On 8/15/2015 1:08 PM, Derald wrote:
George Shirley wrote:

I also bought several extra trays that I found at a thrift
store for about five bucks for the lot. I'm not cheap, just thrifty. G
Tell me about it. Both dryers and all the additional trays came
from thrift stores or yard sales. Post Y2k finds.
snip

If you're just starting out keep a watchful eye on the machine as some
of them can really dehydrate something fast. Dear wife uses it
occasionally and always forgets to keep an eye on the process, thence
producing really dry something or the other that is no longer edible. I
tried drying some diced onion once and we cried for an hour so quit
doing that.
Oops, I didn't mention temperature control. When they first came
to live with us, the dryers ran hot but were consistent so that with a
little experience usng the tool a person could compensate, I suppose.
However, off/on range was too far from the desired temperature to suit
me. Consistency of temperature control becomes more important as the
food gets drier. What I did was file the bimetal contact to narrow the
range and then bend the base contact until temperature was consistently
closer to the dial indication. The side effect, of course, is that
early in the drying process, temperature might be somewhat lower than
indicated but additional accuracy toward the end compensates by reducing
the risk of overdrying. An old skimmer has to have spent at least one
day working for the MA in the laundry. Remember watching the
thermometers on the dryers? The clothes were dry enough for the Nav
when the temp started rising rapidly.

I think I was many years before your service Derald. We had folks that
washed and dried our clothes for us. When I was a young airman and up
through third class Yeoman I washed and dried my own clothing in the
basement of the barracks at Pax River. Worse thing that ever happened is
some jerk decided to add a red shirt to my load of undress whites, hence
pink uniforms. Had to go buy more bleach and get my knuckles repaired at
the hospital.

Boot camp in Dago in 1957 we washed our clothes on a concrete table with
a scrub brush and strong soap, rinsed, and then ran them up a line
attached to a tall pole. Hundreds of sets of skivvie drawers flying in
the wind. I don't miss those days but most of my mates have gone to
their reward since then.

Just got a weather alert for severe thunderstorms, we can only wish that
it is true, it's over 100F outside at the moment and the clouds we can
see are all white. Weather experts my back end.