Sphagnum Moss Has Been Used for a Thousand Years

Horticulturists have long known the benefits of long-fibered sphagnum moss. With its unique qualities of retaining 20 times its weight in water, twice as absorptive as cotton, and its anti-bacterial sterility, sphagnum moss has become an indispensable gardening tool in the propagation and beautification process.

Sphagnum moss is the organic answer to many gardening and indoor floral projects. Because of its abilities to both absorb and hold 20 times its weight in water and repel bacteria, long fibered sphagnum moss offers one of the best solution to several basic gardening uses and problems. Sphagnum moss is commonly used for the culture of orchids, line hanging baskets and as packing material to protect plant roots during shipping.

Gardeners use it as a soil cover to help retain moisture in potted plants and used for air-layering plant propagation, and as a seed starting medium. Crafters also use it to create decorative arrangements and projects like living wreaths and topiaries.

Since 1932, The Mosser Lee company has been harvesting and processing sphagnum moss from the marshes in Wisconsin. The ecosystem of these marshes is tightly controlled, and the sphagnum moss assists in retaining and holding the structure of the marshes. To protect these marshes, Mosser Lee gently harvests the sphagnum moss by workers in hip boots, who pull the moss, breaking it at the soil line, and prepare the water-laden sphagnum moss for commercial use. The Mosser Lee Company chooses not to dig out the peat as it would kill the propagation process, and these wonderful plants would be lost forever.

Today, Mosser Lee is the largest harvester and fabricator of sphagnum moss long fiber products in North America. The sphagnum moss plant that we harvest is indispensable in the horticulture industry.

Many thanks to: David L Epstein, CEO Mosser Lee Company, www.mosserlee.com

History of the Modern-day Chocolate Easter Egg

There’s no greater delight than opening your Easter basket to find a delicious chocolate egg. There’s speculation over the origin of this treat, but we do know how it became popularized into the ultimate Easter basket-stuffer we know and love today.

The first appearance of the chocolate Easter egg was in Europe in the early 19th Century. However, progress in the chocolate Easter egg market was very slow due to their inability to flow chocolate into the molds.

The modern Chocolate Easter Egg we know today owes its progression to the inventions of a press for separating cocoa butter from the cocoa bean in 1828 by the Dutch inventor Van Houten, and the introduction of pure cocoa by the Cadbury Brothers in 1866.

It wasn’t until 1875 that the first mass-produced egg became popularized by John Cadbury. Their eggs consisted of dark, smooth chocolate filled with Dragée. They decorated these two plain shells with chocolate piping and marzipan flowers.

Spring means renewal and a return to tasty treats. At Chocolate Storybook we create handcrafted, personalized hollow-filled chocolate eggs and rabbits that are the perfect gifts to share with loved ones this Easter.

Watch A Video on Hollow Filled Eggs

Author: Sabrina Shearer : Marketing Director Chocolate Storybook | https://chocolatestory.com/

Let’s talk inspection!

Inspection and testing are key to any quality manufacturing process. An important factor is to determine the type, quantity, and frequency of those inspections to ensure necessary quality is achieved. Sivyer Steel has a vast knowledge of steel casting inspections and can help you pick and choose those requirements to fit your application.

Minimum Requirements

A chemical analysis is always performed per batch of steel produced. This test ensures the physical elements of the steel, i.e. Carbon, Silicon, Nickel, etc., are to the correct amounts per the customer’s requirements. This analysis can be provided with every casting produced from our facility. 

Material Testing

Another common inspection is to measure the mechanical properties of the casting by testing a sample coupon poured along with the casting. This will show that the correct strength, ductility, and toughness of the steel was met through proper heat treatment. The steel’s hardness is also checked and reported for each casting produced.

Casting Inspection

There are several different inspections, depending on the steel type and customer requirements. The most basic is visual inspection, checking the surface finish and defects from the casting process. Magnetic Particle Inspection detects surface discontinuities, such as cracks. Ultrasonic Testing and X-ray inspection are used to reveal internal flaws in the casting. These are the most common forms of non-destructive testing for steel castings. In most cases, visual and Magnetic Particle inspections are performed on every casting produced at Sivyer.

Expertise

If you are unsure of your needs, our team at Sivyer will be happy to step you through the different inspections, frequency, and how each method will affect casting quality, price, and delivery.  Each casting application is unique and different, and there is no one inspection plan that will fit every casting we produce.

Conclusion

To a casting buyer, these all sound like cost drivers, but to the design and quality engineers, these are securities when creating casting requirements. Both are correct, and where the challenge lies is in finding the right balance to satisfy everyone.

Lisa Wertzbaugher – Sivyer Steel

Website: https://www.sivyersteel.com/

Need an Auctioneer? Here's What You Need to Know

When it comes time for you to select an auctioneer, it can be challenging. How do you know who to hire and how do you select one who will do the best job for you?

Let’s get one thing out of the way if you’re a seller, and that’s this…do not make your decision based on reviews of an auctioneer from people who attend his or her auctions. Sound like odd advice? Here’s why it’s not: auction attendees and auction merchandise sellers are at opposite ends of the extremes when it comes to what they like at an auction.

Auction attendees like to get “a deal” or buy something cheaper than what they thought it might bring. They want a bargain and they go to auctions to get them. They like auctioneers who sell them merchandise at prices lower than expected by them. Sellers, on the other hand, want maximum value for their items, which is the opposite of what attendees want. So, when you read a review of an auctioneer on his or her website from auction attendees, guess why they like that particular person or person’s sales? Comments from buyers such as “great staff, he’s friendly,” etc are insignificant to how to select one who performs for you, the seller.

Great auctioneers want great prices too…it makes them more money. But the real pros realize they are working FOR the seller and WITH the buyers. That’s critical to understand. It's also important to use a professional auctioneer that has received training form an reputable auction training school and can do more than just talk fast buy be able to manage the whole process..

So, how do you select a great auctioneer? Here’s my advice:

1. Contact 3-5 firms in your area. Ask them IF they sell the type of merchandise you have. Ask them HOW do your items sell at auction…high, medium, low prices, hard to impossible to sell or in high demand? You’ll get different answers from different auctioneers because most auctioneers have different buying types attending their sales. Some sell coins, some sell high-end merchandise exclusively, some sell leftovers out of rental units, etc. Figure out who might be best aligned with your type of merchandise.

2. Ask those firms for a client list…a list of people they’ve sold for. Get phone numbers for those clients and call them. Ask them questions like were you treated fairly? Did the auctioneer take everything he/she said he would take? Did the auctioneer provide you with a list of everything he/she inventoried? Did you get a receipt for every item taken? Did you get fair prices? Did he offer you a written contract spelling out services provided and fees that would be withheld? Did he put in that contract when you would receive your funds from your auction? These are all questions that are not only fair, but in most states, are requirements to be put into written contracts.

3. Attend a couple of auctions from the two final candidates. Watch how they handle merchandise Is it well displayed? Is the auctioneer or ring person describing what’s on the block for each item? Is there a crowd sufficient enough to put the merchandise in a competitive bidding situation? Does the auctioneer know the values of what’s being sold? Are they getting acceptable prices for the merchandise or is it simply being “given away”? Don’t make too many assumptions as there are many items in an estate that simply aren’t going to bring much…Tupperware, glassware, dishes, cookbooks, old tvs and computers…it’s a fairly long list. But, what we collected in yesteryear isn’t what people collect today.

4. Invite the auctioneers to come and visit and look at your merchandise. Have them review it. Don’t expect them to tell you a value. Your merchandise will be put into a competitive bidding platform on one day at one event. It will bring what it brings that day based largely on a) the value of your inventory and b) the ability of the auctioneer to know those values and draw a crowd to the sale.

5. Ask the auctioneer to provide you a written (yes, written) contract spelling out these details: what will be taken and what will be left behind, will you receive a specific inventory list of merchandise taken out of the estate for the sale, when and where and what time will the sale take place, what are the services the auction company provides prior to the sale, during the sale day and after the sale, how will your money be handled, what are ALL the expenses in final numbers (not hourly rates or “about” x’s; but specifics) because by law auctioneers can’t exceed more than what they quote you in costs, will those costs be withheld from the auction or do you owe some of it in advance (if so, get a receipt), will you get a receipt for each item sold and when you will be paid.

The financial terms should lay out costs for merchandise packing and movement to the auction site, advertising, commission and facility rental at the very least. Ask if there are any other costs than those.

6. Don’t necessarily take the lowest bid. Accept the bid that is the most comprehensive and seemingly the most up-front and honest. If auctioneer A charges 25% commission and auctioneer B charges 30% commission, that’s only $5 different per $100 sold. But if auctioneer B gets 10-20% more for the items being sold, it’s easily made up. It’s not necessarily what you spend; it’s what you make net that counts.

Final comment: selecting an auction firm isn’t easy. They are terribly busy these days and most selling parties don’t allow nearly enough time for auctioneers to respond and manage their merchandise. But, planning a year ahead isn’t a bad idea.

By David Aeschliman, CEO, Walnut Creek Auction College

How Tires are Manufactured

There are many steps in the tire manufacturing process.  Specialty Tires of America takes raw materials, rubber and various compounds and additives depending on the specification of the tire, to complete the finished product. 

Natural rubber from the rubber tree or manmade synthetic rubber is combined, in the Mixing Department, with oil and carbon to form batches of rubber to be used in the manufacturing process.   

It is also a science!  Samples of mixed rubbers are taken at various stages of the manufacturing process to ensure specifications are being met.  We have a lab of technicians that ensure the properties of the rubber, such as hardness, abrasion resistance or stretch is met. 

Two Types of Tires

The two types of tires that we produce are radial tires and bias ply tires.  Radial tires are what we run on our cars and trucks on the roads today.  The benefit of a radial tires is the smooth ride, fuel economy and lower rolling resistance.  Radial tires are produced in two stages.  The first stage, the carcass is made, in the second stage the tread package is applied. 

Bias ply tires are a sturdy tire that is used for heavy applications like tractor tires, underground mining tires and sand tires just to name a few.  For this application, a rubber wrapped corded fabric is applied in layers.  While the radial cord goes straight across the tire from bead to bead, the bias tire fabric is cut at an angle and goes diagonally across the tires with the additional plies crossing in an X pattern.  These tires are best used in off road and severe service applications. 

Our bias tire builders assemble a complete green tire.  Green tires are not green.  We consider them green because they are in a pre-cured state.  They take plies, beads, sidewall rubber strips and treads to assemble the green tire.  Beads are high tensile hoops of rubber wire strands that is used to mount a finished tire on a rim.  After assembly, they do not look like what you would consider a tire, they appear to be a long cylinder tube that have an opening on each end. 

The process of taking a green tire to a finished tire is called curing.  We use steam and heat to cure a tire.  Depending on the type of tire being produced, a mold is placed in the curing press.  The mold includes the tread pattern and sidewall stamping of items such as the name, the brand, size and warnings.  The mold cavity is in the shape of a finished tire. 

After the curing steps, the tire goes to the Final Finish Department, where the tire is inspected, measured, and checked for uniformity and given final touches.  The final touches included buffing, logo application, and protective wrapping.  The tires are then headed for shipping to our customers. 

Courtesy: Kathleen Mumau | Specialty Tires of America | https://www.stausaonline.com/

Remanufacturing to reduce costs and increase profit

Remanufacturing provides a way to offer customers a less expensive alternative to new replacement parts and equipment while maintaining profitability to the OEM and maintaining customer loyalty.

The problem lies within the costs and complexities of remanufacturing old parts and equipment and becomes a barrier to an OEMs offering a remanufacturing program. First there is the issue of brining old damaged equipment that is often covered in grease and dirt into a clean manufacturing facility. Next is the cost of purchasing the high-pressure spray equipment, dip tanks, along with the costs of installing the equipment inside the facility. This dose not consider the costs of replacing cleaning fluids or the removal and disposal of used cleaning solutions and the time to manage and operate another manufacturing process.

Disassembly is far different then manufacturing and requires a separate team of experienced professional that can efficiently take apart a piece of equipment and organize it into similar components to make reassembly easy. There also needs to exist the ability to return he individual components down to their bare metal state so that the part may be refinished and reassembled into a saleable item.

Offsite Remanufacturing Companies

A cost-effective method to take a used product from customer return to ready to reassemble is to out source the remanufacturing process. Companies like Tygart Industries have created Remanufacturing Centers that were purpose built to remove built up dirt and grease on equipment with multiple cleaning stations and dip tanks as well as developing an experience team to disassemble components and equipment into organized parts for further cleaning and metal preparation.

Their in-house machine shop to provides additional services to repair or remake parts of an assembly. The finished product is organized bins of clean ready to be assembled parts without the hassles or costs inhouse remanufacturing would incur.

The result is a cost effective and managed process that eliminates the mess and expense of remanufacturing a product and allow a company to open new revenue channels to customers by offering remanufactured parts to its clients.

Courtesy: Jeff Blasinsky | Tygart Industries | https://www.t-tygart.com/

What are Internal Keyways?

Internal keyways on rings, usually in the form of gears, and external keyways on mating shafts have long been the preferred method of transmitting driven power through mechanical systems. The mating keyways on the shafts and rings are sized up as the components become larger, so as to transmit an appropriate amount of power in keeping with the mechanical strength of the components that are joined.

As in many fields of industry, standards have developed so that machined features, including keyways, can be made cost-efficiently and so that manufacturers can respond in a timely manner without the need to create costly specialized tooling for each keyway job. The American standard for keyways is ANSI-B17.1. And it is available where mechanical industry standards are sold.

What Keyways Do

Now before we delve into the details of ANSI-B17.1, let’s talk more about what keyways are designed to do. A female slot is cut in both the external surface of a shaft and on the internal surface of a ring. The location of these slots determines where the ring will ride on the shaft when keyed together. Into the void on each part is placed a square bar of metal called the “key”. The key is sized so that the key would have to be sheared in half to cause failure of the joint. Since shearing a rectangle of metal is a difficult process, it can be seen how this can make a strong, lasting joint. Increasing the length of the key increases the area of metal that must be sheared to cause the joint to fail, so increasing the key’s length is an easy way to increase joint strength.

Since the strength of the joint comes from the cross-sectional size of the key and not the tightness of its fit, the tolerancing of this feature need not be overdone. B17.1 calls for a total width variance of .003” and a total depth variance of .010”. Off-the-shelf keyway tooling is made to perform to these tolerances and using the sizes tabulated in ANSI-B17.1 helps ensure an economical part for which standard tooling is readily available. Tightening tolerances above these standards usually results in difficulties in installation in the field and not a stronger joint.

How Keyways Are Made

Internal Keyways are made with machines that have a single-point, reciprocating tool that follows the axis of the shaft and mechanically moves in with each stroke to create the keyway depth. Internal keyways can be made by both specialized keyway machines and CNC machines with tooling adapted to apply keyways, but it is the fixed tooling that determines the keyway width despite the fact that the CNC machines are programmable, so the .003 width tolerance should still be adhered to even if a CNC machine is used to apply the internal keyway.

Finally, the machines and processes that make internal keyways work best when the internal keyway runs completely thru the part from end to end. Measurement and chip flushing are vastly improved over a keyway design in which one or both ends of the keyway are closed off, called a “blind” keyway. While it is possible to make blind keyways, it adds considerably to cost and difficulty in manufacture. Securely capturing the key is usually easily accomplished by making the external keyway in the shaft a pocket rather that an open-ended slot. Thus, the key is still captured but the pocket feature is more easily made on the external surface of the shaft, rather than in the confined recesses of the ring part.

Courtesy: Matthew Mawhinney | Gazzam Machine | http://www.gazzammachine.com/

How is CBD Oil Manufactured?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of many cannabinoids found in hemp and marijuana. Many individuals are using CBD to help with symptoms of anxiety, pain, insomnia, and more. You can find it in vape juice, gummies, oil, and many other methods of administration.

Despite it being so popular, many people do not know how CBD oil is made.  

CBD Oil Extraction Processes

CO2 - Carbon Dioxide Method:

This method has shown to be the most efficient process and produces the most consistent quality CBD Oil and is the preferred method used for manufacturing CBD Oil.

Carbon Dioxide reaches a supercritical state when it is heated to 31C and pressurized to 1071psi (atmospheric pressure is 14.7psi so this is 73 times more pressure than the air you breathe!).  In this state, CO2 has both gas and liquid properties that allow it to move into small areas of the extracting the CBD oil.

Oil Infusion Method:

Oil Infusion is one of the oldest methods used to produce CBD Oil but is still widely used today. Before extraction begins, the plant must be decarboxylated, (heated to a specific temperature) to activate the CBD compounds. Olive oil is typically used in this process and is heated to 100 Celsius and held at that temperature. At this point the compounds are absorbed into the oil and the product is extracted. Unfortunately, olive oil can’t be separated from the extracted CBD oil resulting in a diluted potency which must be taken in larger quantities to obtain the desired benefits.

Solvent Extraction:

Many chemical solvents are used to extract the CBD oil from the plant and include Hexane, Butane, Ethanol, and Isopropyl alcohol. The process is very similar to that of carbon dioxide and is effective. The only downside is that the solvents may contain chemicals that will leave the resulting oil to have a green color tint or have an extremely bitter taste.

Winterization:

This method harvests a high-quality, pure CBD oil

, or CBD Isolate. In this process, substances that make up Full or Broad-Spectrum CBD are removed from the extract, leaving behind pure CBD oil, or Isolate. The extracted oil is combined with 200-proof alcohol and frozen overnight and then filtered until the desired purity is reached. The solution is heated to burn off the alcohol leaving the CBD oil.

Thanks to Naturally Restored Pure and Natural CBD Oils:

Naturally Restored’s vision is to disrupt this emerging marketplace with GMP compliant, independent third-party certified products that are affordable and effective for the everyday working individual that will help improve their quality of life.

https://naturallyrestored.com/

Notes on Building Your Blog!

We realize that great content is important but so is connecting with other great blogs to help build a community. In order to expand the reach of your blog, you need to create links to and from your website to help attract more visitors. This should be done in order to help provide your audience with useful information and relevant content.

Research the blog to make sure it matches and supports your audience and is not being used to try and just get links or try and get SEO keywords. This method generally doesn't work and may actually hurt your blog or your website from an SEO perspective. Therefore you should focus on quality and relevancy over random link building. We have chosen to link with Bloglovin because many of their posts are a good extension of the posts we have already created and offer a source for relevant articles to go to after reading our post.

Transparency disclaimer: This is the official link to their blog

The Advantages of Zinc Die Casting for Light Weight Parts

Zinc die casting has the ability to manufacture lightweight parts due to the unique combination of strength and fluidity. Zinc’s unique combination of strength and fluidity also allows these parts to be made with very unique designs and shapes. Manufacturing lightweight zinc helps reduce costs in shipping and handling, manufacturing, and energy; overall helping the environment and reducing production costs. 

Zinc has the ability to be cast with a wall thickness of about 0.2 millimeters. An example of a thin-walled part is pictured below.

When zinc die casting is made with thin walls, features such as ribs can still be included in the design to increase metal flow, strength, and rigidity. Zinc die castings are much less costly than aluminum castings, and with specific design features, zinc die castings can maintain the same strength and lightness as the original aluminum design.

Can parts cast in other metals be made in Zinc easily?

Many parts can be transferred from aluminum, or another die casting metal, to zinc. If you have a part that is currently being cast in aluminum, and you are trying to find a way to reduce costs, consider casting with zinc.

Dave Magner, Director of Sales and Marketing | Deco Zinc Diecasting Company