Further to an earlier post, Janet Barraclough (I think?) said she dealt
with weeds on her driveway and other paths with a flame-thrower rather
than chemicals.
I rather like the sound of it, and have found somethign called the Weed
Wizard, a small hand-held flamethrower which operates with a small
bottle of butane, for what seems a reasonable cost of €39.
Bearing in mind the huge cost of Pathclear for the surface I need to
treat, the fact that it is a toxic chemical, and that it is making
little enough impression - except stunting their growth - on my weeds
this time of year, I am very tempted by this tool. It also has the
potential of being used even in beds (plant beds, that is...).
Has anyone else here any experience of this tool? Is it any good? How
widely available are the small butane bottles? How dear are they?
Thank you for any helpful comment!

Cat(h)
Herds twirl slow...

Cat(h) wrote:
Further to an earlier post, Janet Barraclough (I think?) said she
dealt with weeds on her driveway and other paths with a
flame-thrower
rather than chemicals.
I rather like the sound of it, and have found somethign called the
Weed Wizard, a small hand-held flamethrower which operates with a
small bottle of butane, for what seems a reasonable cost of ?39.
Bearing in mind the huge cost of Pathclear for the surface I need
to
treat, the fact that it is a toxic chemical, and that it is making
little enough impression - except stunting their growth - on my
weeds
this time of year, I am very tempted by this tool. It also has the
potential of being used even in beds (plant beds, that is...).
Has anyone else here any experience of this tool? Is it any good?
How widely available are the small butane bottles? How dear are
they?
Thank you for any helpful comment!

I don't know the particular model you mention, but the rule here is
not "Small is beautiful", but "Small is absolutely lousy". In my own
experience, big isn't much better, either, though I know some people
are happy with flame guns. (My mother criticises my vacuum-cleaning
technique, as I rush the job: maybe I'm the same with
flame-throwers.) I don't like the sound of "small butane bottles":
the stuff is pricey, especially in little packets, so I bet that
would make it more expensive than a chemical treatment. And I'm
usually among the last to recommend herbicides.

--
Mike.

"Cat(h)" wrote in message
oups.com...
Further to an earlier post, Janet Barraclough (I think?) said she dealt
with weeds on her driveway and other paths with a flame-thrower rather
than chemicals.
I rather like the sound of it, and have found somethign called the Weed
Wizard, a small hand-held flamethrower which operates with a small
bottle of butane, for what seems a reasonable cost of ?39.
Bearing in mind the huge cost of Pathclear for the surface I need to
treat, the fact that it is a toxic chemical, and that it is making
little enough impression - except stunting their growth - on my weeds
this time of year, I am very tempted by this tool. It also has the
potential of being used even in beds (plant beds, that is...).
Has anyone else here any experience of this tool? Is it any good? How
widely available are the small butane bottles? How dear are they?
Thank you for any helpful comment!

£39 is extremely over the top. £11-12 at the budget shops, inc a can of gas.

The butane or propane or butane/propane mix (all are suitable) are widely
available for blowlamps etc, you'll get them at car accessory shops etc.

It's a handy tool in that you can spare your back whilst using it standing
up, but if greenness is your aim, what you gain by not using toxic chemicals
you lose by using hydrocarbons. Your choice.

Steve

shazzbat wrote:

"Cat(h)" wrote in message
oups.com...
Further to an earlier post, Janet Barraclough (I think?) said she dealt
with weeds on her driveway and other paths with a flame-thrower rather
than chemicals.
I rather like the sound of it, and have found somethign called the Weed
Wizard, a small hand-held flamethrower which operates with a small
bottle of butane, for what seems a reasonable cost of ?39.
Bearing in mind the huge cost of Pathclear for the surface I need to
treat, the fact that it is a toxic chemical, and that it is making
little enough impression - except stunting their growth - on my weeds
this time of year, I am very tempted by this tool. It also has the
potential of being used even in beds (plant beds, that is...).
Has anyone else here any experience of this tool? Is it any good? How
widely available are the small butane bottles? How dear are they?
Thank you for any helpful comment!

£39 is extremely over the top. £11-12 at the budget shops, inc a can of gas.

€39, not £39. That's about £26 - special offer, down from €59
(lucky me), not including the gas canister.
Welcome to Rip Off Ireland :-)


The butane or propane or butane/propane mix (all are suitable) are widely
available for blowlamps etc, you'll get them at car accessory shops etc.

It's a handy tool in that you can spare your back whilst using it standing
up, but if greenness is your aim, what you gain by not using toxic chemicals
you lose by using hydrocarbons. Your choice.

I am not fanatical about my greenness, and have been known to eat
things that throw shadows...
I still prefer the idea of flame to that of dousing the ground
repeatedly with chemicals.

Cat(h)
Herds twirl slow...

Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message .com
from "Cat(h)" contains these words:

Further to an earlier post, Janet Barraclough (I think?) said she dealt
with weeds on her driveway and other paths with a flame-thrower rather
than chemicals.

I hope I said flamegun :-)

You did. But it just didn't have quite the same ring to it...


Mine is made by Sheen, model X300...(it came with a deflector-hood
and wheels, but I found both more trouble than they're worth.) You'll
find them for sale on the internet. It has been such a successful garden
tool, the design hasn't really changed in decades. Flame-gun sounds a
lot fiercer and more perilous than a girlie "wand", but I find it very
easy and controllable to use..works on the same principle as a primus
stove. I bought mine second hand (ex-hire) for 15 quid, well over 20
years ago, and it still works perfectly; they are pretty much
indestructible so you may be able to find a 2nd hand bargain too.

Afaik from comments on urg, the gas flame wands run out of fuel
pretty soon. With the Sheen, I find that a gallon of parrafin burns for
just over half an hour which is long enough for most purposes I require.

Thanks for all that, Janet. I'll go do some research.

Thanks to all others, too, who have been generous with their expert
opinion.

Cat(h)
Herds twirl slow...

SNIP

?39, not £39. That's about £26 - special offer, down from ?59
(lucky me), not including the gas canister.
Welcome to Rip Off Ireland :-)

Ah, so that was a euro sign? It came out as a question mark on my screen, I
was wondering about that :-))

Steve

On 23/11/05 4:07 pm, in article
, "Cat(h)"
wrote:

snip

€39, not £39. That's about £26 - special offer, down from €59
(lucky me), not including the gas canister.
Welcome to Rip Off Ireland :-)

I'm guessing that's meant to be Euros but what I'm getting is a little black
dot and the figures following that. It might be better for you if you spell
out the Euro bit.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Sacha wrote:

On 23/11/05 4:07 pm, in article
, "Cat(h)"
wrote:

snip

€39, not £39. That's about £26 - special offer, down from €59
(lucky me), not including the gas canister.
Welcome to Rip Off Ireland :-)

I'm guessing that's meant to be Euros but what I'm getting is a little black
dot and the figures following that. It might be better for you if you spell
out the Euro bit.
--

I'll know for future reference.
Isn't it pathetic, though, that many servers and other computersy
things I am utterly illiterate about are not equipped to deal with a
major world currency which is legal tender since 2001?
Grumble.

Cat(h)
Herds twirl slow...

On 23/11/05 5:08 pm, in article
, "Cat(h)"
wrote:


Sacha wrote:

On 23/11/05 4:07 pm, in article
, "Cat(h)"
wrote:

snip

€39, not £39. That's about £26 - special offer, down from €59
(lucky me), not including the gas canister.
Welcome to Rip Off Ireland :-)

I'm guessing that's meant to be Euros but what I'm getting is a little black
dot and the figures following that. It might be better for you if you spell
out the Euro bit.
--

I'll know for future reference.
Isn't it pathetic, though, that many servers and other computersy
things I am utterly illiterate about are not equipped to deal with a
major world currency which is legal tender since 2001?
Grumble.

Yes. ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

major world currency which is legal tender since 2001?


Is it that long ago?

I was in Sicily when the Euro came in and it was quite comical to see the
locals at the 'Hole in the wall' looking at the "New Money"

And of information to one and all. If you want a really good 'local time fun
and games', see the New Year in, in Sicily. We stayed in Taromina and got to
know the locals really well :-))

More details? email me :-))

Mike

"Sacha" wrote in message
.uk...
On 23/11/05 5:08 pm, in article
, "Cat(h)"
wrote:


Sacha wrote:

On 23/11/05 4:07 pm, in article
, "Cat(h)"
wrote:

snip

?39, not £39. That's about £26 - special offer, down from ?59
(lucky me), not including the gas canister.
Welcome to Rip Off Ireland :-)

I'm guessing that's meant to be Euros but what I'm getting is a little
black
dot and the figures following that. It might be better for you if you
spell
out the Euro bit.
--

I'll know for future reference.
Isn't it pathetic, though, that many servers and other computersy
things I am utterly illiterate about are not equipped to deal with a
major world currency which is legal tender since 2001?
Grumble.

Yes. ;-)
--

Especially since Excel etc have the euro as an option in the currency
department.

Actually I've just discovered that the 4 key on my keyboard has a $ sign if
you press the shift key, and there's a euro sign to the right of the 4, but
I can't find how to make it work. Ctrl doesn't do it.

Steve

Cat(h) wrote:
Further to an earlier post, Janet Barraclough (I think?) said she dealt
with weeds on her driveway and other paths with a flame-thrower rather
than chemicals.
I rather like the sound of it, and have found somethign called the Weed
Wizard, a small hand-held flamethrower which operates with a small
bottle of butane, for what seems a reasonable cost of €39.
Bearing in mind the huge cost of Pathclear for the surface I need to
treat, the fact that it is a toxic chemical, and that it is making
little enough impression - except stunting their growth - on my weeds
this time of year, I am very tempted by this tool. It also has the
potential of being used even in beds (plant beds, that is...).
Has anyone else here any experience of this tool? Is it any good? How
widely available are the small butane bottles? How dear are they?
Thank you for any helpful comment!

Cat(h)
Herds twirl slow...


I was stupid enough to buy one (not that brand). It's very useful for
lighting the barbecue (nothing else)!

shazzbat wrote:

Actually I've just discovered that the 4 key on my keyboard has a $ sign if
you press the shift key, and there's a euro sign to the right of the 4, but
I can't find how to make it work. Ctrl doesn't do it.

Steve


Alt Gr, to the right of your space bar!

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...

"Sacha" wrote in message
.uk...
On 23/11/05 5:08 pm, in article
, "Cat(h)"
wrote:


Sacha wrote:

On 23/11/05 4:07 pm, in article
, "Cat(h)"
wrote:

snip

?39, not £39. That's about £26 - special offer, down from ?59
(lucky me), not including the gas canister.
Welcome to Rip Off Ireland :-)

I'm guessing that's meant to be Euros but what I'm getting is a little
black
dot and the figures following that. It might be better for you if you
spell
out the Euro bit.
--

I'll know for future reference.
Isn't it pathetic, though, that many servers and other computersy
things I am utterly illiterate about are not equipped to deal with a
major world currency which is legal tender since 2001?
Grumble.

Yes. ;-)
--

Especially since Excel etc have the euro as an option in the currency
department.

Actually I've just discovered that the 4 key on my keyboard has a $ sign
if you press the shift key, and there's a euro sign to the right of the 4,
but I can't find how to make it work. Ctrl doesn't do it.

Steve
Ctrl-Alt gives €

On Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:46:51 -0000, "shazzbat"

snip
... Actually I've just discovered that the 4 key on my keyboard has a $ sign if
... you press the shift key, and there's a euro sign to the right of the 4, but
... I can't find how to make it work. Ctrl doesn't do it.
...
... Steve
...

Try the "Alt Gr" key instead of the shift key


Mike