Metalworking

Today, I fixed my Stanley distance calculator roller. I had broken off the POS plastic housing, so wrapped it in 22ga. steel, and then welded a piece of conduit on it for a NEW handle. I'm thinking of going to Ace and getting a racy handlebar cover for the end of the conduit, but don't want to appear too professional. But it does help when that roller wants to torque out of your hands because of resistance to measuring asphalt. It's time to show that roller who is in charge!

Then, I took my $10 garage sale trailer, and made some side posts from high grade treated lumber. The stake pockets were exactly the size to receive 2 x 4 (Actually 1 5/8 x 3 1/2" for the newbies), and then used 2" x 6 " treated lumber for the side rails. Well, actually 1 5/8" x 5 1/2" for the uninformed. Then I used the heretoforementioned 2 x 4's and a 2 x 12 for the small strip at the head of the trailer. 2 x 12 not actual size..............

Then, I worked on my MIG cart, welding on the bottle holder, and the welder holder, and deciding to use some cheapo red plastic bungees with the black balls on them, just to help hold the cords on the cart. I fully intend to add baskets to the cart that will hold grinders, markers, squares, etc. I also fully intend to weld hooks on it to hold my NexGen EQC autodark hood and colorful Comeaux caps. Ditto for the cables. But, I don't want to do that until I use the cart, and find out where exactly these should be placed on the MIG cart. It does roll well on my wood floor of the container, but I need to blow out the blowsand that blew in with the last blow. Seems to be pretty sturdy, though, with a low center of gravity.

Then I just putzed around in the shop. You know, putting pliers back in the pliers drawer of the tool cabinet. Ditto for the wrenches. Throwing away an astounding amount of trash and flammables ...............

I did put pigtails on three ATVs so that I can put a float charger on them and keep them charged easily instead of having to dismantle them to the frame to get regular charging clamps on there. I used the two prong NAPA connectors, if you're interested.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a day in the life of a real metalworker, who's out there doing it and not sitting around talking about bullshit political shit all day.

YMMV

Steve

Reply to
Steve B
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Aw yes, it's spring! Time to fire up on projects again and enjoy life! Have another fine day tomorrow, eih? ;>)) phil

Reply to
Phil Kangas

i did some metalworkish kind of stuff this past week and finished it and erected it today.

you might remember last year i did this silly thing.

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we're doing another "litter pick up day" here tomorrow in my little town. 4 miles of road that borders/intersects 600 acres of historic farmland the land owner wants to convert into a 300 unit condo development. some local residents created a "save our hamlet" organization. we pick up the litter along those roads as an expression of our love and concern for that parcel of land. we'd like to keep it agriculture, hopefully interest a vineyard. or if not agricultrue, how about a sculpture park similar to the storm king art center?
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well, so, this year i did another tire "sculpture" (from teh tires that had been dumped there for the past 40 years.)

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i think this one is a bit overwrought, but i got a chuckle from it anyhow. the wind spinners are from the domed bottoms of spray paint rattle cans (i DID some welding on the posts they're attached to). i used discarded neon tubes, glued colored marbles (from inside paint rattle cans) on the ends. found a mirror alongside the road and cut it into 5/8" squares and glued 'em on. found the aluminum and glass domes in a dumpster. someone threw a roll of aluminum foil alongside the road we're going to pick up along and i was like, it was a gift from god, saying "here, use this too". i wanted to put LEDs in the glass tubes and projecting onto the dome (to light it up at night), but am too cheap and due to poor planning didn't have them on hand in time.
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the tire alien STILL hasn't been vandalized, which to me is a TOTAL miracle. i'm afraid this new one won't last the night... hopefully it will last until tomorrow morning when we do the pick up so the participants can see it and hopefully get a chuckle too.

i left the robot in a spot that traditionally gets a lot of dumping. hopefully it might deter some. i tidied up that area a couple days ago in preparation for this weekend. today i noticed someone had taken a SHIT there and left the toilet paper there too. i assumed that was a commentary on our efforts.

b.w.

Reply to
William Wixon

I have some granite sink cutouts that I am going to mount on a pedestal of rebar, then run a water source down them in a triangular cascade configuration. Of course, I will keep you posted.

It's just that I have so much more fun out putzing in the shop than writing to some of the usual suspects here on the Internet.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

Time to determine which dumpster mower to use this year - most I've paid for a lawn mower lately was $5 back in 1990, and I gave that one away last year, still running fine. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

Spring is for metalworking? I got my machine room done in time so I could make chips comfortably in the winter. I *thought* I was going to shop for an air conditioner today for the shop but winter came back. I can put that off for another week.

What sized air conditioner do I need for a roughly 8' x 12' shop where summer temperatures seldom get over 90 degrees F? There is a lot of thermal mass in the shop that might skew what would be recommended for something of volume like a bed room.

As an aside, my first google came up with response on how big a air conditioner to deal with the heat from the grow lights in the room some guy is growing mary jane. You never know what you will find DAGS.

As to my needs, I'm thinking 3500-5000 btu, I'd rather have something quite that just whirls away a bit on a hot day, sure don't want to sweat and freeze as something to big kicks on.

Thanks,

Wes

Reply to
Wes

mmer temperatures

op that might skew

If it has a lot of thermal mass, you could put it on a timer and run it at night when the outside temperature is lower. Get the shop so it is a little on the cool side and then a small unit would work to keep it cool.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

Your bot made me smile. William, you are one of the good ones.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

I can't remember ever bying a mower. Whenever I needed one, someone would be throwing one away...

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

If it has a lot of thermal mass, you could put it on a timer and run it at night when the outside temperature is lower. Get the shop so it is a little on the cool side and then a small unit would work to keep it cool.

Dan

One time, I rented a 1250 sf, or so, shop. It was a metal building, with concrete slab, and it was all insulated, and had a big heat pump on it. Actually quality construction. In the summer, I just couldn't get it cool. I called the manager, and he called the AC guy. He came and tested, and pronounced everything good. He just said that I had such a thermal mass of stored steel and equipment that the residual heat kept it from cooling. He said if I did want it to cool down, it would take running 24/7 for about two weeks to draw all the btus out of the steel, and then, it would shoot back up if I opened the door, or gained the heat back. So much for an AC'd shop. But that included about twenty bundles of tubing at any time, plus lots of plate and other assorted steel, plus heat created by cutting and welding and the machines.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

wow. thanks winston. (that's high praise here on r.c.m.) :-)

we did the litter pick up yesterday. 4 miles of road. we had 8 volunteers this year, that's down from the 12 or 15 we've had on previous years, that was hugely disappointing, but maybe it's proportional because there was less litter to pick up this year too. we got maybe about 6 FULL bags of litter (if you consolidated all the partial bags into full bags). thank goodness there were no couches, mattresses, tires, etc. this year. reporter from a local paper showed up and took some pictures, asked some questions, that was nice/encouraging.

while i was picking up the litter this recent news story came to mind.

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Reply to
William Wixon

That mary jane website gave 3500 btu per 1000 watt lighting and 20 btu per square feet.

So my lighting loads are 476 to 700 btu depending on if only the overhead lights are on or if the two 100 watt lights on the bridgegport are operating. I can see how a decent high wattage led replacement could save a lot of money. Heck, in summer, I'll put some of those twisters in. Winter, well heat is always handy. :)

The human body puts out about 650 BTU/HR (190 watts) doing light work.

The room itself calculates out to 2160 BTU/HR

Added up I get a range of 3286 to 3510.

Hitting Menards, Sears, and other appliance sellers shows ~5000 as the smallest size available in the area so I guess my choice is made.

The only other thing is the SEER rating of 9.7 to 10.8 . I'm willing to pay a bit more for a more efficient air conditioner. So far the Fridgidaire at Sears seems like the one to buy.

One of the things that makes it miserable in a hot shop is humidity. This should help control that.

For those that paid attention to my heating thread, I kept the room at 52F during the last winter except for when I turned up the temperature to 60-62F when I was in there working. My cost per day was 61 cents at 10.5 cents per KWH.

This year was rather mild so next year will be a better test. Michigan near 45N

Wes

Reply to
Wes

It's rewarding when we do good, especially when no one asked us.

More power to you.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

The intersection of keeping things the same vs making a buck. Sometimes it is hard to just leave property lay as it is.

Our family has some acreage but the way property taxes work, the next generation isn't likely to be able to afford holding it in it's natural state. Currently Mom and Uncle are looking into selling the developement rights to a conservancy but the tax law on that isn't fully developed.

We would just like to have the swamp, stream, and highland stay the way it has been for the last couple generations if we can work it out.

Thanks for being one of those that adopt a highway or whatever public tract of land.

Wes

Reply to
Wes

Assuming it isn't something that would but life and limb at risk, could you substitute a small cross section of an oring as an emergincy spring?

Wes

Reply to
Wes

Don't think so. It's a torsion spring, like this:

/0\

sorta like a mouse trap.

I'll make one out of music wire.

Reply to
Don Foreman

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