Above 1200 Sq/FT Cleaning Up My Shop

[oldironfarmer]

The new floorboard being test fitted.

About the same time I was making drawer fronts.

And spending some breakfast time with Hershey.

When I let her inside she goes and sits in front of Sharon's chair. She misses her too.

And door assembly. Lots of pieces, and with my helper everything was sorted properly and there were no hiccups upon assembly.

Return with me now to yesteryear. Anybody remember when I switched from a stainless steel crucible to clay-graphite? Yeah, me neither. What happened was I was trying to melt the glass out of aluminum left over from the glass flasks exercise. The glass would just not separate and float like I thought it should. I finally took the crucible out of the furnace, hot, and it ruptured on the way to set it down. Hot aluminum everywhere.

Fortunately my safety precautions were sufficient and I wasn't burned. But I was concerned and quit using steel crucibles.

Cleaning Up My Shop

I spent some time sorting and stacking aluminum ingots I've made for future casting. The dark ones are pure copper, and there are two brass ingots.

Just a few more to go

Thanks for stopping in. There will be more progress on the 32 Chevy. It eventually makes it out of my shop and back to the lonely owner and his grandkids.

 

[PugetDude]

Hi Andy,
Glad you're back posting, knew you were absent but didn't realize it had been a whole month. Hope 2021 is good to you.
Scott

 

[Grizz1963]

Glad I was not there helping you melting that batch.

Flip flops are possibly somewhat insufficient in protection.

Good to see the updates.

 

[tinker rick]

Yay , Andy's back to posting

 

[jbmatth]

As usual it is nice to hear from you again Andy. I'll be stuck in a TA for a couple months this spring, I need to swing by for a day if you still accept shady visitors.

JB

 

[shortykorte]

Glad I was not there helping you melting that batch.



Flip flops are possibly somewhat insufficient in protection.



Good to see the updates.

I helped with a couple of those. You have to have official Florida Safety shoes.


Andy looks like you’re staying busy. Hershey needs a bone.


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[xtremek]

Dang, that's a lot of metal. As usual, all your work looks really good.

 

[drivesitfar]

Andy: your new part you made with the sand mold and aluminum really looks great and it's hard to tell which one was the original. your skills have really improved sir.

nice pile of ingots there so looks like more fun projects in your future.

did you ever get the granddaughters Studebaker/Dodge (forgot the nickname) finished or did she get one of your yellow FJ's?

mid 40's and sunny so dry and no wind. it's a great day for sure.

take care

 

[oldironfarmer]

Hi Andy,
Glad you're back posting, knew you were absent but didn't realize it had been a whole month. Hope 2021 is good to you.
Scott

Thanks, Scott!

Glad I was not there helping you melting that batch.

Flip flops are possibly somewhat insufficient in protection.

Good to see the updates.

So are you flip flopping on safety gear?

Yay , Andy's back to posting

Thanks, Rick!

As usual it is nice to hear from you again Andy. I'll be stuck in a TA for a couple months this spring, I need to swing by for a day if you still accept shady visitors.

JB

Yes, I really miss turnarounds. Managing them, anyway.

I've put a moratorium on visitors. Until morning. Come on when you can!

I helped with a couple of those. You have to have official Florida Safety shoes.


Andy looks like you’re staying busy. Hershey needs a bone.


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OK, I gave Hersh one bone.

Dang, that's a lot of metal. As usual, all your work looks really good.

Thank you.

Andy: your new part you made with the sand mold and aluminum really looks great and it's hard to tell which one was the original. your skills have really improved sir.

nice pile of ingots there so looks like more fun projects in your future.

did you ever get the granddaughters Studebaker/Dodge (forgot the nickname) finished or did she get one of your yellow FJ's?

mid 40's and sunny so dry and no wind. it's a great day for sure.

take care

The Studekota is on hold. But soon...

Thanks for stopping by Drives!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Back to the salt mine. Assembly of the cabinets went pretty quickly after all the measuring, cutting, and sanding. Here are some of the small doors.

The one big door, 80" x 30", was a challenge.

Only the corners are glued so the panel is free to expand and contract with the seasons.

It goes on the side of this cabinet to make a pantry. This cabinet fits over the refrigerator.

A little more fitting of the floor board and it's time to final fit the fabricated hump. It was pounded out of one piece of sheet metal with no welds. I was pleased with the results.

The bracket shown earlier was welded up to hold the end of the original brake and clutch pedals shaft away from the transmission. the end on the transmission side only took a small bracket.

Thanks for stopping by, guys!

 

[stillp]

Nice hump Andy!
Pete

 

[PrairieBoy556]

cool

 

[Vieux]

Any work that Andy does always turns out great!
Happy to see you in the New Year!

 

[jbmatth]

The trans hump looks great Andy, I vaguely remember the one you made for the Studekota, this is a bit smoother.

JB

 

[tj675]

Andy,

Love the vast amount of knowledge that you are sharing with us. Thank you for taking the time to do so.

TJ

 

[oldironfarmer]

Nice hump Andy!
Pete

That's what she said. I was tickled to be able to make it without welding.

cool

Thanks!

Any work that Andy does always turns out great!
Happy to see you in the New Year!

Thanks Vladimir. You do better work.

The trans hump looks great Andy, I vaguely remember the one you made for the Studekota, this is a bit smoother.

JB

Do you suppose one can make progress from job to job?

Thanks JB.

Andy,

Love the vast amount of knowledge that you are sharing with us. Thank you for taking the time to do so.

TJ

Or at least half-vast!

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Removing the torque tube meant building traction bars for the car.
As I mentioned earlier, the axle has a sleeve bearing where it ties to the spring making it free to rotate.
In later years the axle was bolted to the spring but up to 1948 all of the torque was taken in the torque tube.
Then eventually they decided the spring alone would hold the torque.

We started with just one u-bolt each side but that was inadequate and slipped so we had to weld to the axle to take the torque.

This is where the job started. Sorry about the fuzzy picture but the car is back with it's owner. The axle extension was longer than I first thought it would have to be to accommodate the existing input shaft, adapter, and stub input shaft from a late model Chevrolet. There is a standard seal and tapered roller bearing inside the addition.

Here's the brake casting installed.

This is final layout for the hump screwed to the toe board. 90 year old plywood so we only want to install it once. Easy enough to make a new toe board but I really like to preserve as much of an old car as we can and still be safe and functional.

Another guy had a race car axle he wanted to change gear ratio. Here is the ring gear being tested for correct contact with the pinion. This is a job where you really want to take your time and get it right.

A side note, my nearest town only has an O'Reilly's for auto parts. They guys there are pretty good so I established an account "Blackjack Forge and Foundry". There is a discount on behind the counter type parts and I've found friends and family can use my account too. All they need is the name, and they have to pay but it's nice for them to get the discount too.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

[drivesitfar]

Amazing work on that old car. I bet you could maybe make a car from scratch if you wanted to, but I bet you have more interest in fixing friend's cars and finishing the StudeDakota.

Seattle Drizzle is on here and so far 2 days almost 24/7 and close to another week in the forecast. when it does clear up if we are not flooded out i sure will be clean around here.

cheers and keep up all the great work!!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Amazing work on that old car. I bet you could maybe make a car from scratch if you wanted to, but I bet you have more interest in fixing friend's cars and finishing the StudeDakota.

Seattle Drizzle is on here and so far 2 days almost 24/7 and close to another week in the forecast. when it does clear up if we are not flooded out i sure will be clean around here.

cheers and keep up all the great work!!

Thanks for the visit Drives! Clear and 40's here with no wind for the last few days. We get a few stiff breezes when a front comes through but not much winter wind.

Building a car from scratch would be a tall order.

 

[drivesitfar]

maybe a small car (think go cart?)?

have a great day sir!!

 

[oldironfarmer]

OK, I'm only up to June, 2020.
A warm morning I was having breakfast on the porch with my faithful companion. Hershey hates this picture, says it makes her nose look big.

My CPA/Zumba instructor came over to make soffits for her windows. These are not coat racks, curtains with loops hang from the pegs.

Local junk dealer dropped by. Cool car, JB!

Back to the old forge. This time to make a bell crank for shift linkage for the 32 Chevy.

I first turned a bearing surface to go into a bushing block then bent it to give the proper movement of the shift lever.

We got the original 1932 Chevrolet transmission with other parts from the previous shop. I couldn't bear to cut up the old shift lever to go on the automatic transmission so I cut up a 1948 Farmall M shift lever. It was about the same size, a little heavier, and they are plentiful. It's welded to a flange whose mate is welded to the forging. Small bolts hold a split steel bushing block with grease zerk. Sorry no pictures. Then a link goes from the crank to the transmission shift clevis. It works pretty good. Park is all the way forward close to the dash which gives you some clearance. The reverse, neutral and drive are normal H pattern location fore and aft although in a straight line, of course. Then low is back toward the seat. I discovered that pulling the lever back to low when slowing down does a great job of assisting the mechanical brakes. We also hooked the clutch up to the kickdown cable so if you're struggling up a hill just hit the clutch like you're going todownshift and it does.

Had a stray show up. I told Hershey to drive her away or she'd be eating her food. Hershey kind of liked her so we have a new member of the houshold.

I'm not sure what she did but she always looks guilty. Very guilty.

I named her in honor of my favorite Shakespearian quotation: Spot

More later!

 

[oldironfarmer]

maybe a small car (think go cart?)?

have a great day sir!!

To build from scratch I'd have to forge a crank, cast a block, and build a carburetor.

I suppose I could do that.

 

[Grizz1963]

Junk dealer indeed, and a new stray......

You know how to choose them Andy.

Torture instructor is kinda cute though.

 

[xtremek]

That's a real nice job on the trans tunnel and the crank. That's a unique way to hang curtains.

 

[shortykorte]

Poor Spot. Doesn’t get to ride in the show truck.


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[TwoBytes]

To build from scratch I'd have to forge a crank, cast a block, and build a carburetor.

I suppose I could do that.

Building a tractor seems more your style, something like Vladimir is doing...

If you haven't got enough tractors already

I'm sure you could handle the engine parts, the tyres could be tricky though, how are your rubber vulcanising skills?

 

[Khevin]

Nice progress and cute pup!

 

[jbmatth]

Building a tractor seems more your style, something like Vladimir is doing...

If you haven't got enough tractors already

I'm sure you could handle the engine parts, the tyres could be tricky though, how are your rubber vulcanising skills?

Why not just make steel wheels like old farm tractors, then no need for a rubber tree farm?

Junk dealer indeed Andy, thanks for letting me visit.

JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

Junk dealer indeed, and a new stray......

You know how to choose them Andy.

Torture instructor is kinda cute though.

Hmmm, they choose me.

Torture instructor indeed. She prepares my taxes.

That's a real nice job on the trans tunnel and the crank. That's a unique way to hang curtains.

Thank you.

Apparently the curtain thing is a new style. She purchased the curtains premade although she is an excellent seamstress.

Poor Spot. Doesn’t get to ride in the show truck.

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I quote Shakespeare every time Spot sets for in the shop:

"Out, out damn spot."

Rat poison in the shop so dogs have to stay out.

Building a tractor seems more your style, something like Vladimir is doing...

If you haven't got enough tractors already

I'm sure you could handle the engine parts, the tyres could be tricky though, how are your rubber vulcanising skills?

I couldn't compete with Vladimir. He's an ace.

I can however, vulcanize. I have a hundred or more tires laying around self vulcanizing as we speak.

Nice progress and cute pup!

Thanks!

Why not just make steel wheels like old farm tractors, then no need for a rubber tree farm?

Junk dealer indeed Andy, thanks for letting me visit.

JB

Steel wheels! Rough Riders!

I have more junk for you...

 

[oldironfarmer]

My son has dual ground source heat pumps for his house.
I happened to be there the day he found a leak.
the heat pumps have circulating pumps in a dual pump setting and he has four of the pump modules.
He only needed six pumps so he has two pump locations with a blanking plate. One of the cast iron blanking plates had corroded through.
I offered to cast him a couple of brass plates. Here's the mold for a blanking plate.

Results of a day's casting from left to right: Spot logo a friend cut out of foam learning about lost foam, a sleeve for radiator hose reduction on the 32, blanking plate with stub for turning, brass hammer, blanking plate.

Sunrise 13 July 2020

Gasket surface turned on blanking plate

Hose fitted on reducing sleeve

Ingots in brass hell. I guess that makes me the devil...

Molds ready for hot metal to be reborn as something useful.

 

[y'sguy]

Great to see all the production. Well done Andy!

 

[shortykorte]

Reminds me of good times this past November


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[bj383ss]

Beautiful Sunrise Andy. Glad to see you posting.

Bret

 

[xtremek]

Nice job on the castings. Question on the blanking plates. Why did you put the nubs for the lathe to grab facing up? I would have thought they would have less chance of porosity had they been on the bottom. I get that they're just going to get removed, and definitely not questioning your wisdom, just trying to understand the process.

 

[bolensboneyard]

Now I really want to get back to GJ. Nice work Andy as usual. I have been busy, really!

 

[TMcCay]

Nice work, Andy! I always look forward to your updates.

 

[drivesitfar]

now that you've been casting for a while do you still have any issues with pour quality or maybe a bad metal product?

I love seeing you take scrap, make ingots, make castings and then take a fresh cast piece and machine it. OMG that is AWESOME!!

in case you didn't hear we had 60 mph wind here the night before last and if the boys in Florida are getting 2 times that hard during a Hurricane it's hard to believe why they'd live there. since we don't have a lot of underground wiring it knocked out power to close to half a million homes around the PNW.

sunny and calm yesterday and again today so I guess it's true.

have a great day!!

 

[Guster]

Andy you old brass devil! Happy to see you casting again. Brake cover came out very well. Looks like a thin casting and those brass caps are so pretty!


The transmission hump cover came out a treat too. Love the sheetmetal work. Little hot tuck shrink work at the top? Chevy is coming along nicely.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Great to see all the production. Well done Andy!

Thank you!

Reminds me of good times this past November

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Just a normal day in the neighborhood...

Beautiful Sunrise Andy. Glad to see you posting.

Bret

Thanks, Bret!

Nice job on the castings. Question on the blanking plates. Why did you put the nubs for the lathe to grab facing up? I would have thought they would have less chance of porosity had they been on the bottom. I get that they're just going to get removed, and definitely not questioning your wisdom, just trying to understand the process.

Good question. Flat on bottom casts better. Anytime the metal falls there is a chance of washing sand or creating a vortex cavity. The sand is porous and lets the air out nicely as the pour progresses. So the goal here was to flood the bottom then let the metal rise up filling the mold. The defects were at the far side of the bottom where I got a little cold shut on one casting but it machined out. Don't presume I'm wise, I'm just learning and struggling each step of the way. Each success is luck!

Now I really want to get back to GJ. Nice work Andy as usual. I have been busy, really!

Funny, since I've been gone I didn't notice you were gone.

Nice work, Andy! I always look forward to your updates.

Thanks Tim.

now that you've been casting for a while do you still have any issues with pour quality or maybe a bad metal product?

Thanks for stopping by, Drives. I continually have issues with bad castings and keep trying to improve. The "Quality Shed Time" castings were very consistent but I made 80 or so of them, and used a match plate so every mold was consistent. Still there were variations based on sand moisture and inconsistencies ramming the sand. Sometimes there was sand coming out with the pattern so the mold had extra flashing to be cleaned off. Some of the lettering on the back was better than on others.

I love seeing you take scrap, make ingots, make castings and then take a fresh cast piece and machine it. OMG that is AWESOME!!

I love taking scrap, making ingots, castings, and machining them. Especially to make something I couldn't buy and maybe in less time than it would take to run to town and back anyway. It is great fun. Thank you.

in case you didn't hear we had 60 mph wind here the night before last and if the boys in Florida are getting 2 times that hard during a Hurricane it's hard to believe why they'd live there. since we don't have a lot of underground wiring it knocked out power to close to half a million homes around the PNW.

sunny and calm yesterday and again today so I guess it's true.

have a great day!!

Whew, weather!! I'm with you, I find it hard to believe people want to live in either place unless forced to do so by employment. I lived in Indonesia to work, but was glad to come home. I've worked in Bellingham and Anacortes. Beautiful places when the sun was shining. I don't have the mentality to endure the overcast weeks. Fortunately we are all different and have different desires. Most people can't understand why I like having all my rusting iron setting around. They would have it hauled off to scrap. I have lived all over the world save Antarctica. I prefer the old oak timberland of NE Oklahoma even better than NW Arkansas, SW Missouri (where I was born), or SE Kansas. I have a choice and I choose to live here. East Tennessee was nice but the sides of the houses would turn green. I appreciate the arid climate here with enough rainfall, about 30 inches per year. And, tornadoes keep the wimps away.

Andy you old brass devil! Happy to see you casting again. Brake cover came out very well. Looks like a thin casting and those brass caps are so pretty!

The transmission hump cover came out a treat too. Love the sheetmetal work. Little hot tuck shrink work at the top? Chevy is coming along nicely.

Brass melts in my presence...

Thanks for the good words.

I did get the top flange of the hump at too sharp of an angle. The screws would have held it down to the toe board but I'm trying to learn. Shrinking it was the only way to bring it back in line. Cold shrinking wasn't working so I did a little heat and water. More later...

 

[shortykorte]

Drives, we endure 100 mph winds here in Florida because following the hurricane is sun, following the sun are bikinis.


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