Shoveling snow?

[Dan Forman]

For those in northern climes, thought I would pass along something I just tried with great success. When you have heavy, wet, clingy snow, spray some "PAM" cooking spray on your shovel first, then have at it. Snow flies right off it, lightens the load considerably.

Dan

[John Bailey]

Dan,

Thanks for the tip. Looks like I'll need it today. Already have 8-10"s with another half foot today.

John

[John Hart]

After looking outside this morning:eek: ...I think I'll start spraying Pam on the car every night!! :rolleyes:

[Glenn Clabo]

When you have heavy, wet, clingy snow, spray some "PAM" cooking spray on your shovel first, then have at it. Snow flies right off it, lightens the load considerably.
Dan

Or buy yourself a show thrower...;)

[Bob Johnson2]

I've heard of using the Pam on the snow blower too, but what fun would snow be without a clogged chute.

[Rob Russell]

I've heard of using the Pam on the snow blower too, but what fun would snow be without being able to reach down the chute to clean it out.

I periodically spray a little silicone on the inside of my snowblower's chute and auger to help prevent clogging. Seems to work pretty well. It's best to spray when it's above freezing - not when it's icy cold. The spray tends to clump a little then - when it's warm you get bette dispersion.

Rob

[Joe Pelonio]

Dan,

I hear you got a lot more than we did yesterday, the house is at 800 feet and we got a total of 12-13" there but here at the shop it's pretty much gone already. Rarely do we have to shovel it because it usually melts in a day or two but if we get more tonight I'll have to shovel in the morning,
so thanks for the tip.

[Don Baer]

Snow ??? :confused: Whats's snow ?....:D

[Dan Stuewe]

Snow ??? :confused: Whats's snow ?....:D

Don, ya know those couple of times a year when the sky is blue and you look to the north/east and are surprised to see those big huge piles of dirt in the distance? And then if you're lucky and that clear day happens in January you figure there must be clouds covering the big huge piles of dirt (i.e. mountains). That's snow! And it is on the ground! One word of advice, if you ever get the crazy notion to drive up there to see it close and personal, put long pants on and throw a jacket in the car, just in case.

You know what the most amazing thing is? People choose to live in the stuff for several months a year :eek: !

[Vaughn McMillan]

I've heard of Pam (was even married to one for a few years), but what is this snow shovel device of which you speak? Snow doesn't seem to be a very stable material for making shovels. Is it highly compressed? Sorta like my brain? :confused: :p

Actually, I miss living in a part of the country that gets snow. Albuquerque (where I grew up) gets about the right amount for my tastes.

- Vaughn

[John Hart]

We're being inundated by it right this minute. Absolutely beautiful!!! So's the fire.:)

[Dan Forman]

Rob, Bob, and Glen--- from Miller's Analogies---

shovel:neander as snow blower:normite

Dan

[Dan Forman]

I've heard of Pam (was even married to one for a few years), but what is this snow shovel device of which you speak? Snow doesn't seem to be a very stable material for making shovels. Is it highly compressed? Sorta like my brain? :confused: :p
- Vaughn

Vaughn---Yes indeed, you've actually hit the nail with your head on this one. While some are content to buy comercially available copies of the original snow shovel, others find pleasure in making their own. Not satisfied with using the usual aluminum, steel, or plastics, they follow the traditon of their scandinavian anscestors, and make them out of snow, as has been done lo these many centuries. Some will be surprised to learn this, as the details to this arcane process have been jealously guarded over many generations. I will only be able to give you the most general description, any more and I would regrettably be forced to make sure that you would not be able to repeat this to another living soul...I think we both know what that means. :eek:

The best shovels are painstakingly hand crafted from the first accumulation of snow of the season. This early snow has a completely different molecular structure which can be converted through an esoteric procedure
into a substance called Ice-Eight, very similar to Ice-Nine (see "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut). Fortunately, Ice-Eight does has a melting point of approximately 47*F, and does not have the property of Ice-Nine to convert into itself all other forms of water with which it makes contact, thus preventing the demise of all life here on Earth.

The unique properties of Ice-Eight allows the snow to worked into a structure which is every bit as robust as the more common commercial varieties, but because this is essentially snow meeting snow, there is a completely different feel to it, utterly indescribable to someone not fortunate enough to have experienced it personally. The closest I could come to an analogy would be to compare a bargain basement fiberglass fly rod to one custom made of split bamboo.

The VERY best shovels are constructed with snow collected by virgins in the dead of night. With these VBM's, the PAM spray isn't necessary, as the snow on the ground will not stick to the blade at all. But with your basic (non-virgin gathered) snow shovel, there is still a residual hydrogen bond attraction between the molecules of the shovel and those of the snow being shoveled.

If one doesn't capitalize on the very first accumulation of snow of the season, there is a rapid falling away of the ability of the snow to be converted to Ice-Eight, and by the third snowfall, if one has been slothful, it's time to go to the store and buy a ready made, for a true snow shovel can no longer be constructed. This entire process no doubt would have been lost to the ages, were it not necessary to make a new shovel every year, due to the fact that even the finest shovels will melt at 47*. I must confess that while I do most of my shoveling with the genuine snow shovel, I do have a commercial model as backup in case of an unseasonabley warm spell, or bout of indolence surrounding the first snowfalls.

Dan

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dan ...Yesterday I was in Moscow, Idaho for the first time this week. The Pullman - Moscow area indeed got their first taste of snow! Could be a long winter. This time of year I'm glad to live in the Lewiston-Clarkston area.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Heck, if I put Pam on a shovel around here, it would start sizzling. But Dan you have given me an idea to try. We have a lot of black gumbo dirt around here that sticks to every instrument I put in it. I wonder if the Pam thing will work on that. Hmmm Thanks for the tip:)

Ernie

[Fred Voorhees]

Good tip to pass along Dan. I personally have been doing just that for many years. It isn't called non-stick spray for nothing. Also, I have been spraying it on the working parts of my snowblower also and it keeps the snow from sticking in there and makes for easier operation.

[Fred Voorhees]

Snow ??? :confused: Whats's snow ?....:D

OH, THAT'S funny! We are maybe expecting some of our first snow of the season tonight. Not much probably, but snow all the same:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :p

[Dennis Peacock]

Heck, if I put Pam on a shovel around here, it would start sizzling. But Dan you have given me an idea to try. We have a lot of black gumbo dirt around here that sticks to every instrument I put in it. I wonder if the Pam thing will work on that. Hmmm Thanks for the tip:)

Ernie

Ernie,

You and I would experience the same thing. I guess we could always cook breakfast on our shovels after we sprayed them with pam!!!:rolleyes:

Snow. I've seen it a few times.......even ski'd in it while in Italy. Hm-m-m-m-m-m.... I guess I'll have to visit Spring up in WI to see what that "snow" stuff really is. ;)

[Vaughn McMillan]

Excellent essay on the art of snow shovel-making, Dan. You slay me. :D

- Vaughn

[Dan Forman]

Vaughn---Sleigh making is a whole 'nother topic. ;)

Dan

[Christopher Pine]

You can also do this on your dish network dish for the same reason.. Non stick... not the shovleing thing :)

Chris

[Joe Pelonio]

Still didn't get to try the Pam idea. This morning we got another two inches, flakes the size of potato chips. Barely made it down the hills for ots of errands. Now back home there's no need to shovel - sun's out and 3-4" left on grass/roof but streets and sidewalks clear.

[Scott Loven]

I have a 450 foot long driveway. I have a guy plow it for me, costs around $100 a year.
Scott

[Gary Herrmann]

I have a couple of those push shovels. A "me powered" plow? Anyway, they seem to work really well - much faster than regular shoveling - if the snow isn't too deep. Over 6-8" and it doesn't work too well, but that much snow is rare in STL.