Thursday, March 10, 2022

Wild Kingdom

 


Apparently it's racoon nesting season again. I caught another one in the trap but not before it made a big-ass mess in the shop below and the attic above.


There was a hole in the ceiling from the last go-round but it's bigger now. I had a piece of the same insulating board over the hole but now I'll have to cut another. It's at the point I should just replace some of the ceiling but I need to get the building secure first. 

The trap was just sitting on some boards on top of the rafters so the coons moved it around while trying to escape. After cleaning up the mess top and bottom, I bought some hooks and chain to fasten the trap down to the boards. I also shot some screws into the boards to prevent them from moving. This should keep the trap off the ceiling insulation but I really need to do a little more investigating to see what I can do to prevent a repeat performance.



I've spent the last few days working on odds and ends - went hiking on Sunday, 6.6 miles, started on the taxes, cleaned up the racoon mess, and started on a bit of spring cleaning. This head for an engine stand is for a motorcycle engine - I think it's for a Sprint motor but I'm not 100% on that. When I made it I had a student weld it finish but he had the MIG set too cold. The welds looked pretty sad so I ground them down and put a wash coat over the top of them. I'll sandblast and paint it and throw it in the storage space. I'll need it some day down the road, or Surly will.

No comments: