Tungsten Carbide Ring

Wedding ring, wedding band

So I recently got married and had to purchase a ring.  I had always wanted a platinum ring, but I knew I could never have afforded it so my friend (who also got married a few weeks before I did) recommended I take a look at Tungsten Carbide rings.

So this is what I’ve found out about Tungsten Carbide rings

Is it an extremely hard metal – which means it is difficult to scratch.  You will find on you tube many tungsten carbide tests where they severely scratch a tungsten carbide ring and hit it multiple times with a hammer, but it remains unscratched.  It is 8.5-9.5 on the mohs hardness scale which means its 4 times harder than titanium and 2 times harder than steel.

It is a darker metal – darker than platinum and titanium.  I’ve had my ring for almost two months now and have worn it every day and haven’t taken it off and it still looks absolutely brand new.  It hasn’t lost its shine and it will stay that way for quite number of years.

One other thing to note, you need to make sure that your tungsten carbide ring does not use a cobalt binder.  It may cause skin irritation and the oils on your skin can react to the cobalt and will permanently take away from the shine of you ring.  Other jewelers use nickel as a binder which is excellent and does not react with your skin oils.

The rings aren’t that expensive and quite affordable.  I got mine for approx US$50 from www.titaniumkay.com.  I ordered it on a Saturday (Australian EST) and received it on the following Wednesday.

Ariston Washer/Dryer Fault

How to fix your Ariston Washer/Dryer 
Fault with Ariston's programme selector knob - it keeps clicking around and around.





I own an Ariston Washer/Dryer (AL128D) and have owned it for more than 3 years.  About a month ago it stopped working, it would fill with water, spin in wash cycle for a few minutes then the programme selector knob keeps turning and clicking around.  The wash cycle would never pass that stage.

My friend had the same washer and had the exact same fault with the programme selctor knob and it cost him quite a bit to have it fixed.

I searched around on the net for a solution on how to fix my Ariston and found many others who had the same problem but only one solution.  So I gave it a try (http://www.fixya.com/support/t219885-fault_ariston_washer_dryer)

Make sure the filter is clean, its behind the front bottom panel which just pull off, then unscrew the filter thumb wheel until it comes out. Check it is clean and replace, Now unplug the machine and set the programme to your normal start setting leaving the door open. Remove the screws retaining the back panel and unplug all the connectors to the circuit board found in the bottom left hand corner. Turn the power back on ensuring the red LED illuminates and leave for 2 or 3 minutes before unplugging the power again and reconnecting the circuit boards and replacing the back panel. Reconnect the power and turn the machine on, close the door and with luck it will work. If this does not clear the fault repeat the process again or look on ebay for a new machine! 

After following the instructions carefully my machine worked again and was fixed =)

A few things to note when following the instructions - the circuit board can be unscrewed and released from the frame of the machine. After I unplugged all the connectors to the circuit board (about 5 or 6 of them - it was kinda hard to pull them out) and turned the power back on, the LED did not illuminate - I left it on for 2-3 min anyway - I plugged all the connectors back and set it to wash and it worked!

I thought I’d post up my experience so that if others out there have the same problem, they could give this a try before calling a service man. I hope you have success with this info in fixing your Ariston washer/dryer.

And as usual, I’m not an authorized to service Ariston washing machines or any other washing machines so I cannot take responsibility if your machine does not work or your warranty is void.

Please leave a comment to let me know if you fixed your Ariston washer/dryer and how you managed to fix it.


Thanks!!

Propagation by Air Layering

Propagating plants by air layering

How to Graft a Plant Tree - Propagation by Grafting

A video on how to graft a tree.

http://video.about.com/treesandshrubs/How-to-Graft-a-Fruit-Tree.htm

Pandanus amaryllifolius

aka Pandan, Screwpine, Daun Pandan

I love the smell of pandan and I think its great in foods.  I bought some fresh pandan’s from my local markets and tried to grow it but was unsuccessful so I decided to research on how it is grown.  This is what I’ve found…

Pandan is a tropical plant often used in Southeast Asian cooking

You can grow pandan by propogating through water.  Let you pandan plant sit in water until roots grow and change the water regularly.

Pandan usually grows in tropical weather.  It takes plenty of care and attention.  If you are growing them in winter or in colder places, you need to cover them from wind and rain and don’t water them too much – they may start to suffer below 15 deg.  Some die not only because of the cold but because of receiving excess water.  You can shade the plant from wind and rain with a cloth and be sure not to get water on the crown of the plant.  Watering once a week is good with seasol clost to the base of the plant.

If you life in regions that experience cold months, its recommened that you grow your pandan plant in a pot so they are portable

Pandan does to like to be in full sun, so plant them were it will get some shade during the day.  In summer, you can water your plant much more. 

In the right conditions, when the plant is well established, it will grow well and spread.

For more info on pandan care and how to propagate pandan, visit www.mypandan.com

Where to buy pandan? click here

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/forum/pandanus-amaryllifolius/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandanus_amaryllifolius

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