WeeDee

Hi Jonesie, am I missing something? I can't find this week's offers page. Please give me directions - at least to the 'STUPID' button!

Interesting - please explain - was the width of deep weld (and therefore the seal) unreliable with the MIG?

Don't just view the situation from your own position and how you would deal with a personal injury. Remember it's good for the first-aider ( eg. groundie) to reach an injured climber and find that he has usable dressings already on him that could be put to immediate use.

Without doubt - but remember, if going for a MIG then the narrower wire (0.8mm) actually penetrates further than the thicker wire (1mm, 1.2mm). The arc is concentrated through a smaller cross section. With regards to the problem of wire rusting - spray the reel with WD40. It will burn off before it affects the weld pool. Using a MIG also requires quite still air - to allow the shroud of inert gas to shield the weld - so if welding outdoors then the stick might be preferable.

Beech - if only to climb in. Then you find it's useful once it's on the ground too.

Hi Tommer. My 10 yr old daughter rockclimbs on a Petzl full-body harness. It's great at preventing inversion, because of the high tie-in point on the harness, but this same tie-in point prevents her from tree climbing effectively - it doesn't allow her to be suspended by the pelvis area and lean her upper-body outboard of that point. This isn't a problem rockclimbing because the harness is rarely 'used' ie. she's taking her own weight. For moving about in the trees, she uses a small climbing harness. If I'm worried about inversion, I fit a light chest rig to a prussic which she adjusts herself. I don't know what you want the harness for exactly, but I thought you should know of the very different suspension 'attitudes' that the two harness kinds provide. P.S. Ebay always has kid's body harnesses for sale. Good luck.

Er.... that's 95.2545kg .... isn't it?

I weigh 69kg.... I walk on twigs, you know.

Many thanks to you, sir.

Just a simple question for those who know more than me. Where's the best place to get a couple of metres of 9mm and 16mm Tenex? (It'll have to be posted to me.) Thanks in advance. Dee.

Ohhh! That's a good one! I must file that one away. Thanks Dean.

There will always be people who 'benefit' from cowboys - because in this instance the bloke in the pub came out on the happy side of a Cost/Benefit equation. If an accident had occured the same bloke would have understood that the cost (ie. accident) outweighed the benefit. We must work within the arena of hundreds/thousands of 'calculated' events - and stay within safety margins. Unfortunately, the one-off customer just sees the single chance to save pounds, and as you know, not everything can be measured in pounds. Good luck.

With regards to lenses, how long's a piece of string? Once again, set your ball-park budget first. Many of the kit lens are only OK - that's why they get rid of them with the camera body. But this level of quality may be just what you're happy with. Without doubt, the dearer lenses are better lenses but twice as much cost doesn't get you twice the improvement in optical quality - it follows the law of diminishing returns. The experts often advise several 'prime' lens - but they can afford several prime lens! Most photographers make do with, and get great results from, one zoom - maybe extending to another later on. The greater the zoom range, the less likey you are to maintain optical quality ie. a 28-300mm zoom lens may not deliver the quality of a 28-70mm lens of similar price. Nikon make excellent lens, as do Canon, but they are expensive. Alternative options might include Sigma (telephoto & portrait) and Tokina (macro) but there are many others that other people might recommend - I only speak from personal experience. So there's a wee bit more to chew over. Get back to me if it helps.

Hi - I think you need to answer a few questions (to yourself - not me). What do you want to do with the camera? What's it for? Holiday snaps, recording events, arb-related projects, school sport's day, weddings etc. - you know what I mean. Then honestly assess if the camera options satisfy your needs. Do you actually need movie recording? 4000th sec shutter speeds? etc. Assess what the camera feels like to hold, manipulate, use (without having to look away from your subject too much). People with big hands can't always operate their cameras very well - those finger tips get jammed between the grip and the lens body. Both cameras that your considering are crackers - Nikon build quality - but you're right about the D90 being better put-together. Remember that at the moment of capture the only things involved in the image are the sensor (CMOS stolen from Canon - top notch), the glass elements of the lens, and the software processing of the camera. In that moment, none of the other bells and whistles figure much. Sensor size is also more than adequate - around 8 - 10 MP will easily print to A4 size. Both of these cameras have excess of 12MP. And don't get carried away with having the fancier camera just because it can pee higher up the wall than the other one. If you opt for the cheaper one, the money saved could make a big difference to the lens (or lenses) that you can afford. If my opinions have helped, good. If not, at least you weren't paying for it! If you want some info on lens, let me know. All the best, Dee.

You're a lucky man, Andy, to have a son that does his share. He already seems to know what pulling his weight means. You've probably already thought about this but let me say it anyway - Make sure that what YOU charge HIM at least matches what HE could charge YOU if all these jobs were subcontracted (by him) to a third party! Although he's young - he's probably not stupid. Enjoy what you've got. Good luck.

I thought they were recorded on something fancier and had then been adjusted on Photoshop! All the more credit for 'seeing' the image.

Lovely job on the willow, John. And great photos too - especially the B&W ones. I think the second B&W image could grace an album cover or Arb mag - you know - with the space left in the top left for the publication's title? Keep it coming.

SWB knows what he's talking about. Listen - you're in a bad spot at the moment, but it's only for the moment. You'll fall out the back of this predicament soon hopefully. You've done the right thing to raise the problem here on this forum. I reckon the combined wisdom of the people here will provide all the advice and support you'll need. Next time you're talking to this guy, remember he's the one who seems to have the problem - not you. Look at him straight - speak your mind - and let him come up with his own solution.

If you can afford the £150, give it a go for this year. Keep an eye on the future jobs linked directly to this advert and at the end of the period - add your sums up? Remember - these people talk to other people! Good luck with your final decision.

Some might pay to advertise - but that standard of job will speak for itself ( not to mention the clients who would otherwise be thinking we're all cowboys)! Great work, Mr. Ambassidor!

Sorry Lancstree. I wasn't paying attention.

I agree! If the structure itself is up to 65ft above the ground I reckon the base of it isn't very high from the ground - those diagonal supports below seem to be converging just out of camera shot - maybe to footings? Some of the members from up there might give us the difinitive.

Hi everyone. I've just spent part of the day tidying a great suburban beech. The branches were so well spaced that a blindman could've climbed in it! The client wanted it tidied up with a slight bias over the driveway. Despite the winds elsewhere - it wasn't too bad over here. Was supplied with tea and a lunch! And was paid before I had to ask. Happy client, happy climber, happy tree. You just don't get enough of these days! - do you? Keep smiling - it worries people.

I agree about the excess grip. I regularly use crampons ( rigid and flexible models) for mountaineering purposes. They rarely allow the small degree of 'slip' that we all unknowingly account for when walking normally. I'll also add that when walking on wet soil, they can form a clod between the points and reduce each sole to a 2kg banana skin! I think the positioning line is a more useful, and familiar, way of working. Good luck.