Bill Kibbel

It's called a "pattern maker's knife" and used as a marking knife. I've seen some in old woodworking tool collections. I think I've seen one that is still, or was recently, being produced. It's used as a marking tool. The pattern (template) is laid over the stock and the blade scribes the pattern. The screws in the handle are for raising or lowering the blade to the thickness of the pattern. Based on the name, my guess is it originated in the apparel industry.

or to have more steam condense in the radiators rather than in the pipes before reaching the radiators. I think that's the intent behind the design of steam heating systems. Kurt, it might be Karma. You pleased your tenants (rare for landlords) and low heating costs is your reward. Or, maybe the utility just read the meter wrong. [:-bigeyes

Hipped roofs usually have such a short ridge that they don't have enough clear opening to function properly. Add a little positive pressure in the attic and the soffit vents turn into gozouta instead of gozinta vents.

Yeah, but aren't they always installed above where the vent connectors connect to the chimneys and not below?

That brand of boiler can't be later than 1954. I've inspected many old apt. buildings and more often than not, there's evidence of a trash incinerator that vented into the same flue as the boiler. The other possible reason for the lower capped opening is for a clean-out.

A glass guard rail assembly has to pass a few tests per the ASTM standard, including supporting 334 pounds for 60 seconds. That's why the site-fabricated assembly would not be acceptable.

So... I guess I'm not the only one that gets a little excited about finding little stuff like this.

" I would like to know if the builder is mistaken and attempting to avoid fixing the issue". You've already decided that. Now you're only interested in finding folks on an internet forum to agree with you.

3)What lateral force can it withstand? If it wasn't site built, I'd be looking over the assembly for the ASTM number for the standard test method for glass railing systems.

I have limited experience with push piers. I was at a seminar that they were featured for historic building stabilization. Unlike helical piers, they need to go as deep as needed to hit bedrock. I have some field experience with a specific helical piering system, used for both vertical piers and horizontal anchors. In my experience, the system has been quite effective at stabilizing some serious foundation problems in tight spaces.

Water heater.

Bethlehem is very nice. Some pretty unique and early German buildings. Also, go up the hill to the residential area to see a wide range of Victorian styles. Other areas: Drive along each side of the Delaware River in Bucks County, PA and Hunterdon County, NJ. There are many towns and villages that grew up around 18th century ferry crossings and river-powered mills. Lots of specialty shops and restaurants too. In PA: Doylestown, the Bucks County Seat Fallsington - has many historic homes spanning 3 centuries. I lived there for ten years in a house built in 1690 You can also visit Washington's Crossing park, with a few preserved buildings Old City and Society Hill sections of Philadelphia There are also many amazing historic buildings scattered all around in rural areas and hidden in developed areas In NJ: Princeton, Mercer County Flemington, the Hunterdon County Seat Cape May -a Victorian era resort town Allaire Village - due to funding, now only open certain weekends And, some more sites listed here: http://www.funnewjersey.com/upload_user ... LLAGES.htm Here's some pics of historic homes in the area: http://historicbldgs.com/gallery.htm

I've met some pretty good electricians that can update all the knob & tube wiring with limited damage to plaster. If they have a knowledge of the framing methods and "know the tricks" damage and patching is minimal. They ain't cheap though.

That's not correct. Ulster is a nine county province in Ireland. 6 of the counties are in what is now called Northern Ireland and 3 are in the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland was created in the early 1920s to REMAIN under the rule of the United Kingdom. Until then, all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom since 1800.

This has absolutely nothing to do with people that live in Scotland. This is about a phrase that was created by the people that came to America from Ulster Ireland, to differentiate themselves from the Irish immigrants from the potato famine era. An overwhelming majority of primary documents I've seen from the period show the phrase Scotch-Irish. I'm open to other points of view Jim, if they were based on facts. You were the one to make a statement that you have yet to support. Pointing out my character flaws instead of providing facts on the issue is your rebuttal? Really?

Could you show me something, other than your opinion, that it isn't "correct"? I'm 1/4 Scotch-Irish.

MD is too far north for Formosans. I once saw that "sheet" of mud on a large section of cast iron waste pipe.

Scotch-Irish or Scots-Irish - either spelling is acceptable for the last 3 centuries, except to some recent proponents of the latter phrase. That's why there's the Scotch-Irish Society of the United States, the Journal of Scotch-Irish Studies, the Center for Scotch-Irish Studies and many books and papers authored by scholars about the Ulster Scots with Scotch-Irish in the title. I'm right where the Scotch-Irish first settled here and later immigrants disembarked. When researching primary documentation of historic buildings, communities and genealogy, it's almost always written as Scotch-Irish.

I never would have thought of that. Serving Eastern PA and parts of NJ is really amazing for old buildings. I get to see German, English, Scotch-Irish, Dutch and Swedish built Colonial-era homes. I really prefer the buildings that were built 30 to 80 years before George Washington was born. Like Rob, I find the inevitable multiple additions and alterations make this job a challenge.

Flapper valve not dropping soon enough. Rule out the flapper getting caught up in the chain. Try attaching various size fishing weights to the bottom of the chain with leader clips. You can also purchase an adjustable flapper to "dial in" the correct volume needed for a proper flush.

A favorite holiday for old-house folks.

If you put a jumper on the 2 pins below the word TEST, it should rapidly cycle through the defrost mode. You'll hear a load whoosh at the start of the defrost cycle and a similar whoosh at the end. Use two alligator clips at each end of a wire.

Reversing valve stuck or solenoid failed. The reason you got 122F is the back-up heating was functioning. Then, enough ice formed on the evap. coil to block air flow. Your HP was manufactured in '94 and compressor in '05. It's probably not worth putting any more $ into this system. The high efficiency heat pump systems available now are much less costly to operate than a near 20 year old Lennox.

It might be fine, but I don't think lifted sections of shingles looks "normal". I'd be checking for nails sticking up below raised spots and a starter strip that actually has the adhesive below the lower edge of the first course of shingles.