Friday, May 20, 2011

Cider Operation







































We've had the modified block schedule the last few days and I've been tearing things up. I finished up the cider press frame and except for the stainless steel catch pan, it's a done deal. I've got the pan tacked together but I need a stainless pipe coupling to weld in before it's completely done. I'll finish the rest of the welding today and see if I can find a coupling over the weekend. I finished the wiring on the apple grinder also. I just need to make the "apple corral" for around the top of it and it too is a done deal. I might actually be drinking some cider this fall.

Had to do a little maintenance on the paint spray gun. I couldn't get it to adjust down as much as it should, so the cider press has a couple of runs. No biggie on that job but the gun really hasn't worked right since I loaned it to another teacher a few years ago. He sprayed some kind of polyurethane thru it and let it set up. When I got it back, I thought I was just going to have to pitch it and buy a new one but finally managed to get it to spray. Like most things I do, I got it serviceable and figured I'd get around to working on it later. Now that's it's a few years later, that's what I finally did. I spent about 30 minutes taking things apart and running steel wool over the actuator/plunger rods and giving it a good going over. I checked it by running some thinner thru it and it seems to adjust like it was designed. Those Binks Model 7 guns have been around a long time and have sprayed lots of things. I've sprayed a couple of cars, several motorcycles and bicycles, as well as hundreds of fabrications we've put together over the years. Probably more like thousands of fabrications, actually.

Only about seven days left with the little darlings for this year. I need to decide what project to work on in the remaining days. I drug the bicycle chopper out of the back room. I need to decide what to do with that project. I'm still leaning towards buying one of those motor kits and throwing it on there. In the meantime, I'm going to finish up the skid plate for the Rickati project. There's progress being made and that's what counts. I haven't really started anything that I haven't finished this year. Of course, there are still a bunch of half finished projects around but no new ones at least.

It's looking like rain for the weekend but I'm caught up on the mowing at least. If the weather doesn't look too bad for the morning, I might have the boys empty the scrapbox into the back of my truck. Nothing like getting up on Saturday morning and driving to the scrapyard so you can shovel a half ton or so of metal scrap out of the back of the pick-up. It keeps us in grinding wheels and such, however.

Try to get outside a little regardless of the weather. It's been a long winter.

3 comments:

Grumpyunk said...

Damn Dude, you've been busy. That cider press looks cool. Gotta say the new barn looks good too. Nice to see someone getting the shit into nice tight piles.

Traveling Pirate said...

I met a Spanish boxer and his boxing coach last night. I wish I had more to share about that but I just don't remember. Eight hours of drinking mojitos is not conducive to remembering things.

Shop Teacher Bob said...

Unk: I'm done playing, Bro. I'm planning on pulling the pin in two years and I'm going to be ready. I've just about got all my ducks in a row to be as self-sufficient as I care to be. I signed up for a workshop next month a little southwest of you - plan on stopping by the bunker on the way home.

Traveling Pirate: Thanks for sharing.