Random questions to which you seek an answer

[Jordonf9]

I got two random questions…

Anyone know about how many man hours it takes to make a pair of IH jeans?

Do you think IH will ever try and use Zimbabwe cotton to make denim? The long staple american cotton is great, soft for the weight. Just curious if the Zim is longer/softer and a possibility in IH future?

[Giles]

1. Don't know, but there is massive variation between 17 and 25oz
2. We used to, but stopped and changed to USA - and guess what? No-one noticed (me included).  Within reason, Haraki does not really care where raw materials come from as long as long as the spec he demands is met.

[Clint_D]

I'm in the market for a new, counter depth refrigerator for my house and I've seen some Fhiaba units that look pretty amazing.  They're relatively new to the US market and I haven't been able to find much info on them.  Can anyone chime in on this?

[Jordonf9]

Love my IH loomstate. But my fiancee won't let me was them due to the butt/crotch pop due to being stiff and shifting of the denim.

Anyone know a way to soften the denim up without affecting the look on the outside?

I know one answer will be, wear them out, but I am guessing that will be months before they soften up that much.

Anyone? Thanks

[Anesthetist]

I do squats personally. Sets the creases and breaks in the denim.

[Jordonf9]

Guess I'll have to starting doing 500 squats a day then… Ha.

[mclaincausey]

Hey, is there anyone who can CNC plate stainless steel? I want to commission a run of 5-10 of these:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/04/the-food-lab-the-new-reversible-baking-steelg.html

Anyone else interested in one of these would be welcome to join.

I would buy one if they could get their act together and sell them.

[jdl1279]

That's a great idea! I know a guy that works in a metal fab shop that does all kinds of made to order projects. This would be a breeze compared to some of the decorative pieces I've seen from them. I could certainly check out pricing if a few were interested.

[Giles]

I'd want 2 or 3…..

[jdl1279]

That safely makes 5, though more would surely decrease cost per unit. Is there a preference on the type of stone used? We have a pretty sizable stone, tile, and masonry outfitter that would be ideal for sourcing such. Dimensions? With proper info, could have an estimate per unit pretty swiftly

[DanielAFC]

I'd be in for one for sure, I've been delaying purchasing a steel  as I've been waiting for them to put this one out

[mclaincausey]

@jdl1279 can you price it for 20 units just to get a feel?

[jdl1279]

@mclaincausey:

@jdl1279 can you price it for 20 units just to get a feel?

No problem, but need to nail down some specs to do so. Size? stone? There's likely to be quite a variance in cost across the options that would be available. Do we want to be able to separate the steel and stone for cleaning purposes?

[mclaincausey]

@jdl1279:

@mclaincausey:

@jdl1279 can you price it for 20 units just to get a feel?

No problem, but need to nail down some specs to do so. Size? stone? There's likely to be quite a variance in cost across the options that would be available. Do we want to be able to separate the steel and stone for cleaning purposes?

It's a 16- by 14- by 3/8ths-inch slab of stainless steel, the reverse is polished and has a groove milled in it to trap grease. I'd radius the corners. That's pretty much it.

[jdl1279]

Misread the design, sorry still foggy from this bug I'm dealing with. So 20 at those dimensions it is. Only one side polished with a channel/grease trap. Simple enough, will get on a estimate in the morning.

[mclaincausey]

Thanks man! The pictures in the article should help convey the design to the maker.

[jdl1279]

You got it…I'm already thinking about the benefits of outdoor cooking with it on camping trips. Might need a stand to set it on for such uses too.

[seawolf]

Some handles would be great. They could stick straight out from the sides as to not interfere with reversing the pan. I want one btw.

[Chris]

It shouldn't be stainless steel- the Baking Steel folks use low carbon A36 structural steel plate.  I'm no metallurgist, but I think that's more porous, which makes it possible to season it like cast iron, which you can't do with stainless steel.  It would be good to sandblast some texture onto it, too.

I'd be interested, if it works out.

[jdl1279]

You're correct Chris, structural steel it is.