Sorry that I do not lurk before posting - But I am not really very sorry.
Some years ago I got some crap - the "glue spreader" from HCA and I tossed the
snailmail spam.
I got more crap from them and sent something back with no intention to pay for
whatever they sent. I looked online and saw that - I think it was this newsgroup
- folks bitched and laughed about drill gage and wire gage and assorted crap and
not getting anything the HCA promised to send.
Last year or early this year I returned a thing telling them to send me the
damned stuff they promised before I send them money for anything. - So they sent
me a flashlight and what I call a "Swiss Army Pliers" and they sent me thanks
for subscribing to their magazine.
So I been getting their magazine ever since. (Hey! I am trying to shorten this
longish stupid story)
Okay! I got myself a couple batteries for that cheap knockoff of a MiniMag
light and screwed it together and it popped off the lens. - It works now that I
superglued the lens in.
A jaw broke off that folding "Swiss Army Pliers" when I tried to cut a
weedeater string.
So, I figured F*** them.
Then they sent me a book and I looked through it and thought WTF - it was
interesting and maybe had a couple things I did not know already so I sent them
ten bucks.
Today I got stuff from them that I am sure that they did not have time to get
my book payment and respond - I am amazed!!!
First thing was a $24.00 rebate check which I used to get the groceries that I
went to town to check mail and get groceries.
They said that my cashing the check would finalize my lifetime membership and
that I would never ever have to send them money anymore. - I did not see
anything on the check that bound me to anything - so WTF?
Now I got home and looked more in the envelope and I got a window sticker and
an iron on patch and a nifty looking carpenter pencil - Hey! even looks decent
quality though I have not tried to sharpen it yet to see if the knife grabs the
lead an pulls it out.

There is a pamphlet that shows photo's of the $340.00 of tools that I am going
to receive for being a lifetime member now.
Way cool. ... ??

My problem is that I wonder - if I do actually get any of the power tools -
should I pay some homeless person twenty bucks to plug in and turn them on?

Is HCA some dope front or money laundering outfit or tax write off scam or just
insane or what???

Hey! I have played some scam outfits before and got some CD's (in broken boxes)
and such and I never sent them back because I didn't want to pay postage.
When HCA sent me the book they sent box prepaid to return it. - Had they not
done that I probably would have just kept the thing rather than to send them the
ten bucks they wanted for it.

They sent me the twenty four dollar rebate faster than I think they could have
even got the ten bucks I sent them - maybe three days ago in the afternoon.

===================

Oh well, as long as I am here - might anyone have advice about how to go about
brazing or soldering stainless? - I got a little MIG but am not very good with
it and the stuff I want to stick together isn't all that thick.