dremeliscious

[pieces o nine]

So I bought a single speed Dremel™ Rotary Tool, along with a Honkin Pile o'Attachments™ and the optional Flex Shaft Attachment™ a few years ago.  It was quite an expensive purchase at the time and it's been quite useful, but I've been wishing for a variable speed model now as polishing small polymer clay items with the SUPER DUPER MACH 1 ULTRA HIGH SPEED leads to intermittent, unexpected "melting" in a spot or the whiiiiiiinging!  loss of a projecting part.

I've been pricing variable speed models and watching Ebay auctions, but had not committed to anything yet as they are expensive, too, and I won't be using it enough to be casual about the purchase. Then this weekend I was at a chain hardware store on the other side of town and found a 5-speed store brand, without all the redundant attachments, for $19.99! Yay!

The down side is that I am running out of plausible reasons for not perpetrating art...   

[Opsa]

I've also been fascinated by dremel tools, and bought one a few years back. It seems to have disappeared, leaving only the adorable attachments. I hope to run across it, or another one, soon. $20 is a good price! Was it at Home Depot?

[Aggie]

I've done some carving and shaping with the darlings in the past, and bought a new store-brand set a while ago on sale.  They are versatile, and compared to hand tools, you get a lot of functionality for the dollar.  Noisy little devils, though.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Until you use lasers for that purpose it will be noisy. Shouldn't be that far off though, green lasers are quite powerful nowadays and by focusing the ray with a lens you can do the trick without much risk of going over.

[Opsa]

Wow! Maybe I'll wait for that, then.

[pieces o nine]

I would be afraid of lasering my fingers off!  lol

I'd been looking at Lowes:
300 Series [5-speed] Dremel kit is about $75.
200 Series [2-speed] Dremel kit is about $55.

On a fluke, I glanced down the rotary tool aisle at Menards on my way out.
(I can't find pics on line, nor much web presence for rotary tools in general for them.) Not much in aisle (rumors of product revamping?) but they had a "Tool Shop" 5-speed model not bundled with any attachments. I prefer a professional grade line for power tools, but have several mini clamp sets from "Tool Shop" which were attractively priced and work just fine for my purposes. I'm happy with what I found; it looks a lot like my old single speed Dremel, but it's red instead of black.

[Aggie]

I would be afraid of lasering my fingers off!  lol

LOL, steel is plenty dangerous, let alone lasers.  I picked up a chain mail glove for carving.  I'm pondering what to do about leg protection from axes and adzes for larger wood-sculpting projects.

[Sibling DavidH]

I'm about to get out my Dremel.  The demented gorillas who handle the baggage totally snapped the whole wheels assembly off my suitcase.  I came back with it held together with cable ties, but I'm about to bolt it together.  The Dremel will be just the thing for tidying up the jagged broken edges.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Ha!  Old thread, one what I had missed completely....

... aaah Dremels.   I had to wear out 3 in short-order before I realized the lower-price ones were simply not for me... the last two have been the best, both very high-end, "pro" grade tools.  The previous one was damaged by a voltage spike, which ruined it's speed controller-- but it lasted for years and years.  The current one, 8-10 years old now, is still working great-- has a LCD speed display, a full-range speed controller, and something called "soft start" wherein it slowly comes up to full speed.  All ball-bearing, same as the previous one.

What would I do without my ubiquitous Dremel tool... just the other day, I polished out a scratch on a display screen (I use quality rubbing compound you'd use on paint... it just works... a felt tool in the Dremel, max speed and it polishes glass-smooth).

[Aggie]

What would I do without my ubiquitous Dremel tool... just the other day, I polished out a scratch on a display screen (I use quality rubbing compound you'd use on paint... it just works... a felt tool in the Dremel, max speed and it polishes glass-smooth).

Would a similar technique work for polishing scratches out of CDs?  Perhaps a different compound?

[pieces o nine]

It might -- you just need to smooth out the polycarbonate.

I picked up one of these on a clearance deal in Denver; it works great.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

What would I do without my ubiquitous Dremel tool... just the other day, I polished out a scratch on a display screen (I use quality rubbing compound you'd use on paint... it just works... a felt tool in the Dremel, max speed and it polishes glass-smooth).

Would a similar technique work for polishing scratches out of CDs?  Perhaps a different compound?

CD's too-- and paint polishing compound (any auto parts store or even Wally World) and a felt buffing wheel in your dremel works quite well. 

Caution!  For best results, max speed on the dremel... and it will splatter polishing compound everywhere.  Safety glasses, and some cardboard around the area to catch it.  If you're not splattering?  You don't have enough compound on the tool

[Aggie]

Safety glasses are ALWAYS a must with a rotary tool.  Car-paint polishing compound, I presume? 

[Bluenose]

I always use jeweller's rouge for this sort of operation.  Works for me, anyway.

[Sibling DavidH]

OK, but when you've finished making yourself look pretty, what do you use on the tool?

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

LOL!

I've used jeweller's rouge, but I find I get much better results on plastic, (such as CD/DVD's) with the paint-polishing compound*.   The j-w works better on glass and other extremely hard materials, but I find I rarely have a need to polish those.

I remember once, years ago, when I attempted to "fix" a pair of glasses** with my trusty dremel and some jeweler's rouge.... the results were... slightly less than satisfactory.  Everything (through the glasses) had the appearance of being seen through a soft-focus lens.... the best I was able  to get, was a satin finish.   It was long after replacing the lenses, that I discovered paint polishing compound works much better on soft plastic surfaces....




____________

* yes-- typically used for automobiles.  I prefer the premium brands, as one can lasts and lasts.

** why do they still persist in calling them "glasses" when they are made entirely of soft plastic?  Even the metal-framed ones are plastic.... meh.

[Aggie]

I've got a pair of actual glass sunglasses (I am quite sure...  how to check?) that are scuffed on the inner surface from where the arms hit the lens.  Any tips for polishing that?  It's in a non-vision-critical area.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I've got a pair of actual glass sunglasses (I am quite sure...  how to check?) that are scuffed on the inner surface from where the arms hit the lens.  Any tips for polishing that?  It's in a non-vision-critical area.

First, be sure it's glass, and not plastic.   The polishing methods are different.

(How to test for hardness?  Google "mineral hardness test" or.... pick a spot on the glasses--preferably on the side of the lens, not either face, and see if a steel knife can scratch it.   Even better, use a brass key (most keys are made of brass).  Or you could use a short piece of copper tubing, or a copper penny. )  

In any case?  If you can scratch the lens with brass/copper?  It's plastic.  If you can scratch it with a steel knife with very light pressure?  It's plastic.

Science content warning: glass is much harder than any of these metals-- but if you apply enough pressure you can "scratch" it by pressure-scaling microscopic bits of glass away from the surface-- what is actually happening, is tiny flakes of glass are poping off under the super-high pressure of the sharp blade.  This is how some glass "cutters" operate-- as the pressure-flakes pop off, they propagate a weakness down through the glass that you can exploit by trying to "bend" the glass at that point.

Okay.  For glass?  You need jeweler's rouge, and patience-- lots and lots of patience.   Glass, being much harder than plastic, will take longer to achieve that mirror-smooth finish.   Paint polish is just not abrasive enough.  And if your scratch is deep enough, you'd really need several grades of rouge, starting with "course" (which is still pretty fine) and moving up in several steps to the finest for the final polish.   Patience is a virtue here.

If you've a piece of glass, you could try scratching it, and polishing it before attacking your glasses... but wear gloves, and place that glass on a table, on top of many thicknesses of newspaper for a cushion.... It's as likely to shatter rather than polish as anything.   An old glass ashtray would be a better practice item, I'd think... anything that's thick.   To scratch it?  Some carbide sandpaper ought to work-- even ordinary sandpaper (quartz is harder than glass) will make fine scratches.  Or if you've a diamond ring you don't particularly want... (diamonds can chip, if they have a flaw in just the wrong place....) Or a carbide-tipped cutting tool (such as a masonry bit) carbide steel is harder than glass.

If they are plastic?  Then it's easy--- plastic is soft, and if you keep your felt tool "wet" with plenty of polish, returning frequently to re-wet it.  Sure it splatters like crazy, but a dry wheel will make a mess of your plastic surface-- make it worse, actually.   I recommend taking an old CD (an AOL one is excellent), and deliberately scratching it with a knife, then polish out the scratch.   Move to another spot, scratch deeper, and polish away.  

The depth and shape of the scratch(es) changes how you approach the polish-- for really light scratches, it is best to keep rotating the item under your tool, to randomize how you're polishing it.  And this is an excellent technique for your final polish.

But for really deep scratches, you'll need to remove a great deal (relatively speaking) of plastic, so start with the rotation against the scratch-- that is, the rotating shaft of your tool is parallel to the scratch, making the face of the felt wheel run across the scratch-- but frequently reversing by 180 degrees helps to avoid burning in a pattern.   Once you've smoothed out the groove, then go to the random-angle method.

Good luck!

And I cannot stress enough?  Practice, practice, practice first...

... my first CD fix?  I first duplicated the scratch (as best as I could by eye) on an AOL CD... then tried various methods to get rid of the scratch-- Jeweler's Rouge just doesn't work on plastic, I found (for example)...  And round, thick felt discs work better than felt cones in the Dremel for another (I never had satisfactory results with a felt cone, point of fact).  Use the edge of your disc, never the face (you'll leave rotary scratches with the face...) And I prefer Turtle Wax paint polishing compound to the bargain brands for a third.

And high-speed is way better than low speed (if you've a variable-speed tool).  The low speed tends to muddy things, and leave a haze, instead of a polish-- I don't know why.  Low speed doesn't splatter, but...

... and a full-face shield is better than simple eye glasses-- better to splatter your face-shield, than your face.  And an old work shirt is better than a nice work shirt.   And a large cardboard box, with one side removed, and a hole (for the light) in the top helps keep the splatters off of everything else...

Your mileage may vary...

[Aggie]

Thank you for the tips. Frankly, the glasses are not worth the supplies and time.

OTOH, I certainly have a sharp steel knife or two around, as I've gotten into wood carving.  I don't use the dremel for grinding those; it's strictly (several grades of) water stone, then finish with honing compound on a leather strop.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Thank you for the tips. Frankly, the glasses are not worth the supplies and time.

OTOH, I certainly have a sharp steel knife or two around, as I've gotten into wood carving.  I don't use the dremel for grinding those; it's strictly (several grades of) water stone, then finish with honing compound on a leather strop.

You are a patient person-- I never take that much care, with my knives.

The last one I had, I paid more than $60US for, and I had to return it before it became dull-- the hinge mecanism snapped after just a week...

... now?

I carry a folding, lock-back razor "knife".  It has those trapezoid-shaped razor blades in it, and you get two edges for one (flip it 180 degrees).  It folds safely to fit on the edge of my pocket, under a clip.  It locks open securely, and I can "sharpen" the blade in seconds...

... of course, the old ones go in my steel pile, to be recycled (eventually).

I do love renewing the edge with a simple replacement...

.. but sometimes I miss the precision and craftsmanship of a really good lock-back.

But as you point out?  Getting a really fine edge is not something you do quickly.

[Aggie]

I love those little folding replaceable-bladed knives for field use.

The key with the carving tools is to keep them touched up regularly, before they get dull.  The only time I need to get the coarse stones out now is if I've been using them on soapstone (it's softer than wood, but you end up with dull tools in part because you don't need them as sharp to work it).  Otherwise, the 6000 stone is generally sufficient, followed by a quick strop to get a mirror polish on the edge.

I keep a finely-stropped edge on my hatchet and felling axe too, cleaning and sharpening them after every excursion. The cut-marks look like they've been sanded with 400-grit sandpaper or better.  Windex does a good job of removing sap, btw.

I bought an old Chinese carbon-steel cleaver at a rummage sale for 50 cents, which took some heavier grinding to get the nicks out of, but was well worth the effort. It dulls quickly when used on moist/acidic foods (like tomatoes) and rusts if you look at it sideways, but sharpens up quick.  I nicked my finger with it, and it was sharp enough to cut a micrometers-thin slice of skin away without drawing blood.

[Sibling DavidH]

I also have a couple of those replaceable-blade knives, one full-size and one miniature.  They are keen all right, but the blades are fragile.

As for axes, my own preference is to keep one hatchet and one axe relatively blunt for splitting logs, and another pair sharp for cutting work.  I find a sharp axe used for splitting tends to cut into the fibres and stick, rather than slipping between them.  It depends on the wood, of course.

I could fancy that Chinese cleaver, Aggie, even though the mother-in-law is no longer with us.

[Aggie]

As for axes, my own preference is to keep one hatchet and one axe relatively blunt for splitting logs, and another pair sharp for cutting work.  I find a sharp axe used for splitting tends to cut into the fibres and stick, rather than slipping between them.  It depends on the wood, of course.

I agree with you there, David.  I keep a rough old hatchet around for splitting, no more than file-sharpened. Most of the wood I cut is for camp use, and I buck it with a hand saw, so I stick to fairly small diameter logs and rarely need to do any heavy splitting.  The felling axe is not designed for splitting, in any case.   

My belt hatchet is a companion, tool and last line of defence in the woods, so I like that one as sharp as possible.  I have other methods of discouraging predators from clamping their jaws around my face, but if it gets to that point I'd like to be able to make a respectable last effort. The last black bear encounter I had was completely peaceable, as I expect most to be, but the ruff of fur on that bruin convinced me that a hunting knife might not be enough to make a dent.   

[Sibling DavidH]

Crikey!  We don't have those.  Here, cattle can be dangerous and kill a few people every year, but I always carry a stick when walking and that's all you need.

You and I use axes for different purposes, really.  I stack our logs in about 5ft lengths and then two or three times a year we saw some down to stove length, and that's when I use an axe to split the fatter ones after sawing.  I did have a good set of wedges, but after my right wrist became painful, I gave them away.

As for felling and cutting with an axe, I almost never do that these days.  Not being out in the wilderness, I take a chainsaw to the job, on the rare occasions I fell anything.  Mostly people in the village and farmers let me know if they have some logs which need shifting.

Whereas you're out in the bundoo chasing Eskimo Nell, and you need something you can carry.  

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Dang, Aggie!  That's Roughing It for sure.

And I almost envy you your close connection to the wild things (such as that bear).  Almost.



It's cool, though to think about.

[Aggie]

I grew up in a place I'd describe as 'subrural' - a very small community about 15 km outside a fair-sized city (50,000), surrounded by forest and farms.  It was literally about 10 minutes by foot to get into the forest/mountains from my house, and my friends and I spent a lot of time roaming around the bush. When I wander the forest, I don't worry much about niceties like trails, maps or compasses (although I do pack a satellite tracker these days in case of emergency). I've always got myself out by nightfall - so far - no matter what direction I head. Mostly deer, coyotes and a few bears and moose out that way, but other areas we used to roam around had rattlesnakes and cougars.  

Rattlesnakes, coyotes and deer don't scare me; I am very wary but not terrified of black bears and moose. A mother ANYTHING is dangerous if it thinks you're a threat to its young.  Grizzly bears would put me on high-alert; if you're in a physical confrontation with a grizzly you are at the mercy of the bear and there's no point fighting back, just play dead and hope you don't end up that way.  I'd rather go toe-to-toe with a cougar than a black bear if it came down to it, because they are not used to prey that can fight back and are relatively easy to frighten away.  A black bear's predatory body-language is easy to read and you should see it coming; OTOH, you usually won't see a stalking cougar before it pounces, so it's good to have a big stick or sharp object close to hand in cougar country.  Elsewise, hope you can find an eye-socket with your thumb.


I'll likely need to use a chainsaw eventually, but for the little bit of felling I do at the moment, I prefer the honest work and quiet action of the axe.  Chainsaws scare me; so does the felling axe, but all things considered I'd rather take a clean-edged axe wound to the leg than the ripping, shredding action of a chainsaw. I keep a first aid kit with me, and have current first-aid training from my job. Hazard identification and management is second nature.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I suppose it's best to remember that few animals are deliberately confrontational, and are more than willing to back off, if you give them half a chance to do so.  Snakes never ever really bothered me, as I am a huge fan of the little critters in the woods, and as I walk, am always scanning the ground ahead for such things, and spotting snakes is easy, if you're aware of their habits.   If you walk with enough deliberation, they get more than fair warning and typically scurry away long before you get too near.

I've never come face-to-face with a mother of anything (in the wild) though.  That would be... interesting. 

Axe vis a vis chainsaws.   I've done both, actually.

Of the two, I prefer the control of a chainsaw to an axe-- but that's likely because learning how to control a chainsaw is quicker/easier than learning to control a really sharp axe... 

I've felled trees with either, and the axe is, frankly, a lot of work, even if you're in good shape.   Whereas I can safely take down a largish tree with a chainsaw in a few minutes-- it takes longer to prep the fall than it does to fell the tree.  And yeah-- for large trees, we always used ropes to control the direction it falls-- and why not?   Even prepping a fall doesn't take much extra effort... tossing a weighted rope over or around a high part of the tree takes a few extra minutes, sure.  Then tying it off takes a couple more.  But the knowledge of which direction you move, once the tree begins to give, is priceless.

I still have the steps vivid in my head:  At the first sign of movement (usually accompanied by a pop or snap from within the tree), stop the chainsaw.  Place saw on ground.  And quickly--but never running (you could trip) move perpendicular to the direction of the fall.  Preferably as far as the tree is tall-- kick-backs and kick-ups are common when the main trunk strikes the ground-- who wants clocked in the side of the head by a 16" tree-trunk?  Or even a piece of debris?



Once in a while, the tree falls in such a way as to trap the saw.... oh well, leave it.  You can always buy another one....     But even then, I never lost a chainsaw to a falling tree... what took them down, was bad fuel, or dirt in the fuel lines..

... which is why we quickly learned to bring a minimum of 2.  But prior to that?  If you've traveled an hour to cut wood for your fireplace (a major source of heating the house) you don't give up and go home just because your single chainsaw quit... which is how I came to fell a tree with an axe a time or two...  

Towards the end, after learning many lessons the hard way about cutting firewood, we'd never leave home without a minimum of 3 saws, extra chains, and at least 2 different containers of gasoline.  Plus a couple of axes, several hatchets and an assortment of hand-saws specifically made for branches.  And pry bars, wedges, a sledge hammer, a maul, some shovels... you get the picture.   Getting a truckful of wood is the primary goal.  You bring what tools let you do that, regardless.

That takes me back..... I do remember felling a tree backwards, once.   By that, I mean the tree was leaning one way--directly toward several fine specimens that we'd just as soon leave in place and not damage.  My dad was sure we'd have to let them sustain some damage, possibly severe broken branches, but I said let's try-- if we are careful and logical, what do we have to lose?  At worst, we cut the rope and let it fall into the good stand, but we might get lucky.

So, a heavy rope, as high as we could manage, tied off to the pickup's hitch (the rope was quite long-- more than twice the length of the tree).  Start the truck, drive until the rope is singingly taunt-- the tree actually straightened up a tad.  Then, make your hinge cut towards the rope.  No worries.  Finally, make your back-cut until you hear the snap-pop-- someone is waiting in the truck for the "GO!" signal, engine idling.... kill the saw, move away quickly (but not running)... "GO!GO!GO!" engine revs a bit, pulling on that rope and as smooth as pudding, that tree majestically fell backwards (against it's natural leaning) into the clear, never striking a single tree on the way down ... and it was a big'un too-- that one tree, more than filled our quota for the day, after it was limbed and cut-up.   And yeah, we took the limbs, too-- heat is heat, and limbs burn just as well as trunk-pieces do.  Besides, the little ones make for fine kindling, once dried out... waste nothing. 

[Darlica]

Aggi this is what you wear to keep the safe when using a chainsaw.http://www.abbeygardensales.co.uk/subprod/stihl-chainsaw-protection-clothing-0000490.aspx

The long kevlar fibers will get entangled in the chain and stop it from rotating further. Very effective ask Lindorm...

They will soften a blow if an axe too, well actually not, they will mitigate the cutting action, the bonesplitting force would remain bonesplitting.

(the same would BTW apply for the bite of anything big and angry/hungry, the teeth won't reach the skin in a hurry but the pressure would remain)

Learning how to use a chainsaw safely take it's time, but so does it with pretty much all tools, axes included.
A good quality Chainsaw is well balanced (different saws for different type of cutting because you use them differently) and take up the vibrations from the engine. Length of sword, weight et al. has to do with what kind of cutting you are expecting to use it for.

L has a Jonsered semi pro model which I'm learning to use, and despite the fact that I'm 162 cm tall and not very strong I can use the saw without any problems. Now I'm not taking on the really big trees yet, but that's not because I have problems handling the saw, I just need more practice before I swim the deep waters.


Jonsered is heartly recomended BTW.

[Aggie]

Jonsered is heartly recomended BTW.

Stihl is a favourite here, although Dad used to sell both I think.  He owned a small-engines shop in a forestry community for years, and is quite adept with all sorts of chainsaws. He's been giving me lessons.  I've been giving him safety lectures.    Here's a little safety video demonstrating what kevlar pants can do (a little stomach-turning, but don't worry - it's not a human leg, it's a ham):

[youtube=425,350]pilcLXpdJK0[/youtube]

He doesn't often wear the pants, but I've been sending him out with the SPOT so he can at least call for help.

I've been mulling what kind of leg armour would effectively stop an axe blow; I was going to try heavy leather until I saw how easy a sharp axe slices through the same stuff if you strop it the wrong way.   I think axe mishaps should mostly end up in lower leg and foot wounds (feller's boots would help, for some).  I have a strict rule of NOBODY touches the felling axe once the first beer is opened, and the good hatchet goes away after that one's finished.  _{I'm actually not entirely clear whether it's for the health of the user or the health of the axeheads.} 

Chainsaws?  Mostly leg injuries, but face injuries are not unheard of from kickback. Kevlar mask anyone?  It's the nature of the wounds that make me queasy. 

Bob alludes to a good point about felling - the tree is more likely to get you than your saw or axe, and those kind of injuries are not the sort that a little PPE will help.

Provided I had a helper in good shape, I think my preferred felling tool would be a proper 2-man felling (hand)saw.  Almost as fast as a chainsaw, less work than an axe, and safer than either.  They would take a bit of maintenance to keep sharp, but there's sharpening work involved with all options. Axes are no good for bucking, in any case.

I suppose it's best to remember that few animals are deliberately confrontational, and are more than willing to back off, if you give them half a chance to do so. 

I quite agree. I don't actually expect to be attacked by a wild animal.  To be honest, the large herbivores are probably more dangerous than large carnivores in my area; prey species are quicker to perceive a threat and counter-attack.  The big predators have the teeth and claws to be confident in their actions, and know that confrontations with each other can be deadly because of those teeth and claws.  All the more reason to avoid conflict with another big predator.  That's about the attitude I take towards carrying a sharp hatchet.  Back away slowly and respectfully first, air horn next, pepper spray if absolutely necessary, and weapons as a last-ditch effort.  Having one or more of those options (I don't usually carry everything) gives me enough confidence to keep my fear under control in an encounter, which is a pretty good way of avoiding an attack in the first place.   Being prepared and thinking through the possible scenarios ahead of time will hopefully help if the worst ever happens.

There are a few cases every year of unprovoked predator attacks in the province (mostly cougars, rarely predatory black bears), though, so I'd rather not go on the assumption that it's impossible to happen to me.  I also like to move quietly through the bush (although not in grizzly country), in part because you see more wildlife that way.  You also tend to hear more that way - my ears tend to go on high alert any time a twig breaks, to keep something from surprising me. It works well for identifying animals moving casually through the woods, but I would wager a stalking cougar could escape my notice.

[Bluenose]

You know, I think I'm rather glad to live in a place where there really isn't any large predators to worry about.  Except Crocodiles in northern parts.  OTOH, there are a miriad small things that can give you pause to think.  I guess its a case of better the devil you know...

[Aggie]

Ayuh, and you have actual devils down there, albeit not on the mainland.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

You know, I think I'm rather glad to live in a place where there really isn't any large predators to worry about.  Except Crocodiles in northern parts.  OTOH, there are a miriad small things that can give you pause to think.  I guess its a case of better the devil you know...

Am I not correct, in remembering that of the world's natural poisons (i.e. from various animal species), among the top 10, 7 are from your neck of the woods?

 

Or is my memory playing tricks again...

[Bluenose]

Well, there's 7 of the world's most dangerous venemous snakes including all of the top 5.  There's irakandji (sp?) which can kill you in a few minutes, although usually it takes a bit longer.  Box jelly fish do kill on occasion.  Blue ringed octopus and cone fish (a type of shell fish) also can kill you.  And then there are funnel web and red back spiders, although red backs are not usually fatal.

The thing is, these things usually only get you if you're careless or just really unlucky.  They don't hunt you or eat you.  A very important distinction!

As for Tassie Devils, they are really sweet little beggars.  You just don't want to get between one and its food...  We have one of the refuge population at the Healesville Sanctuary, not far from Casa Del Blue, about 20 minutes drive.  I must say though, that I'm really worried about the devil's future with the facial tumour disease.

[Swatopluk]

As Pratchett wrote about XXXX: Not many poisonous snakes. Most have been killed by the spiders

[Sibling DavidH]

We have some pretty fierce rabbits.  One scratched me once.

[pieces o nine]

Arrrgh, like this, then?

[Sibling DavidH]

Yes, but this one was kind of grey and black.  They're the worst. 

[Bluenose]

David, I assume you must have forgotten your Holy Hand Grenade...

[Sibling DavidH]

No, here it is.



I'm saving it for something really nasty, like a mouse.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Yes, but this one was kind of grey and black.  They're the worst. 

Indeed, they are... http://www.sluggy.com/ .... 'ware the rabbit.