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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
Its that time of year again and I have just lost 4 fence posts...
I know from bitter experience that they are surrounded in a mass of concrete, which goes down about 18-24", so this time I wondered if it was possible to remove the stump (leaving a nice square hole) and simply insert a new post. Initially it looked promising, as the 'stump' move slightly, but there were so much suction that I couldn't get it out. So my next attempt was to drill loads of holes into it and then try and break it out.. This kind of worked, but only got me down about 8 inches before this no longer worked (basically because it was so deep that I couldn't get any leverage) So, as a last resort I tried to burn it!.. I tried using petrol and it just flames, but very little damage appears to be done to the wood.. I then tryed BBQ lighter fluid and that seemed to work better. However, the BBQ fluid has run out and I am back to petrol again. I am now down to about 15" so I am almost there but its getting frustrating as its taken almost 2 days! Is there anything I could use to burn/decompose/eat the wood? This may not help in this case, but certainly the other 3 posts might benifit from your answers. Any ideas or suggestions about be appreciated Jon |
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
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#3
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
wrote in message oups.com... Its that time of year again and I have just lost 4 fence posts... I know from bitter experience that they are surrounded in a mass of concrete, which goes down about 18-24", so this time I wondered if it was possible to remove the stump (leaving a nice square hole) and simply insert a new post. Initially it looked promising, as the 'stump' move slightly, but there were so much suction that I couldn't get it out. So my next attempt was to drill loads of holes into it and then try and break it out.. This kind of worked, but only got me down about 8 inches before this no longer worked (basically because it was so deep that I couldn't get any leverage) So, as a last resort I tried to burn it!.. I tried using petrol and it just flames, but very little damage appears to be done to the wood.. I then tryed BBQ lighter fluid and that seemed to work better. However, the BBQ fluid has run out and I am back to petrol again. I am now down to about 15" so I am almost there but its getting frustrating as its taken almost 2 days! Is there anything I could use to burn/decompose/eat the wood? This may not help in this case, but certainly the other 3 posts might benifit from your answers. Any ideas or suggestions about be appreciated Jon Pour sodium chlorate (weedkiller ) onto the stump and add a bit of fuel. Sodium Chlorate is an oxidiser and should help the fire along quite a bit. Don't burn your eyebrows off though! Andy. |
#4
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
Do you know what? I have just been thinking to myself why I havn't
tried my SDS.. A few months back I bought some HUGE drill bits.. THey would almost certainly do 'some' damage.. Whether it will get the stump out, I don't know.. But its worth a try! |
#6
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
How about using a metapost "post saver". They have a spike which is
profiled to go into one corner of the rotten end of post set in concrete. Hammer post saver in and you end up with socket to take post. You can even use the old post with the rotten bit cut off!! Wickes sell these things as well cost about 5. wrote in message oups.com... Its that time of year again and I have just lost 4 fence posts... I know from bitter experience that they are surrounded in a mass of concrete, which goes down about 18-24", so this time I wondered if it was possible to remove the stump (leaving a nice square hole) and simply insert a new post. Initially it looked promising, as the 'stump' move slightly, but there were so much suction that I couldn't get it out. So my next attempt was to drill loads of holes into it and then try and break it out.. This kind of worked, but only got me down about 8 inches before this no longer worked (basically because it was so deep that I couldn't get any leverage) So, as a last resort I tried to burn it!.. I tried using petrol and it just flames, but very little damage appears to be done to the wood.. I then tryed BBQ lighter fluid and that seemed to work better. However, the BBQ fluid has run out and I am back to petrol again. I am now down to about 15" so I am almost there but its getting frustrating as its taken almost 2 days! Is there anything I could use to burn/decompose/eat the wood? This may not help in this case, but certainly the other 3 posts might benifit from your answers. Any ideas or suggestions about be appreciated Jon |
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
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#8
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
Pour sodium chlorate (weedkiller ) onto the stump and add a bit of fuel. Sodium Chlorate is an oxidiser and should help the fire along quite a bit. Don't burn your eyebrows off though! Andy. Sodium Chlorate weed killer is now sold with inhibitors to prevent it being used as a oxidiser, ie for rocket fuel or explosives. I don't know how effective it is though, you may need to get it really hot in order to get to release its oxygen. Cheers Dave |
#9
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
Come on dothe job properly, do it the right way.
It only takes me 1 hr to remove a post and concrete. http://www.gb-online.co.uk/gardhand.html The post will be approx 2ft in the ground, so how can you burn it out. It will be soaking wet, as the post has rotted. What a mess. Sodium Chlorate weedkiller has a fire depresant in it, so don't try. Oxy is too dangerous, and I have not seen a torch with a 2ft extension nozzle. Do not use Metapost unless its really really necessary. If you do not get them straight to start off with you have posts that lean over. Hit a stone as you drive them in, and they twist. So you have twisted posts. Even when I drive in 3inch round to 6 inch round agricultural spiked wooden posts into the ground by 2ft deep. Its impossible to get them out by rocking them and pulling. The suction in the ground is tremendous. 2 ways round it. 1 - Literally dig the concrete out, always dig around the concrete, so its clear of the soil and is not supported. If possible leave the post in situ, if not rotted away, as you can lever with it. Chisel the concrete, or split the concrete in half, look for weak spots. As I say it takes me 1 hr to get a post and concrete out. 2 - Why not set the posts half a fence panel away or there abouts. So you are digging and putting in posts in bare ground. Then make up a half panel to fill in the offset. Leave the old concrete in the ground. When I come round to putting in new posts/panels in its amazing what historical relics of fencing you find. |
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
jon.p.weaver wrote:
Do you know what? I have just been thinking to myself why I havn't tried my SDS.. A few months back I bought some HUGE drill bits.. THey would almost certainly do 'some' damage.. Whether it will get the stump out, I don't know.. But its worth a try! It won't work. However, if you drill a pilot hole down the middle of the post, and screw a long coach screw in, you might be able pull out the stump with a suitably drilled piece of 4" RSJ or other sturdy lever. Your best bet may be to drill the concrete out at the corners/sides of the posts, and then try pulling the stump out: OOO holes ### ### stump ### You need a good "eye", though (the drill but won't like going into the timber, which helps). I removed a row of posts set into a concrete foundation (*why?*) by drilling a channel out of one side: ---------O---------- O ### ### -------------------- and levering in the vertical slot with a wrecking bar. Probably won't help you, though! Problems can happen when there are knots, dents, or whatever in the concreted-in stump - or some silly sod has driven nails into the stump before concreting it in! I have come across that. Grr. |
#12
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
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#13
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
Do not use Metapost unless its really really necessary. If you do not get them straight to start off with you have posts that lean over. Hit a stone as you drive them in, and they twist. So you have twisted posts. Metpost repair spurs slide neatly between the post stump and the concrete - it would be quite hard to put them in crooked. the way to get them straight is simple: clamp the post in the spur before it is put in the ground and keep the post vertical. This makes a mess of the post top so use the old post then throw it away and put the new one in when the spur is done. bland. |
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
I came up with a plan.. Since I am already down about 12", I was going
to put a good bit of post in the hole that I had made and then try a "Repair Spur", just to see if it would work. Sounded like a good idea to me, until I found that 4" Repair Spurs are almost impossible to get.. I even rang Metpost and was told that Travis Perkins and Wyevale are the ONLY people who buy them off them. I already know that TP have none as they checked their centre stock.. So, if I can't get one froM Wyevale, then I am stuffed and its back to the drawing board. If anyone knows where I can get a 4" version of the Metpost "Repair Spur" I would certainly be interested. All the best Jon |
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
jon.p.weaver wrote:
I came up with a plan.. Since I am already down about 12", I was going to put a good bit of post in the hole that I had made and then try a "Repair Spur", just to see if it would work. If you're down that far, it'll probably hold better than a metpost anyway..... |
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
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#17
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
Maybe soak it in a solution of potassium nitrate, let it dry - this ought to encourage the wood itself to burn in the presence of an oxidiser. Liquid Oxygen would probably work as well... Just where do you think you can get potassium nitrate from ??? bombs and all that. May be fill the hole up with potassium nitrate, a bit of charcoal and maybe a bit of sulphur, mix it up a touch. Put a good heavy cap on it, stand back and set light. That will clear the concrete and make a hole at the same time. No need to recycle the concrete as you will not be able to find it. The neighbours might complain thou ??? |
#18
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
In message , bumpy
writes Just where do you think you can get potassium nitrate from ??? bombs and all that. Http://www.kno3.com/product.asp?itemid=4 -- Bill |
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
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#21
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
In article ,
says... wrote: So, as a last resort I tried to burn it!.. I tried using petrol and it just flames, but very little damage appears to be done to the wood.. I then tryed BBQ lighter fluid and that seemed to work better. However, the BBQ fluid has run out and I am back to petrol again. Home made napalm? Polystyrene dissovled in petrol to form a paste like goo? The problem with adding anything combustible is that it will burn, not the wood which is underneath and starved of oxygen. Add an oxidant and the wood will burn. |
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
"AJH" wrote in message ... On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 02:51:48 -0000, Rob Morley wrote: The problem with adding anything combustible is that it will burn, not the wood which is underneath and starved of oxygen. Add an oxidant and the wood will burn. Yes subject to moisture content. One of the pyrotechnic projects I never got around to was to remove the wire wound bar cw ceramic from an old radiant fire and rejig it to fit down a hole drilled in a stump, plan was to attach it to an arc welder and just give it enough juice to carbonise the wood in situ. Might work in this case. AJH Although Sodium Chlorate has a fire depressant added, it will still act as an oxidiser: if you don't believe me, try sprinkling some on your log fire next time you have one going, Andy. |
#23
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
bumpy wrote: Maybe soak it in a solution of potassium nitrate, let it dry - this ought to encourage the wood itself to burn in the presence of an oxidiser. Liquid Oxygen would probably work as well... Just where do you think you can get potassium nitrate from ??? bombs and all that. May be fill the hole up with potassium nitrate, a bit of charcoal and maybe a bit of sulphur, mix it up a touch. Put a good heavy cap on it, stand back and set light. That will clear the concrete and make a hole at the same time. I bet you it doesn't! Manufacturing gunpowder is a good deal more complicated than just mixing charcoal, saltpeter, and sulpher together and stirring with a stick. See http://www.theodoregray.com/Periodic...Stories/016.1/ for example. |
#24
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote:
Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on line for $20 for 10 pounds. Theres a reason they use it for stump remover. Drill holes in the remaining post as far down as possible. I used a 22inch long, 1/2 inch machine bit from HF. The wood was soft so I probably got a good 15" down before friction kicked in. Mix a 1/2 pound or so of Sodium or Potasium Nitrate with water. It should be thin enough to soak into the wood. Keep the sprinklers off. Then fill the holes with the P. N. powder. Can you wait 6 months? Probably not. So speed up the process. Wait a couple days to dry out. A blower of fan would help. Then, light it up! Soak 4 or 5 charcoals, soaked in mineral spirits, on top of the post and light it up. There is not enough oxygen past 15 inches to support combustion with out the P.N. that absorbed P N will smould for up to two days. I've had stumps where the PN gets absorbed into the roots and it smolders 6 feet following the roots. -- for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy...ut-211062-.htm |
#25
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
On Friday, 12 June 2020 16:44:05 UTC+1, DStocker wrote:
replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote: Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on line for $20 for 10 pounds. .... if you want the police to take a keen interest. We don't have harbour fright here. Theres a reason they use it for stump remover. Drill holes in the remaining post as far down as possible. I used a 22inch long, 1/2 inch machine bit from HF. The wood was soft so I probably got a good 15" down before friction kicked in. Mix a 1/2 pound or so of Sodium or Potasium Nitrate with water. It should be thin enough to soak into the wood. Keep the sprinklers off. Then fill the holes with the P. N. powder. Can you wait 6 months? Probably not. So speed up the process. Wait a couple days to dry out. A blower of fan would help. Then, light it up! Soak 4 or 5 charcoals, soaked in mineral spirits, on top of the post and light it up. There is not enough oxygen past 15 inches to support combustion with out the P.N. that absorbed P N will smould for up to two days. I've had stumps where the PN gets absorbed into the roots and it smolders 6 feet following the roots. |
#26
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
wrote:
On Friday, 12 June 2020 16:44:05 UTC+1, DStocker wrote: replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote: Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on line for $20 for 10 pounds. ... if you want the police to take a keen interest. We don't have harbour fright here. Angle grinder, on the end of a long pole. Or one of these maybe. https://www.mining-technology.com/co...g/oxylanceinc/ "Where oxy / fuel torches produce a temperature of 2,450˚C to 2,760˚C, burning bars produce heat in the range of 3,870˚C to 4,150˚C." I like his safety outfit. https://www.mining-technology.com/wp...ew-image-L.jpg Who says you can't have fun at work ? Paul |
#27
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
On Friday, 12 June 2020 16:44:05 UTC+1, DStocker wrote:
replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote: Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on line for $20 for 10 pounds. Theres a reason they use it for stump remover. Drill holes in the remaining post as far down as possible. I used a 22inch long, 1/2 inch machine bit from HF. The wood was soft so I probably got a good 15" down before friction kicked in. Mix a 1/2 pound or so of Sodium or Potasium Nitrate with water. It should be thin enough to soak into the wood. Keep the sprinklers off. Then fill the holes with the P. N. powder. Can you wait 6 months? Probably not. So speed up the process. Wait a couple days to dry out. A blower of fan would help. Then, light it up! Soak 4 or 5 charcoals, soaked in mineral spirits, on top of the post and light it up. There is not enough oxygen past 15 inches to support combustion with out the P.N. that absorbed P N will smould for up to two days. I've had stumps where the PN gets absorbed into the roots and it smolders 6 feet following the roots. -- for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy...ut-211062-.htm Fifteen years ago, probably dead by now. |
#28
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
On 12/06/2020 22:56, wrote:
On Friday, 12 June 2020 16:44:05 UTC+1, DStocker wrote: replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote: Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on line for $20 for 10 pounds. ... if you want the police to take a keen interest. We don't have harbour fright here. Use Thermite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXQnIgrXJd8 -- mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
#29
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
alan_m wrote:
On 12/06/2020 22:56, wrote: On Friday, 12 June 2020 16:44:05 UTC+1, DStocker wrote: replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote: Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on line for $20 for 10 pounds. ... if you want the police to take a keen interest. We don't have harbour fright here. Use Thermite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXQnIgrXJd8 If you were lowering that into a hole, you'd probably have trouble getting it started. Thermite will start off a magnesium ribbon, without additional blow torch work. (I did Thermite as a chem department open house demo one year. I wasn't very good at it. I have no future as an arsonist.) Paul |
#30
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
replying to jon.p.weaver, DStocker wrote:
I have been successful in removing 6 of my 8 posts down to the cement "bottom" (22"), that were rotted out at the top of the cement but your right, it can be a difficult process. Each post had a different level of rot and difficulty. Even then, the new posts were bigger and required plaining to fit the holes. We live in an area where fence contractors just cut the old posts off and dig new holes for the new posts because of the rock tailings from the gold rush. They leave the old crete in the ground. It seems the moisture trapped in the post, as well as the depth of the post in the create keeps it from burning, smoldering, like a tree stump would do after being prepared for burning. But that can take 6 months or more. The depth seems to deprive the burn of oxygen. Charcoal worked well up to about 8 inches. Then, I used a 5/8 drill bit with a 22" shank available at HF. I drilled many holes down as far as they would go and smashed them together with a 6' x 1" carbon steel pry-bar. Then a cheezy planting auger that has about about a 2.5-3" width that I sharpened in the grinder. I pulled the pieces out with a vacuum. I'm thinking, if I had an acetylene torch, I could turn the oxygen on low enough to just feed the smoldering process? Or just it to burn the post out like a small kiln. Maybe a small fan from a computer on the top of the hole to keep the air circulating? There has to be a better way to do this. -- for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy...ut-211062-.htm |
#31
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
On Sunday, 19 July 2020 22:14:03 UTC+1, DStocker wrote:
replying to jon.p.weaver, DStocker wrote: I have been successful in removing 6 of my 8 posts down to the cement "bottom" (22"), that were rotted out at the top of the cement but your right, it can be a difficult process. Each post had a different level of rot and difficulty. Even then, the new posts were bigger and required plaining to fit the holes. We live in an area where fence contractors just cut the old posts off and dig new holes for the new posts because of the rock tailings from the gold rush. They leave the old crete in the ground. It seems the moisture trapped in the post, as well as the depth of the post in the create keeps it from burning, smoldering, like a tree stump would do after being prepared for burning. But that can take 6 months or more. The depth seems to deprive the burn of oxygen. Charcoal worked well up to about 8 inches. Then, I used a 5/8 drill bit with a 22" shank available at HF. I drilled many holes down as far as they would go and smashed them together with a 6' x 1" carbon steel pry-bar. Then a cheezy planting auger that has about about a 2.5-3" width that I sharpened in the grinder. I pulled the pieces out with a vacuum. I'm thinking, if I had an acetylene torch, I could turn the oxygen on low enough to just feed the smoldering process? crazy expensive though. You don't need acetylene for wood. ? Or just it to burn the post out like a small kiln. Maybe a small fan from a computer on the top of the hole to keep the air circulating? There has to be a better way to do this. |
#32
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
I often (well several times a year I suppose) have to pull old fence
posts out as we have a 9 acre smallholding with electric fencing on wooden posts. I'm lucky to have (and always have had) a mini-tractor with a hydraulic three-point hitch on the back. When I first wanted to pull the bottom of a broken post out I rather tongue-in-cheek wondered if I could pull it out with the tractor's three point hitch. Much to my surprise it worked quite easily with just some 120mm screws driven into the post in the ground and a bit of chain round them to pull with the hitch. I now have three big (as in 300mm long by 10mm thick) coach screws that I use to do this and it has never failed so far. I even lifted a the remains of a big square field gate post (300mm square) using this method. I think it works well because the posts are rarely rotted down into the ground, it's just an inch or so at ground level where there's both water and air. -- Chris Green · |
#33
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
On 20/07/2020 08:44, Chris Green wrote:
I think it works well because the posts are rarely rotted down into the ground, it's just an inch or so at ground level where there's both water and air. I was digging one of our flowerbeds the other day and came across the flint footings of the old outside toilet. I wouldn't have bothered if I'd realised how deep they were... but I also found a three inch post. I was able to pull it out by tying rope around the top, the levering it with a 6ft crowbar. Should have used stronger rope the first time. Thinking about it I probably put half a ton of tension on it - and it broke. Andy |
#34
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
Another old post dragged up from the depths of homeowners hub ?
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#35
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
replying to Martin Bonner, Ryan wrote:
Ive burnt down about a foot. Diesel and oil. Powersawed with a 16 bar. Going to dowel a piece of painted rebar into the bottom of new post and broken one. Might look at a sealer before assembly, maybe devcon or rear diff rtv -- for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy...ut-211062-.htm |
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