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Need to make an extension cable for my powder coating gun but the MFG (Columbia Coatings) apparently doesn’t know what parts their product is made out of...so I need help. What are these connectors called? This is a three prong, easy enough...but are the little alignment tabs proprietary...

I have a 14” rivnut installation tool that’s works well but it is hard to install the larger nuts like 3/8”. I was looking at the pneumatic guns when I stumbled across this expensive and super simple way to install them instead.

I’ve dug up all of the threads I could fi d on GJ regarding Powder Coating and am about to get started. I’ve tracked down an oven and am about to buy a coating setup...but I don’t like buying hobby tools so I’d rather look into a higher quality unit that has consumables I can readily get, can...

I have a good HVAC company that I’ve been using and Ive been given really good service (or so I think) for a while now. We have an annual service agreement where they come and inspect our system prior to summer and winter, do basic clean out, and make sure we’re ready for the approaching...

I’m attempting to wire up a contractor to an electrical delay relay but I’m attempting to interpret the import schematic that was provided. It’s not intended for a novice I guess and I’m new to machine control wiring. [emoji12] It’s a fairly simple contractor. L 1-3 for “Line”, T 1-3 to...

I have a 3 phase lathe that runs on a rotary phase converter. It takes about 35 amps at start up but draw much less while it’s running. Maybe more like 25. It blows the 30 amp breaker nine times out of ten which to me means the total draw is likely in the lower 30’s. Must the wire always...

Kinda on a HA kick and keep coming up with ideas of how to use home automation to create useful things. Who else is headed down the HA route and what are you doing with it simple or complicated? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I’ve been winterizing systems for years both my personal home and professionally when I was younger. By now I thought I knew the steps by heart. One step that I’ve never done is rotate the valves on either side of the back flow to 45*...like never. I’ve always left them open, as well as the...

I pulled 4 new wires to the shop today and when I went to wire them up in the box, I realized I don’t have enough lugs left on my sub-panel to support all of the new wires I pulled. I suspect I cannot double them up. Or can I? I do have plenty of extras on my main but seems goofy to run the...

So I’ve now tried every hose at both of my local box stores. All of them have either failed in some way or are a kinked up mess. I like coilhose pneumatics hoses in the shop and love them. The don’t kink and are soft enough that they coil fast and easily. You can replace the end fittings...

Ok, timely topic maybe - PAPR's (powered air-purifying respirator's). One of the challenges in filtering air coming into your body, when using masks, is getting them to seal around your face. If you're like me, you have some facial hair that makes obtaining that seal challenging. PAPR is...

Saturday I received a box from Richard over at Trusty Cook - http://www.trustycook.com This prototype hammer, nick-named Stubby’s Cousin, is a interesting hybrid between a model 2 dead blow and a 43 oz stubby ball peen dead blow. The hybrid makes this hammer exceptionally unique and a...

This is essentially an ignition box for a gas pilot that I need to replace. Have the new one but need to figure out what this silicone-ish stuff is. I suspect that the post under it is not something that should be touched and or maybe can arc given its high voltage and where it installs...

About a dozen years ago I sold my trusty MM250X and "upgraded" to a MM212 Autoset. I had the 250 for years and knew exactly where it's sweet spots were setting-wise across all the gauges and thicknesses I welded. At some point I made the mistake of assuming that the old beast had enough hours...

Ok, recently I switched everything in my box, and all my hoses, to Milton V-series high-flow fittings. There’s certainly a visible difference between the fittings I’d accumulated over the years, all from local big box stores. They were awesome for half a dozen days until the chuck on the...

For about 10 years I’ve had the vision of building a bench top CNC brake. The idea came to me after building a huge H-Frame hydraulic press that we used as a press brake. Maybe something in the 15” wide range able to brake of off both ends. Designed to use a 3 or 4” 4-way die and goose neck...

Back when I started fabricating, it wasn’t called “making”. My dad has a workbench made out of 2x4’s, the old school craftsman tools, a radial arm saw, and a tool box Which is much different than what we’ve grown accustom to now-a-days I cut my teeth fabricating with my dad (though he...

ALMOST pulled the trigger on a new house but ended up losing out to a buyer that offered less (yeah, doesn't make sense to me either). During the process I found myself trying to decide if a garage was big enough to be the new shop. In this case it was a second stand-alone 22.5 x 30 (internal...

I've been working in the shop (garage) for dozens of years now always finding new projects here and there to keep the juices flowing so to speak. I have a big picture view of what I'd like to accomplish but sometimes the sheer amount of work needed to get there becomes slightly overwhelming. I...

My last garage had black pipe run everywhere. It worked well but when I mined 10 years ago, and I was disassembling it so I could take it with me, I found the inside to have significant rust buildup. As a result, I never did plumb the new house. I’ve been able to get by with a single line and...