Corn Cob Blasting

Thursday's Edge: These heroes need supersizing

With the latest batch of comic-book characters hitting theaters this summer, we thought we'd compile a list of costumed crusaders who probably won't make the Hollywood cut.

Blow-Hard
Can generate gale-force winds with his mind. He uses a corncob pipe to focus this power, which, in our opinion, inhales rather than blows.

The Dude in the Really Rad Armor
We're not sure where this name came from, but the Dude apparently exists as four separate beings. Bet you can guess which one fires energy blasts.

Matter-Eater Lad
Has super-strong teeth and digestive powers. Eats through stone, iron, wood and any other material (sort of like Uncle Edgester's dog).

The Legion of Substitute Heroes
All applicants rejected by the Legion of Super-Heroes. Members include Antennae Lad, who can tune into any broadcast from any era, but mostly at random; Porcupine Pete, who shoots quills from his body but not accurately; Infectious Lass, who fights the enemy by generating infectious diseases (and has lousy aim); and Bouncing Boy, who inflates like a ball and bounces.

And a Batman joke
Out in the desert, Batman and Robin pitch a tent and fall asleep. Hours later, Batman wakes his trusty sidekick and asks him to look up at the sky and tell him what he sees.

Robin says, "Millions of stars."
"And what does that tell you?" Batman asks.

Robin ponders. "Astronomically speaking," he says, "it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Chronologically, it appears to be about a quarter past three. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.
 What does it tell you, Batman?"

Batman is silent for a moment, then says: "Robin, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent.

| Awesome Info | The Best Approach towards Log Home Blasting |

The Best Approach towards Log Home Blasting

One of the first steps in log home restoration is removing the old exterior surface of the logs with mildew or rotting issues.

There are actually three methods to do the stripping off of log surfaces to prepare them for staining. However, although all methods are good enough to achieve the objective of any log home restoration expert there will always be one that outdoes the others because of many factors. These methods are sand blasting, chemical stripping, and cob blasting.

Obviously, the ones that are most effective are those that involve the use of chemicals. There are also some who still perform sand blasting. However, if your concern is to keep the blasting process as dry as possible then the best method would cob blasting. Below are some of the reasons why corn cob blasting is the best approach to remove an old finish from the logs.

1.    It is free from harmful chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency or EPA has made the use of the most effective chemicals for log home blasting illegal because of the damage they cause not only to those who apply them on the logs but also to the owners of the house or the neighbourhood. There are log home restoration companies which still offer the use of chemicals but with milder contents because their workers still believe in their efficiency. However, it has been a practice for most companies to heavily rely on cob blasting because some of the houses they work on are located near lakes or rivers.

2.    Chemical stripping is not a dry process. After applying the chemicals to the logs, you have to wait till the standard dwell time is over in order to have them absorbed pretty well before pressure washing it to remove the chemicals. Also, the dwell time depends on the finish to be removed. You already know what this means. When you apply water to your logs, it increases the risk for moisture to build up, which you also know can result to rots.

3.    Both sand blasting and chemical stripping could be damaging to the log house. Sand blasting can blow away too much good wood. It also damages the profiles of the logs. As for chemical stripping that calls for pressure washing, there is always the potential that water can get into the interiors of the house. Of course you would not want because that would be messy. As for cob blasting, the worst thing the inside of your home can get is dust which is naturally easier to clean than water.

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