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Tiny Travel Humidifier

I recently got this Tiny Travel Humidifier, and I’m calling it that because those are three of the words included in the 25+ word product name listed on Amazon. The reason I got this is because I’m doing a lot of traveling for work and staying in hotels for multiple nights and since I use a humidifier at home (as well as the one in my CPAP machine) I wanted something for the road.

On a recent trip I noticed that I kept drying out in the hotel room and combined with the amount of talking we do all day at a tradeshow I got a slightly sore throat so I thought a humidifier might help. I had some requirements…

I wanted something small. We travel with no checked luggage, so it would need to fit in my carry-on bag. This thing is 6.7″ x 2.1″ x 2.1″ in size. That’s pretty much the size of the box I toss in my bag.

I wanted something that was USB powered. Some of them have batteries. I don’t want to charge it. I’m at a hotel, I have lots of USB plugs, so a USB cable is all that is needed for power.

I wanted something that I could put into a container full of water. Some of of them are made for an inverted water bottle, or have a container built-in. I had read that you don’t want it to run out of water as it may damage it. I can put it in a cup or an ice bucket that’s found in every hotel room. I did have a small issue with it standing upright in the ice bucket and used a modified cup, but I could easily fab a piece of cardboard or use some tape next time.

Those pretty much cover what I needed. It makes no sound, it runs for 8 hours, and you do need to soak the wick for 10 minutes before use, but otherwise it’s pretty darn simple. I don’t know how effective it is, or how to measure that easily, but it’s definitely putting moisture into the air. On my recent trip I was there for two nights and kept it running most of the time and kept adding water to the ice bucket. I’ll keep trying it out on trips and update this post if anything changes.

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Pressing Handmade Paper

In a previous post titled Handmade Paper I mentioned my process of pressing the paper I make:

Once the sheets are fully dry that’s when I press them. I put each piece between a sheet of 3mm thick Baltic Birch plywood and then put the stack between two steel plates in a hydraulic press. (Here’s a press similar to the one I have.)

At least one person has asked about this so I figured providing a bit more information might be helpful. I’ll try to outline the things I use and the process below.

The mould and deckle I use makes sheets of paper that are just shy of 7″ x 7″. I make the paper, let it dry, and then peel all the pieces off the couching sheets. I then place each sheet between a piece of 3mm thick Baltic Birch plywood. (The pieces of wood are 8″ x 12″ so the paper fits with some room to spare.) I then place the stack of wood (with the paper between each sheet) between two 12″ x 12″ steel plates.

Here’s all the stuff:

This whole “sandwich” goes into the hydraulic press, and I crank it down hard. I let it sit for at least half a day, though it’s usually a full day, and if I remember I’ll go crank the press tighter if possible. After time has passed I remove all the paper and marvel at how flat and smooth it is.

The things you need (besides a hydraulic press) are the paper, which should be just dried, sheets of wood, and two pieces of steel.

The steel goes on the bottom, then a piece of wood, then the paper…

Repeat the process of stacking wood with paper in between each piece…

End with one piece of wood on top of the last piece of paper, and then put the other piece of steel on top of all that.

Stick the whole thing into the hydraulic press and crank it down! Wait a while (a few hours) and then come back and try to crank it down even further. I tend to make thick paper because it does get compressed down a bit thinner in this pressing process.

This is DIY handmade paper made with junk I have in my workshop, there’s no professional equipment or methods at work here. Still, I get some good, flat, smooth pieces. Not all of them, but most of them for sure. If I can find new ways to refine and improve the process I’ll let you know.

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CPAP 2024

Back in 2011 I did a sleep study and then got a CPAP in December 2011. It broke around 2018 or so and I got a loaner for a week or two while it was repaired. (The hinge on the lid had broken so it did not stay closed properly.) Just to be clear, my CPAP from 2011 was repaired around 2018, not replaced…

Jump to March 2023 where the machine started showing an error message “Motor life exceeded, please contact service provider” so I got in touch with my doctor, who told me to get in touch with the department that handles CPAP machines, and they told me a replacement could take months and months, and even a loaner could take quite a while, but they said it should keep running for a while… hopefully.

After a month I got a phone call and they said our insurance company was not going to replace it. I explained again what was going on, they confirmed everything, and tried again. Eventually I got a letter from our insurance company saying “Claim Denied” or whatever. They let me appeal, where I explained that for 6 months it was displaying an error message and I was concerned it would fail at any moment. They asked if it was working properly and I said “I do not know. I am not an engineer versed in CPAP machines. I have no idea if it is working properly. It does turn on, air comes out of it, but I do not know if it is working properly or to capacity.” They sent me a letter saying “No” they would not replace it. Sigh…

My appointment with my sleep doctor rolled around (September) and I brought it along to show him it was knackered. He told me that if our insurance company would not replace it I could try CPAP.com for a discounted machine. I looked and discounted was still $500 or so for the machine and other equipment, so I put it on hold.

A month later I got a call from ResMed about supplies for the machine and I asked when they are typically replaced. The told me that typically insurance companies provide a replacement after 5 years. They said some will do 3 years, some as long as 7. If you’re keeping track mine was 12 years old at this point. WTF…

December rolls around and my employer tells me that we’ll have a Heath Reimbursement Agreement starting in 2024. I’m on my partner’s insurance so I didn’t know what that even meant for me. well, what it meant was I could use funds from my employer to replace my knackered CPAP machine!

So yeah, I got a new CPAP machine, but not after going back and forth with my doctor, CPAP.com and myself in the middle There were some weird issues with my prescription, but we got it all sorted. I had to do the settings myself using the hidden menu option on the machine (by holding down the dial and the Home button until the service menu appears!) And there are a lot of improvements on this model compared to the one I’ve had for 12 years so that’s cool.

Okay, so the short version is, my CPAP was 12 years old, my insurance company would not replace it, I managed to get my own. Yay.

Maybe I’ll return to posting my Sleep Reports soon.

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Sewer Cover Sketch

While I’ve taken plenty of photos of sidewalk squares, and there is a local who takes photos of fire hydrants, I’ve yet to see anyone take on the sewer covers, sometimes called “manhole covers” though I do prefer the term “personhole covers” because it sounds even more strange.

This is a classic from Neenah Foundry Co though I guess now they are part of Neenah Enterprises, Inc. (NEI). Times change and so do names but the evidence remains, forged in metal…

And yeah, I’ve been in sewers before, and I’ve also spent a lot of time in the underground. (Props to you if you get that reference.) Anyway, it’s flat, it’s gray, it’s boring, and it goes unnoticed by so many every day. I try to notice those sorts of things.

So three cheers to the Sewer Cover! Keep us from falling into the sewers on a regular basis. (And yes, yet again I used an Apple Pencil on an iPad along with Procreate.)

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Tape Dispenser Sketch

Here we have yet another sketch, this one of a classic Scotch tape dispenser. I used an Apple Pencil on an iPad along with Procreate, and this time I started with one of the “pencil” pens to get the look of a classic pencil sketch, the kind I would have done in an art class back at university.

I left the initial sketch of the outline as it was, and added a new layer for the shading. I’ve been using layers in Procreate quite a bit lately, which I can keep separate from the first layer or merge down with the original layer if desired. Typically my sketches only have a few layers anyway though, one or two for lines, one or two for color, and a background.

Speaking of background I made this one yellow to evoke the idea of a yellow sticky Post-it note since we’re already in an office theme with the tape dispenser.

After the first sketch was done I did another quick and dirty version that is more of a felt tip marker or even woodcut style. At some point I’ll probably use some of these sketches to make relief prints, so that style will come in handy.

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