Billet!

We had a blow-out on the sliding screen door over the weekend. I checked for a replacement at Menards - they had three or four different ones but nothing that looked like it would work for me, so time to make a custom one. The piece of stock I started with was a scrap piece they were throwing out at the lab. It has a bunch of holes in it but it was about the right size for what I wanted. I had to weld up a thru hole where the latch fits into the slot which is what you see in the top photo. The piece was anodized so I had to sand that off prior to welding, and that also explains why the part has a dull finish. Fits like a glove though, and functions and looks good on the door.

While I was at Menards I was going thru the LED light bulbs looking for a replacement for a bulb that burned out at the house and came across a LED that contained a battery back-up. If the power fails, the bulb will operate off the battery power for up to 3.5 hours. That's pretty slick. It was just under $15.00 which I thought was reasonable. Something to consider if you're in an area that has frequent power outages.

Battery for the trials bike is supposed to be delivered today. Today is another painting day but it's looking wet the next four days. Time to move forward on the bike and the project for my neighbor. I've been kicking around some ideas in my head on that one and I've about got it figured out. Hope to get started on it in a day or two and maybe get it down next week.