hewey
Well-known member
Your mocked up workshop in your loungeroom looks better than my actual one! Nice work and Merry Christmas Gregor.
Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Mid-Century Moto Mecca Makeover
- Thread starter sakurama
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
Thanks.
I'm hoping that some good comes from the hot mess of 2020. It's been a strange year all around and I'm certainly missing the routines, interactions and travel we took for granted.
And Hewey - you're right. Looks better than mine too. I'm planning on putting up that french cleat over the wood section of the bench and trying to keep that counter area clean. Trying to keep the shop clean is only possible if I have a place for things so I'm going to try to work on utilizing the new Vidmar cabinet (at the moment it's still mostly empty) and then finding places for things. I find it very difficult to work with a work area in disarray and such a small shop makes it more tricky.
I typically take off the week between Xmas and New Years for some relaxing but I'm hoping to spend a bit of that time cleaning up the shop. Hoping I can make use of those shelves.
Gregor
I'm hoping that some good comes from the hot mess of 2020. It's been a strange year all around and I'm certainly missing the routines, interactions and travel we took for granted.
And Hewey - you're right. Looks better than mine too. I'm planning on putting up that french cleat over the wood section of the bench and trying to keep that counter area clean. Trying to keep the shop clean is only possible if I have a place for things so I'm going to try to work on utilizing the new Vidmar cabinet (at the moment it's still mostly empty) and then finding places for things. I find it very difficult to work with a work area in disarray and such a small shop makes it more tricky.
I typically take off the week between Xmas and New Years for some relaxing but I'm hoping to spend a bit of that time cleaning up the shop. Hoping I can make use of those shelves.
Gregor
So it took us all day Wednesday to get the house put back together for J's birthday but we did it. Thursday was spent getting ready for Christmas and this year the kids woke us up at 5am. We had a nice relaxed Christmas morning in front of the fire.
Since last week during my shoot I was sneaking a few minutes here and there, between shots while waiting for approvals, to make a little progress on the Ruger 10/22.
I have started to like the look of the stippling in it's natural darker state but I have to see the plan through and the plan is black stippling. I couldn't find any of my preferred 3M 471 blue tape which I've always used to tape off edges, curves, flames etc. It curves really well.
I had to settle for some 1/4" tape which has pretty limited curving ability so I did the "splitting the corner" routine and just layered the tape at 90, 45, 22, 11 degrees. It gets it pretty close.
The grip area required some light X-acto cuts to make the lines work. I can bend the 1/4" tape a small amount with some pressure so it went find.
Despite sanding the stock and doing three coats of the satin it still seemed to manage some drips that I couldn't see or that settled after it was all brushed on. I am not sure what my plan is for this right now but this is the worst of it. I'll probably do another very light sanding and then maybe scuff with scotchbrite and then buff. Or I might live with it for now because my patience is fading with the 24 hour wait between coats.
I used the wider blue tape to mask off everything else.
There's no going back now!
It looks awful on it's own. And an important lesson I learned when I did the Pardini grip is that while I love satin, and dislike both matt and gloss, the satin paint on the stippling ends up looking way too shiny. You have to paint the stippling in a matt finish so it ends up looking satin. I think it's nature of the small round dimples reflecting the light.
And here you can see the flat matt paint ends up looking exactly right against the satin of the stock. Also, I think the warmth of the wood is about right finally. I was very excited to peel this tape back. Almost done.
Next up is to mount the action and new barrel and call it done for now.
Gregor
Since last week during my shoot I was sneaking a few minutes here and there, between shots while waiting for approvals, to make a little progress on the Ruger 10/22.
I have started to like the look of the stippling in it's natural darker state but I have to see the plan through and the plan is black stippling. I couldn't find any of my preferred 3M 471 blue tape which I've always used to tape off edges, curves, flames etc. It curves really well.
I had to settle for some 1/4" tape which has pretty limited curving ability so I did the "splitting the corner" routine and just layered the tape at 90, 45, 22, 11 degrees. It gets it pretty close.
The grip area required some light X-acto cuts to make the lines work. I can bend the 1/4" tape a small amount with some pressure so it went find.
Despite sanding the stock and doing three coats of the satin it still seemed to manage some drips that I couldn't see or that settled after it was all brushed on. I am not sure what my plan is for this right now but this is the worst of it. I'll probably do another very light sanding and then maybe scuff with scotchbrite and then buff. Or I might live with it for now because my patience is fading with the 24 hour wait between coats.
I used the wider blue tape to mask off everything else.
There's no going back now!
It looks awful on it's own. And an important lesson I learned when I did the Pardini grip is that while I love satin, and dislike both matt and gloss, the satin paint on the stippling ends up looking way too shiny. You have to paint the stippling in a matt finish so it ends up looking satin. I think it's nature of the small round dimples reflecting the light.
And here you can see the flat matt paint ends up looking exactly right against the satin of the stock. Also, I think the warmth of the wood is about right finally. I was very excited to peel this tape back. Almost done.
Next up is to mount the action and new barrel and call it done for now.
Gregor
Ruger 10/22 in Klimsky Stock
Alright, I'm finally finished with this rifle and I can get on to other projects. I haven't shot it yet - that will have to wait until tonight when I can get to the club and sight it in - but for now it's complete.
I was pretty disappointed with the stock when I got it and that's probably why it sat so long before being built. If something isn't visually compelling or exciting to me I lose interest pretty quickly.
The brown of the stock and it's blocky shape in front wasn't doing it.
It still lacks some of the shapeliness in front that the back has but the grip does a good job unifying the whole visually.
Another aspect of the back grip is the way it brings the two sides together in it's asymmetry.
I love the continuation of the stippling onto the separate cheek rest. The color is also very close to what I was hoping for in the end despite what felt like a lot of disappointments along the way.
So I'm pretty happy with this whole project - especially with the being done part. I have a million projects that I get excited about but then either crash and burn or get dropped for lack of resources (time, money, tools) so it is especially gratifying finish a project. Not only have I learned a lot - about bedding, machining wood, stippling, fixing mistakes, finishing, etc. But I've finally ticked off a box of one of the many projects I have.
This particular Ruger 10/22 has a reworked "Tier 1" trigger by Brimstone Gunsmithing which reworks the stock trigger by polishing and refining it so you get a crisp 2lbs single stage break. It's not on par with the Pardini but I wanted to have a limit with this gun - to respect that it is, at it's heart, a simple and reliable gun for plinking - not a competitive target rifle.
I will get it broken in tonight and then I'll go through my list and see if there's any other low hanging project fruit that can be picked.
Gregor
Alright, I'm finally finished with this rifle and I can get on to other projects. I haven't shot it yet - that will have to wait until tonight when I can get to the club and sight it in - but for now it's complete.
I was pretty disappointed with the stock when I got it and that's probably why it sat so long before being built. If something isn't visually compelling or exciting to me I lose interest pretty quickly.
The brown of the stock and it's blocky shape in front wasn't doing it.
It still lacks some of the shapeliness in front that the back has but the grip does a good job unifying the whole visually.
Another aspect of the back grip is the way it brings the two sides together in it's asymmetry.
I love the continuation of the stippling onto the separate cheek rest. The color is also very close to what I was hoping for in the end despite what felt like a lot of disappointments along the way.
So I'm pretty happy with this whole project - especially with the being done part. I have a million projects that I get excited about but then either crash and burn or get dropped for lack of resources (time, money, tools) so it is especially gratifying finish a project. Not only have I learned a lot - about bedding, machining wood, stippling, fixing mistakes, finishing, etc. But I've finally ticked off a box of one of the many projects I have.
This particular Ruger 10/22 has a reworked "Tier 1" trigger by Brimstone Gunsmithing which reworks the stock trigger by polishing and refining it so you get a crisp 2lbs single stage break. It's not on par with the Pardini but I wanted to have a limit with this gun - to respect that it is, at it's heart, a simple and reliable gun for plinking - not a competitive target rifle.
I will get it broken in tonight and then I'll go through my list and see if there's any other low hanging project fruit that can be picked.
Gregor
quadrcr87
Well-known member
Beautiful
nicholam77
Well-known member
Gregor,
I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't find that rifle and what you've done to it a thing of beauty, whether they approve of guns or not. I appreciate your care on a potentially divisive topic, but I'm glad you didn't keep this one hidden from us in the name of politics... because the end product is way too cool!
Despite the finishing hiccups, in my opinion, the tone of the wood came out perfect.
I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't find that rifle and what you've done to it a thing of beauty, whether they approve of guns or not. I appreciate your care on a potentially divisive topic, but I'm glad you didn't keep this one hidden from us in the name of politics... because the end product is way too cool!
Despite the finishing hiccups, in my opinion, the tone of the wood came out perfect.
Gregor - I just started on your thread a couple days ago and finished it up tonight. What an enjoyable ride! Thank you. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Since you like bikes, Here are two that I found in a friends storage unit. He stored them away for 26 years but never rode them. I knew nothing about bikes but decided I had to save them. I finished the worst one last year, got my motorcycle license this year but never got a chance to ride because I tore my rotator cuff on a bicycle ride. So I have something to look forward to when it warms up next spring. I should have the second one done this year. So if you are ever in the area, south of Philly PA, bring a helmet and we'll go riding. Cheers, mark
Since you like bikes, Here are two that I found in a friends storage unit. He stored them away for 26 years but never rode them. I knew nothing about bikes but decided I had to save them. I finished the worst one last year, got my motorcycle license this year but never got a chance to ride because I tore my rotator cuff on a bicycle ride. So I have something to look forward to when it warms up next spring. I should have the second one done this year. So if you are ever in the area, south of Philly PA, bring a helmet and we'll go riding. Cheers, mark
Attachments
Excellent work Gregor. Well done. I will say, you have won me over with stippling as well. I was always against it for some reason or another. Probably because Ive seen so many ‘Bubba’ jobs over the years but your work is simply beautiful. Nice and clean.
Btw, I shoot that same KIDD bull barrel on my Ruger. For me, it’s a tack driver at 50 yards and a great suppressor host... the thicker barrel, imo, has a cleaner profile with the can and doesnt create a ‘heavy’ looking front end. Great choice for a plinker!
Btw, I shoot that same KIDD bull barrel on my Ruger. For me, it’s a tack driver at 50 yards and a great suppressor host... the thicker barrel, imo, has a cleaner profile with the can and doesnt create a ‘heavy’ looking front end. Great choice for a plinker!
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Thanks. I think it's my favorite thing I've done this year in the shop. Wished I'd done it sooner.
Gregor,
I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't find that rifle and what you've done to it a thing of beauty, whether they approve of guns or not. I appreciate your care on a potentially divisive topic, but I'm glad you didn't keep this one hidden from us in the name of politics... because the end product is way too cool!
Despite the finishing hiccups, in my opinion, the tone of the wood came out perfect.
Thanks. I'm glad people have liked it. We're certainly in a weird time politically but hopefully the temperature cools and we can all work to find some middle ground. I was pretty concerned about the color of the stock - after two mistakes with the shellac I was a bit nervous I'd save it. I think all that work has given it a "patina" of age...
Wow, those little Morini's are just amazing and I can't believe the way that it turned out. Such great bikes. Do you ever go to the Spare Parts Company in Philly? Roland took over the shop from Franz but when I briefly lived in Philly in the late 90's they used to put on these amazing Second Sunday rides. Melissa Hollbrook Pierson was dating Franz and I think it was before she'd started writing her book "The Perfect Vehicle" which is quite good.
At one point I'd crashed my R90S and bent the forks and Roland let me in the basement to scrounge parts - he gave me some great deals and was always super cool. I know they work on Moto Morini's and you probably know them. Small world.
I really love the look of that sort of stippling. I'd tried to duplicate the stippling on our Rink bullseye grips but could never get it right so the ball burr became my goto and I've kept with it on a few grips but this is the first time I've done it with a rifle.
And yes, this barrel is threaded for the suppressor. I'll probably always have threaded barrels from now on because it's so much nicer.
I got the rifle sighted in last night and put one box of ammo through it - surprisingly it's not really shooting any better than the first 10/22! I need some higher rings for the scope and since the barrel is new it probably needs some time to be broken in and "fouled".
It's a strange thing but clean guns don't shoot very well and you have to put a few "fouling" rounds down the barrel before it settles into it's accuracy.
Otherwise I was very happy with it and am looking forward to getting it dialed in.
Gregor
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hewey
Well-known member
I'm not a gun guy, but that has come out stunning. Nice work as always.
TwoBytes
Well-known member
I'm also not a gun guy, but I sure can appreciate a well engineered tool.
Thanks for putting politics aside and sharing your project. I found it fascinating.
Thanks for putting politics aside and sharing your project. I found it fascinating.
mittenjeeper
Member
What a long, wild journey this has been. Thank you for the entertainment and education.
I just can't believe that someone can sit down and read this whole thing but thanks. And again, your first post is here - I'm flattered.
I will sometimes skim back through the photos and I can't believe that I can see my kids growing up within the scope of my inability to finish the house. It's interesting now because they actually appreciate the house - certainly a lot more than Judiaann who still wishes we'd just gotten a "finished" house. Although she is coming around as things improve. At least I've not given up.
And back to the garage and the small bench...
I took a few of the french cleats from the shoot and screwed them up behind the desk and the mitre saw wall since that's a place that tends to gather junk.
My original plan was to make something more complicated (surprise!) that was essentially enclosed and that I could stuff all the extra wire from the various chargers into. I hate unmanaged hanging wires. But these are the shelves I have so I'm not going to remake them.
All my wire was stored in a drawer and it was a mess. About 15 years ago when I shared that space in NYC there was a desk just for soldering. It had a wire rack where all the wire spools were stored, solder and other misc things were collected so that when you needed to do an electronics type project all your tools were at hand. I loved that desk although I rarely used it.
While my shop is small I'm finding that, through organization and these sort of small projects, I'm uncovering a lot of space and bringing some order where there was chaos.
Not sure about the solder and there's a few rolls of wire without spools that I need to figure out but I think this will do for now. I've always loved those spool racks at hardware stores - might end being a pain in the **** but all this is now out of a drawer and somewhere a bit more accessible.
And now with the bench in place I figured I'd take a look at two of my favorite watches which I'd done some work on - one had stopped and the other's second hand had come loose.
Turned out that the one that stopped just had a screw come loose - I was worried that I'd really messed it up so it was a happy thing to see that it wasn't a big deal.
I quickly realized that a "low" desk is a disaster for this sort of work where you're wearing a visor and looking very closely. I will probably raise it up a fair bit and hopefully I'll find a balance with drawing and fixing watches.
The desk still turned out to be a success because I was motivated to finally take a look at these two watches and fix them. That's a good way to end the year - wrapping up a few small projects and loose ends.
Happy New Year to you all!
Gregor
ayer
Well-known member
Try some different types of ammo also. When I built my 10/22 it did not like my "go to" ammo that always worked in everything else. But I found one that it really likes and it shoots amazing.
Ted
Ted
offroadtoad
New member
Happy New Year Gregor
Read everything in a couple of days a few weeks ago, nice to see you still keeping active with the “journal”
You have many gifts worth sharing and I am sure many get a lot of pleasure from your posts.
Read everything in a couple of days a few weeks ago, nice to see you still keeping active with the “journal”
You have many gifts worth sharing and I am sure many get a lot of pleasure from your posts.
quadrcr87
Well-known member
I had that same feeling today as I cleaned off my workbench and did some garage organizing. A clean garage is a great way to end a year.
Happy New year and I look forward to following along in 2021!
Kranzle Time
So my first post of 2021 - which marks 8 years for this crazy journey and all the diversions, distractions and rabbit holes. I certainly never anticipated that it would become my journal of sorts or that it would become quite so popular but I'm flattered.
I'm astonished that people read the whole thing but I thought people might like to find relevant information quickly so today I started an index. The first post now has hot links to different topics and things - not everything but the things that are useful. I'll keep working on but if you think that I should highlight something specific let me know. Like the pizza recipe for instance.
It's not finished but I'll keep plugging away until it's up to date. More order from chaos!
If you've followed along you know two things - I'm always looking for the best tools and it can take me a while to take the plunge.
I've owned maybe 4 or 5 pressure washers over the last 20 years and each one cost about $2-300. None of them, save that last commercial one that I rebuilt, was all that great. Probably ever since I've joined here I've been hearing about Kranzle pressure washers as being the "best" but the cost - around $1200 - has put me off. Something about ticking over four digits.
For the past 3-4 months I've been on a tear selling things in the garage - old tools, parts, camera gear - you name it. I've been trying to make room, declutter and make money that I can turn into something more useful for the shop. Sometime in November my Paypal balance hit $1400 and I decided that it was time to replace the old pressure washer that I'd rebuilt. There wasn't anything wrong with it - it worked great - but it was really noisy, took up a lot of room, I was tired of stepping over it and I DID NOT want to make a new cart for it. No new projects!
Kranzle Time!
I decided to email Kranzle (actually Dirk Killer - the importer) to see if they ever had returns or seconds and it turned out that they do and did and there was a TST1122 on sale that day for $950 - this was a happy coincidence.
I've had this for over a month but wanted to hold off posting about it until I'd spent some actual time using it. I hate when people review something they just got and haven't used, "I just unpacked it and I give it five stars! I will try it tomorrow!" So I've been washing roofs, driveways, vans and dirt bikes as well as bicycles.
The moment the box arrived from Kranzle I was surprised - it weighs over 80lbs! Double what any other pressure washer I've owned weighed. It is so well made that I instantly regretted how long it took me to get to this point. Slow learner.
The thing that tipped the scale for me was that in my research I kept finding people who've owned a Kranzle for over 20 years. It's German, it's over built like my BMW and I really love the idea of getting something I won't be upgrading again.
It comes with two wands - a variable nozzle and one of those spinning "turbo" nozzles and the 50' hose lives on a reel and is of a nice, flexible rubber. The power cord, ironically, is rather stiff unfortunately - my only complaint.
It has variable pressure but I've just got it at max - not sure I'll ever change that.
Supposedly it needs a different foam canon because of it's pressure so I swapped my old one for a Kranzle one. It doesn't come with quick release attachments which I planned on updating but so far I haven't been bothered swapping wands via the threaded connection.
It's quiet - much quieter than anything else. It doesn't "feel" powerful but it cleans as good as the commercial machine I'd rebuilt. The kids love using it. Big surprise.
Just out of curiosity - has anyone ever washed a bicycle and not used the pressure washer to spin the wheels to 200mph? Pretty sure that is like clicking tongs.
The other big reason was that it's compact and stands up so it fits in my small garage and, while it's super heavy, it's very easy to roll around.
I wished I'd gotten it sooner but I'm happy that I took the journey of rebuilding that AR and learning about how GPM is more important than outright pressure. There's also something nice to knowing that, just like the Bridgeport, there's no upgrading after this. Pressure washer - done!
Gregor
PS If you decide to get one use this link as they have a referral program.
So my first post of 2021 - which marks 8 years for this crazy journey and all the diversions, distractions and rabbit holes. I certainly never anticipated that it would become my journal of sorts or that it would become quite so popular but I'm flattered.
I'm astonished that people read the whole thing but I thought people might like to find relevant information quickly so today I started an index. The first post now has hot links to different topics and things - not everything but the things that are useful. I'll keep working on but if you think that I should highlight something specific let me know. Like the pizza recipe for instance.
It's not finished but I'll keep plugging away until it's up to date. More order from chaos!
_______________________________________________
If you've followed along you know two things - I'm always looking for the best tools and it can take me a while to take the plunge.
I've owned maybe 4 or 5 pressure washers over the last 20 years and each one cost about $2-300. None of them, save that last commercial one that I rebuilt, was all that great. Probably ever since I've joined here I've been hearing about Kranzle pressure washers as being the "best" but the cost - around $1200 - has put me off. Something about ticking over four digits.
For the past 3-4 months I've been on a tear selling things in the garage - old tools, parts, camera gear - you name it. I've been trying to make room, declutter and make money that I can turn into something more useful for the shop. Sometime in November my Paypal balance hit $1400 and I decided that it was time to replace the old pressure washer that I'd rebuilt. There wasn't anything wrong with it - it worked great - but it was really noisy, took up a lot of room, I was tired of stepping over it and I DID NOT want to make a new cart for it. No new projects!
Kranzle Time!
I decided to email Kranzle (actually Dirk Killer - the importer) to see if they ever had returns or seconds and it turned out that they do and did and there was a TST1122 on sale that day for $950 - this was a happy coincidence.
I've had this for over a month but wanted to hold off posting about it until I'd spent some actual time using it. I hate when people review something they just got and haven't used, "I just unpacked it and I give it five stars! I will try it tomorrow!" So I've been washing roofs, driveways, vans and dirt bikes as well as bicycles.
The moment the box arrived from Kranzle I was surprised - it weighs over 80lbs! Double what any other pressure washer I've owned weighed. It is so well made that I instantly regretted how long it took me to get to this point. Slow learner.
The thing that tipped the scale for me was that in my research I kept finding people who've owned a Kranzle for over 20 years. It's German, it's over built like my BMW and I really love the idea of getting something I won't be upgrading again.
It comes with two wands - a variable nozzle and one of those spinning "turbo" nozzles and the 50' hose lives on a reel and is of a nice, flexible rubber. The power cord, ironically, is rather stiff unfortunately - my only complaint.
It has variable pressure but I've just got it at max - not sure I'll ever change that.
Supposedly it needs a different foam canon because of it's pressure so I swapped my old one for a Kranzle one. It doesn't come with quick release attachments which I planned on updating but so far I haven't been bothered swapping wands via the threaded connection.
It's quiet - much quieter than anything else. It doesn't "feel" powerful but it cleans as good as the commercial machine I'd rebuilt. The kids love using it. Big surprise.
Just out of curiosity - has anyone ever washed a bicycle and not used the pressure washer to spin the wheels to 200mph? Pretty sure that is like clicking tongs.
The other big reason was that it's compact and stands up so it fits in my small garage and, while it's super heavy, it's very easy to roll around.
I wished I'd gotten it sooner but I'm happy that I took the journey of rebuilding that AR and learning about how GPM is more important than outright pressure. There's also something nice to knowing that, just like the Bridgeport, there's no upgrading after this. Pressure washer - done!
Gregor
PS If you decide to get one use this link as they have a referral program.
mfg0772
Well-known member
I’ll have to check out the index. I wish that was there a few weeks ago when I was searching for the pizza recipe! I haven’t made it yet but will hold off on posting a review until I have the process down.
neilc
Well-known member
Gregor - check out ObsessedGarage.com as well as their YouTube channel. Amazing content if you are into garages, car detailing and all kinds of modifications you can make to cars. Matt Moreman (the founder) sells Kranzle and various accessories including quick disconnects and a host of car detailing items and tools as well as garage cabinets, lifts, etc. I have a Mostatic foam cannon and the Kranzle washer from him. Congrats on finding a used one! They are terrific washers.
He just did a video on servicing the Kranzle. He probably washes 2-3 cars a week and I think he had 10 years on his washer before rebuilding it with parts that they offer. You’ll appreciate his obsession on work spaces and various items!
He just did a video on servicing the Kranzle. He probably washes 2-3 cars a week and I think he had 10 years on his washer before rebuilding it with parts that they offer. You’ll appreciate his obsession on work spaces and various items!
Arclitgold
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2017
- Messages
- 317
Drooling over the Kranzle over here....
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
TwoBytes
Well-known member
Mmmm, now I'm about to order a snow cannon and I'm looking at upgrading my old Karcher to a Kranzle! Doh!
Regarding the index, I posted something on Shopnut's thread a while back that you might find useful.
Shopnut ran into an issue with the 10,000 character limit per post when building his index, and I pointed out a link format that uses a few less characters...
Regarding the index, I posted something on Shopnut's thread a while back that you might find useful.
Shopnut ran into an issue with the 10,000 character limit per post when building his index, and I pointed out a link format that uses a few less characters...
I think I found something that might help save a few characters. As per this page...
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/misc.php?do=bbcode#post
You can use the [post] tag instead of the full URL to do the same thing.
So this:
does exactly the same thing as this...Code:[PLAIN] [URL="https://www.garagejournal.com/xenforo/forumtmp/index.php?posts/37757/"]21[/URL] [/PLAIN]
and uses 21 characters instead of 83 for exactly the same result. That’s a 75% reduction!Code:[PLAIN] [URL="http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=37757#post37757"]21[/URL] [/PLAIN]
It won't be enough to link all of your index entries, but it will help fit a bit more in, and it's easier to type out too.
And for some reason I just had a funny feeling that this sort of hack might appeal to the engineer in you.
964haus
Well-known member
Re: Kranzle Time
This made me laugh out loud - and yes, there are quite a few things that are like clicking tongs!!
Best to 2021!
Matthew
This made me laugh out loud - and yes, there are quite a few things that are like clicking tongs!!
Best to 2021!
Matthew
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Nice score on the pressure washer Gregor. I agree about buying quality tools/equipment. Buy once, cry once, then be done and enjoy it.
My neighbors give me a hard time about just how much I use my pressure washer, although I didn't think I use it all that much but like things clean and tidy. I pressure wash vehicles quite often but I also pressure wash the house and shop a few times a year so I guess that seems like a lot to some.
It's good the kiddos enjoy using it as it teaches taking care of things and pride in ownership. Plus it's less time you need to spend washing.
My neighbors give me a hard time about just how much I use my pressure washer, although I didn't think I use it all that much but like things clean and tidy. I pressure wash vehicles quite often but I also pressure wash the house and shop a few times a year so I guess that seems like a lot to some.
It's good the kiddos enjoy using it as it teaches taking care of things and pride in ownership. Plus it's less time you need to spend washing.
Jim_No_Garage
Well-known member
Many years ago we installed a 240V Kranzle unit in the wash bay at work. We used it for several years and then they decided to "upgrade" to a gas engine powered Hotsy. I could have taken Kranzle home for myself and didn't . . .
I don't pressure was things too often . . .
As Grandma Ida used to say - Use it in good health!
Jim
I don't pressure was things too often . . .
As Grandma Ida used to say - Use it in good health!
Jim
VMX42
Well-known member
Happy New Year Gregor...and family... Now, the cleanest in the district...
OJKD
Active member
I spent DAYS reading everything. Fking Gregor. Now I'm starting my own thread. When I get 5 posts at least. Soo, 1 !
Thanks, it's off to a strange start.
Hey, congrats. Thanks. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
So, I know a lot of you are not from our country and may be watching us on the news and wondering... What. The. Actual. F**k is happening to America?
Well, we share your confusion.
I spoke to one of my wiser friends this morning and his take was, "division leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, hatred leads to violence". If you consider the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, grief and acceptance it's pretty clear we're still in stage two at the moment.
I'm not going address it here for so many reasons - but I think my notion that we need to find commonality and community is, I think, probably understood. Nonetheless I wanted to post up something to serve as a distraction and a reminder that ours is a community of things shared.
____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________
So, as rioters took over our capital this week my natural inclination is to build a bridge. Unfortunately my shop is small so I settled on building a ladder. Is it what we need as a nation right now? No. Is it all I can build at the moment to distract you and I? Yes. Will it drown out the 24 hour news cycle? No. Will I keep asking rhetorical questions? Most likely.
I had originally planned it for the back door because I never understood making a vehicle wider. I even made a nice drawing so clearly I'm really committed. Then I spent about an hour looking at the rear door and realized that: there just wasn't that much material, it wasn't very strong, there was glass, and there were hinges. None of those things were going to be advantages.
While not thrilled with the idea I decided that I won't be threading any super narrow trails with the van and that a side ladder had more going for it. I'm screwed because I no longer have a drawing so I'm winging this.
I decide to work on what would be a clamp for the drip rail. I was going to make it in steel but decided a decent chunk of 6061 would work and allow me to weld to it. So, make a clamp, bend some tube, weld it up. How hard could that be?
The problem with winging it is that when problems arise your whole plan has to change. I'd planned on these being upside down but then they seemed to work better the other way. Trouble is that the drip rail and roof have a variable gap so I'm milling some clearance. Just the front one...
At this point I'm thinking I don't need a clamp - just a hook and this will be fine. I'll bolt the bottom to the body and that way it will be locked in.
I have not bent much tube despite owning this for more than a few years. My JD2 bender was an aspirational purchase. A someday-I'm-going-to-build-a-frame sort of purchase. So this is good. Today is the day. Since the van is not square I make the first bend 80 degrees instead of 90...
Seems to be about right.
I make a 20 degree bend about midway on the body line and another near the bottom that's 80. So theoretically 80+20+80 = 180 but it's not quite that simple as my bend radius is pretty wide and I want to keep this closer to the body.
It took a surprising number of cuts to get to this and I'm not sure it's perfect. To make both bends the same I marked the spot on the tube where the die started and then made a template on the paper.
Both bends are within 1/4" so close but not perfectly identical. For a first effort I'm satisfied. I'm now at the tricky place of both determining the width and trying to tack it up. Right now I'm at a fairly large 18" width and slightly tapering the section above the belt line. This helps me fix the slight length mistake but also makes the ladder a bit less blocky.
Since the van isn't square I'm a bit unsure how to progress. Building the ladder square on the ground will most likely not line up or fit and trying to do it one tack at a time on the van will be tricky but probably my only option.
So that's where I'm at. No plan, almost out of argon and a country in chaos! How will it end? Will my ladder be what we need to reach across the divide (from the ground to the roof)?
Stay tuned!
Gregor
gearhead1960
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Gregor, nice start. No matter the solution, your final effort will make the ladder look right!
We can only look forward to the current POTUS being shown the door sooner than later and that the incoming POTUS will get us moving in the right direction!
elvee
Well-known member
You're not going to chuck those rungs into the lathe and knurl them? ANSI ladder standards are specific that rungs must be anti-slip finished. 
You're not going to chuck those rungs into the lathe and knurl them? ANSI ladder standards are specific that rungs must be anti-slip finished.
You're a mean person.
You know I haven't welded them so I could... but I won't because I'm going to paint them with the same bedliner as the bumpers. But now I'll be thinking about that tonight when I can't sleep.
So thanks!
Gregor
I wouldn't be too concerned about the 1/4 inch. We built our drag car with the same bender and aspired to within 1-2mm. Some areas are and some aren't, the thing that we learnt is that when you deal with mass produced bodies there will be more "aren't". My rule of thumb basically changed to if it you could visibly see it was off on the car , then it required a bit of work. If it looked right, that was good enough (especially being built in the back shed).
elvee
Well-known member
You're a mean person.
...
So thanks!
Gregor
I’ve been called worse!
Vertigo Cycles
Well-known member
I don't watch the show, but a friend sent me this a few years ago and I think it might be appropriate now:
Hopefully I can explain this intelligently. Seems like the rear door is the ideal location (all of the shortcomings aside) so what if you mount it to the door, but at the top of the door and ladder rails, you make it so when the door is closed the rails engage via pins or tabs with supports that are actually integrated into the roof (or drip edge.) This would transfer the weight to a load bearing structure, and still allow the door to open easily.
The base of the rails could similarly be designed so that when the door is closed, they are aligned with supports on the rear bumper, both horizontally and vertically. The ladders mounts to the door can be designed to flex in the vertical plane so that they provide clearance with these interface surfaces until there is a load, when they then allow the top and base interfaces to mechanically couple and provide the actual support.
Making things wider didn't turn out so well for Pontiac...
The base of the rails could similarly be designed so that when the door is closed, they are aligned with supports on the rear bumper, both horizontally and vertically. The ladders mounts to the door can be designed to flex in the vertical plane so that they provide clearance with these interface surfaces until there is a load, when they then allow the top and base interfaces to mechanically couple and provide the actual support.
Making things wider didn't turn out so well for Pontiac...
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A bit too accurate.
I actually did consider something like this but having lived with the van for a few years I can assure you that is in no way remotely possible.
There is soooo much flex to the body and frame that if I park the van at an angle and open the rear door and tire carrier that I can't get the tire carrier closed again. Even right now with the 37" tires that extra weight has made sliding that pin a bit of a pain whereas with 35" tires it was fine.
If the ladder spanned anything beyond the door it would flex and either break or not fit. I considered waiting on the ladder until I'd built the roof rack and tying them together but now, having seen the tremendous flex that happens in the body, I know that the ladder has to stay on a single panel. I can't even tie it into the frame because the body is rubber mounted.
An option I considered was building the ladder into the tire carrier but again, it's at the limit for alignment. I think Ben's set up has the ladder as a second built in on the bumper so it swings out but his bumper is more rigid and I want to preserve the convenience of that one door.
Gregor