Milk Cow Blues

No blues here, though. It's been a pleasure working in the shop lately - big doors open, no noisy heater running, music playing and things getting done. I got a text from my boss that had a photo attached but couldn't make out what it was so I called him. It was a photo of the gas cup on the MIG welder. Apparently the boys have been keeping up with their welding practice and got a big goober-ball in the cup while welding vertical. Not an unusual problem, just glad the boys are keeping up their lessons. April is National Welding Month, after all.

I noticed the other day while watching the news coming out of New York a trailer the Corps of Engineers was using to set up shop at the Javits Center. It looked to be a Talbert, made only a few miles from me. It's quite conceivable that one or more of my students had a hand in manufacturing that. I'll put that one in the small world file.

I did a bit of manufacturing on my own Friday. My little layout jig worked like a champ. Less than five seconds each to lay the pieces out. Tapping the threads was a bit repetitious. Have to stay focused with a small tap like that. The little pile is about three feet worth of material and the boss bought four, six footers. I brought two of them home with me and I "borrowed" three feet for my car project. I'll do another three foot or so and that should tide them over for quite a while. If I deliver parts Monday, maybe I'll run in and get the other two sticks. Or better yet, maybe have the boss drive by and pick up the parts and leave the material outside where I can decontaminate it.

I made this little gizmo for sharpening my tungstens on the TIG welder. It has a collet and collet body inside so it functions just like the torch. Works good for 3/32 and 1/8 tungstens. I'd probably have to have the tungsten sticking out too far for sharpening a 1/16. They're pretty brittle and might snap off with too much stickout. It was pretty easy to make. A piece of 5/8 round aluminum 2-1/4" long. The only tricky part is having the proper tap for threading the inside - 3/8-32, in case you were wondering. Just so happens I have one. I bought one years ago to chase the threads on the torches after the students would cross-thread them. I think I'll make another one of these things so I don't have to swap out the collets. One each for 3/32 & 1/8 tungstens. I suppose I could just buy a dedicated tungsten grinder. But what's the fun in that?