1099 & A Chevy Truck

 

I had a couple pictures featured on the Metal Mashup on the Arc-Zone welding supply company site. I sent the link to my brother from a different mother and he sent me a couple of photos of my old '50 Chevy half ton I rebuilt. I swapped out the engine, made some cab corners, and a flat bed. The interior was fitted with a pair of bucket seats and a wooden console that I fitted with a push-button radio. I had converted the electrics to 12volt by replacing the generator with an alternator, and then swapping all the bulbs and installing a few resistors. It was a good running rig that I drove while I was working at the welding shop, since the shop was only a few blocks from the house. When I started teaching, I sold it shortly after and got something a little more commuting friendly on my daily 50 mile round trip. According to my brother, these were taken 49 years ago. Lots of projects under both of our belts since then.

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It's 1099 season and they've been coming in the mail, including the ones from Social Security for the Missus and I. One of the line items on the SS statement is the "voluntary" federal tax withheld. This always burns my ass. Never have I voluntarily agreed to pay a tax on the money paid in by me and my employer that was a tax to begin with. To further make my case, The Epoch Times runs a column every week dealing with Social Security issues. The column is written by a former SS employee and is well written and informative. Recently he addressed the issue of SS running out of money. This week there was a letter to the editor in response to the column highlighting the fact that SS is about the worst possible retirement investment you could make.

The reader shows in detail figures on the money you put in and the return on your investment. In a nutshell, you pay in 7% and your employer matches that. Your share is actually closer to 9% after paying your federal taxes. You pay in approximately $15,000 for 40 years and then at age of 65 you receive benefits of $25,000 per year, $20,000 after taxes, for a total benefit of $400,000. However, using the figures in the article, if you had invested that same amount at an interest rate of 5 or 6%, you would have earned yourself somewhere between $2 million to $4 million dollars. Invest $4 million and get back $400,000. Helluva deal, ain't it.

And knowing this, they want you to "voluntarily" give some of the money back.

More Manifold.

 

I cut the adaptor plate out, put it on the mill to square up the edges and drilled the holes for mounting it to the manifold. I got to thinking I don't need to taper the top of the plate since I want the car to have a bit of a nose-down rake. I need to make the spacers and bosses for the plate next and then I can weld the bosses onto the manifold. In the photo is a tube of silicon bronze filler rods. Instead of torch brazing the bosses on, I might try TIG welding them on with the silicon bronze rod. Don't know when that'll get done but sometime soon. Cold weather's on the way for next week - don't know if I'll want to spend much time out in the shop. I've got plenty of indoor things to work on. I am going to order the new carb. That way I can be sure of getting the holes in the right locations.

Also in the photo are the angles to top off the sides on the trailer project. Definitely going to wait for some warmer weather to finish that job.

What The World Needs Now

What the world needs now is definitely love and welders. Lots of good welders.

The following is from The View From The Porch:

One of the challenges in ramping up tank production is a shortage of trained welders—a problem that also constrains shipbuilding. Many of these welding jobs are part of the unionized workforce, which makes it harder for manufacturers to grow their workforces quickly. Specifically, unionization inhibits the manufacturers from immediately doubling the salaries of the welders without affecting the wages of others in the factories. Within the defense sector we need to treat welders the same way the private sector treats star programmers: by paying them extremely well. We cannot afford to have trained welders take jobs at Walmart or as forklift supervisors because they can earn more money. If anything, we should be incentivizing more forklift supervisors to become welders. Welding is a key national security manufacturing task.

See this old M103 heavy tank?

It's kind of an extreme example, but it's basically made of three big-ass castings, two of which, welded together, form the hull. The hull is 22 feet long. That's a big casting and a lot of welding; you don't make those from a manufacturing base that's otherwise capable of making only cookware and kitchen appliances.

A couple of things here. First off, the first part of the above is a quote from a quote, so you're missing the lead-in. However, I just wanted to focus on the need for more qualified welders, both to make tanks for the military and ship building. I don't know exactly what the qualifications are for welders on the tank line, but I do have a pretty good idea what the test is for ship building. It's basically the same as the AWS test for structural steel - all position unlimited thickness with whatever process they're using, which would be some type of flux cored wire process.


When I first started teaching, just a few blocks from the school was the Blaw-Knox factory. As the description of the photo states, three big-ass castings were welded together to form the hull. Several of my students worked there after graduation. At that time most of the welding was with the stick welding process using welding rods about the size of small baseball bats. Besides having to pass a welding test, because it was for the military, drug and background checks were required, if I remember correctly. I would assume the same thing still applies. So, in addition to finding skilled people, they have to find people who can pass the background and drug test. And as the quote mentions, they can't give the welders a raise without giving everyone else a raise as well. I'm sure they all could use a raise, so I wouldn't mind my tax dollars being spent for that reason, rather than some of the things the federal government wastes money on.


I don't know how many tanks need to be produced but from what I've been reading, none of the branches of the military are ready to fight a war which might be necessary real soon what with our involvement in the Ukraine versus Russia thing. I don't think those knuckleheads in Washington have any idea what they're doing. If you can't get tanks and ships built due to lack of skilled people during peace time, probably shouldn't be looking for trouble. Especially when you're 31 trillion dollars in debt.

Shim Sham Shimmy & a Side Order of Two Barrel

I was watching a couple of videos of Post Modern Jukebox, since I'm pretty excited about our anniversary trip, and they feature tap dancing on several of their songs. One thing led to another and I ended up watching several tap-dancing videos. Enough of them, in fact, that I'm considering dusting off my tap shoes and seeing if I can remember a few steps. I'd be pretty happy if I could learn the Shim Sham Shimmy and dance it to that Jimmy Lunceford tune. Be good for my balance, rhythm and cardio, as well as exercising my brain a bit. All things a guy my age needs to work on. 

I'm getting some exercise now that I'm going back to the gym a couple days per week, but it's always hard for me to stay active in the winter when I can't get out on the bike and I'm too much of a candy-ass to bundle up and walk a couple of miles on a regular basis when the temps drop below freezing. 

Besides thinking about resuming my tap-dancing career, I figured out what I want to do with the intake manifold on the jitney. I removed the broken fitting from the right side and then ground the top surface around the intake port. My plan is to make an adaptor plate that will bolt onto the intake using two bosses brazed onto the top surface of the manifold along with two spacers that will be bolted onto the surface using the two existing holes in the bottom of the photo after spot facing them. Whenever you need to braze cast iron, you need to grind off the casting skin. Depending on the grade of cast, sometimes you can MIG weld steel to it. It can also be stick welded. There are a couple of rods that work well, again, depending on the grade of cast.

The white pattern has the bolt pattern to fasten the adaptor to the manifold. I've got the lay-out dye on the piece of aluminum I'm going to use. I still need to do a bit of cipherin' before I do the layout for the carb. I want the adaptor to have a 3 degree taper on the top so the carb will sit upright rather than leaning downhill at a 3 degree angle like the engine is. Because the aluminum block is 3/4" thick, when I bore the holes for the carb throats, I'll need to start the bore a little off the center line of the plate to hit the center on the bottom. Time to do a little trig.

 

Good Day

 Pretty good morning yesterday - went to Aldi to top off the pantry and the wine cellar, picked up the carb gasket, went to the library for a couple more books, came home and ordered tickets for Post Modern Jukebox on our anniversary. It won't be Hawaii, but it will be a buffet before the show, concert, nice hotel room and breakfast the following morning. It'll be nice to get out and spend a little time away from home with the old girl. Fifty-two years is definitely worth celebrating.

The gasket makes it look like I'll be able to modify the manifold on the jitney or make an adaptor that won't look out of place. I'll need to think it through a bit more yet, but it should be just what the doctor ordered. I took the studs out of the intake using the stud removing tool. I usually just use a pair of vise-grips, but since I have a tool, I figured I should probably dig it out and use it. I've had this thing probably 40 years and I doubt if I've used it more than a half dozen times. As it turned out, the studs weren't much more than finger tight.

I put the eye bolts on the trailer bulkhead sheets yesterday. A bit chilly on the fingers but otherwise it was a decent day to be outside, since the sun finally came out in the afternoon. Depending on the weather, I might try to get the sides bolted on today. They're calling for some snow the next few days after today, so it would be a good time.

The session at the gym went well Sunday. We worked on uppercuts, both throwing and defending against. Our boy who fought in Tulsa last year got tagged with several by his opponent in his last bout. We don't want that to happen again. Since I've been back in the gym, I've noticed the progress of the fighters has been stunted a bit, much of which was probably covid related along with the lack of coaching. 

Even though I'm back in the fold, we could still use another quality coach. We need some more people in the gym, as well. When we first opened up we were taking 10-12 fighters to the Gloves each year, all of which were in great shape. This year we're looking at maybe 6 or 7, four of which showed up Sunday morning for the extra session we've been running. Two of them are in good condition, one in fair condition, and one in lousy condition. One of the guys who didn't show works weekends, but he's there during the week all the time. He's in pretty fair condition and knows what he needs to do. One of the other fighters has a long drive and changed jobs. He met us in Indy when we went down there a couple of weeks ago and he looked terrible when sparring. I doubt if he'll be in any kind of shape for this year's Gloves. We need to get the boxers and the gym in better shape this year.

I'll be back in the shop later today, either working on the trailer sides or something on the jitney.

Alternator's Ready To Go

I made the alternator tensioning bracket yesterday - piece of cake. I cut the slotted part out on the bandsaw, smoothed up the sawn edge, drilled a mounting hole in a piece of flat bar, bent it to get the necessary offset, bolted both pieces on, marked the mating edges, cut the flat bar to length, and welded the pieces together. The only snag, such as it was, one of the screws holding the case halves together was sticking out a bit too far and keeping the new bracket from sitting flat against the alternator. It had a lock washer under the head, so I pulled the screw out of the case, removed the washer and it gave me just enough clearance. I'll get it blasted and painted on a day when I get the shop warmed up well.

I opened up the box of hardware to sort out the stuff for the trailer sides. I'll finish cutting the aluminum angle that goes on top of the plywood and then drill and countersink the holes for the mounting screws. I get that done, I can finish putting the sides on and call the project complete. 

Going to the gym this morning to work with some of the "competitive" fighters. Hopefully there'll be a better turnout than last time. It's past time for those boys to be taking their training seriously if they have any plans on actually being competitive. Sign of the times, I guess. 

Boogie-Woogie, Tap Dancing, Carburetors & Alternators

 

Two of my favorite things right here - boogie-woogie music and tap dancing. Eleanor Powell was one of the absolute best in the game. The video turns a bit schmaltzy after the 2:00 minute mark when the orchestra kicks in but it's worth watching just the same.

The auto parts guy was able to locate a gasket for the Stromberg 97/Holley 94 gasket. He said the warehouse had one in stock, it'll be in on Monday. I'm hoping this will look like something that's do-able. I'd like to have an old style carb on the Slant-Six, especially if I can modify the manifold to look like the carb was OEM.

Holley 94 reproduction. Reasonable price, simple in operation. Manual choke and easy installation, provided I can get the manifold modified or an adaptor made that doesn't look out of place. I'm intrigued by the challenge. Not that building a car from scratch isn't challenge enough.

I splashed some paint on the alternator bracket to touch it up after adjusting the alignment. I dug through the parts I got with the extra engine and trans I bought and came across a bracket with an adjusting slot. I think this was for the power steering pump, but I can cut the slotted portion out and weld a flat bar on one end and have what I need for the alternator. The bolt in the photo is the pivot bolt for the base of the alternator. It was too long but handy. I needed a few more threads, so I ran a die down on it and then cut the excess off. It's a soft bolt, so I'll try and remember to order in a Grade 5 on my next hardware order. My current order with the hardware for the trailer project came in yesterday, by the way.

Carb Thoughts

I printed out a copy of the carb flange dimensions for the Holley 350/500 cfm carb. That would require a large adaptor, both length and width as well as height. Not what I'm looking for. However, there are reproduction Holley 94 carbs out there. I believe they take the same bolt pattern as the Stromberg 97. I wasn't able to find the flange dimensions, but I'm going to go to the auto parts store and see about buying a gasket. They use a three-hole mounting pattern. I might be able to modify the manifold so an adaptor wouldn't be necessary, or nothing more than a flat plate at the most. The Holley 94 was used on Ford flatheads '39 - '53, so the auto parts guy should be able to find one for me.

I worked on the alternator bracket for the jitney yesterday. After I finished making it a while back, when I bolted it on after I got the water pump and pulley on, it became obvious that it didn't line up with the water pump pulley as it should. The fix wasn't too tough, just a bit time consuming. Next up is to make the bracket that bolts to the top of the alternator to tension the belt. Might be easier to find one in a junk yard. Milling a slot is easy enough, but milling a slot on an arc not so much. I might be able to figure out a way to bend a straight piece to the proper arc after milling the slot, but keeping the slot from collapsing while bending it will be tricky.

The main thing here is that I'm back on the jitney project. I've got a long way to go - only way to get there is to keep scratching. 

 

Welding Stuff

I finished welding the stakes for the trailer sides. I ordered the hardware needed to finish the job - the tracking number says it'll be here Monday. I don't have any real need for it right now, just want to have it finished. When the hardware comes in, I'll pull the trailer into the garage and take an afternoon to finish it up.

I was thinking again about modifying the jitney manifold for a different carb or a two-carb setup. I'm a long way off from needing an intake, but now that the trailer's about done, it'll give me something to think about in my spare time.

I used up my argon bottle finishing the stakes, so I'll get another one today. I've got a few other chores to take care of while I'm out as well. After that I want to tidy up the shop and then get lined up on the jitney again. 

I heard from a former student I had at the college the other day. He's doing aerospace welding now. He's welded parts for NASA, Space-X and Blue Origin. He said he's even done some TIG welding with a mirror - that's something I've never done. Nor have I ever welded on some of the exotic materials he's welding. As an old shop teacher, glad to see the boy make good.

This-N-That

 

There just isn't enough boogie-woogie coming across the air waves any more. That'll change when I get to be king.

Went to the gym yesterday morning to work with the guys that are planning on fighting in the Golden Gloves this year. There should have been at least four, but only one showed up. He'll be defending his state title this year and he wants to go to an Olympic Qualifier in Detroit before the Gloves. It's looking like Shop Teacher Bob might be working his corner, since I don't have to worry about taking a personal day or burning a vacation day. Because no-one else showed up yesterday, we had a very productive session - worked on some things that he should have been shown by now, but since I haven't been in the gym for 2-1/2 years, it didn't get done. 

The gym is currently suffering a bit from a lack of quality talent and coaching. I talked it over with the other coach yesterday and right now we're both in agreement our focus should be on the young man trying to defend his title and see if we can't help him progress towards his dream of qualifying for the Olympics. He might not succeed, but he'll never know unless he tries. As for the other slugs who didn't show yesterday, if they aren't going to put in the effort, no point taking them to the fights.

I went out to the shop after coming home from the gym and cut the remaining pieces I need to finish the sides on the trailer project. I sanded the anodizing off them so they're ready to weld. I have to take the Missus to the eye doctor this afternoon for a pre-cataract operation check. I'll get the stakes welded up before I go. When she gets the cataract operation taken care of, we should be in good shape as far as doctor and dentist visits go. We've been through a lot the last few years. 

After cutting pieces, I made some vegan chili for supper. Not your traditional chili by any means, but all traditional chili would be vegan if you left the "carne" out. Since I'm getting back on Dr. Fuhrman's nutritarian diet, this is the kind of thing I should be eating, not corned beef hash like I had Saturday morning. It's pretty easy for me to eat like this in the winter, since I like a hearty soup when it's cold outside and it's the kind of cooking I'm capable of.

From what I've been reading, it looks like there might be a lot more vegetarians/vegans in 2023, simply because meat will be too expensive for a lot of people. Even though I'm going to be getting vegetables from the CSA again this year, I'm thinking I should plant a few more things around here. Now that I know what to expect from the CSA, plant a few things I want more of and things they don't include. I really enjoyed the green peppers and cherry tomatoes from the kitchen garden last year - maybe a couple more varieties of both peppers and tomatoes, some cantaloupes and turnips as well. 

I don't know the current statistics on the number of children that are food insecure, but now about 50% of people are living paycheck to paycheck, and a similar number don't have $500 of savings. Young people should never go hungry in this country. Likewise, their parents should not have to skip meals in order that their children are fed. That 100 billion that's been sent to Ukraine would buy a lot of grub. Likewise, the 858 billion the military will be getting could do a lot of good. Maybe the Fed could quit printing money and the government could quit spending it like there's no tomorrow, so working stiffs wouldn't have to pay for all of the foolishness with our tax dollars and the value of a dollar would quit shrinking on a daily basis. I know, asking a lot isn't it.

Renewal

 

I renewed my Coach's License recently and while grocery shopping yesterday, I decided it was time to renew my Man Card as well. The local grocery store changed hands not too long ago and I'm still trying to figure out where everything is located. While cruising up and down all the aisles I happened to spot some corned beef hash in a small can. After putting the groceries away after getting home, I fried up the hash along with a couple of sunny side up eggs, and a piece of rye toast slathered in butter for a "pusher". A cup of Joe - no decaf like I usually drink, either. Real coffee, black as midnight. All the fixin's that make for a great brunch - sodium, cholesterol and fat. Damn tasty, but this morning it'll be back to oatmeal and a cup of tea. 

I had the new fireplace cooking all day on Friday. It smelled and smoked a bit initially but after about an hour or so of a hot fire, it had seasoned up the paint and then no more smoke. The flames are nice to watch. They sort of swirl around inside the firebox and if you keep the blower on a slow speed, you don't notice the noise - maybe someone with good hearing would, but not a guy who worked in weld shops for 50 years and fell on his head. When I went to bed, I turned off the blower switch but it continued to run. The insert has a thermostat that shuts it off after the fire dies down. Nice feature. Yours truly is quite pleased. Now I need to trim some of my longer logs to fit in the firebox. 

I checked the Speedway Motors website for the old Ford style quick-change and it's still backordered. I'm going to continue working on the jitney, just the same. There's really no reason I can't have most everything else finished while I'm waiting, as long as I pull the rag out of my ass, that is.

Since I can't spend my money on a rear diff for the car, I thought I'd check Classic Firearms to see what they had to offer in the way of a 45-70. I don't hunt anymore, but there is a herd of buffalo not too far from me. You always want to be prepared like my wife's cousin use to say. He talked about moving to San Diego and opening a snow plowing business. He figured on making a fortune if it ever did snow. However, as a sign of the times, Classic Firearms lists 91 rifles in 45-70 caliber, 90 of which are out of stock. 

Going to the gym this morning. We're having an extra session for the guys planning on competing in this year's Golden Gloves. The extra session will allow us to give them some individual attention and assess their fitness level. The Gloves starts the middle of March and most young guys don't even know what being in shape is. Boxing calls for strength, quickness, stamina, and durability. Being in shape, and being in boxing shape aren't the same thing. 

New Fireplace

The fireplace guys came and finished the installation on the new insert yesterday, so we christened it by burning a "toy" log. The Duraflame logs and others like them don't throw out a lot of heat but it did warm up the new insert enough that I could turn on the fan unit and feel a difference on my cold feet while reclining in the "sloth-boy" as my brother used to call it. The fan is variable speed and fairly quiet, especially on the slower speeds. According to the brochure, it will put out up to 70,000 btu's. However, the firebox is rather small, so I'm going to have to cut down some of my firewood to be able to use it. We've got some new windows on order also. Between the windows and the fireplace, I should see a huge savings on my heating bill. 

 

Book Report & Warm Hands

 

I finished reading the Arc of Boxing yesterday. Great book! The book supports the premise boxers of yesteryears were better than current boxers, and it makes a very good case for that. Boxers from the old days had a lot more fights, so the experience level was much greater. They would have 50 or 60 fights before they would be considered for a championship bout. Modern fighters might fight twice a year, the old timers would fight two or three times a month. The author makes the case that the old trainers, with a few exceptions were better as well. Now days a boxer might have held four or five titles but there are at least twice as many weight classes as there used to be and four or five groups sanctioning the fights. If you're a fight fan or a coach, like myself, it's a really good read and it's fairly cheap on Amazon.

I made the pintle hinge for the handwarmer yesterday and installed it for a test fit. When it's in position right under the heater, I might snag it when my welding hood is up, but it will swing inside and outside of the hood on the bench. Plus, it will lift right off the hinge pin to remove it if it's in the way and for the warmer months. 

I got chicken feed yesterday, gassed up the truck and picked up a couple more books from the library. The fireplace guys didn't make it out yesterday but are coming this morning to finish the installation. When they finish up, I should be all set to snuggle in for the winter. Won't take much, though. It's supposed to be 50 degrees again Monday. Not complaining mind you. I'm real happy with the warm temperatures.

Career Education

 

The application rate for young people seeking technical jobs - like plumbing, building and electrical work - dropped by 49% in 2022 compared to 2020, according to data from online recruiting platform Handshake shared with NPR. While the creation of technical positions has continued to grow, the number of students interested in applying for them - hasn't.

Occupations such as auto technician with aging workforces have the U.S. Chamber of Commerce warning of a "massive" shortage of skilled workers in 2023.

"For a long time, our society has not talked favorably about the skilled trades," said Cruzvergara. "We've instead encouraged students to all go to college, all go to four-year institutions, graduate, go out into white collar jobs." 

                                                                             From Here   

Going along with the two previous posts, we need journeyman trades people but if they don't know about them, they won't be seeking out a job in them. What many people in education fail to realize or remember, the ultimate purpose of a high school education is job preparation. Upon graduation, the three options are: go directly into the work force, the military or higher education. The military and higher education normally only delay the entry into a career path, but eventually, everyone needs a job.  Actually, there is a fourth option if you wish to consider living on the dole or down in mom's basement, but that's not the purpose of education, nor does it pay all that well. 

I'm certainly not against higher education or the military, but most of the time students have to pick just one path, rather than everyone being exposed to the skilled trades, and it wouldn't hurt for all of them to spend a little time in a Family & Consumer Science class, either. There have been all sorts of things proposed to correct this problem, but it's still with us and I'm guessing it will be for at least the immediate future. I don't know what effect the last two years of education under covid restrictions will have on attracting people to the trades, but I'm guessing an education by Zoom does not a craftsman make.

I taught high school "shop classes" for 36 years and battled with administrators and counselors on this topic much more than should have been necessary with only limited results. Not much I can do now, either. But something needs to change. All of us need to be promoters of skilled craftspeople earning a decent living. 

The guys showed up yesterday to install the fireplace insert. They needed an oxy-acetylene torch to cut out part of the old firebox and deflector and when the guy tried lighting the torch, he wasn't having much luck. I offered my assistance and gave him a quick lesson on the operation and adjustment and he was off and running. He wasn't doing the best job of cutting but I wasn't going to get suited up and stick my head in there. He should've took a shop class.

 Apparently, they were missing something to complete the installation, so they should be back today to finish it up. The weather is going to be unseasonably warm for a while still, but we should be all set by the time the cold weather returns.

It got up to 48 yesterday, so I was out taking advantage of the warmth and sunshine. I cut the sides for the trailer to size and trimmed up some trees and brush, cleaned up the garage and the woodshop. Depending on what's happening with the fireplace install, I'll make the remaining parts for the stake sides today. I'm loving this warm weather. Sure makes it easy to get out of the house. 

Sparring Session

 

My running buddy, who is also a coach at the boxing gym, and I took a few fighters down to a gym in Indy on Saturday for a sparring session. A couple of the guys looked real good, a couple need a lot of work, especially since they are planning on competing in the Golden Gloves which will be starting in March. Our Open Division state champ sparred with several fighters, one of which was a former state champ himself, and is currently fighting pro. He's a slick fighter and an excellent boxer. He worked really well with our guy and the others he sparred with. A couple of the fighters from other gyms weren't really all that good as sparring partners. They were blasting away, rather than pulling their punches a bit, not just with our guys, but with whomever they were in the ring with. 

Getting quality sparring is always a problem, especially at our gym. We're located out in the sticks, so most of the sparring is with in-house guys. To improve, they need to spar a variety of styles and be able to work on various techniques without having to worry about the other guy taking their head off. However, the gym in Indy will be having two more sessions before the Gloves. Hopefully we can get our guys down there again for those sessions. 

A good day for all of us. We've got some specific things to work on with each of our boxers now. Hopefully it'll pay off when the fights start in March.

Cold Hands

 

I finished installing the bulkhead sheets yesterday. I'm planning on capping the top of all the sheets with an aluminum angle as seen here on the center sheet. I haven't decided if I should fasten it down with wood screws or bolt it on with small machine screws. Either way, I'll use flat head screws and countersink the heads to avoid snags. The sides are 24" high, by the way.

I started cutting parts for the remaining stakes, but my hands were cold from working outside so I decided to make a "hand warmer" for underneath the new electric heater. I'm going to make a pintle hinge for the long leg as shown on the right side that will get fastened to the edge of the hood on the workbench. I'll be able to swing it out of the way and remove it when the warm weather hits. I made it out of stuff I had laying around, so no cost and not much time involved either. Now I've got a place to put my gloves to warm them up, as well as a coffee cup. Plus, the coffee cup should be above the line of fire from any grinding sparks. No need for Geritol when working in the weld shop - I've ingested plenty of iron over the years.

Keeping Busy & Some Layout Work

 

I got the table base painted - the Missus has the next move. I think she's looking for some type of marble top. I'll give her the measurements and see what she comes up with.

I've been involved in boxing for quite a while. I was doing some sparring and helping out around the gym back in the seventies, and then started coaching when I got involved training Jimmy. I wasn't sure how many years I've had a coaching license, but I got a 15-year service pin in the mail the other day, so I figured it had to be at least 15 years. Then the following day I received a 20-year pin. So, it looks like maybe it's more like 20, rather than 15. Doesn't really matter to me, one way or the other, actually. I am hoping to be involved at least a few more years. Once it's in your blood, hard to give it up.

I did a little more work on the trailer yesterday - finished the two stakes that are next in line and cut a bunch of the tabs for the side stakes. The two pieces leaning up against the stake in the rear are the connectors for the plywood sheets. It was rainy yesterday or I would have gotten them bent and the sheets installed. I still need to make the rest of the stakes for the side sheets. Maybe work on them today. If I was to pull the rag out of my ass, I could have that job finished today. 

Going along with the welding post yesterday, today a little bit of layout work. When I cut the bulkhead sheet, I needed to make an angle cut where it met up with the side sheet, with the corresponding angle on the side sheet. There's a couple of ways to do this, as long as both angles end up the same, doesn't matter how you get there. 

I measured the angle on the trailer floor using the sliding T bevel and then transferred the angle to a piece of paper. I then bisected the angle, set my sliding T bevel accordingly and used that to set the angle on my circular saw. I could have read the angle directly from the plywood using my protractor and then divided it in half to get the angle, but I still would have had to set the T bevel for the saw.

 I don't know where a kid would learn to bisect an angle or construct a perpendicular bisector. I learned how to do these and make a simple stretch-out in eighth grade. Making the bisectors is so simple, it's almost criminal not being able to do it. All you need for tools is a straight-edge and a compass or dividers. The compass in the photo I made years ago from a plan in Wooden Boat magazine. It uses a regular #2 pencil held in place with a spring type hose clamp. I've also got a couple of cheap pencil compasses from the dollar store that I used at the college and the side gig. Absolutely no reason not to have one, regardless of your trade.

Here's something else every fabricator and machinist should have - combination square set with square, protractor and centering head. You can buy a cheap set at Harbor Freight for $8.99 or buy a Starrett set for $299.99. While I'm a big fan of good tools, welding fabrication is hard on precision tools. If I was just starting out, I'd buy the Harbor Freight set and then save my money for something a little better after starting to make the big money.

Definitely need one of these framing squares as well. If you're a carpenter, buy one with the rafter scales. If you're a welder, buy one that's fairly cheap. Some guys cut a little bit off the heel for weld clearance. Any time you tack weld two pieces together, they'll move out of square due to weld shrinkage. That nipped off corner makes it easier to work around the tack welds when rechecking square.

I taught a fab class at the college and I covered some simple layouts and using the tools. Most of the students had never done any layout work at all. Other than a community college class or an apprenticeship, once again the question of how to learn this stuff comes up. I'd like to see an old-fashioned drafting/mechanical drawing class brought back at the high school level. While board work has been mostly replaced by CAD work on the professional level, I firmly believe board work would give students skills that would help them in the trades, whether that's as a welder, carpenter, pipe fitter, machinist or any other trade. You want to see the value of that, watch a sheet metal man or a boilermaker out on the job site. Layout work and pattern development are valuable skills that need to be offered again.

Pooh & A Welding Review

 

From Here

If that's the path you choose, and since all of us don't have a dozer around the house, maybe pick up an old Suburban as your starting point. 

Maybe do a Craig's List or eBay search for one of these from Napco, Industries. I looked them up to see if they were still in business, and sure enough they are and they do some serious work on serious machines. The computer told me the website wasn't secure, which I found surprising from a security company doing business with the military. So beware if you decide to check out the site.

While I'm not interested in building a killdozer, I'm more of a bunker guy myself, the Pooh cartoon got me thinking about some welding metallurgy. The above video deals with the subject of failures, primarily as a result of material not suited for the job. There have been numerous failures as a result of poor weld quality as well, both of which could lead to catastrophic failure on your killdozer. It's not too tough to acquire decent steel plate, A36 for example. Basically, it's steel which is similar to 1020 plain carbon steel. Most of the time any electrode or common process is acceptable as long as the electrode is in the 70,000 tensile range. I've never welded on any armor plate but I have welded on a lot of abrasion resistant plate, as well as some high carbon stuff. So then, if you're doing your plate shopping at the scrapyard and doesn't come with certs, how do you know what it is that you've got, and what should your weld procedure be?

There are several sophisticated ways of accurately determining what the material is, but what about the guy working in a repair shop or in the garage at home? One of the first things you need to look at is how the part is used? If it's used as part of a lifting device or where part failure could mean death or destruction, the answer is always "Sorry, I can't help you." Same answer for pressure vessels. That's why weld shops always have trouble buying liability insurance. Having a welding machine doesn't automatically make you a qualified welder. Likewise, reading the rest of this is not necessarily going to make you qualified to make some metallurgical decisions that should best be left up to a welding technician or engineer. Consider yourself warned. 

The first step to determine weldability for the average Joe, is a spark test. An internet search will come up with lots of info and color pictures that will help you determine if it's steel, rather than some form of iron, as well as the carbon content. Guys who are really good at spark testing are out there. I'm not one of them, however. But I'm good enough at it to give me a decent idea of the material - I can at least recognize a high carbon sprig when I see one.

If I determine that it's a medium or high carbon steel and I'm going to stick weld it, I know that I have to use a low hydrogen type electrode such as a E-7018. The low hydrogen group will run up to the 120,000 pound tensile range. It's rare that you come across the need for an E-12018, and if you do, you damn sure better know what you're doing because if you don't, I can guarantee the weld will crack. Sometimes you can even see the crack following along behind the puddle while you're welding. No bueno!

Next step is to determine if it needs to be preheated, post heated or both. One of the ways to determine if preheat is needed is a clip test. That's done by welding a small piece of the material to the base plate on one side only. You then whack the clip towards the unwelded side. If the piece comes off through the middle of the weld, you're probably good to go. If the weld peels out of the base metal, preheat is necessary. How much? Experience helps here, but that's no guarantee.

Welding repair work can be pretty tricky and it's hard to find a place to learn all of what's required. I was lucky to work in a couple of shops that did a variety of work, so I was able to learn a few things along the way. One of the hardest things I had to learn was when to bail out before I got in over my head - still have a little trouble with that. If you're a little short on experience, you might want to consider a course or two at your local community college before welding panels and mixing cement.

Bulkhead Install

 

I received an e-mail from my One Drive of memories posted on January 2. This one is from a year ago.

This one is from two years ago. Beautiful snow scenes around the shack.

This was yesterday - temp was about 45 degrees and extremely humid. Fog in the morning, fog later in that night, along with some drizzle early evening - you just never know about Indiana weather. However, the warm temperature had me out working on the trailer. I got the three pieces of plywood cut for the front of the trailer. I decided to add another tab on the front stakes in order to add an eye bolt on each front stake. I'll do the same with the next pair of stakes towards the rear. Each of them will have a pair of eye bolts to fasten bungee cords or a cargo net if I want to carry a gas can or toolbox while transporting a motorcycle or two. 

It's supposed to be warm again today but rainy. I need to make a few more tabs for the stakes and some pieces to couple the sheets together in the corners. I've got more running around to do today, but I'm hoping to have some time to make up those parts. I haven't made the stakes for the sides yet, but I'll get around to that soon enough, as well.

Table Stakes

 

I had a partial can of flat black paint for the table but there wasn't enough to finish the job. While rummaging around in the paint department I found a can of red with just a wee bit left, so I painted the saw stop/gage to keep it from rusting. I then cut some pieces for the stakes on the trailer and welded them on. I decided it would be best to get the front bulkhead piece fit-up, then do the next two angled pieces. I'm going to need a couple of pieces to tie them to the front and those will need to be angled. I'll get the front one bolted up and just work my way back.

Since it was New Year's Day, I made our traditional meal of Hoppin' John - blackeye peas, rice, green peppers, onion, mushrooms, garlic, celery, some seasoning to spice it up a bit, and some Frank's to taste. It's supposed to bring you good luck on the year - can't hurt, right? Besides it's damn tasty, easy to make and very little clean up. The biscuits were out of a can - zero prep time and very little clean up as well. When I do the cooking, it's simple fare - easy to prepare, filling and a minimum of clean up. Most of the time just need one frying pan and like yesterday, the rice cooker. 

I don't know what stores are open today but I need to go to town on Tuesday, so I'll pick up some paint and the rubber tips for the legs to finish the table then. Maybe work a little more on the trailer today. 

Clamp It, Jed

 

Welding the ends to the stretchers went better than I had hoped. I used a couple of magnets to hold the ends to the stretchers while tacking, checked the square and then used some vise grips to hold up the bottom stretcher. In order to keep the stretcher snugged up on the ends, I used a couple of bar clamps. The one on the left is one I bought from Harbor Freight. It's aluminum, and certainly not for any heavy-duty job, but when you're holding with one hand and trying to get the clamp tightened up with the other, it works pretty well. I might get myself a couple more of these. They come in a couple of different lengths, and you know what Norm says: "You can never have too many clamps."

The finished product - except paint, that is. I forgot to see if I have any flat black. If so, it'll get painted today. If not, first of the week. If I've got paint, I'll be able to have a finished project in the win column on the first day of the year. Let's hope that's an indication of how 2023 will go.

The boxing book showed up yesterday. I don't know how those Amazonians get that stuff up the Nile as fast as they do, but that Prime membership sure does make it easy and quick to get damn near anything right to the front door. Actually, quite the blessing for a guy who lives out in the country.

Good-by 2022, Hello 2023. Peace and Prosperity to you all!