<![CDATA[I Wish I Knew This

<![CDATA[I Wish I Knew This - All Forums]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 08:11:00 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Saving an old Norlund Axe scabbard]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=18 Tue, 30 Apr 2024 12:30:29 -0600 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=18
Below are a couple pictures and a video of the process.

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Below are a couple pictures and a video of the process.

]]> <![CDATA[Attempting to save an old Norlund Axe]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=17 Tue, 30 Apr 2024 12:23:12 -0600 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=17
Below are some pictures and a video of the process.

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Below are some pictures and a video of the process.

]]> <![CDATA[Trying $140 Neotec 12" Limbing Chainsaw]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=16 Tue, 30 Apr 2024 12:00:20 -0600 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=16
I ran it for a few hours one day to clear up some limbs from a downed pine tree on property and was surprised by it. I am not sure how it will do long term so we will have to wait and see with that but considering I could likely buy 3 of those saws for what I am pretty sure the cost of fixing my stihl will be, I think I may test this out further.

Here are a picture of the saw and a video I did about it.

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I ran it for a few hours one day to clear up some limbs from a downed pine tree on property and was surprised by it. I am not sure how it will do long term so we will have to wait and see with that but considering I could likely buy 3 of those saws for what I am pretty sure the cost of fixing my stihl will be, I think I may test this out further.

Here are a picture of the saw and a video I did about it.

]]> <![CDATA[Is this 20 watt solar kit worth $35?]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=15 Sat, 16 Mar 2024 18:03:18 -0600 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=15

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]]> <![CDATA[Is the new Harbor Freight Thunderbolt 1.5w solar panel better than the old one?]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=14 Fri, 15 Mar 2024 18:34:37 -0600 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=14
[Image: hfthumbold.jpg]

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]]> <![CDATA[Testing the claim that tealight candles can be used to boil water in emergency]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=13 Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:09:47 -0600 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=13

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]]> <![CDATA[Comparing the Dokio vs Eco-Worthy portable 100w solar panel kits for off-grid, cabin]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=12 Sat, 09 Mar 2024 15:15:06 -0700 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=12 I had purchased two different portable solar panel kits for use with charging portable power banks when I couldn't have access to grid power. The first one I purchased was the Dokio kit and it is a decent kit. It comes with a solar charge controller as well as a bunch of cables and adapters. I also have a lot of power adapter ends from universal kits I purchased from Amazon in the past so I can charge various things with different size and style inputs. I ended up making each of the panel kits to be able to charge both the power banks you see in the picture below. The eco-worthy kit I had purchased not too long ago and it doesn't come with a solar charge controller but it does come with a lot of cables and adapters.

The Dokio kit uses SAE to XT60 cables and the Eco-Worthy kit uses MC4/universal cables so that may help in your decision of what is right for you. I prefer the Eco-Worthy for that reason and it is also much more rugged and a little smaller than the Dokio kit. Also the Eco-Worthy kit has pins on that back of each side you can use for stand legs. The Dokio kit does not and requires you to buy their stands for them separately.

If you watch the video below you will see the kits in better detail.

No affiliated links for products below. I purchased them for my own use.
Dokio:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Eco-Worthy:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

]]> I had purchased two different portable solar panel kits for use with charging portable power banks when I couldn't have access to grid power. The first one I purchased was the Dokio kit and it is a decent kit. It comes with a solar charge controller as well as a bunch of cables and adapters. I also have a lot of power adapter ends from universal kits I purchased from Amazon in the past so I can charge various things with different size and style inputs. I ended up making each of the panel kits to be able to charge both the power banks you see in the picture below. The eco-worthy kit I had purchased not too long ago and it doesn't come with a solar charge controller but it does come with a lot of cables and adapters.

The Dokio kit uses SAE to XT60 cables and the Eco-Worthy kit uses MC4/universal cables so that may help in your decision of what is right for you. I prefer the Eco-Worthy for that reason and it is also much more rugged and a little smaller than the Dokio kit. Also the Eco-Worthy kit has pins on that back of each side you can use for stand legs. The Dokio kit does not and requires you to buy their stands for them separately.

If you watch the video below you will see the kits in better detail.

No affiliated links for products below. I purchased them for my own use.
Dokio:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Eco-Worthy:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

]]> <![CDATA[2 year review of Vogelzang VG1820 Woodstove Insert]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=11 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:54:18 -0700 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=11
The first thing I noticed when getting ready to burn off for the first time was that there was a ton of smoke and crap burning off the stove on first use. I put the stove out and pulled out the manual to read first burn information. They stated to do 3 burns to cure the paint and burn off remnants on stove. First one for 250 degrees for 20 minutes and let cool, second one the same, and third one was 500 degrees and let cool. This stove burnt off so much smoke during that burn off it was awful. I have never had a stove that did that much. However, it has been fine ever since and the finish has held up well.

The other issue I ran into was the surround itself not working how it came from factory. This was not manufactures fault but a space issue with where it was being installed. So where the stove had to sit the surround came too far towards the front of the stove and covered the damper lever on the right side. So I cut the material on the surround and added hinges and a knob to have an access door. It works and looks like it was made for the surround.

Overall it has been a good stove for this location and has kept the place warm in cold weather so I can't complain. It does its job. The only annoying thing is that it also pings a great deal with heating up or cooling down. Our other insert stove at home barely makes a sound once it is warm. Considering the cost of this one was the same as the one we have at home I don't think I would buy it again and would work to find one more like the other one.

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The first thing I noticed when getting ready to burn off for the first time was that there was a ton of smoke and crap burning off the stove on first use. I put the stove out and pulled out the manual to read first burn information. They stated to do 3 burns to cure the paint and burn off remnants on stove. First one for 250 degrees for 20 minutes and let cool, second one the same, and third one was 500 degrees and let cool. This stove burnt off so much smoke during that burn off it was awful. I have never had a stove that did that much. However, it has been fine ever since and the finish has held up well.

The other issue I ran into was the surround itself not working how it came from factory. This was not manufactures fault but a space issue with where it was being installed. So where the stove had to sit the surround came too far towards the front of the stove and covered the damper lever on the right side. So I cut the material on the surround and added hinges and a knob to have an access door. It works and looks like it was made for the surround.

Overall it has been a good stove for this location and has kept the place warm in cold weather so I can't complain. It does its job. The only annoying thing is that it also pings a great deal with heating up or cooling down. Our other insert stove at home barely makes a sound once it is warm. Considering the cost of this one was the same as the one we have at home I don't think I would buy it again and would work to find one more like the other one.

]]> <![CDATA[Making a cheap old Craftsman hatchet a much better hatchet]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=10 Wed, 28 Feb 2024 19:19:31 -0700 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=10
I didn't care for the finish on the handle and the poly/lacquer type shiny finish because it made it slippery and can give blisters over time. That was pretty easily fixed by removing that and putting lindseed oil on it. I also filed the hatchet head on the cutting edge to take off metal and make the cutting shape better. Then used sharpening stones to give it a sharp edge like a knife. Then I needed to make a sheath out of extra leather pieces I had. Overall it came out well and now I will use it instead of my Fiskars hatchet. Didn't take long to do, used basically inexpensive tools and things I had lying around was not an expensive hatchet to begin with. I detail a little more in the video what was done to it.

First picture shows what the hatchet looked like before I started doing any work to it.

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I didn't care for the finish on the handle and the poly/lacquer type shiny finish because it made it slippery and can give blisters over time. That was pretty easily fixed by removing that and putting lindseed oil on it. I also filed the hatchet head on the cutting edge to take off metal and make the cutting shape better. Then used sharpening stones to give it a sharp edge like a knife. Then I needed to make a sheath out of extra leather pieces I had. Overall it came out well and now I will use it instead of my Fiskars hatchet. Didn't take long to do, used basically inexpensive tools and things I had lying around was not an expensive hatchet to begin with. I detail a little more in the video what was done to it.

First picture shows what the hatchet looked like before I started doing any work to it.

]]> <![CDATA[Experimenting and testing various small solar setups, 12v shop lights and inverters]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=9 Sat, 24 Feb 2024 10:57:48 -0700 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=9
I am by no means a solar expert but have been testing smaller setups seeing what works well and what doesn't. I have been increasing solar setup sizes and will be doing a hybrid solar/wind turbine setup at the lake this summer. So keep in mind you need to do your own due diligence and research when setting up your own systems. There are so many variables at play such as solar panels, 12, 24 or 48v systems, different controllers, wire gauge sizes, etc that will affect how well your system works and what your needs are.

I will actually be pulling the current 200 watt panel and two 100ah batteries from this setup and going back to the HF old panels and three 18ah battery bank for the shop since it is a testing setup and that setup works well for just the lighting I need.

In the video below it is a little long because I start going over the setup in the shop but then give information about the lights used, amount of watts they draw, different inverters etc and give information of what you could expect for light run times based on the battery bank size and battery type at the end of the video.

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I am by no means a solar expert but have been testing smaller setups seeing what works well and what doesn't. I have been increasing solar setup sizes and will be doing a hybrid solar/wind turbine setup at the lake this summer. So keep in mind you need to do your own due diligence and research when setting up your own systems. There are so many variables at play such as solar panels, 12, 24 or 48v systems, different controllers, wire gauge sizes, etc that will affect how well your system works and what your needs are.

I will actually be pulling the current 200 watt panel and two 100ah batteries from this setup and going back to the HF old panels and three 18ah battery bank for the shop since it is a testing setup and that setup works well for just the lighting I need.

In the video below it is a little long because I start going over the setup in the shop but then give information about the lights used, amount of watts they draw, different inverters etc and give information of what you could expect for light run times based on the battery bank size and battery type at the end of the video.

]]> <![CDATA[EG4 Hybrid Solar Mini-Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump AC/DC 12000 BTU]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=8 Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:46:46 -0700 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=8
The mini-split itself was pretty easy to install and mount. Lots of good video tutorials out there for anyone who wants to tackle it. Just be sure you angle your drain line down and be very careful with moving or bending your copper lines. Once it was mounted and I built a stand for the main outside unit all I had to do was run the solar power to it. I purchased and installed a breaker box for the solar as you can see in the pictures. I started with 6 24v 240w solar panels but ended up doing 8. They are in a horrible spot and only temporary so they don't get the right amount of sun to run this unit fully on solar. It also happens to be winter so sun is not as strong.

Once I got the unit connected and left the vacuum pump and gauges for 24 hours with no movement I was comfortable the setup was all good. I connected the solar to the unit and had a temporary AC power connected to the unit. If I keep the setup permanently there I will have a permanent AC setup done. I was able to fire up the unit with the remote given and test out all features for heat and cooling. I then downloaded the app to my phone for the units and was now able to watch how much is being drawn from solar and compensated by AC power when not enough watts coming from solar. If you see the photos below the first one is on cooling (which takes less watts to run than heat) and I had only 6 panels at that time hooked up and leaves still on trees. Was getting almost no solar power to unit and barely hitting 100 watts. The second one is from a cloudy day a few days ago with 8 panels and no leaves on tree but winter sun. This is cold NE winters so solar isn't ideal. As you can see it was ranging from 250 to 300 watts drawing from solar and the rest from AC power. I would expect with proper placement of panels getting direct sunlight I should be able to run that unit during normal sun days from just 6 panels but would likely use 8 to be sure.

I am actually pleased with the unit and may end up keeping it in its current location and ordering the 9k DIY unit for NH. It is nice to be able to offset the normal power usage it would take from grid power and run solar panels. If you have an off grid setup you would just tie your AC side into your battery bank inverter setup. The unit has a built in inverter system for the solar DC side so it would run directly from panels for whatever draw you can get and then draw the rest from your battery bank setup. It is actually a very nice setup.

The links below are for the new DIY 12k and 9k units that don't require you to do a vacuum of the lines:

EG4 Hybrid Solar Mini-Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump AC/DC | 12000 BTU

EG4 9K Mini-Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump | 9000 BTU |

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The mini-split itself was pretty easy to install and mount. Lots of good video tutorials out there for anyone who wants to tackle it. Just be sure you angle your drain line down and be very careful with moving or bending your copper lines. Once it was mounted and I built a stand for the main outside unit all I had to do was run the solar power to it. I purchased and installed a breaker box for the solar as you can see in the pictures. I started with 6 24v 240w solar panels but ended up doing 8. They are in a horrible spot and only temporary so they don't get the right amount of sun to run this unit fully on solar. It also happens to be winter so sun is not as strong.

Once I got the unit connected and left the vacuum pump and gauges for 24 hours with no movement I was comfortable the setup was all good. I connected the solar to the unit and had a temporary AC power connected to the unit. If I keep the setup permanently there I will have a permanent AC setup done. I was able to fire up the unit with the remote given and test out all features for heat and cooling. I then downloaded the app to my phone for the units and was now able to watch how much is being drawn from solar and compensated by AC power when not enough watts coming from solar. If you see the photos below the first one is on cooling (which takes less watts to run than heat) and I had only 6 panels at that time hooked up and leaves still on trees. Was getting almost no solar power to unit and barely hitting 100 watts. The second one is from a cloudy day a few days ago with 8 panels and no leaves on tree but winter sun. This is cold NE winters so solar isn't ideal. As you can see it was ranging from 250 to 300 watts drawing from solar and the rest from AC power. I would expect with proper placement of panels getting direct sunlight I should be able to run that unit during normal sun days from just 6 panels but would likely use 8 to be sure.

I am actually pleased with the unit and may end up keeping it in its current location and ordering the 9k DIY unit for NH. It is nice to be able to offset the normal power usage it would take from grid power and run solar panels. If you have an off grid setup you would just tie your AC side into your battery bank inverter setup. The unit has a built in inverter system for the solar DC side so it would run directly from panels for whatever draw you can get and then draw the rest from your battery bank setup. It is actually a very nice setup.

The links below are for the new DIY 12k and 9k units that don't require you to do a vacuum of the lines:

EG4 Hybrid Solar Mini-Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump AC/DC | 12000 BTU

EG4 9K Mini-Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump | 9000 BTU |

]]> <![CDATA[EG4 BrightMount Solar Panel Ground Mount Rack Kit]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=7 Fri, 23 Feb 2024 12:39:23 -0700 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=7
EG4 BrightMount Solar Panel Ground Mount Rack Kit

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EG4 BrightMount Solar Panel Ground Mount Rack Kit

]]> <![CDATA[Winter water supply at the lake when the main water setup is shut down due to cold.]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=6 Thu, 22 Feb 2024 16:42:13 -0700 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=6
I use a 12v RV water pump and used water grade plastic hose wrapped in foam insulation and then buried that goes down into the water. I am not sure how it will fair during dead of winter when lake gets frozen over but I will know very soon. That RV pump then feeds a split valve that sends cold water directly to the faucet and then feeds the hot water tank under the sink. That is a small electric one I purchased at Home Depot many years ago and ended up replacing it after the first test because it leaked a little around the pressure release valve. The one in the video is the new one. Normally you need a foot valve on you water supply from the lake to keep the water from going back into the lake and breaking the prime seal in the jet pump but with this setup the RV pump is self priming and holds pressure. So the end of that hose has a filter on it instead of a foot valve making it easier to winterize that water line when leaving. The setup works very well. I have a couple of Lifep04 batteries there but also large lead acid ones for the boat trolling motors so I can use those under the sink for power.

It is really a huge difference having that water supply instead of fancy camping in the winter.

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I use a 12v RV water pump and used water grade plastic hose wrapped in foam insulation and then buried that goes down into the water. I am not sure how it will fair during dead of winter when lake gets frozen over but I will know very soon. That RV pump then feeds a split valve that sends cold water directly to the faucet and then feeds the hot water tank under the sink. That is a small electric one I purchased at Home Depot many years ago and ended up replacing it after the first test because it leaked a little around the pressure release valve. The one in the video is the new one. Normally you need a foot valve on you water supply from the lake to keep the water from going back into the lake and breaking the prime seal in the jet pump but with this setup the RV pump is self priming and holds pressure. So the end of that hose has a filter on it instead of a foot valve making it easier to winterize that water line when leaving. The setup works very well. I have a couple of Lifep04 batteries there but also large lead acid ones for the boat trolling motors so I can use those under the sink for power.

It is really a huge difference having that water supply instead of fancy camping in the winter.

]]> <![CDATA[Made a boat for Christmas Teddy from a 1958 Ford Fairlane Custom 300 hood ornament.]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=5 Thu, 22 Feb 2024 12:05:33 -0700 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=5

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]]> <![CDATA[Lake solar charging station for trolling batteries and power tool batteries for $200]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=4 Thu, 22 Feb 2024 11:18:31 -0700 cstockwell]]> https://wishiknewthis.com/showthread.php?tid=4

The below links are clickable to take you to the products.

HarborFreight Thunderbolt 100w 12v Solar Panel $120
Thunderbolt Solar Power Connection Cable Kit $14.00
500w Power Inverter $30.00
12v Battery Monitor $10.00
Renogy Wanderer 10A Solar Charge Controller $18.00

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The below links are clickable to take you to the products.

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