Welder Repair

 Not much to report on the project front. I did get the new fuel line and air cleaner installed. The air cleaner was easy enough - one wing nut is all it takes. The fuel line wasn't near as easy. The line runs from the tank on one side of the engine to the carb on the other. To get there it passes behind the flywheel. Not the easiest to thread it through. It would be a piece of cake if I had pulled the flywheel off, but that was going to be the last resort. I finally got it through enough that I could grab the end of it with my long reach needle nose pliers. I bought the pliers a few years ago from Harbor Freight. I've only used them a couple of times, but when you need them, they're worth their weight in gold.

After I got things put back together, I hit the starter button and the battery was dead. I knew it was too good to be true. However, it also has a recoil starter on the engine. While I was hesitant to tug on it due to the chest problem, I said the hell with it and gave it a go. It started on the second pull so no real strain on the chest. The carb main jet is a little plugged but I don't know if I want to fiddle with it or just run the thing with the choke on a little. Maybe get some carb cleaner I can throw in the tank to help it clean itself up while it runs. The nice thing about the carbs on these engines is the main jet is governed by an adjustable needle jet that's easily accessible with no tools required to adjust it.

I'll get some cables hooked up to it and when the cast iron rods show up, try them out. If all looks good, I'll see about getting the welder loaded up in the back of the truck.

There was a plug in the current Welding Journal for their YouTube channel on how roller coasters are made. It's about 15 minutes long but very entertaining. I had no idea the round tubes the tracks are made from are filled with gravel. You need a bit of welding background for a couple of terms. NDT = Non-Destructive Testing. Flux Cored welding with dual shield wire is a continuous wire feed process utilizing a hollow wire that is filled with flux - like a regular welding rod turned inside out - and it has a gas shield surrounding the arc as well. Good for high deposition rates and x-ray quality welds. 

Ural motorcycles is in the process of relocating - another bit of fallout from the war in Ukraine. Their blog has an update on the timeline of when they should be up and running again and when bikes and sidecars will be available again. Check it out here.