights picture a couple weeks ago? So i’ll guess its the Storey Bridge Express, so you’re in and around Storey Bridge.

^i also have no idea where that is^

People may complain about our strict biosecurity arrangements in this State. I will never be one of them, the costs we minimise are such a strength.

I only hope the experience of this shot hole borer, and COVID have reinforced in Western Australian’s minds the benefits we get from using our geography and strict biosecurity. I don’t know though.

Burke was the Chair of the climate-change-denying Australian Environment Foundation.

Wikipedia article

He basically beat me to my joke as well! Satirists aren’t lying when they say its genuinely hard to satirise these people now.

Yeah, i guess. I’s really gunnin for the jokes.