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Composting toilet

Started by WV Sawmiller, May 29, 2021, 06:53:29 PM

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snobdds

I went to the cabin this weekend for the first time since October.  Looked down in the outhouse and there was nothing left.  Everything was gone.  

Bokashi works flawlessly. I made the hole and outhouse in a way that I could slide it forward as it filled up.  I don't think I will ever have to move it forward. 

WV Sawmiller

   I finished the trim, put knobs on the panel under the box and added a door handle yesterday. It is ready for the customer to pick up any time she wants it now.

   I have an order for another one and 2 small sheds to work on now.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   My customer is supposed to come get her toilet Sunday afternoon. I started on another one. I got two 4X4 floor sections built and got one completely framed in. I just need to build the door, side and roof it for a small 4X4 shed. Looks like I will have to cut and saw up another 1-2 more spruce trees to  get enough framing for the next one and siding. I have basically enough framing to make a 4X8 shed also on the order.


 I'm about out of 4/4 ash for the floors too. I guess I'll be using poplar or maybe even some real scrappy maple in the future.

 When I make the floor framing I use a 1/2 sheet of 1/2" plywood as a jig to make sure it is square. Tack it on, flip it over, nail the flooring on then remove and re-use the plywood on the next one.

 Reminds me of the joke I heard the other day - A guy was driving down the road and a 3/4" sheet of plywood blew off the back of a Lowes or Home Depot truck and crashed through the window of his new Cadillac. He thought about suing them but instead just sold the plywood and used the money to pay for the repairs, a rental and a week's vacation while it was being fixed. ::)
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   Well the lady and her husband came and got their toilet. She seemed happy with it. The pieces are pretty heavy and I hope he can assemble them safely. I had 2 deck screws holding 2 walls together I cut with a chisel yesterday so we could disassemble it. I put them in as a temporary fix then after I added the windows I could not access and remove them (Should I be posting this in the "Did something dumb" thread). While we had the walls apart I quickly drilled out new pilot holes and added lag screws that do the same thing. 

   When we went to lift the front with the door I forgot about the fact there was nothing holding the bottom together when not bolted to the base so I had to cut and screw a 1X3 that was 4' long across there to hold it all together. That was a quick and easy fix. Next time I will remember and add such a piece across the inside before I disconnect from the base. 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

    After what seems like an eternity I finally finished my 4X8 and my 4X4 shed. I put the roofs and corner trim on today. Now I just need to wall in, roof and build the toilet box on the 3rd one which is designed as a composting toilet.

  I e-mailed the customer they are ready now we just have to schedule the pick up. He had indicated he planned to move them intact with possibly just the roof removed so I am not sure if I will need to jack up the larger shed to get it on his trailer or not. I have plenty of cribbing just a few feet away and stout, long boards that will support them if I need to lift them so he can just drive under them. We may be able to back the trailer right up too them by coming through my barn access path but they are too tall to fit under the hay loft once loaded and we'll have to drive around the end of the shed.

  MY next project may be a stone and log sled similar to what I saw Eustace Conway and Preston Roberts build on Mountain Men a while back. I could use it to move sheds like this around the place. I will see if I can find a locust log with some curve for an up-turned front and throw it on the mill to make runners and plenty of locust posts or fallen locust trees for bottom/cross pieces. I already have the tenon cutter I use for bench legs that I can use to connect the bottom boards. Actually that should be a simple and interesting project.  If I make the runners 2" thick my tenon cutter leaves a 3" tenon and I might be able to have enough extra length left to drill a hole and peg them in place in case I ever wanted to take it apart for storage or transport in the future. I could use metal pins of such like you use on tractor implements. Or I could make the runners 3" and drive a sledge hammer wedge in the end for permanent connections. A big eye bolt in the middle for hooking to a singletree, tractor or ATV/UTV would be easy to add on. That may be another item to see if there is a market for.


4X8 shed front 

4X8 side
4X4 front 

 

4X4 shed - side view
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

kantuckid

In your return to the stuff of the past-like outhouses and sleds you'd be well advised to read all the Foxfire Series books and magazines for how they lived and worked.  ;D Sleds made real sense for heavy stuff over bad terrain. The old pick & shovel coal mine on our lands back ridge was very likely a place a sled came into use to get bag coal back to the house.
We found an old outhouse miniature, a tourist trap trinket in my wife's, family's old home that she's getting ready for sale and cleaning out 100 years plus of "stuff" from closets. She found a WWII letter among the older ones that one of the boys in Europe was asking if they'd got the new indoor bathroom done yet. Made from ERC as were many such trinkets back then.
We tend to think of rural folks as those lacking modern facilities but when I was growing up in the 40's & 50's in Topeka, KS it was quite common, esp. in the 40's for sure, that people had an outhouse out back and many had livestock, mostly chickens, now and then a hog. Small towns it was very common.
Ya might want to work on a "moon slit" in yer outhouse doors? :D 
Kan=Kansas;tuck=Kentucky;kid=what I'm not

WV Sawmiller

@kantuckid ,

   Odd that you should suggest that as I am currently reading FoxFire #5. I am presently reading about iron and steel making in Appalachia. I worked with a Steel Mill client a couple of years in the northern panhandle of WV, eastern OH & western PA and learned a lot about the process then later visited the last water powered steel mill in Norway which seems to have been very similar to what was used in NC/GA/AL/TN so combining the two was very interesting to me. 

    For those not familiar with the Foxfire series they are very interesting and informative. A teacher started the project by having her students do research on the history of the very rural area and had them start collecting and recording information about life in the area and how things were done in the early days when the area was first settled by outsiders from Europe and such. Their primary reference sources were their grandparents who were thrilled to pass along this info especially to their grandchildren. They got first hand info on daily life in the early days and recorded such which is a hand reference on how to build a log cabin, butcher a hog, dig a well, brain tan a deer hide, etc. They also collected ghost stores, tall tales, hunting stories, and personal recollections and traditions. A collateral benefit was the kids learned to appreciate the skills and hard work and conditions their grandparents had and had endured and developed respect for them and the kids and grandparents became much closer. 

   The last I saw there is 10-12 of the books of collected stories and they are a very good reference if you are interested in taking on such a task. While I am not one of those people who yearn for the "Good Old Days", as I saw what they were like working in and visiting remote and backward areas of Africa, the Amazon, and such, there is a time and place where some of them make sense.

   I really think a composting toilet using a plastic tote as a reservoir is easier to maintain than an old deep pit head which are pretty foul under the best of conditions. But there are people who need a toilet where they don't have plumbing accessible so there is a market for them.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WDH

We had an outhouse when I was growing up.  Did not have an inside bathroom/toilet until I was 8 years old. I fondly remember the many times when my Dad and I would go out just before bedtime to the edge of the pasture to finish our #1 business and we would look up at the stars and my Dad would talk to me about life. I bet that does not happen very much at all anymore if at all. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

Danny,

   Did you have a two-holer? You were pretty upscale if you did, in fact almost "uppity". I saw them but never understood the concept of a two-holer as I never even wanted to be in there let alone with company. Maybe they were for the women as it is a proven fact when you go out to eat or for the evening the ladies always have to go in pairs. I'd ask some our resident female experts why this happens but I am in enough hot water with at least one of them at present. ::)

    I sure hope Kantuckid sends me a prototype for a crescent for the door. 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

doc henderson

at Philmont the double hole out houses, were outside (no building, just a wood frame over the hole with a round seat hole), and either pilot to copilot, or pilot to bombardier.  and you were never to pee in them, as if filled them up and made them more stinky.   smiley_airfreshener smiley_smelly_skunk smiley_spider drop
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

samandothers

Quote from: doc henderson on July 12, 2021, 08:56:52 PM
at Philmont the double hole out houses, were outside (no building, just a wood frame over the hole with a round seat hole), and either pilot to copilot, or pilot to bombardier.  and you were never to pee in them, as if filled them up and made them more stinky.   smiley_airfreshener smiley_smelly_skunk smiley_spider drop
And always use a stick to ensure the edge of the hole did not have spiders or other unfriendly critters.W a dug 'cat holes' which ranger encouraged. 

kantuckid

Only as a means to the facts- I'll point out that Foxfire began as a GUY! not a "she", who began an oral history project at the Rabun Gap, GA school. It was wildly successful but ended badly as the end story for that Guy (google Eliot Wigginton and you'll find the whole story of how he went from hero to criminal) was that he cheated the school and stole money from the project as it became more of a success. The school, as I recall, has been absorbed by the local public system but the oral history idea lives on in many areas. At one time I was a subscriber to that magazine and have every one of the books. One absolutely lovely lady that was "found" by the Rabun Gap students was Aunt Arie who they interviewed many times and who also became the key object of a TV documentary. For my wife and I she sort of hit home as my wife's Granny on her Mom's side not only looked like Aunt Arie, she somewhat lived like her as far as the natural world aspect. 
I still think any outhouse lacking a moon cutout is off the mark?
I lived out on the Kaw River (across from Rossville, KS) as a young adult for many years with an outhouse and no telephone-until I got married then lots of stuff changed... :D My reloading bench in the LR went bye bye, outhouse gone the first spring, etc.. TV antenna went up.  

I grew up with an indoor toilet, first 4 years during WWII, then my Dad returned to the apt where my Mom rented and I met him there. Then lacking any money or enough space for 3 people- we moved in with my granny who lived in what's often called a shotgun sort of house. It could have been called a garlow too? It was narrow, 3 rooms in a row stacked behind each other- had a front LR, then the only BR, then a kitchen with a shed indoor BR attached on the side. FWIW, as a historical note- she was a Gold Star Mother and the tiny front LR was a shrine to my Uncle David who went down with the Arizona @ Pearl Harbor. A small sideboard was covered with his pictures. 
Indoor toilet no doubt added by my uncles who looked after their mom as she had a deadbeat husband who'd left them during the depression at a very low moment in Harveyville, KS where they lived in the storeroom of my Great Grandpas store in that one room.
  That indoor toilet had a cast iron tub, a pull chain commode with overhead tank and a pull chain and a water heater that I remember as steel riveted tank painted with silver paint all over next to the commode. Yep, real fancy. next door in an actual mansion lived one of the richest Jewish business men in all of Topeka, KS. On the other side was a very modest, larger house where a doctor lived and had his practice in his home. Now days that small homes lot seems like a narrow space between two bigger houses. Our backdoor neighbor kids were all the time running around knawing on a chickens foot as their snack. I have no idea where they were from but they lived in what I'd call a shack on the alley. Not a fancy locale, huh? In the Jewish mans mansion I remember it as always smelling like garlic & onions. They had a fancy chandelier over the dining table that sticks in my memory box too. Maybe the first one I'd seen? 

Back to outhouses...
Kan=Kansas;tuck=Kentucky;kid=what I'm not

WV Sawmiller

Kantuckid,

 I remember the Foxfire movie with John Denver. I will have to work on the crescent moon but I hope people don't confuse it with a mosque.

 I may have to include audio and the below music playing every time someone opens the door.

Bobby Bare - Ode to the little brown shack - YouTube

Sam,

 I remember the cat holes and slit trenches. I missed the burning of the pooh like in Viet Nam (Remember Lt. Dan first meeting Forrest Gump and Bubba). Well, actually I never missed it. ::)

 I have said before the bane of my existence in the USMC was when we would hold a a huge, joint service exercise at Camp LeJeune near Jacksonville NC and I would have to rent every porta-john in the area. I kept a drawer full of base maps I had gotten from G-2 and would order the PJs be delivered to a 6 digit grid coordinate (Generally a major road intersection in or near the area of operations) and we would move them with tactical fork lifts and hide them under camo. I'd end up with some frizzy headed young man in my office and me giving him map reading classes so he would know where to take them. (Ever pizza guy in the area seemed to be able to find us including the one who walking into the TOC during a commanders briefing but that is another story.) We'd have to stop the exercises periodically and go admin to empty them. We'd send an escort so the truck could find them. On one big exercise the guys truck broke down and the health gurus nearly shut us down. The CG was all over my CO (HQBn CO) and he was all over me. I finally told him the guy was a civilian and I could not court martial him so all I could do was refuse pay which I had already suspended pending service. I still wake up in a cold sweat thinking about porta-johns.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

kantuckid

 :D
One of the most productive spots to dig for antique bottles in the Kansas Flint Hills was an old house sites out house or dug well along with under the foundation. Also VG to collect snakes that bite. i never thought about taking a nip on the throne but was obviously a great place to hide the habits bottle evidence. We ordered a pizza delivery on Ft Hood, TX one time and the guy drove like 30 miles to us-it's a very big place at that. 
Kan=Kansas;tuck=Kentucky;kid=what I'm not

WV Sawmiller

   That sounds like another really good reason not to take up antique bottle collecting if you ask me. :D

    I understand most of the black widow bites occurred in outhouses. 

   Now let's see - Poisonous snake bites. Black widows. Splinters. Frostbite. Pranksters (tying them shut and turning outhouses over used to be great fun I hear). Remember the cowboy on The Unforgiven. Really foul smells.

   Above is just a short list of things to tell your buddy the next time he starts talking about "The Good Old Days".

    Our comm center were the ones who were bad about ordering pizza in the field as they could call an outside line while the rest of us could not. Kids today may not believe that but in the old days there were no cell phones and everybody could not just call anybody from any location like they can today.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

btulloh

I actually knew an old fellow who sat down in the outhouse and a black widow bit him on the descenders. He said it was the worst pain he ever felt, not to even mention the emotional aspect. He went on to live a long life, but He never went into detail (thank goodness) about any long-term localized effects on the abused anatomy. 

I am really a big fan of modern plumbing and facilities. 
HM126

kantuckid

Just yesterday I was reading the Terminix pest control people's list of insects they considered outside their normal pest control contracts-Brown Recluse spiders and Black Widows were on that list along with so many kinds of ants you'd need a PHd in bugs to sort it out... :D 

My Ft Hood pizza story was pre-cell phones-I think we had somebody who had gone into built up areas order it after we'd seen a pizza guy in the boonies. Scorpions like that place insect wise and they got in everything each nite.
 
Kan=Kansas;tuck=Kentucky;kid=what I'm not

WV Sawmiller

 

 

Well, I finished my construction of my last toilet or as Brandi calls them "Pooh house" including the box/seat and toilet seat today. Instead of a crescent moon I am thinking about getting some wooden cut-outs for future use of Winnie the Pooh and market these as Pooh Houses. I may have to print something off the internet for this one. Thanks Brandi.

    Another trick I learned is on the front of the box/seat I made a 12" tall panel by joining 2- 1X6's then I simply stood it in place and locked it in with two dirt simple rotatable wood strips. Just rotate them 90 degrees and you can remove the panel for service/cleaning, etc. Last time I used two short 1X12's and two pairs of hinges. This is cheaper, faster and much easier. I will likely get my belt sander out in the morning and touch up the surfaces and knock off the mildew on the top 1X4  and generally smooth out the top a little.

   The customer has already paid for all 3 structures and is coming to get them tomorrow. I have been studying how to load these buildings especially the 4X8 shed which is the heaviest. I think I will use by 5X8 utility trailer. We will remove the roof and I suggested the customer bring a long ratchet strap to reinforce everything during loading and transport. I can put some cribbing under the middle of the shed to make a pivot point, back the trailer up to the shed, push down on the back end raising the front end. I can even disconnect the trailer off the ball and raise and back it under, add about a couple of 4.5' long posts as rollers and push/roll it on into the trailer. We'll move the trailer to the customers trailer and slide/roll it off doing pretty much the same thing in reverse.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

doc henderson

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on July 15, 2021, 07:56:29 PM
Well, I finished my construction of my last toilet 

  
oh good, I thought you said finished my "last constitution" in my toilet, and the customer is picking them up tomorrow.  My daughter would caution you about copyright, but she is very honest.   :)
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

WV Sawmiller

Doc,

Do you think they will me let bring my laptop in my cell a and still log on to the FF or do you think I will end up in solitary confinement for life? If not will you and OGH and Brandi still write to me in prison? You are probably right. I'll spend the rest of my life in lockdown for my copyright infringement of my "Pooh Houses" while unnamed famous comedians are released for much more serious crimes I'll get the book thrown at me and end up under the jail. ::) Maybe Robert will feel sorry for me and get together a bunch of his fishing buddies and make up a petition of War Eagle character references and get me an early release. Oh well, I guess I should not hope for early parole for good behavior then. :(
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

kantuckid

Maybe since a newspaper funny strip like pooh bear has become a rarity you'll slip by? Our local "pooh bear" stole our large plastic trash can last month. No sign of debris so never found as yet. We hope it's down deep in the branch blow the house so when leaves drop we'll see it. 
Do they get into outhouses? if so the real pooh bear might be the issue. Looking inside I got this thought that it's a very dark place once that door closes. Brown recluse spiders should enjoy moving inside... 
No need for a magazine rack inside cause they are gone like the newspapers & most magazines. Good thing cell phones light up cause thats probably the modern throne room entertainment? Call the above "pooh muses"? :D
Kan=Kansas;tuck=Kentucky;kid=what I'm not

WDH

You shouldn't be counting on a lot from the Pink Pachyderms. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

Kantuckid,

  It is dark in there. If it were for my personal use I'd buy one of those battery powered LED lights you just press to turn on and they go off automatically. We have a couple in the house in the closet where my wife keeps most of her camera supplies for some extra light.

  I know the old standard was to keep the old Sears and Roebuck or Penny's catalog in the outhouse but it could be a regional issue. Where I grew up in N. Fla it was corn cobs. They had to be stacked and used in the right order - 3 red ones then a white one. Further south it was Spanish moss and I don't remember if folks stored it in the outhouse or just grabbed a handful off the live oak outside as they went in.

  As to bears in outhouses I never heard of one getting there but they may. I guess even bears have some sense of pride. And since they have such a strong sense of smell I can see why they would not want to hang around there. I understand there were a lot of bear deaths on the railroad out west and Alaska and such because originally the toilets on the train used supposedly dumped right on to the tracks and the bears would feed on it - I guess they were getting the corn - and they'd get hit by the next train.

  That reminds me - deer and other animals are often found around old outhouses because of the salt in the old urine. They tend to think of it as a salt lick.

Danny,

  Yes, I realized and mentioned that if I had to wait for the PP crew I might as well not even expect parole for good behavior. :(
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

 

I got up this morning and touched up the toilet box and knocked some black mildew off with my belt sander and touched up the surface a little to reduce the chance of splinters. Here is an open view with the panel removed so you can see the plastic tote 

Here is a closed toilet seat view with the front panel on hiding the tote.


here is the best view right at dark. The toilet is on the end of the trailer and the 4X4 and 4X8 sheds are on the trailer ready to go home to the customer. The rep came about 5:00 pm. We'd load the buildings on my 5X8 trailer by jacking or tilting them and backing my 5X8 trailer under them and using some 4.5' buckeye rollers to roll them on. I'd strap them down and  tow them to the customer trailer which was in a dip so my trailer extended over his. He'd winch them off and we'd go back and load the next one. This customer left them intact except for the roof. In the past they took them dismantled. It was after 9:30 pm by the time we got them loaded and strapped down good for his 100+ mile trip back to Charleston WV. In fact, I forgot to include his sawdust so I'll e-mail and tell him any time he is in the area to come get some. This has been a very long drawn out affair getting these built but the customer has been nice and paid well and I am glad to see them go to a good home. 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

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