Regulator & Speed Bag Platform

 

The regulator/water trap and the manifold came in. While looking to see what I needed from the hardware store, I discovered the fitting on the switch is not 1/4" NPT like all the others, but rather a 9/16-18 bolt thread. Fortunately, I've got a tap that size so I'm going to tap one of the holes in the manifold for it and then I should be able to assemble everything. I bought fittings, including a union, so I can assemble everything on the bench and then stick the whole unit on the compressor tank.

I did a little preliminary design work on the speed bag platform I'm building on the shop floor - not my preferred method - but I've been doing it my whole career as necessary starting way back when I was learning the trade with Uncle Pete. 

The rest of the details are sketched out on the cast iron platen along with some actual layout lines for when I weld it together. Now that I've got it figured out, I'll need one more drawing similar to the sketch above I can use to determine the angles and then lay the pieces directly on the layout to tack together. It's kind of a long process when you're the designer and the detailer, but drawing things out full size really helps me visualize the finished product and hopefully catch any design flaws.

Had my annual check-up at the cardiologist yesterday - good report. He told me to come back when I'm 75.

Went to the college after the doctor appointment and ran the track torch for a couple of hours. I cut the welds out of the certification plates they started on Monday. By cutting the welds out, they can use the same plates several times. Saves a lot of material that way. In a week or so I'll have them cutting their own plates. If you're going to be a fabricator, you need to know how to run a track torch.

I normally write these posts the night before they go up, so I hadn't heard anything concerning the election results. There should be plenty to absorb today, though.

The 3 P's

 Pogo, Pooh & Prepare

Tomorrow's Election Day when we find out who becomes the new President of the Former United States of America. Actually, based on past elections, we might not find out the winner for quite some time - hanging chads, Dominion, and all that. Regardless of who wins, about half the population are not going to be happy. Me, I'm not going to be happy until I see some of the swamp people in orange jumpsuits.

This one pretty much sums up where I'm at these days, especially after the extermination of Peanuts the pet squirrel. But as Brother Johnny used to say: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you." Yep, we're boned.

 Batten the hatches, my friends, rough seas ahead.

Chicken Bell Completed

 

The chicken bell looks pretty good welded and stripped of paint. The welding was easy enough, but the bead blasting took a lot more time than it should have. When I finished blasting, I took the air compressor apart and ordered a water trap/filter/regulator, and a manifold to hook everything up.

Originally, the air manifold had a switch of some sort that hooked into the tank pressure, a pop-off valve, a tank pressure gauge, a regulator, and a working pressure gauge. I ordered a water trap/regulator and a manifold so I can install the feed line, the tank pressure gauge, the switch, and the pop-off valve. Plus, I need to be able to plumb the water trap/regulator off the end. The water trap/regulator has a gauge built in for the working pressure and the outlet. It shouldn't take too long to get it plumbed up. I'm going to put a union in the line as it comes out of the tank. It didn't originally, which meant I couldn't unthread the unit, or tighten it up since it had somehow worked loose. The Sawzall took it apart easy enough, though. 

I sanded down and painted the piece I made years ago for my boat motor on the engine stand. I no longer have the motor, but I do have a couple of boats that may need a motor someday. I did just repair a skeg on a motor the other day, so it's not unreasonable I might actually need it again. Plus, it's not really junk if it's got a fresh coat of paint, now is it?

I didn't get anything done on the vintage trials bike yesterday, but I did a couple of piddly jobs that needed my attention. So, a productive day.

Flap Discs & Chicken Bell

 

I bought some flap wheels from my usual online source. Price was good, less than a buck a piece. And if you look closely at the one in the left side of the photo, you can see they're made in PRC. I've never seen that before as the country of origin, but I'm pretty sure that stands for the People's Republic of China. Maybe the commies are trying to fool people as to where the product comes from - not sure why that would be, since we don't manufacture much in this country anymore. It has to come from somewhere.

I welded up the broken chicken bell yesterday. Since it's cast iron, I brazed it back together and burned quite a bit of the paint. I decided to bead blast the remaining paint off, but I was having trouble with the water trap on the blaster. What I need to do is install an industrial strength one right at the compressor. The compressor has a regulator and a couple of gauges mounted right to the tank but it has somehow loosened up and I hear air escaping when the pressure builds up. I don't know if it's because it's loose or maybe the diaphragm in the regulator has gone bad. One more thing that needs attention.

I finished up the boat console job and I got back on the vintage trials bike project only to get sidetracked with the bead blasting. I've about got it cleaned up, so I'll finish it today and then maybe look at the compressor to see what's what, then look into installing a water trap. Finish up the brake pedal on the bike after that. 

And it's November already, damn!

Oh Baby, You Know What I Like

 

Small planes and helicopters have claimed the lives of a lot of musicians and sports figures. The Big Bopper died in what was probably the most famous plane crash, along with Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly. There're still getting airtime 65 years later, though. That's quite the legacy the three of them left behind.

 

I received an email from Hitchcock's that contained a new fuel management "brain" for the Royal Enfield Himalayans. The one in the photo allows a lot of tuneability and goes for $245.00 US dollars. They also have a non-tunable one for a few bucks cheaper. I'm thinking the pro version would help the rideability of the bike, especially when it's cold. As little as I ride the thing, might not be worth the investment. However, the teaching gig has given me some disposable income that isn't earmarked for anything. It would be nice to ride a bike with it installed for comparison purposes before ordering one, though. 

I welded up the pieces for the boat console yesterday. The welding machine and I signed a truce and things are working better now. Actually, I broke down and read the manual. That and the flowmeter doesn't seem to flow the amount of argon that the numbers on the glass tube would indicate. Anyway, things have improved dramatically, but I still need some more work with it before I'll feel really comfortable taking on anything too tricky.

I went to the hardware store yesterday to see if they had the metric bolts I needed to bolt the VW engine to the stand. At $11.00 they weren't cheap, but they had them. Sometimes it's worth it to pay for the convenience, though.

A little more work on the boat console today and maybe fix the chicken bell mount. The stack of mail keeps getting higher, so I'll have to address that soon. Always something.

Makin' & Wishin'

 

The grandson came down yesterday to make up his fab class assignment. Since he got into the class late, I asked his instructor for the blueprint, and I brought the print and some material home so he could do it in my shop. I neglected to take a photo of the finished project, but it looked pretty good. I gave him a bit of help, but no more than what his instructor would have done.

While he was working on his project, I finished making the parts for the boat console project. Pretty simple looking in the photo but the top of the two aluminum angles had to be cut to fit inside another aluminum angle that gets fastened to the console at an angle. The original plan was to weld the angle to the existing piece of the console, but I'm leaning towards riveting it on. I've got rivets I bought specifically for boat repair but I need to run it buy the owner first. I'll get the pieces in the photo welded together and welded to the other piece and then pow-wow with the owner and see what he says. I am going to practice a bit with the new welding machine first, however. We haven't established a good working relationship yet.

I'm not sure where this was taken or where I borrowed it from, but it appears to be a pair of Royal Enfield Himalayans in their natural environment. I'd love to take mine on some type of epic adventure. I've taken several bicycle adventures, don't know if I'd call them epic, but they were definitely adventures. The AMA has some rides that might be worth looking into. I'm sure I'm good for at least one more two-wheeled adventure. Especially, since I went to the funeral home yesterday afternoon to pay my respects to a friend one year younger than me who passed away. Too old to put things off. If I'm going to do it, need to get after it.

Saboteurs

 I went to the courthouse last week to pick up our mail-in ballots, not realizing we needed to fill out applications first. The nice young lady said they needed to be returned by 4:00 PM that day or filled out online by 11:59 that night. No way the Missus was going to be able to fill hers out and return it by 4:00 since she was out for the day, but the clerk got me lined up to do the online thing, so that's what we did. I'm still not sure I'm even going to mail mine in, however.

I've voted in every election since I became of age - and look where that's gotten me. The country is 35 trillion in debt and rising and the only way they'll stop printing money is if they burn the bearings out of the presses, which wouldn't surprise me what with them running them non-stop for the last few years. 

The Feds have allowed or expedited the influx of illegal aliens that for the most part have no job or English language skills. Like the recent influx of Haitians to Logansport, Indiana, they receive a debit card and housing, but because they have no skills, they can't get a job with a livable wage. So what do they do when the debit card runs out? Become a burden on the town and county, that's what. And don't forget your tax dollars are also supporting war in Ukraine and the Middle East while 20% of the young people in this country are food insecure. But the feds did buy some electric chainsaws for the unfortunate hurricane victims. Of course they didn't have electricity, which also made it tough to sign up for their $750.00 relief checks. "Doing a heckuva job there, Brownie."

I've just had enough of the saboteurs in Washington destroying the country. Those of us in the middle class seem to be the primary target. Once we all become dependent on the government teat, they'll have us all under their thumb and we'll be forced to do whatever they please or they'll cut us off from our welfare checks. The rich and powerful will become more rich and powerful and voting will be an exercise in futility - which it might be already. They did after all cheat big time in the last election, hurried up and verified the election in spite of the improprieties, and then threw all the "insurrectionists" in the big house for daring to visit Congress unannounced.   

You need to do what you think is best on November 5th. I'm still thinking of writing in Cyndi Lauper for president. Like her, I too just want to have fun. However, before casting your ballot keep in mind what George Carlin said: "It's a big club and you're not in it."

Early morning edit: Powerful message concerning the election here.