u/shampton1964

So I'll grab a bag of the Mexican version of chips and it is usually a solid idea. So I saw these at the corner place and thought to myself, "I like Fritos, I like chorizo, I like chipotle chilis."

When I got home, I put the Ghana game on the screen, opened a beer, and opened this bag.

OMFG - the scent was something like next day bean burrito farts with a sour nasty garbage truck liquor finish.

So I let those breath a minute and had a sip of beer, reached in and grabbed a chip. You know how some things can smell a bit rank and then taste good, stuff like cheese or aged sausages?

This wasn't like that. This tasted like a salty version of what they smelled like. Because I love my wife, I shared these and asked for her opinion.

"Just throw that shit out, even the dogs won't eat it."

https://youtube.com/shorts/7MaISd1uA7g

Upper is known: French Heavy Calvary Saber

Lower is a blade and grip without guard or scabbard, purchased quite cheap. Toledo 1845. Excellent flex, balance, quality steel. I've found a good number of similar swords used by French and Spanish infantry officers, but nothing that matches the grip and blade details. Grip is wood core, covered in ray skin and then wrapped with braided wire.

Each square on that cloth is 2".

My objective is to get a reasonably correct hilt and scabbard for the lower blade. Ideally I could preserve the grip as is, I can do simple restoration and rewrap the wire.

I found this in the latest issue of Construction Physics (you should subscribe!) and found it fascinating.

The part counts alone are very informative. Look at the battery - damn, that thing was craftsmanship (handmade), no wonder they were so expensive. And so forth.

Definitely interesting, and happy to engineering geek out in comments :-)

ATL, 2026 photo - it's been there for years but I finally got a head-on shot of this WACK whateverinhell it is ... and for the sake of the robot, yeah, that is a single family residence.