flux-core with no gas nozzle?

I was stick welding yesterday under the hood of my new old van..Moby Dick.

thermostat housing bolts sheared off at the heads. Used 3/32" Blue Max 708S stainless rod to weld nuts on the stubs. Id sprayed plenty of P'Blaster on the bolts the day before..some of which soaked into the bits of waterpump gasket that were standing proud. Got a bit busy there for a couple minutes when I took off the hood and found a nice big waterpump gasket wick burning all around the waterpump. And licking at the wiring harnesses....

Didnt hurt anything, just got the old ticker going pretty good for a few minutes.

Bolts sucessfuly removed btw. No big deal

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch
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But don't try to extinguish a gas fire with water. Stupid idea!

Nick

Reply to
Nick Mueller

...

Hey Gunner,

Have I been sleeping under a rock? What vehicle did you finally settle on? Major Gunner grade scrounge or something to just get by?

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

ah hum...I had a budget of about $4k +/- a smidge...so I did a bit of scrounging....

Sitting in my driveway, is a 2001 Ford Ranger, extended cab with a 3.0 liter engine and auto, airconditioning to freeze the hubs of hell.

101K miles. Interior is mint, with factory CD player and alarm with keyless remote.

I paid the owner $1000 cash. I paid her back tickets and fees and the registration transfer to me $431, and the impound fee of $740 after she got it impounded because she let the registration lapse, had no insurance and no drivers license because she stopped paying child support. (druggies...sigh)

Yesterday I had my mechanic put on new pads, a new rotor and grease seals, and go completly through it. $230 He says its in marvelous shape, with a couple cosmetic issues that are easy to resolve, the biggest being a busted headlight and dinged fender and a tweaked rear bumper. Taking it off and bending the mounting brackets will fix that.

So Im into a 6 yr old pickup for $2401. I also bought a used headlight assembly $50 and a replacement drivers side fender $15. . Ill also need a topper or shell. Ill scrounge something up or use the one I have on the Mazda..though really want a phone company/cable company shell with ladder rack.. Ones for an extended cab Ranger are hard to find. This coming weekend she gets the fender and headlight assembly.

Retail bluebook is about $4500 in current condition $2465 invested to date

This afternoon, Ill be putting a new thermostat and housing $35 (ouch) on my 1989 Ford 350 Extended 1 ton van (91K miles, 5.8l, auto, Reese towing package, electric brake controller etc, alarm, refridgerator, internal 110vt wiring and inverter) , then installing the new radiator, hoses, starter ($219) and the (2) batteries (7 yr) $109. I already put on (5) really nice 235/70/R16 used tires $125. I paid the owner $1000 for the van. $1488 invested to date, plus will need registration and smog..figure another $150

$1638 invested so far in the van.

Combined investment is $4135.

Oh..I purchased a flatbed trailer $100 (single axle, way over built and has electric brakes) and put that utility body $25 that I had sitting out back on it (really nice fit), along with the big tool box. Ill be mounting the near new Honda 3500 watt genset (swapped for an elderly thread roller..free), and the Oster pipe threader (free) and various other stuff including pipe and standard vise and ladder rack.(got the steel waiting out back) Ill have to paint it. Ive got 2 gallons of Industrial Rustoleum (white..Habitat for Humanity...$10) and a friend who runs a sand blasting company....How much does a case of beer cost?

So...I now have a daily driver (21mpg so far), a 1 ton heavy hauler (need a phone company van kit with all the racking and shelves and stuff ....anyone got one?) capable of pulling a Bridgeport from California to Podunk Falls, and a facilities maintainance trailer that will have all the Stuff onboard needed to do just about any sort of installation/repair/overhaul, in one package

A fair amount of sweat equity but..shrug...by the time its all said and done..Ill have about $4500 involved. Crom willing and the creek dont rise. Cost of copious amounts of Diet Mt. Dew not included...been well over 105F for the past month...gack!

And I just got an message from a client who wants me to help set up a

36,000 sqft fabrication facility from scratch. WhooHoo!

God I love it when good scrounges come together.

Did I do ok so far?

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:54:28 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner Asch quickly quoth:

I could have driven that little Hyundai down there for next to nothing, but it has next to nothing in the way of hauling capacity. I knew it'd be too damned hot, too, so I left it for you to enjoy alone. ;)

Most excellent, duuude.

You're 4 for 3 in my books: Two gnu veHickelz (both Fords), plus a trailer, plus you were right around the budget. Kudos.

- Metaphors Be With You -

Reply to
Larry Jaques

UGH - what a sad story for me! - What a winner for you!

Kool! Wonder if the phone company / power company is having a junk sale - truck wreck that will offload the back... Get a crane...

Finally got the 'pink slip' on my truck - and here is one - been here for several years - loan company up north 200+ miles. Texas. I got a Ca. title. Now I have to convert it at what cost. Maybe I can get farm or ranch on it - it states commercial on the title.

Anyone know ?

Martin

Mart> >

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

No, that's what the Dry Chemical and/or CO2 extinguisher you have sitting right there next to you are for - when you realize that water isn't going to cut it this time, takes you three seconds to drop the hose, grab an extinguisher, pull the pin, squeeze and sweep.

Still a hell of a lot faster than if you weren't there working the safety man position at all, or if you had to go run to get the F.E. off the wall bracket and run back.

I've tried the opposite and it doesn't work well - put out burning stucco lath (tar paper) Class A fire with a CO2, and it flashes again when the CO2 blows away. (But in the switchroom, Halon and CO2 was all we had. They didn't want any oopsies with water on electronics.)

I have a wide assortment of extinguishers scattered around my house to fit any possible need - ABC, BC, Purple-K, pressurized water, CO2. Halon 1211 by the computers, and Potassium Acetate "Class K" for the kitchen.

Southern California is bone dry and it's only the start of the summer, we're going to have a vicious wildfire season this year - and if everyone doing any sort of outside work (brush clearance, construction) in a "wilderness interface area" has a water source or an extinguisher readily at hand, we could stop half the wildfires before they got going.

Welding or grinding sparks will get away and start an inferno really fast - or if you're prepared and paying attention, you can jump on it and put the fire out in the first few seconds. You need to have it right there with you - If you have to 'run back to the truck and get something', it's going to be too late.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

Major Gunner? You could get in deep doodoo with such an allegation.

Reply to
Don Foreman

The point is: You shouldn't even try to extinguish a gas fire with water. *)

*) That only reminds me at a story at the army when I was welding some signs**). The biggest idiot***) of the shop came by with a brush soaked in gas and brushed over the glowing weld. Sure the brush ignited. He waved it around and the fire went out. He did it a second time (you bet, I told him not to do so). It ignited again, he tried to wave it out again. But the brush fell out of his hand, right into a pan with gas. :-) *Shit* You know, when we had to use the fire extinguisher, we had to report it. And that would only have triggered questions. What did that idiot do? He ran for some water. NO!NO!NO!, don't do it! He did it anyhow and the fire now was on the floor too. OK, we had to use the fire-extinguisher ... **) That only reminds me of ... A major came by and watched me and asked, why it takes so long (we only had OA). I just looked at him and without a word handed him the rod and the OA torch. He left without further complaining. :-) ***) That only reminds me ... That moron was in cart racing. When he needed a new piston, he must have confused the ordering number. 'Cause he got a piston without a window in the skirt. What did he do? He clamped the piston in the vice, center punched for 4 holes and drilled them. Then filed the rest. Well, the piston got a "tad" oval. But nothing that couldn't be fixed with a hammer (in his opinion).

Nick

Reply to
Nick Mueller

Major? Oh hell no. My parents were married.

Gunner

Reply to
Gunner

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