# Stump removal advice!



## BassAddict (May 5, 2015)

Im trying to remove an old stump from my yard. My first idea was to just wack the crap out of it with an hatchet, thinking it was mostly rotted and would fall apart...... But turns out the center was still intact and would burn nicely. . This seams like a easier option to me and a lot more fun!!! Figured I'd ask the experts first tho since I have made a string of bad decisions when it comes to fire lately. Would lighting said stump be a wise method of removal?


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (May 5, 2015)

It takes a good fire to burn out a stump. I burned a couple old pine and cedar stumps out this past fall and it took days for each one.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (May 5, 2015)

I rented a stump grinder last year to get rid of a stump that was in line with a retaining wall I was building. 
The stump was underground so no one knew it was there. I ground it as low as the machine would let me but it wasn't low enough so I widened the trench enough to get the grinder down in it and ground the stump down low enough to build the wall.


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## Johnny (May 5, 2015)

are you in the city limits ?
how close is your nearest neighbor?
is there a "no burn" in effect in your county?

yes, the way my neighbor does it is to put a big of charcoal on it and burn it out.
couple of lawn chairs, some cold brew, hot dogs for the kids, that'll work right there.
The object is add fuel TO the stump, don't use the stump as fuel.
Pouring accelerant onto it over and over is just wasting your fuel and time.
slow HOT burn will do the trick nicely. If you have a big steel ring or half of a steel 55 gl drum 
to make a fire ring, that will contain your fire as well as add the ambiance to the cookout.

True story:
when I was a kid, (1960) my dad was helping his uncle blast some stumps with dynamite
after a storm knocked down some big trees.
There was this huge black walnut stump that they first tried with the tractor.
then, 1/4 stick of dynamite - didn't budge it..
another 1/4 stick - bunch of smoke and some dirt. same result.
we went way back into the field, full stick of dynamite - - - 
*BOOM !!!* the core of that stump went straight up, and up, and up and up - - - 
then, came down, and down and down and down - - - 
like in slow motion - landed on the front porch roof.
Granny came running out raising hell and screaming.
funniest thing I have ever seen since then !!!
But, could have been a totally different devastating day if it had been 15-20 feet over into the house.

but yes, get the green wood hot enough with the charcoal and it will burn right out.
It may take a couple of evenings, but, it can be a fun family time also.


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## duckfish (May 5, 2015)

10 - 15 lbs of Tannerite from local sporting goods store, 1 round of any caliber .223 or larger. Done deal.

Seriously tho, rental stump grinders work well. Don't have the patience for burning them out. I've rented a grinder and ground several out of my yard when I didn't feel like making the big mess of digging them out and I say that owning machines from 17,000 lbs - 68,000 lbs perfectly capable of digging them out.


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## JMichael (May 5, 2015)

If you are allowed to burn where you are, that would be the cheapest method but it is also the method that takes a lot of time. Renting a stump grinder would be the the way to if you don't mind the rental fee and you can pull the trailer that it comes on when you rent it. Most rental places I've dealt with will require you to have a half ton or larger truck to tow it with. I burned out a 4' diameter pecan and a 4.5' diameter hackberry last year. I used some of the seasoned split pecan to build a fire over each stump. Once I had a decent bed of coals going, I fired up my backpack blower and fed them all the air they could stand. It took several rounds of this to get them burned out.


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## lovedr79 (May 6, 2015)

burn it! you can get some liquid mess that accelerates the rotting process. never used it though.


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## Captain Ahab (May 6, 2015)




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## Johnny (May 6, 2015)

OH WOW !!! I just had a thought about the BACK PACK BLOWER !!!!

WHAT IF - - - - you tape on a piece of light weight metal tube to the end of the blower......
like a 2 or 3" ventilation pipe about 4 ft long.
affix a wad of cloth around the very tip end, wire it on good, soak it with diesel fuel or kerosene,
and oh yeah, strike a match to it !!!!

of course not good for burning up a stump LOL LOL but it _has_ to have some kind of usefulness. 

(and yes, I put my empty aerosol cans in the fire) 



ok, hate to cut it short, but gotta run - - - I have an appointment with my therapist


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## onthewater102 (May 6, 2015)

Burning it is probably your best bet - when you grind a stump level to the ground or slightly below there's still plenty of organic matter down there to rot, and when it does it will create a depression wherever the remnants of the stump are. Burn it out and it's gone and you can fill the void then and there and be done with it.

Get a fire going on and around it and grab a small floor fan, hook it up on an extension cord and aim it at the bed of coals under the fire. It'll burn hotter than Hades, which is what you want for burning beneath the surface so it can cook off all the moisture down there and really allow the stump to burn. You'll have to keep feeding it wood, but after you get a good bed of coals with the fan on there just about any shit will burn for you so if you have a lot of crap to get rid of in the yard it'll be a good time to do so.

Have fun!


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## Captain Ahab (May 6, 2015)

BA - I have a big can of gunpowder you can have - please video


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## BassAddict (May 6, 2015)

Captain Ahab said:


> BA - I have a big can of gunpowder you can have - please video


Isn't it nap time at the nursing home that you reside in?


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## Captain Ahab (May 6, 2015)




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## WaterWaif (May 6, 2015)

Takes a lot of burnin.
I have used a steel drum too. About the top third,cut below reinforcing ring.
I have dug them out too. A young mans game.
Using a hose can soften hard earth if needed. Dig under roots to get heat under them.
Some folks just surround the stump with what ever steel sheeting they can get and dump bags of charcoal around the stump.
Grandpa used to burn them out. About a case of beer a night with his buddies for a couple few nights. =D>


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## BassAddict (May 6, 2015)

Thanks for the stump advice all, but I ended up digging it out because BA and fire don't mix!


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## Captain Ahab (May 6, 2015)

That was all of 2" in diameter and from a rose bush - sheesh


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## WaterWaif (May 6, 2015)

Well, if it was that small it could have been blown with a firecracker.
You could practice for next time B.A.!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMXpnTJ1Lx4


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## Insanity (May 9, 2015)

Barefoot_Johnny said:


> OH WOW !!! I just had a thought about the BACK PACK BLOWER !!!!
> 
> WHAT IF - - - - you tape on a piece of light weight metal tube to the end of the blower......
> like a 2 or 3" ventilation pipe about 4 ft long.
> ...



Try a full can of paint next time. And at night time. 
Its worth the 4 or 5 bucks if you record it. :mrgreen: 
I used to have an old bug sprayer that leaked a drop out the end ever second or two. It was just enough to light it and have it stay burning if filled with gas. It made a heck of a flame thrower for clearing fence rows.


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## JMichael (May 10, 2015)

Insanity said:


> Try a full can of paint next time. And at night time.
> Its worth the 4 or 5 bucks if you record it. :mrgreen:


One of my sisters neighbor up in PA has a routine he does every 4th of July. He'll go out and but up about 2 cases of the cheapest spray paint he can find. Then he sprays about 1/3 of the contents out of each can. The night of the 4th, he'll build a big fire in his yard and toss the cans in one at a time and wait for them to explode. He lives about 300 yards from my sisters house and we can watch the fireballs go up above the tree tops from her house. He's full blown crazy if you ask me. :lol:


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## onthewater102 (May 11, 2015)

funny thing tends to happen when METAL cans explode...bits of metal go everywhere


When I was in college the local fu<ktards were having a party and one of them thought it would be fun to throw a keg in a fire that was burning in an old steel barrel. Keg blew, barrel blew, about a dozen or so ended up in the hospital, one in the refrigerated section. Call the police on that @$$clown the next time he's out doing that.


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## Captain Ahab (May 11, 2015)

onthewater102 said:


> funny thing tends to happen when METAL cans explode...bits of metal go everywhere




You would think the military would use something that does that, HUH?


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## fool4fish1226 (May 11, 2015)

made me laugh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAxMIs1kam0


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## PSG-1 (May 11, 2015)

If it's a pine stump, don't even think about yanking it out with a truck.

I made this mistake a few years ago. Figured if I left some slack in the chain, and got a little running start, it would be like pulling a tooth.

WRONG! :shock: 

A couple of people watching said the back end of the truck lifted off the ground about a foot, hopped sideways about 2 feet, and the chain sparked. And it damn near put me into the windshield. Needless to say, the stump didn't move....and there was not a repeat attempt, LOL

Ended up digging around it as deep as I could, then cutting it off with a chainsaw. 

Got a bunch of good fat lighter from it, enough to last me several years.


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (May 11, 2015)

onthewater102 said:


> funny thing tends to happen when METAL cans explode...bits of metal go everywhere
> 
> 
> When I was in college the local fu<ktards were having a party and one of them thought it would be fun to throw a keg in a fire that was burning in an old steel barrel. Keg blew, barrel blew, about a dozen or so ended up in the hospital, one in the refrigerated section. Call the police on that @$$clown the next time he's out doing that.



Do you suck the fun out of everything?


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## KMixson (May 11, 2015)

PSG-1 said:


> If it's a pine stump, don't even think about yanking it out with a truck.



Some trees have a tap root that goes straight down into ground directly beneath the trunk of the tree. You can cut all of the roots around the sides thinking you have cut all of the roots away but the tap root still has a firm hold on the tree. It would take a bulldozer to pull it out.


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## JMichael (May 11, 2015)

onthewater102 said:


> funny thing tends to happen when METAL cans explode...bits of metal go everywhere
> 
> 
> When I was in college the local fu<ktards were having a party and one of them thought it would be fun to throw a keg in a fire that was burning in an old steel barrel. Keg blew, barrel blew, about a dozen or so ended up in the hospital, one in the refrigerated section. Call the police on that @$$clown the next time he's out doing that.


If he wants to blow himself up, who am I to get in the way of evolution. I really do believe in Darwin. Besides we get to watch from a safe distance without any of the risk so as the saying goes "It's no skin off my nose".


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## Capt1972 (May 11, 2015)

RiverBottomOutdoors said:


> onthewater102 said:
> 
> 
> > funny thing tends to happen when METAL cans explode...bits of metal go everywhere
> ...


 :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2:


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## HD4Mark (May 12, 2015)

Not near as much fun as burnin' stuff or blowin' it up but I have heard you can use rock salt to speed the stump rotting out. Just drill large holes in it after cutting it close to the ground and fill them with the rock salt. Then wait, and wait.

Might be safer too. :LOL2:


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## lovedr79 (May 14, 2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVAJT2ThP-4


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## duckfish (May 14, 2015)

lovedr79 said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVAJT2ThP-4



=D> That thing rocks. Want one.


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## lovedr79 (May 15, 2015)

I thought that thing was pretty dang cool. i am sure it isnt cheap though. would be great for making a new pasture.


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## Captain Ahab (May 26, 2015)

Buddy just bought a grinder. Bass addict can use it anytime


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## BassAddict (May 26, 2015)

Captain Ahab said:


> Buddy just bought a grinder. Bass addict can use it anytime



[youtube]xn6xnaCEQRA[/youtube]


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## Johnny (May 26, 2015)

wow


where can the average Joe Q. Public get one of those ????


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## BassAddict (May 26, 2015)

Barefoot_Johnny said:


> wow
> 
> 
> where can the average Joe Q. Public get one of those ????


Can't..... It's an Ahab creation, that's what he makes me split his firewood with. I get beatings when it is split too big for the wood stove, or if its split too small. I think the beatings might be random.


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## Captain Ahab (May 26, 2015)

BassAddict said:


> Barefoot_Johnny said:
> 
> 
> > wow
> ...




All beatings are done on a set (and secret) schedule 

Nothing is random


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## Johnny (May 29, 2015)

Edit:
That's okay guys - found it on E-Bay anywhere from $100 to $250.00.
Will be going to my Aviation Surplus Salvage store soon and If I can find
a slow speed high torque motor, gonna get me one of those things !!!!
can anyone guess about how fast that motor is turning ?? 100 RPMs ?? 500 ??


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## WaterWaif (Jun 1, 2015)

I viewed a few vids on them but did not pay attention to speed other than one ran on a car's wheel must have been running at idle speed.

https://screwlogsplitter.com/faq.html

A few hundred R.P.M. for a top range would be plenty enough to get tangled in I imagine. #-o 
Should work on reasonably grained foot diameter stuff and under at a five hundred R.P.M. max. (my estimate).
Speed will become heat, so too much more than what is needed will be waste and risk overheating screw material.

The Stickler brand screw requires about 150-200 RPM to work right, but the manufacturer of each brand screw should be the final answer to what R.P.M. requirements fit your particular screw.
A convenient kill switch sounds like a good idea.


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## Johnny (Jun 1, 2015)

Waif - - that is exactly what I came up with today. I have a 1/2" electric drill that turns 600rpm
which looks way too fast . . . so I am thinking 200-300 rpm will do.
then, my second thought, what IF the point of that screw got into the palm of your hand ?????
that nightmare would skewer all the way up your arm and exit your elbow .....
so a foot held kill switch would be mandatory.
Looking forward to a rig like this. much much cheaper than a hydraulic splitter and much quieter
and smaller logs easier to handle. I need 10-12" material for my wood stove.
will post some pics after I get it all together. LOL I have all summer to work on it.


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## juggernot (Jun 2, 2015)

Barefoot_Johnny said:


> are you in the city limits ?
> how close is your nearest neighbor?
> is there a "no burn" in effect in your county?
> 
> ...





.......sounds familiar...............A friend of mine was 16 when he and his father went to work on a huge Oak stump in their front yard in the 70s. After a day of digging w a backhoe it still wouldn't budge. Red clay and rocks surrounded the taproot and huge roots, some they cut w a chainsaw. Dad offered him $100 to get the thing out of the ground ( assuming he would use the backhoe ) as he went to work the next morning. Daryl dug for a few hours and then hatched a plan. He got a brace and bit w a 1" auger and drilled a hole in the center of the stump. When the bit bottomed out he welded a rebar to it an drilled some more, he added another piece until he had drilled 8-10' into the stump. Then he got a can of Black Powder and poured some in the hole, then he poured some more in the hole. Satisfied, he put a fuse down the hole and then poured sand down there, packing the last foot or so w clay. He lit the fuse and hid behind a large tree in his yard. There was an earth shaking KABOOM as the shattered stump jumped out of the hole w huge splinters of stump, rocks, chunks of red clay flying into the sky. ALL of the front windows of his house and several neighbors across the street were blown out and the debris rained down on 7 or more roofs causing damage to more houses. Mission accomplished, the stump was gone. He spent the rest of the summer and the $100 his dad gave him, fixing roofs and windows.


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## Captain Ahab (Dec 4, 2015)

I love this topic


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## -CN- (Dec 4, 2015)

T-N-T


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## onthewater102 (Dec 4, 2015)

F'ing awesome


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## Fishfreek (Dec 4, 2015)

My uncle bought a piece of property that was basically a forest it had several hundred trees on it. Well he had most of them cut down and instead of removing the stumps he filled the property with a couple feet of fill dirt. Then seeded and in a year or so had a beautiful lawn with a nice house in the middle. Move forward about 6 years and he gets up one morning to head to work when he walks out his front door he sees the entire front of his pickup in a hole about 5' deep. He couldn't figure out what happened but come to find ALL those stumps had rotted away and over next few months they found about 200 holes all over the yard. You couldn't walk in the yeard for months without finding a new hole.


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## JMichael (Dec 4, 2015)

Johnny, doesn't the fact that the PTO on your 8n turns slow and has loads of torque give you any more ideas. :lol:


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## bobberboy (Dec 5, 2015)

Captain Ahab said:


> I love this topic



Me too. I keep hoping that somehow explosives will become involved.


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## Johnny (Dec 5, 2015)

where'd my post go? LOL musta not hit the send button this morning
when my wife was on me to go go go to the store......

anywho, Mike - speaking of my 8N, oh you betcha that PTO has _TORQUE_ !!!
but, I would like to have a foot controlled kill switch "just in case" anything went bad. 
(and it could too, very very quickly with that wood screw gizmo).
Just yesterday, I got the 8N back together after being parted in two for
cleaning for over a year..... back together with fresh oil, fresh gas, charged the battery
and it kicked on with the 3rd try. It amazes me how an old farm tractor can
be outside in the weather for over 60 years and still run like a top !!
I parted it last year to clean the sludge out of the sump and new valves on
the hyd. pump - lost interest in it and it just sat under a tarp.....
now, it's up and running again - good as gold.


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## KMixson (Dec 5, 2015)

Gosh, that is one pretty tractor. I grew up with a 1953 Ford Jubilee which kind of looks like that tractor. They are excellent little tractors.


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## Johnny (Dec 6, 2015)

yes, the Jubilee and "N" series are very similar.
We all enjoy reading the stories and seeing the photos of
old stuff in the "as found" condition and through the restoration process.
I find the same satisfaction in fixing up old farm machinery, cars and boats.
I found this 1952 8N tractor in a cow pasture where it has sat for unknown years.
The previous owner thought it would sell better on C/L if he slapped on some lipstick
and give it some good reviews in his ad.
LOL you can only imagine how that rattle-can orange paint job looked up close !!!!
Looking past the obvious cosmetics and 4 rotten tires, it looked salvageable. 
we hee-hawed back and forth from $500 to $1500 and I got it for $900.
It still has the same sparkplugs, distributor and points as when found. It is staggering
how these old tractors can be well over 60 years old and with a little love, they
can get up and run and keep up with the best of them. And very easy to maintain.
Put about two grand into it and this is what it looked like "as found" and then two years
later with a whole lot of new stuff and some fresh paint.


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## JMichael (Dec 6, 2015)

Yea I hear they practically give those new rear tires away these days. :shock: There are lots of those size tractors of that era around this part of the country. A good friend has an international with all sorts of attachments for it.


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## onthewater102 (Dec 7, 2015)

I suppose it would be possible to use the PTO on the front of my tractor to drive that worm-screw splitter...now you've got me thinking about it again...damn it


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## Johnny (Dec 7, 2015)

The company I found on E-Bay can make the screws to your specs.
any size, right or left rotation, and connect to any shaft you have.
also, your specific PTO shaft.
My concern on the PTO is the torque and no way to shut it off if
you get caught up in it....... 
I had a favorite uncle and his son-in-law have a very bad and almost
deadly accident with a 8N tractor and I have been ever so cautious
after seeing them go through that. (long story).
One must really have a PLAN B when working with something like this.


If one were to consider the PTO route, I would suggest having the drill
fit the standard round 1" shaft - - - then find an old PTO coupler and weld
a 1" round shaft onto that - - - thus preserving the interchangeability of the screw.


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## onthewater102 (Dec 7, 2015)

I'm not going to do it, i was just thinking it'd be possible. It's a belt driven PTO, so I'd need to fabricate a table that could attach to the side/front of the tractor so I could fix the distance between the tractor and the splitter...more fabricating than it's worth - cheaper and easier to buy an electric motor & move the firewood to the front of the property where I have access to a power outlet.


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## onthewater102 (Dec 15, 2015)

forget the gadgets...why hasn't anyone suggested Tannerite???

[youtube]_JHZjxq_9oQ[/youtube]


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## bobberboy (Dec 15, 2015)

I hoped it would come to this!


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## onthewater102 (Dec 15, 2015)

I am ashamed my first thought on this matter was anything but clearly the most time-efficient solutions of all 8)


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## duckfish (Dec 15, 2015)

onthewater102 said:


> forget the gadgets...why hasn't anyone suggested Tannerite???
> 
> [youtube]_JHZjxq_9oQ[/youtube]




See page 1 :wink: 

We do a lot of blasting for my work. Although I let my personal blasters license expire after 9/11 due to the massive regulatory changes that ensued....... my mind still quickly jumps to "Boom" for the solution to a variety of regular, around the house chores.


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## PSG-1 (Dec 16, 2015)

Back in the old days, you could just go to the hardware store, and ask for dynamite. They'd ask you "for ditching, or for stumping?" as from what I understand, there were 2 different types. You could also buy a Thompson submachine gun from the hardware store with no paperwork, no questions asked. Sadly, those days are long gone.

Not that all that regulation has made us any safer, since terrorists and criminals can still obviously get their hands on firearms from the black market, and they make their own IED's, as proven in the San Bernadino incident.


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## onthewater102 (Dec 16, 2015)

Depending on the state you live in Tannerite can be bought from Basspro Shops or Cabela's

Duckfish, I'm sorry - I was lazy and/or forgetful that yes, you did point it out. Good man.


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## BassAddict (Dec 16, 2015)




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## JMichael (Dec 16, 2015)

BassAddict said:


>


Where is the starter switch?


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## BassAddict (Dec 16, 2015)

JMichael said:


> Where is the starter switch?



It has a very complex starter system!


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## onthewater102 (Dec 16, 2015)

Cost of repairs is too high for my taste.


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## BassAddict (Dec 16, 2015)

onthewater102 said:


> Cost of repairs is too high for my taste.



If you take care of your equipment the starter will last well beyond 64 years 
https://youtu.be/HjluSdYnsn4


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## JMichael (Dec 19, 2015)

BassAddict said:


> It has a very complex starter system!


I'd need the left handed version and make it about 2 sizes larger, I have big hands.......


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