Above 1200 Sq/FT Cleaning Up My Shop

[dchance]

Andy good to see you are still adding to your fleet. Looks like the castings look good up close.

Dwight

 

[TwoBytes]

That microscope works great!

What does it plug in to? USB to a PC? I'm assuming it doesn't have its own screen or image storage for $16.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy good to see you are still adding to your fleet. Looks like the castings look good up close.

Dwight

I have a terrible reputation. People think they can just drive in and I'll buy their tractor. Did I put out signals that I'm weak?

I must say I am pleased the castings did not show a bunch of **** too small to see with the naked eye. and about the same as one commercial casting.

That microscope works great!

What does it plug in to? USB to a PC? I'm assuming it doesn't have its own screen or image storage for $16.

Amazing for $16. The fact it comes with it's own LED light source really makes a difference, too.

It has a USB plug and is supposed to work with a phone or about any computer. The computer thinks it's another camera so you can capture stills or video. It has no screen.

Microscope

I was going to build a good stand for it, and maybe buy an x-y vise but I've decided to mount it to the spindle on my mill so I can put a sample in the vise and use the DRO to watch where I'm at when I scroll across a part. That should maintain the focus as I move the sample and let me move less than the field of view to make sure I see the whole sample. I guess I could record a video as well to go back and review after the fact. There's only one of me so i don't need the mill when I'm doing inspection, and it has great x-y control and is rigid to keep things in focus.

Just need to remember to not turn the mill on...

P.S. I lied about the price, it was $16.19. Sorry for the deception.

 

[bolensboneyard]

I have figured out a way to keep the loading dock on the ground but getting that big boy centered on the carriage is another matter. The last one almost killed me. It would have to be turned too many times to get a full cut. I am looking for a 48 inch blade or to get it cut in half.

 

[Farmall450]

You've gotta love chinese electronics

I have a borescope for my phone that was dirt cheap and is a lot handier than a stand alone model (for instance I can easily take (record)/share pictures and videos).

 

[shortykorte]

If you have an iPhone, there’s a new magnifying function. Push home button 3 times to pull up menu. I’ve used it a lot in the shop. To save a picture, just use the normal screen caption function.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[oldironfarmer]

I have figured out a way to keep the loading dock on the ground but getting that big boy centered on the carriage is another matter. The last one almost killed me. It would have to be turned too many times to get a full cut. I am looking for a 48 inch blade or to get it cut in half.

Oh, not being able to roll it easily would be an issue for sure. You do have a cant hook, it seems I remember. You might have to rig up a power turner.

You've gotta love chinese electronics

I have a borescope for my phone that was dirt cheap and is a lot handier than a stand alone model (for instance I can easily take (record)/share pictures and videos).

Hmmm, I may have to look for one of those.

If you have an iPhone, there’s a new magnifying function. Push home button 3 times to pull up menu. I’ve used it a lot in the shop. To save a picture, just use the normal screen caption function.

Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Must be a newer model, I tried it and mine doesn't seem to have it. How much will it magnify?

 

[Ralf99]

For the Magnifier function, you need to turn it on - Settings>General>Accessibility>Magnify

 

[Farmall450]

Look no further:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=micro+usb+borescope&_sacat=0&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15

 

[oldironfarmer]

For the Magnifier function, you need to turn it on - Settings>General>Accessibility>Magnify

Very cool, thank you!!

Look no further:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=micro+usb+borescope&_sacat=0&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15

Well thanks a lot. You just made me spend more money.

 

[Guster]

You made breaking the bead on the tractor tyre look easy. Only did one and took better part of 2 hours and a bucket of sweat.

I have the same style microscope though mine came on a stand with a little rack and pinion shaft. Still chintzy but handy for the price. The bore scope is very handy and beats the socks off most inspection camera units. Already saved me more time than it is worth a few times over. Make sure to get the one with the OTG adapter that fits your phone.

Not a big fan of Win10 either. They'e tried to make the 'experience' universal between mobile and desktop devices. Few things you can do to make it work better on the desktop... but not many. Newer phone that require 2.1A charging over USB may upset older lower amp USB ports. Hence why it reports it as a surge and tries to protect the device by disabling it. If I recall correctly you can change the profile of the device to data only so it gets around it if your machine supports it.

 

[oldironfarmer]

You made breaking the bead on the tractor tyre look easy. Only did one and took better part of 2 hours and a bucket of sweat.

A slide hammer makes a big difference. I wish that one had not been stuck so bad, usually ten to twenty strokes and the bead is off the rim.

I have the same style microscope though mine came on a stand with a little rack and pinion shaft. Still chintzy but handy for the price. The bore scope is very handy and beats the socks off most inspection camera units. Already saved me more time than it is worth a few times over. Make sure to get the one with the OTG adapter that fits your phone.

Not a big fan of Win10 either. They'e tried to make the 'experience' universal between mobile and desktop devices. Few things you can do to make it work better on the desktop... but not many. Newer phone that require 2.1A charging over USB may upset older lower amp USB ports. Hence why it reports it as a surge and tries to protect the device by disabling it. If I recall correctly you can change the profile of the device to data only so it gets around it if your machine supports it.

The "experience" Isn't it the truth! It must be a millennial thingy, where substance just doesn't matter much.

The odd thing this iPhone worked with this computer for several years. Maybe an update changed it's greedy habits. I wound up solving the issue by using a powered USB manifold I've had for several years. My new computer has only one USB port so I can't use my external keyboard and wireless mouse in only one port, much less add a jump drive. I guess everything is supposed to be on the cloud and you don't need to transfer information.

I'll try your suggestions because using the powered USB device is inconvenient where I usually use my computer.

 

[sawduststeve]

Unfortunately the strict emissions requirements have pushed manufacturers to tune to meet emissions standards. The fly by wire is probably cheaper, it is in cars. So all we need now is to outlaw older equipment which does not meet current emissions standards and we'll all get to enjoy more expensive - EVERTHING.

Ha! exactly what is being done in London and why I've just had to buy a new van


For a few years now, 2008, we have had the LEZ, ( Low Emissions Zone) which covers most of Greater London, Euro 3 engines and later, and now starting April we have the ULEZ (ultra Low Emission Zone) Euro 6 engines, which will cover aprox 150 square miles and sets the minimum
level of compliance required so as to not have to pay a fee £12.50 a day to enter the zone. The fine is £100 per day and all vehicles are snapped by the same APNR cameras that monitor the CC (Congestion Charge ) thats in force from Mon-Fri
7am - 6pm and is £11.50, per day, payable by everyone.

Thanks for listening, I feel better now.

Steve

 

[oldironfarmer]

Unfortunately the strict emissions requirements have pushed manufacturers to tune to meet emissions standards. The fly by wire is probably cheaper, it is in cars. So all we need now is to outlaw older equipment which does not meet current emissions standards and we'll all get to enjoy more expensive - EVERTHING.

Ha! exactly what is being done in London and why I've just had to buy a new van


For a few years now, 2008, we have had the LEZ, ( Low Emissions Zone) which covers most of Greater London, Euro 3 engines and later, and now starting April we have the ULEZ (ultra Low Emission Zone) Euro 6 engines, which will cover aprox 150 square miles and sets the minimum
level of compliance required so as to not have to pay a fee £12.50 a day to enter the zone. The fine is £100 per day and all vehicles are snapped by the same APNR cameras that monitor the CC (Congestion Charge ) thats in force from Mon-Fri
7am - 6pm and is £11.50, per day, payable by everyone.

Thanks for listening, I feel better now.

Steve

The world is changing. I can see electric car-only zones, and special turnpikes for self driving electric cars, 90 mph bumper to bumper with no driver interference allowed.

In other news I can still drive my 80 year old tractor on the road in front of my house, legally.

 

[Farmall450]

The world is changing. I can see electric car-only zones, and special turnpikes for self driving electric cars, 90 mph bumper to bumper with no driver interference allowed.

In other news I can still drive my 80 year old tractor on the road in front of my house, legally.

And you could at any age, too.

I'm meaning young, not old here

 

[oldironfarmer]

And you could at any age, too.

I'm meaning young, not old here

Yeah, if you're one of the few people who know how to use a clutch.

Probably 90% of the people on GJ can.

But I meant I can legally drive my tractor on the road, that has not been outlawed yet.

 

[Guster]

The world is changing. I can see electric car-only zones, and special turnpikes for self driving electric cars, 90 mph bumper to bumper with no driver interference allowed.

Kids these days don't even want to own a car. Can you believe it? They just want to order one on their device and have it turn up and drive them somewhere. No garage, no maintenance or insurance... no oil change for heavens sake! They already have everything bought online and delivered to them including their designer meals. Actual shopping at a physical mall is more of an social engagement... something you do with the girlfriends. Heck even the post-person drives an enclosed EV ATV between routes.



But in all honesty it is already happening. Early days and maybe not overnight but it won't take very long. Question is the speed of adoption and when it gets to the point where they run an amnesty process to hand in your old smoker.

Some countries are already planning far into the future investing in new subterranean networks for automated logistics. They are already doing some very scary neat things with big rigs. In other cities automated EV buses that recharge at every stop using super capacitor banks. Here in Auckland EVs have been allowed to use transit lanes and bus lanes for a while now and the postie really does drive and EV ATV. Some are using EV vans for parcel deliveries. Local council have also replaced a lot of the fleet with EVs.

It's not all bad... perhaps a bit boring in some ways. For a while it might even be nice to have trucks and some bad drivers off the roads. At least I've seen and experienced steam/coal, diesel, LPG and petrol... and now electric cars. Future generations will likely never know what they've missed. I would actually love to do a decent EV conversion project and do it justice. Like a Rivian SUV or a Bollinger B1 or maybe just torque the heck out of an AC Cobra for giggles. The Tesla ModelX definitely tickled me pink. But hate that I can't touch anything on it either and that may be the biggest loss to us garage folk.

I think Andy will still be driving his tractor down the road for a while. Only amnesty for the ones he doesn't give up is in the foundry!

 

[dlcwent]

^^ And that's just scratching the surface as to what's coming Guster. Maybe scary to some of us dinosaurs but maybe good in a lot of ways.

Andy, I think clutches are over rated. I had a customer call me once and said he'd just lost the clutch in his car and was a long way from home. He asked if he could have it towed to my shop. I told him to drive it here. I guess he wasn't aware that you could drive it without one until I told his how to do it. He was elated to save the towing charge.

And your microscope is VERY cool. I think you spent too much on it though.

 

[jbmatth]

I was giddy when I rode in a Tesla Model S and felt the acceleration in launch mode, electric cars have many advantages. The biggest hurdle I see with them is infrastructure, many large cities where they would be the most beneficial don't have enough power capacity to serve the AC demands in summer, it'll be a big challenge to get enough power to charge all of the cars running around.

Autonomous driving is great for paved roads with marked lanes, but as of now about 2/3 of my commute is either gravel or roads with no lines. I've heard this year with all of the snow that when the slush builds up on the sensors things like adaptive cruise and lane departure warnings stop working. It'll be tough to get an autonomous car that will be able to navigate muddy gravel roads.

There are many other hurdles but I could see in the next couple of decades many of them getting worked out. I will say there are still many kids into cars though, sadly I don't quite fall into that demographic but regularly see kids at car meets and cruises that can't wait to have one of their own.

Sorry for the hi-jack there but wanted to throw in my $.02 even if it isn't worth that much.

JB

 

[Guster]

JB, you should try a Tesla in "Ludicrous mode"!

I should have mentioned that the first paragraph of my post was tongue in cheek. But it is commonly what is spoken to in a lot of millennial references used to describe how the world is changing. There is some truth in it but there is commonality with demographics that are likely more situational that generational.

The pleasure of working on a vehicle or large machine of any kind and that of going for a long drive, transcends generations and technologies. My in-laws are just as eager to give up their cars. While my friend's father had his eye on a banged up Lotus that he was thinking of converting to full electric for a new open class EV track race. It takes all types!

You just have to watch me on a Monday morning, sitting in a boardroom wearing a suit trying to hide my dirty, banged up hands after doing what I love all weekend.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Kids these days don't even want to own a car. Can you believe it? They just want to order one on their device and have it turn up and drive them somewhere. No garage, no maintenance or insurance... no oil change for heavens sake! They already have everything bought online and delivered to them including their designer meals. Actual shopping at a physical mall is more of an social engagement... something you do with the girlfriends. Heck even the post-person drives an enclosed EV ATV between routes.



But in all honesty it is already happening. Early days and maybe not overnight but it won't take very long. Question is the speed of adoption and when it gets to the point where they run an amnesty process to hand in your old smoker.

Some countries are already planning far into the future investing in new subterranean networks for automated logistics. They are already doing some very scary neat things with big rigs. In other cities automated EV buses that recharge at every stop using super capacitor banks. Here in Auckland EVs have been allowed to use transit lanes and bus lanes for a while now and the postie really does drive and EV ATV. Some are using EV vans for parcel deliveries. Local council have also replaced a lot of the fleet with EVs.

It's not all bad... perhaps a bit boring in some ways. For a while it might even be nice to have trucks and some bad drivers off the roads. At least I've seen and experienced steam/coal, diesel, LPG and petrol... and now electric cars. Future generations will likely never know what they've missed. I would actually love to do a decent EV conversion project and do it justice. Like a Rivian SUV or a Bollinger B1 or maybe just torque the heck out of an AC Cobra for giggles. The Tesla ModelX definitely tickled me pink. But hate that I can't touch anything on it either and that may be the biggest loss to us garage folk.

I think Andy will still be driving his tractor down the road for a while. Only amnesty for the ones he doesn't give up is in the foundry!

Living in a rural area, transportation is a necessity. I think it will be a while here. but if our confident leaders have never lived outside a large city we may have unworkable mandates.

But I wasn't complaining about change, just recognizing it is coming.

You can basically print an EV, then add motors, batteries, and a cpu and Voila!! They potentially can be a lot cheaper than IC engines and price will make a big difference. Horses disappeared quicker than anyone thought. Henry saw to that with a cheap T. Pretty hard to buy hay in most towns now, even around here where lots of people keep horses. Walmart just does not carry it.

I can see conventional gasoline stations (and petrol stations) disappearing fast when the majority of cars are electric and vendors get tired of complying with the pollution requirements of operating storage tanks.

^^ And that's just scratching the surface as to what's coming Guster. Maybe scary to some of us dinosaurs but maybe good in a lot of ways.

Andy, I think clutches are over rated. I had a customer call me once and said he'd just lost the clutch in his car and was a long way from home. He asked if he could have it towed to my shop. I told him to drive it here. I guess he wasn't aware that you could drive it without one until I told his how to do it. He was elated to save the towing charge.

And your microscope is VERY cool. I think you spent too much on it though.

Not hard to drive around without a clutch if it won't release. If it slips too much to pull the vehicle it's pretty tough. In college I drove to class several days in a 50 Chevrolet with a clutch which wouldn't release. My wife finally made me fix it. She thought I'd damage the starter starting it in gear. Carrying a spare in the trunk didn't sway her.

Microscope has been fun. I did feel guilty making the investment though.

I was giddy when I rode in a Tesla Model S and felt the acceleration in launch mode, electric cars have many advantages. The biggest hurdle I see with them is infrastructure, many large cities where they would be the most beneficial don't have enough power capacity to serve the AC demands in summer, it'll be a big challenge to get enough power to charge all of the cars running around.

True, overnight charging gets around that issue though.

Autonomous driving is great for paved roads with marked lanes, but as of now about 2/3 of my commute is either gravel or roads with no lines. I've heard this year with all of the snow that when the slush builds up on the sensors things like adaptive cruise and lane departure warnings stop working. It'll be tough to get an autonomous car that will be able to navigate muddy gravel roads.

Real people don't live in places like you do. I'll wager our confident leaders have no idea how many miles of dirt roads are used each day.

I would think that it might be a while before no driver input cars are practical, though they get more desirable for a large part of the population every day. I really and eager to get to fake out a self driving car at a four way stop. Or flip on my turn signal to watch one passing me on the freeway back off to avoid a potential collision.

It's already frustrating trying to get through a four way stop. So many people are scared to take their turn, or don't even know it's their turn. We seem to want to wait until everyone is at a full stop then wave all the other cars on, hoping to be the last one at the intersection. I just go ahead and go when no one wants their turn and let them play "after you, Alfonse" on their own.

There are many other hurdles but I could see in the next couple of decades many of them getting worked out. I will say there are still many kids into cars though, sadly I don't quite fall into that demographic but regularly see kids at car meets and cruises that can't wait to have one of their own.

Sorry for the hi-jack there but wanted to throw in my $.02 even if it isn't worth that much.

JB

That's not a hijack, this is the EV thread isn't it?

JB, you should try a Tesla in "Ludicrous mode"!

I should have mentioned that the first paragraph of my post was tongue in cheek. But it is commonly what is spoken to in a lot of millennial references used to describe how the world is changing. There is some truth in it but there is commonality with demographics that are likely more situational that generational.

There was a lot of truth in your description. My grandson, the big guy, really didn't care about driving and didn't bother to get his license until 17. He likes my hot rods but does not want to drive one. He chose for his first car an S10 pickup my son bought to mount his 48 Pickup (show Truck upper) upon. Son had to find another.

The pleasure of working on a vehicle or large machine of any kind and that of going for a long drive, transcends generations and technologies. My in-laws are just as eager to give up their cars. While my friend's father had his eye on a banged up Lotus that he was thinking of converting to full electric for a new open class EV track race. It takes all types!

Something about an old farm tractor crawling over rough ground pulling a plow or disc I love. Same with the Bobcat with the tracks squeaking and clanking. Pure joy. One of my favorite sounds is around a drilling rig or pulling unit when the governors kick in pulling a string.

You just have to watch me on a Monday morning, sitting in a boardroom wearing a suit trying to hide my dirty, banged up hands after doing what I love all weekend.

I've suffered that disability. I've been known to have a secretary pick some hay off my hair just before a meeting (I fed in the morning before work). I always picked up any dried manure which fell off my boots in the office. My boss on my last project in Houston originally put me on because I was a farmer, as was he. We talked about it a lot. His passion is making hay. When he took me to Houston he cautioned me not to mention to anybody there that he or I farmed. Very bad reputation. I couldn't help myself, especially when we had a contractor scared to go into a large pasture because there were cattle there. I offered to go protect them. A cow's first instinct is to flee. Only if they're cornered would there be a problem. usually.

Now things have been falling apart in my life, I go to the bank in my work clothes, I just don't care anymore.

 

[Farmall450]

That's pretty sad when you have to conceal your profession/hobby due to appearances...when you're probably sharper than most on his team.

 

[oldironfarmer]

That's pretty sad when you have to conceal your profession/hobby due to appearances...when you're probably sharper than most on his team.

Problem occurs when you have a lot of people who are outside their comfort zone. Appearances are everything when trying to convince people who don't know your field that you indeed know your field. It's very similar to this forum, where there are people who are guessing, and those who know. Those guessing don't know that those who know really do know. So they offer some unusual suggestions. When those people are decision makers it's not convenient to be a technical expert who happens to be a blacksmith or farmer. Strangely woodworking is OK.

 

[Farmall450]

Problem occurs when you have a lot of people who are outside their comfort zone. Appearances are everything when trying to convince people who don't know your field that you indeed know your field. It's very similar to this forum, where there are people who are guessing, and those who know. Those guessing don't know that those who know really do know. So they offer some unusual suggestions. When those people are decision makers it's not convenient to be a technical expert who happens to be a blacksmith or farmer. Strangely woodworking is OK.

Man, too bad I'm not a woodworker by any means...yet.

 

[86turbodsl]

Unfortunately the strict emissions requirements have pushed manufacturers to tune to meet emissions standards. The fly by wire is probably cheaper, it is in cars. So all we need now is to outlaw older equipment which does not meet current emissions standards and we'll all get to enjoy more expensive - EVERTHING.

Just the latest push from the globalists to strip us of our unnecessary money so we can all be indentured servants our whole lives.

Most of us are just tax slaves already, just don't see it.

 

[86turbodsl]

The biggest hurdle I see with them is infrastructure, many large cities where they would be the most beneficial don't have enough power capacity to serve the AC demands in summer, it'll be a big challenge to get enough power to charge all of the cars running around.

JB

This. I worked for the power company when i was in college. One of my jobs was driving around and inspecting all the equipment and condition. I saw a very large part of southern Michigan, and i mean EVERY transformer and service. Most of the grid is over 100 years old. At LEAST 50% of the equipment i looked at is original from the beginning of electrification.

The people who are pushing so hard for electrification haven't done the energy balance equations to see where all this electricity is going to come from, and they DEFINITELY haven't counted the cost of the infrastructure upgrades necessary to realize the green utopia they are pushing.

/ RANT

 

[Farmall450]

This. I worked for the power company when i was in college. One of my jobs was driving around and inspecting all the equipment and condition. I saw a very large part of southern Michigan, and i mean EVERY transformer and service. Most of the grid is over 100 years old. At LEAST 50% of the equipment i looked at is original from the beginning of electrification.

The people who are pushing so hard for electrification haven't done the energy balance equations to see where all this electricity is going to come from, and they DEFINITELY haven't counted the cost of the infrastructure upgrades necessary to realize the green utopia they are pushing.

/ RANT

Well, we're going to ignore those costs (fiscal and environmental) b/c they aren't in tune with our ideas of greater good, sacrifice, etc etc. Remember, we're shooting for the ends here, means are just a byproduct.

 

[sawduststeve]

86turbodsl,
The people who are pushing so hard for electrification haven't done the energy balance equations to see where all this electricity is going to come from, and they DEFINITELY haven't counted the cost of the infrastructure upgrades necessary to realize the green utopia they are pushing.

The way I've read it is that, it takes a lot of electricity in the production/refinement of petrol and as the demand drops so does the demand for the electricity, which can then be used for charging the EV's. It all sounds so simple,

Steve

 

[Bob Heine]

Most cars on the road today are gasoline powered. Before 1900, it was a waste byproduct of kerosene distillation. "Before the era of the Model T, gasoline-fueled vehicles had stiff competition from steam-driven and electric cars. In fact, of the 4,200 cars built in the United States in 1900, only one-fourth employed internal combustion engines."

If you owned a car back then you most likely bought your gasoline from a drug store. There were few paved roads and if you owned an electric car anywhere but a city, the electrical grid was a joke, with every manufacturer designing their own plugs and sockets. Our first house, purchased in 1966 and built in 1952, had glass screw-in fuses and two-prong outlets except for the stove and dryer (the cables did have a ground wire that connected to the metal boxes). Power tools came with pig-tails you connected to the screw in the center of the duplex outlet cover.

Times have, are and will be a-changing.

I can't buy crude oil and distill my own gasoline but I can put up solar panels and generate my own electricity to charge a vehicle. Had any of the Tesla models been as cheap as my Cadillac CTS-V, it would be in my garage. I would love to start a Green Hot Rod shop but I understand Elon frowns on modifications to earth-bound Teslas.

I live in Florida so zero to sixty needs to happen in less than four seconds (we have some short merge lanes). The rumor among millennials is that Cadillac drivers are old and always blocking traffic so I stay in the [empty] right lane and keep it below 100mph most of the time.

 

[Bob Heine]

Andy, the most important thing in my life today was a surprise package from my little brother. It was a carefully wrapped jar of Ol' Jim's Secret Recipe Blackberry Preserves. It is "Made especially for Town & Country Hardware" in Mannford Oklahoma.

Not wanting to waste this nectar on a slice of bread, I used it on a bowl of Publix Roadrunner Raspberry lowfat frozen yogurt. I looked for clues on the label and the complicated ingredients list includes:

• Blackberries
• pure cane sugar
• pectin
• citric acid

The closest thing I've had to this nectar was the home made wild raspberry preserves my grandmother made (with sugar and pectin) when I was a child and a bucket of fresh-picked wild blueberries we cooked in a camp near the base of Denali [Mount McKinley] in 1957. It is amazing to taste something that is as good or better than eating the ripe berries off the plants.

Thank you for the gift and the taste of a simpler life.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Man, too bad I'm not a woodworker by any means...yet.

i thought everyone was a woodworker.

Just the latest push from the globalists to strip us of our unnecessary money so we can all be indentured servants our whole lives.

Most of us are just tax slaves already, just don't see it.

This. I worked for the power company when i was in college. One of my jobs was driving around and inspecting all the equipment and condition. I saw a very large part of southern Michigan, and i mean EVERY transformer and service. Most of the grid is over 100 years old. At LEAST 50% of the equipment i looked at is original from the beginning of electrification.

The people who are pushing so hard for electrification haven't done the energy balance equations to see where all this electricity is going to come from, and they DEFINITELY haven't counted the cost of the infrastructure upgrades necessary to realize the green utopia they are pushing.

/ RANT

It will be fun, and lots of work for everyone!

Well, we're going to ignore those costs (fiscal and environmental) b/c they aren't in tune with our ideas of greater good, sacrifice, etc etc. Remember, we're shooting for the ends here, means are just a byproduct.

You don't have to ignore those costs, just don't worry about them, somebody else will take care of that.

86turbodsl,
The people who are pushing so hard for electrification haven't done the energy balance equations to see where all this electricity is going to come from, and they DEFINITELY haven't counted the cost of the infrastructure upgrades necessary to realize the green utopia they are pushing.

The way I've read it is that, it takes a lot of electricity in the production/refinement of petrol and as the demand drops so does the demand for the electricity, which can then be used for charging the EV's. It all sounds so simple,

Steve

In my experience it does not take much electricity to run a refinery. A big consumer, yes, but small KW compared to the energy produced. Our refinery used natural gas which cost roughly as much as the crude oil cost.

Most cars on the road today are gasoline powered. Before 1900, it was a waste byproduct of kerosene distillation. "Before the era of the Model T, gasoline-fueled vehicles had stiff competition from steam-driven and electric cars. In fact, of the 4,200 cars built in the United States in 1900, only one-fourth employed internal combustion engines."

Interesting stuff. 1900 is pretty early, but still, 1/4 is surprising.

If you owned a car back then you most likely bought your gasoline from a drug store. There were few paved roads and if you owned an electric car anywhere but a city, the electrical grid was a joke, with every manufacturer designing their own plugs and sockets. Our first house, purchased in 1966 and built in 1952, had glass screw-in fuses and two-prong outlets except for the stove and dryer (the cables did have a ground wire that connected to the metal boxes). Power tools came with pig-tails you connected to the screw in the center of the duplex outlet cover.

Times have, are and will be a-changing.

I can't buy crude oil and distill my own gasoline but I can put up solar panels and generate my own electricity to charge a vehicle. Had any of the Tesla models been as cheap as my Cadillac CTS-V, it would be in my garage. I would love to start a Green Hot Rod shop but I understand Elon frowns on modifications to earth-bound Teslas.

I live in Florida so zero to sixty needs to happen in less than four seconds (we have some short merge lanes). The rumor among millennials is that Cadillac drivers are old and always blocking traffic so I stay in the [empty] right lane and keep it below 100mph most of the time.

My house, built in 62, has two conductor wiring. I have changed some of it.

It is relatively easy to distill gasoline, and crude is cheap. But without octane booster home brewed gasoline would be 84 octane or lower.

Glad you can keep it below 100 mph. I'll have to try that.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy, the most important thing in my life today was a surprise package from my little brother. It was a carefully wrapped jar of Ol' Jim's Secret Recipe Blackberry Preserves. It is "Made especially for Town & Country Hardware" in Mannford Oklahoma.

Not wanting to waste this nectar on a slice of bread, I used it on a bowl of Publix Roadrunner Raspberry lowfat frozen yogurt. I looked for clues on the label and the complicated ingredients list includes:

• Blackberries
• pure cane sugar
• pectin
• citric acid

The closest thing I've had to this nectar was the home made wild raspberry preserves my grandmother made (with sugar and pectin) when I was a child and a bucket of fresh-picked wild blueberries we cooked in a camp near the base of Denali [Mount McKinley] in 1957. It is amazing to taste something that is as good or better than eating the ripe berries off the plants.

Thank you for the gift and the taste of a simpler life.

Glad you like it!! It is every bit as good as my home picked and canned blackberry jelly.

But there is more to the story.

Ol' Jim is Jimmy Stockton. He has been my hardware guy since 1972, that's pushing 50 years. Old time hardware, he worked for Raymond Holmes in his Holmes Hardware right out of school, and for several years. When I first went in there in 1972 they still sold horse collars and hames. In the mid seventies he and a lady started Town & Country Hardware. She was the business and he was the hardware. Sadly after a few years she died of cancer. Her husband helped Jim for a few years, and Jim ran the store alone for a long time. He had to take on a partner, eventually, and the new owner and he get along great. He and I have put together many combinations of fittings for my projects over the years, and he was very good at finding solutions. He knows his stuff. He is also very funny. He would always offer me the "tourist" price and always had a "Half Price Turkey Table" for clearance items. If I ever entered the store and saw no one, I would duck behind a display and creep around trying to sneak up on Ol' Jim. He would be creeping around trying to sneak up on me. When we finally saw each other we would stand up and conduct business as usual never mentioning the shenanigans. I don't think we've ever talked about it, just always did it.

The new owner is a shrewd businessman and the store has prospered. They respect Jim, who is about 80, and has slowed down a lot, but works most days. Everyone calls him Ol' Jim (including himself, for at least 40 years), and a few years ago the store put in the line of Ol' Jim jams and jellies, and now a lot more products. When I first saw the jelly I asked Jim if he really made all that jelly. "Yep, some nights has to stay up all night to get a batch done. Really wishes they wouldn't sell so well."

He is one of my heroes and I'm proud to share his story. Thanks for taking the bait...

http://www.townandcountryhdw.com/

I don't know if they do mail order, but with enough incentive they might.

 

[Grizz1963]

Glad you like it!! It is every bit as good as my home picked and canned blackberry jelly.

But there is more to the story.

Ol' Jim is Jimmy Stockton. He has been my hardware guy since 1972, that's pushing 50 years. Old time hardware, he worked for Raymond Holmes in his Holmes Hardware right out of school, and for several years. When I first went in there in 1972 they still sold horse collars and hames. In the mid seventies he and a lady started Town & Country Hardware. She was the business and he was the hardware. Sadly after a few years she died of cancer. Her husband helped Jim for a few years, and Jim ran the store alone for a long time. He had to take on a partner, eventually, and the new owner and he get along great. He and I have put together many combinations of fittings for my projects over the years, and he was very good at finding solutions. He knows his stuff. He is also very funny. He would always offer me the "tourist" price and always had a "Half Price Turkey Table" for clearance items. If I ever entered the store and saw no one, I would duck behind a display and creep around trying to sneak up on Ol' Jim. He would be creeping around trying to sneak up on me. When we finally saw each other we would stand up and conduct business as usual never mentioning the shenanigans. I don't think we've ever talked about it, just always did it.

The new owner is a shrewd businessman and the store has prospered. They respect Jim, who is about 80, and has slowed down a lot, but works most days. Everyone calls him Ol' Jim (including himself, for at least 40 years), and a few years ago the store put in the line of Ol' Jim jams and jellies, and now a lot more products. When I first saw the jelly I asked Jim if he really made all that jelly. "Yep, some nights has to stay up all night to get a batch done. Really wishes they wouldn't sell so well."

He is one of my heroes and I'm proud to share his story. Thanks for taking the bait...

http://www.townandcountryhdw.com/

I don't know if they do mail order, but with enough incentive they might.

Love this sort of thing.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Bob Heine]

Andy, the story makes the Blackberry Preserve taste even better.

 

[drivesitfar]

Andy & All: my bride and I make the freezer jam recipe on or maybe in the pectin box. we buy about 10 half flats of raspberries every year from one or two local farms and we spend a day (or two) making raspberry jam that lasts us about a year and i'm guessing we've done this for maybe the last 10 years.

I haven't attempted to make my own gasoline yet and probably won't be on my bucket list either, but we have been looking into maybe buying an electric car.

my parents bought their home in 1963 that was built in 1928 and I recall having to unscrew out a glass fuse and put a new one in every now and then until my dad updated that old circuit or fuse box.

Bob & Andy: great to hear you are trying to keep it under 100 mph in the old right hand slow lanes which is about the only lane up here that doesn't have a Prius and an Uber driver in it driving under the speed limit on their phone in our left lanes.

hope you all have a great day!!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Love this sort of thing.

Thank you for sharing.

I don't actually have very many friends of 50 years. They usually get tired of stupid jokes.

Andy, the story makes the Blackberry Preserve taste even better.

Hoping you'd enjoy the background. He is quite a gentleman and really knows the hardware business.

Andy & All: my bride and I make the freezer jam recipe on or maybe in the pectin box. we buy about 10 half flats of raspberries every year from one or two local farms and we spend a day (or two) making raspberry jam that lasts us about a year and i'm guessing we've done this for maybe the last 10 years.

I haven't attempted to make my own gasoline yet and probably won't be on my bucket list either, but we have been looking into maybe buying an electric car.

my parents bought their home in 1963 that was built in 1928 and I recall having to unscrew out a glass fuse and put a new one in every now and then until my dad updated that old circuit or fuse box.

Bob & Andy: great to hear you are trying to keep it under 100 mph in the old right hand slow lanes which is about the only lane up here that doesn't have a Prius and an Uber driver in it driving under the speed limit on their phone in our left lanes.

hope you all have a great day!!

I've seen the freezer jelly recipe but never tried it. I'm just kind of stuck on canning and putting it on the shelf. I haven't picked wild blackberries for a few years, it may be time.

I still have a pretty good stock of glass fuses. My well house still has a fuse box but it is not currently operating. A friend just sold her mom's house and the mortgage company made her replace a fuse box claiming they couldn't get insurance. It was insured.

I can get crude oil around here, and tube stills are not hard to make. Maybe I need to get into the refining business. After I get my natural gas hookup.

Thanks for the visits. I'm stuck on loading pictures so I'll post progress later. But I did get some nice microscope shots.

Nasty stuff. Still not getting it polished well. But that is coming.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Finally got some pictures into my computer.

Fed probably my last hay for this season a couple of days ago. It's been wet and the cows got some fresh salad with this bale.

That's not really a good sign, probably some rot on the bale.

Finishing up the first shelf for the Pharmacy. Two blocking pieces insisted on going in crooked.

Went to get a chisel and thought of Jim Reed, so I got my new Stanley No. 278, rabbet and bull nose plane.

Perfect guided chisel for this job

Slick, quick, and sharp right out of the box.

Thanks, Jim!

Bobby and Vladimir have such beautiful flower pictures. This lone tulip is in my yard, but no grass has shown up yet.

Rim showed up for the little Allis tractor. Measuring the hole spacing before I mounted the tire was difficult, so I got the big calipers I made to measure the motor mount centers on the 350 in the purple car.

Tools don't have to be pretty or expensive to work well.

 

[1/2 Cup]

That is one nice plane Andy

 

[oldironfarmer]

That is one nice plane Andy

Thanks, Steve. It is a little fancy to be plane.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Here's my setup for taking microscope pictures of metal samples.

The microscope with it's calibration sheet. The grid in the center is lines 0.1 mm on center. On the right are different width lines.

Mounted on the mill

With the camera in that orientation the mill X-Y lead screws moves the image on the screen the same way the table is moving. Here's the same image from the screen above.

A couple of things about this setup.

With the Digital Read Out on the mill, it can be set to zero at a reference point, then an area of interest can easily be found again by going back to the same coordinates. The screen image (field of view) is about 0.05" wide so even a 1" circle is twenty screens wide large and takes a lot of scrolling to cover the whole sample. It can be a challenge to find a particular defect later if you don't have coordinates.

Also, something I didn't expect, it is very easy to measure a defect, just scroll the defect to the edge of the screen, note the coordinate, then scroll until the defect is completely off the screen and note the coordinate. The difference in coordinates is the defect width. I spent a while playing around with it and the DRO reading and image placement on the screen is very repeatable. It doesn't take much to move the image (table) 1/2 thousandth but it does repeat well, so I think I can have confidence in actual dimensions being + or - 0.001".