Underground Lair of the Squankum
- Thread starter Squankum
- Start date
Installed. Now, if I had wanted to, I could have let those plates hang down, and then would have had to do something to keep the pipe from slippling laterally, maybe hose clamps between the plates, or just many wraps of the cloth tape.
But I'm lengthy in every way, and this bar has to all the way up against the joists, and it's still not high enough for me. I installed the plates so the pipe is fairly firmly against the joists and the pipe doesn't slip around much. Flexes a little more than I expected, but that's because the last time I used this kind of pipe for a pullup bar, there was no flex. (Shorter run.)
It'll do. Done. Now, to use it regularly. Pull ups are hard.
But I'm lengthy in every way, and this bar has to all the way up against the joists, and it's still not high enough for me. I installed the plates so the pipe is fairly firmly against the joists and the pipe doesn't slip around much. Flexes a little more than I expected, but that's because the last time I used this kind of pipe for a pullup bar, there was no flex. (Shorter run.)
It'll do. Done. Now, to use it regularly. Pull ups are hard.
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n8n
Well-known member
Was driving home from some night work at a three-letter-acronym agency when what'd been an annoying minor vibration turned into a loud hammering of little Black Forest elves trying to destroy the rear of my car. I limped home at 35 MPH and by visual inspection couldn't see anything wrong, but based on the feel of the car I guessed which side of the car the CV had gone bad on (I don't remember these many years later) and just turned that axle shaft end-to-end until I could get a replacement, so the worn, noisy, vibratey surfaces were engaged in reverse or compression braking, not forward drive. Both inner and outer CVs on a 944 look like the inner CVs on a FWD WCVW; I'm told that the assemblies interchange with a Type 181 but haven't verified that.
Yeah, what tipped me off was when I finally did put a winter set together and the car drove fine (but noisy) then in the spring when I put the summers back on I'd marked them for position and rotated them when reinstalling; suddenly the "still feels like a bad CV joint" issue turned into a steering wheel shimmy. That's when I just bought another set of wheels/tires (couple hundred bucks from a local) and when I found the bad one, had the tire swapped from that wheel onto one of the "new" wheels.
What I think happened, was I was buying used wheels to put together a summer and winter set and I guess one of the ones I bought was bent, unknown to the seller (or he was a slime) and instead of just mounting tires on them I stripped and repainted them for my summer set and made the original wheels for my car the winter set. Whoever mounted/balanced the tires on the bad wheel must have been having an off day, and nobody after that caught the issue. This all happened at about the same time as the CV joint incident, making it that much more difficult to troubleshoot as everyone (who could actually feel the issue) blamed my non-OEM CVs for the slight vibration until I finally broke down and spent way too much money on genuine Porsche parts...
n8n
Well-known member
No, the car was an GTI, and the whole reason I was messing with it was that the pass side outer CV boot was leaking. the Golf outer CV will fit right into the GTI hub, it's the inners that aren't interchangeable. So either someone had put a Golf outer CV and boot on the original axle, or someone didn't know any better, thought that Golf and GTI axles were the same, so got a used Golf axle then swapped the GTI inner CV onto it when they realized that it wouldn't bolt up to the output flange.
For whatever reason I started my rebuild on the driver's side (maybe that's where the bad ball joint was? I forget) so that axle was regreased, rebooted, and back in the car before I even discovered an issue... then I went to do the pass side and the boot kit that I'd bought wouldn't work... that's when I packed the whole mess up and bought a reman. A new Lobro GTI outer CV at the time, which I would have needed to make the mess work, would have been more expensive than just punting and getting a reman, then I turned around and sold the two new boot kits that I got from the Potters (remember them?) to offset some of my cost.
I caused a minor kerfuffle on the VW newsgroups about that car... it was sold to me long distance as a solid barn car with original paint that had been resurrected by a good shop... well when I found that it had a bad ball joint and also the hack job on the CV, and also that it'd been repainted (without the flares having been removed) I kind of blasted the shop, one of their mechanics actually read my post and basically said that they stood by their description of the car and that it was fine when it was sold to me, etc. etc. etc. good times.
I later sold the car to a friend of mine after I got it back in top shape (it ended up also needing a starter and alternator, which I couldn't ***** about having been a barn car and all) and also a new (well, good used) head (there's another story about incompetent mechanics in there, dealership this time) save for a noise that sounded like a chipped/broken tooth in reverse, I told her up front that I thought it was a good car but that I didn't trust the trans, it might last years, it might last weeks, I didn't know. well of course the trans blew up a year or two later and she forgot all about that conversation and was so embarrassed about "trashing" "my" car that she didn't tell me for another six months...!
n8n
Well-known member
I so need one of those, not that I actually exercise or anything, but nothing fixes my back like hanging from a pull up bar when it starts to hurt after working hunched over for too long...
AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS...
Remember them? I just bought a CV joint from them last month!
http://www.parts4vws.com/aboutus/
Last I heard, she's manning the phones at home, and he's got a day job in the VW parts industry. The show goes on. There are other mailorder sources for VW parts, but why not go with the best?
Remember them? I just bought a CV joint from them last month!
http://www.parts4vws.com/aboutus/
Last I heard, she's manning the phones at home, and he's got a day job in the VW parts industry. The show goes on. There are other mailorder sources for VW parts, but why not go with the best?
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Dr. Squankum's Rx for office slug back muscles and posture improvement:
1) pullups
2) swimming
3) yoga
4) other back muscle excercises, like, say:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/BWSupineRowFeetElevated.html
Also, I don't have back problems, but so much of what I've read fits in with what else we know about excercise and health: use it or lose it, keep things strong and flexible or suffer the consequences.
I've not used this, but many people are happy with it:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060924306/?tag=atomicindus08-20
(Title looks goofier than it really is. It's excercises.)
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WHAT CAN I DO WITH WITH A FURRING STRIP? Ch. 18
See this little shelf unit? I got it from the side of the road last week. Bulk trash week. Neighbors throwing it out. And it's made out real wood! You know, like, boards sawed out of tree trunks? Remember that? OK, the backing board is a thick cardboard, but that's okay, it's still heavy as heck.
Most of the big jugs you see on the lower shelves are just empty. I like to keep a supply around for antifreeze, brake fluid, whatever it is that I have to catch and then take off for recycling somewhere. But they were taking up shelf and floor space and gettin' on my nerves. This shelf unit was progress, but...
See this little shelf unit? I got it from the side of the road last week. Bulk trash week. Neighbors throwing it out. And it's made out real wood! You know, like, boards sawed out of tree trunks? Remember that? OK, the backing board is a thick cardboard, but that's okay, it's still heavy as heck.
Most of the big jugs you see on the lower shelves are just empty. I like to keep a supply around for antifreeze, brake fluid, whatever it is that I have to catch and then take off for recycling somewhere. But they were taking up shelf and floor space and gettin' on my nerves. This shelf unit was progress, but...
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Part 2.
Now, the other day, I thought of all the better things I'd like to use those shelves for, and how those empty gallon jugs were ******* me off, and thought of the space up between the joists. Maybe a nice little swinging or pivoting platform using that sheet of 3/8" plywood I have? Well, maybe, but I hate to use wood that costs real money... Aha!
Now, the other day, I thought of all the better things I'd like to use those shelves for, and how those empty gallon jugs were ******* me off, and thought of the space up between the joists. Maybe a nice little swinging or pivoting platform using that sheet of 3/8" plywood I have? Well, maybe, but I hate to use wood that costs real money... Aha!
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Pt. 3
And up they go!
I drilled a hole in one end, a little loop of rope, and one big nail. (A slightly bent old nail that I reclaimed from an old board just a few weeks ago... yeah, sometimes I'm cheap.)
One end on the foundation, the other roped in place. Done, and easy to get at! (For me, at least. Vern Troyer's not allowed my garage anymore, anyway, not since "the melon incident.")
And up they go!
I drilled a hole in one end, a little loop of rope, and one big nail. (A slightly bent old nail that I reclaimed from an old board just a few weeks ago... yeah, sometimes I'm cheap.)
One end on the foundation, the other roped in place. Done, and easy to get at! (For me, at least. Vern Troyer's not allowed my garage anymore, anyway, not since "the melon incident.")
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n8n
Well-known member
Good to hear. Haven't had a VW since about 2003-4 so I'm not really in the scene, but I've reconnected with a friend who's still pretty active so I've had to dust off my memory banks recently... apparently the normal stuff we were doing to WCVWs back in the day is old school and cool today so I'm like this weird time capsule assuming I can remember what I was doing back then. I'm also cleaning out my storage locker of leftovers and the kids are drooling <G> (e.g. Thule roof rack with 555 fairing etc.)
Do they still throw a bag of M&Ms in your package? That was totally extraneous but at the same time made me like them, 'cause you knew there were real people on the other end of the web interface.
DISCLAIMER:
Dr. Squankum is not an actual medical doctor.
Unlike Leonard McCoy. He's a doctor, and not many other things.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/I'm_a_doctor,_not_a...
Dr. Squankum is not an actual medical doctor.
Unlike Leonard McCoy. He's a doctor, and not many other things.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/I'm_a_doctor,_not_a...
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For future reference, for any fellow A2 brethren out there.
My fuzzy memory always said, “base Golf/Jetta, 90mm CV, GTI/GLI, 100mm.” I thought this was for both inner and outer CV’s.
My memory seemed to find confirmation of this at the germanautoparts.com website. There are many online auto parts websites, but I like their format for finding out what’s out there in the aftermarket. Their site describes outer CV’s for GTI as 100mm, non GTI/GLI as 90mm.
As the late Johnny Carson might say, “Au contraire, niblet breath!”
Dimensions from the holy Bentley (the good one with all the exploded VW photos):
Base: Inner: Outer diameter: 94mm
Outer: OD 81mm
GTI/GLI: Inner: OD 100mm
Outer: 90mm
And, of course, splines on stub axle on outer CV: all fit all.
So don’t freak out when you get something from your parts people that seems “wrong.” Measure! And consult thine books of knowledge!
My fuzzy memory always said, “base Golf/Jetta, 90mm CV, GTI/GLI, 100mm.” I thought this was for both inner and outer CV’s.
My memory seemed to find confirmation of this at the germanautoparts.com website. There are many online auto parts websites, but I like their format for finding out what’s out there in the aftermarket. Their site describes outer CV’s for GTI as 100mm, non GTI/GLI as 90mm.
As the late Johnny Carson might say, “Au contraire, niblet breath!”
Dimensions from the holy Bentley (the good one with all the exploded VW photos):
Base: Inner: Outer diameter: 94mm
Outer: OD 81mm
GTI/GLI: Inner: OD 100mm
Outer: 90mm
And, of course, splines on stub axle on outer CV: all fit all.
So don’t freak out when you get something from your parts people that seems “wrong.” Measure! And consult thine books of knowledge!
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Uh... oh dear... I thought I'd seen some hot roddy older Euro cars lately with roof racks and it made me wonder... hey... does that guy really have bicycles? Something about it just smelled like... not a bikey/ski kinda guy.
Are you implying that they're doing this for ... show? Of course, this would fit in with the Ongoing Global Taste Crisis. Why just the other day I saw an E30 with white steel "wagon wheel" wheels, maybe merely 14"ers, but wider/goofy offset, but... white wagon wheels, really. And roof rack.
The only thing I can say for those wagon wheels is, at least they didn't have a red or red/blue stripe around the rim.
OK, old timey eurosnob moment over. (For now!)
Yes, there are still M&M's.
However, the brutal economics of our big box/giant warehouse world have become such that they can't afford to keep inventory and pack things lovingly (and correctly) and ship from their place to you. A lot of stuff gets drop shipped from the usual monster warehouses, who have baboons on amphetamines packing boxes.
But the Potters will mail you M&Ms in the US mail, separately.
The good news is that the global monster warehouses are often much closer to where you live, so it's speedy. But yeah, if you pack brake rotors so that they can slosh around in a big box with other things... take a guess.
Those warehouse packers aren't the only ones having trouble grasping the world of tangible objects, some of them harder than others. I've seen other things from other businesses, and, the things I've seen with grocery store clerks lately makes me wonder if they have bananas or bread on their planet.
Picayune Project!
Problem: the big van doesn't like the garage door since it got a different set of tires. It can go in if I stand there and push the door up another two inches while somebody else drives it in. With pushing, the door can go a little more forward on the upper, horizontal section of the roller track, and leave a little bit less of the bottom edge hanging down.
First thing I do is remove this grab handle. It likes to scrape along the roof of the van. (Van only comes into the garage for service.) I wrote the size of the nuts for the handle next to them with a Sharpie pen.
Problem: the big van doesn't like the garage door since it got a different set of tires. It can go in if I stand there and push the door up another two inches while somebody else drives it in. With pushing, the door can go a little more forward on the upper, horizontal section of the roller track, and leave a little bit less of the bottom edge hanging down.
First thing I do is remove this grab handle. It likes to scrape along the roof of the van. (Van only comes into the garage for service.) I wrote the size of the nuts for the handle next to them with a Sharpie pen.
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Mundane Maintenance
Dodge 5.9L distributor cap. About 58.5 K miles on it. This was CarQuest's finest, brass terminals. Yeah, I know you can go 100K mi on stuff nowadays, but... I just like things fresh. It sure feels better afterwards.
And if it helps mpg even a tiny amount, given the gallons guzzled, it's worth it on this beast.
Dodge 5.9L distributor cap. About 58.5 K miles on it. This was CarQuest's finest, brass terminals. Yeah, I know you can go 100K mi on stuff nowadays, but... I just like things fresh. It sure feels better afterwards.
And if it helps mpg even a tiny amount, given the gallons guzzled, it's worth it on this beast.
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I'm slow...
I came up in 4 cylinder land. Pretty hard to get those plug wires wrong. Then my fleet gained a straight 5... and a straight 6... still pretty simple.
But V-8's, yeah, I'm a little intimidated. I know it can be easy to get plug wires wrong. Went shopping for plug wire markers. There are many different brands of these cheap things, they just clip on. The product descriptions I would see for various brands gave me the impression that a set of markers only gave you eight. Eight? But I plan on being worried about screwing this job up at both ends of the wires!
The fine folks at Taylor/Vertex, very serious parts do they make, their kit comes with 16 markers, one for each end.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TQ3HT8/?tag=atomicindus08-20
So that's how I get it right without thinking too hard.
Oh, and I had to use my label maker to make one that said, "COIL", since the coil wire runs along the right side bank to the coil up on the front of the engine.
I came up in 4 cylinder land. Pretty hard to get those plug wires wrong. Then my fleet gained a straight 5... and a straight 6... still pretty simple.
But V-8's, yeah, I'm a little intimidated. I know it can be easy to get plug wires wrong. Went shopping for plug wire markers. There are many different brands of these cheap things, they just clip on. The product descriptions I would see for various brands gave me the impression that a set of markers only gave you eight. Eight? But I plan on being worried about screwing this job up at both ends of the wires!
The fine folks at Taylor/Vertex, very serious parts do they make, their kit comes with 16 markers, one for each end.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TQ3HT8/?tag=atomicindus08-20
So that's how I get it right without thinking too hard.
Oh, and I had to use my label maker to make one that said, "COIL", since the coil wire runs along the right side bank to the coil up on the front of the engine.
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Distributor is on the rear of the engine nearly under the cowl/firewall. I guess you can say they're keeping it out of the rain. But it's kind of a pain to get your eyeballs and fingers all the way up in there.
I built this reference chart to carry with me on my trip up into the engine bay. Also, the #1 position is marked WRONG in the Haynes manual version of this chart! So it's nice to have a version that's larger than the Haynes manual diagram, and portable, and not wrong.
(C is coil, V is vent. Vent is almost a good reference point when tussling with this, but it's very hard to see or touch under all the wires, at least with my fat fingers.)
I built this reference chart to carry with me on my trip up into the engine bay. Also, the #1 position is marked WRONG in the Haynes manual version of this chart! So it's nice to have a version that's larger than the Haynes manual diagram, and portable, and not wrong.
(C is coil, V is vent. Vent is almost a good reference point when tussling with this, but it's very hard to see or touch under all the wires, at least with my fat fingers.)
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And, the same kind of deal for the rear axle cover, this is my bolt torque sequence chart that I made. Fel Pro gasket, the cardboard is from the box it came in, traced it with a pencil.
BTW, given the mileage this vehicle covers, I expect to be back in these places sooner or later, so I punch a hole in them and hang them on a nail on the wall.
BTW, given the mileage this vehicle covers, I expect to be back in these places sooner or later, so I punch a hole in them and hang them on a nail on the wall.
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It has been too long, and I don't seem to have the time, so I'll just post this project a little bit every day.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=194327&highlight=muffler
Take a gander at this thread. I'm copying the filter/muffler setup seen in the first picture at this thread.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=194327&highlight=muffler
Take a gander at this thread. I'm copying the filter/muffler setup seen in the first picture at this thread.
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Here's my compressor. I should be showing you a pciture of the original filter - batting between two layers of screen -- but if you have this type of compressor pump, you'll recognize all this. I believe pump is Coleman. The overall package is Kobalt.
On top of the pump, large cap screw heads are for head bolts. On the left half of the top are simple screws that hold the valve cover/air filter holder plate in place.
On top of the pump, large cap screw heads are for head bolts. On the left half of the top are simple screws that hold the valve cover/air filter holder plate in place.
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The cast aluminum valve cover/filter holder is removed in this pic.
The two oval holes in the floor here are the reed valves for the pump.
The grooves to the left are where the stock filter goes. I'm going to modify a plate of 1/4" steel to fit in the narrow groove on the left.
The two oval holes in the floor here are the reed valves for the pump.
The grooves to the left are where the stock filter goes. I'm going to modify a plate of 1/4" steel to fit in the narrow groove on the left.
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Radio Ron w4ron
Well-known member
An even better fan filter is to take 4 20" filters and tape them together
in a box, tape the fan on top blowing up. Cover the bottom with a piece
of cardboard to seal it up.
This way it pulls dust 360 degrees around.
I designed these and the building maintenance dept built them and put them
all around in the film handling area for a photo processor I used to work
for, they were a real help in cutting down the serious dust problem we had.
A cube of filtration, I see....
My dust problem isn't bad lately, this was invented when I first moved in and the garage seemed full of it.
Next time I've got a big problem, you know what would be 20% better? A filter bottom, too, and suspend it from the ceiling!
I also keep the fan running on low speed 24/7 just to keep air circulating to fight mildew. That plus the filter, it's like a bypass oil filter. Eventually, all the air will be filtered. Eventually.
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Also for scale, read the dimensions on this prototype! Made it based on measurements of the batting filter and the screens, and other measurements.
I made it out of corrougated cardboard. This turned out to be a mistake. A little too thick, it was stiff in the grooves in the aluminum, and I couldn't slide it up and down easily. I though it just fit snugly when I put the lid down because I did such a smart job of measuring.
No. (See hole in center? I speared it with a pick and was trying to jostle it up and down vertically.)
So, if you want to copy this project, er, don't use my horizontal dimension. 116mm long was golden. 33mm tall was a boo boo.
Using drill bits and digital calilpers, I found out the thickness I needed to fit into grooves in the casting at each end of this plate: around 2mm.
I made it out of corrougated cardboard. This turned out to be a mistake. A little too thick, it was stiff in the grooves in the aluminum, and I couldn't slide it up and down easily. I though it just fit snugly when I put the lid down because I did such a smart job of measuring.
No. (See hole in center? I speared it with a pick and was trying to jostle it up and down vertically.)
So, if you want to copy this project, er, don't use my horizontal dimension. 116mm long was golden. 33mm tall was a boo boo.
Using drill bits and digital calilpers, I found out the thickness I needed to fit into grooves in the casting at each end of this plate: around 2mm.
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Now we get to cuttin'!
Man, if you've considered getting one of these Fancy Lad hacksaws, go for it! They're just loverly.
http://store.harryepstein.com/cp/Hacksaws/80965.html
Hecho en Mexico. (Supporting Mexican industry means less illegal migration? Or jobs for Central American refugees. Or something.) This tool was made in the US until... right before I ordered mine, apparently. (HJE website COO flag since updated, as I told them what I rec'd.)
This cut was fast and easy. Little did I know what this steel had in store for me...
Man, if you've considered getting one of these Fancy Lad hacksaws, go for it! They're just loverly.
http://store.harryepstein.com/cp/Hacksaws/80965.html
Hecho en Mexico. (Supporting Mexican industry means less illegal migration? Or jobs for Central American refugees. Or something.) This tool was made in the US until... right before I ordered mine, apparently. (HJE website COO flag since updated, as I told them what I rec'd.)
This cut was fast and easy. Little did I know what this steel had in store for me...
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Good news: The length of the piece just fit in my cheap vise! That was close.
(Brother can you spare a Wilton?)
Bad news: I reached into my drawer of jigsaw blades and installed the hacksaw type blade that came with my cheap ($22ish?) new Skil jigsaw. (Seen in background.)
Man, did this not work. It was more like an erosion process.
A friend of mine later told me what this "A36" number meant on the steel I bought off of amazon. (Hot rolled is slightly more difficult to work than cold rolled, he says.) D'oh!
Anybody have suggestions for quality hacksaw blades for a jigsaw?
I have a recipro saw but I didn't know if I could be accurate. I did succeed in following the line, and the goal was to use a grinder for the last millimeter.
(Brother can you spare a Wilton?)
Bad news: I reached into my drawer of jigsaw blades and installed the hacksaw type blade that came with my cheap ($22ish?) new Skil jigsaw. (Seen in background.)
Man, did this not work. It was more like an erosion process.
A friend of mine later told me what this "A36" number meant on the steel I bought off of amazon. (Hot rolled is slightly more difficult to work than cold rolled, he says.) D'oh!
Anybody have suggestions for quality hacksaw blades for a jigsaw?
I have a recipro saw but I didn't know if I could be accurate. I did succeed in following the line, and the goal was to use a grinder for the last millimeter.
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Here is a fuzzy photo of my sloppy job "machining" down the ends to approx 2mm thickness. I used a 3" cut-off wheel, and my 4" angle grinder. I actually slit the 1/4" stock from the end with the cutoff wheel on one end, like the nock of an arrow, then chopped from the flat side, that got me close.
Now that I'm no longer young, I get less excited and get better quality results. But yeah, I got a little carried away in a Beavis-like frenzy on this particular part of the job, and it did rock in the aluminum slot a little. If I had to do it again...
Now that I'm no longer young, I get less excited and get better quality results. But yeah, I got a little carried away in a Beavis-like frenzy on this particular part of the job, and it did rock in the aluminum slot a little. If I had to do it again...
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Pilot holes. Thank you, Garage Journal, for letting me know about Norseman bits! This was a breeze.
Norseman = made in America, in a union shop in Minnesota. Sold at HJE and many other places:
http://store.harryepstein.com/
Norseman = made in America, in a union shop in Minnesota. Sold at HJE and many other places:
http://store.harryepstein.com/
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NKlamerus
Well-known member
I just read this entire thing and holy **** I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. Keep up the good work! I absolutely love the extreme/querky fixes! Especially the fan. I'm exactly the same way. I sit and stare and think about the different parts I could use in different directions.
I'm also impressed someone else knew what a taught line hitch was!
I'm only 19 and achieving Eagle Scout was a big thing IMO. So many things learned! Use those knots daily!
I'm also impressed someone else knew what a taught line hitch was!
I'm only 19 and achieving Eagle Scout was a big thing IMO. So many things learned! Use those knots daily!
I know all my knots.
I was in the BSA for as long as they'd let me (age, not behavior!) and also, my dad had nautical urges. (OK, that sounds vaguely dirty.)
I only went as far as Life Scout, but I wasn't ambitious enough for Eagle. I was having a great time already.
Thanks to the internet, I just found out a year or so ago that I've been making my tautline hitches a little weird my whole life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taut-line_hitch
I learned it as the #1857.
What I didn't learn in Boy Scouts: the ol' Number 6:
I think everybody's afraid ISIS is going to do a Number 6 on Baghdad right now.
Where are you, NKlamerus? I used to work with a T. Klamerus until he retired a few years back. (EDIT: In the spirit of partial privacy celebrated by a cave-dwelling squankum, let's keep that subject to private message.)
.
I was in the BSA for as long as they'd let me (age, not behavior!) and also, my dad had nautical urges. (OK, that sounds vaguely dirty.)
I only went as far as Life Scout, but I wasn't ambitious enough for Eagle. I was having a great time already.
Thanks to the internet, I just found out a year or so ago that I've been making my tautline hitches a little weird my whole life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taut-line_hitch
I learned it as the #1857.
What I didn't learn in Boy Scouts: the ol' Number 6:
I think everybody's afraid ISIS is going to do a Number 6 on Baghdad right now.
Where are you, NKlamerus? I used to work with a T. Klamerus until he retired a few years back. (EDIT: In the spirit of partial privacy celebrated by a cave-dwelling squankum, let's keep that subject to private message.)
.
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Bigger holes!
Man oh man did this ****. My cordless drill got more than warm. My muscles got sore. I stood on a small box to give my shoulder muscles a different angle. It went on forever. I never got more than little chips. I don't know enough about metal work. OK, did I buy the cheapest 23/32" drill bit on amazon? Just about. Was it made in China? Yes. But people had given them good reviews. Was this drill bit even sharpened at some point in its life? Damned if I know.
I did go slowly and give it some lube and backed off immediately the two or three times I saw a plume of smoke.
23/32" High Speed Steel 1/2" Shank Drill Bit (S + D type drill)
by Unknown
Link: http://amzn.com/B0007PZFQC
Really, it says "by Unknown" there on amazon's quick link.
Sold by Victor Machinery Exchange, though. Directly though amazon's warehouse, so, er, let's just stop the nuance bargling and shout CHINA! CHINA! CHINA!
I buy very good tools sometimes. And sometimes, not. I don't expect to be tapping many holes for 1/2" NPT in my future. But I kinda paid the price this time.
Maybe I need a more powerful electric drill. Or I should have set it up in my little crappy drill press that I have to haul out from under the workbench. Maybe... and this is hard to resist... I should get an Aircat pneumatic 1/2" drill... but really, I was just eager to try out my new used DeWalt and its chuck is big.
Tape to slow lubricating oil loss. Paper towel to catch chips. I'm no p-dawger, but I do get neat and tidy sometimes. The easiest mess to clean up is the one you don't make.
Man oh man did this ****. My cordless drill got more than warm. My muscles got sore. I stood on a small box to give my shoulder muscles a different angle. It went on forever. I never got more than little chips. I don't know enough about metal work. OK, did I buy the cheapest 23/32" drill bit on amazon? Just about. Was it made in China? Yes. But people had given them good reviews. Was this drill bit even sharpened at some point in its life? Damned if I know.
I did go slowly and give it some lube and backed off immediately the two or three times I saw a plume of smoke.
23/32" High Speed Steel 1/2" Shank Drill Bit (S + D type drill)
by Unknown
Link: http://amzn.com/B0007PZFQC
Really, it says "by Unknown" there on amazon's quick link.
Sold by Victor Machinery Exchange, though. Directly though amazon's warehouse, so, er, let's just stop the nuance bargling and shout CHINA! CHINA! CHINA!I buy very good tools sometimes. And sometimes, not. I don't expect to be tapping many holes for 1/2" NPT in my future. But I kinda paid the price this time.
Maybe I need a more powerful electric drill. Or I should have set it up in my little crappy drill press that I have to haul out from under the workbench. Maybe... and this is hard to resist... I should get an Aircat pneumatic 1/2" drill... but really, I was just eager to try out my new used DeWalt and its chuck is big.
Tape to slow lubricating oil loss. Paper towel to catch chips. I'm no p-dawger, but I do get neat and tidy sometimes. The easiest mess to clean up is the one you don't make.
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And now a guest post by the ghost of Andy Rooney:
What's the deal with tap handles? It seems like every time I buy a new tap, it doesn't fit any of the tap handles I have. This is nothing like my ratchets. Those come in three sizes and turn a great variety of socket sizes. Here's my 1/4", it's small. I use it sometimes. And here's my 3/8", the one I started with decades ago. You can use it for all sorts of things. And here's my 1/2" ratchet, it can do most of the size sockets you'd use on your 3/8" ratchet, and a whole lot of larger sockets than that, if you have the room for it. But I buy another tap and all of a sudden I'm supposed to shop for yet another tap handle. And for such a simple device, you'd think they'd be cheaper. Cheaper than a ratchet, at least.
I bought a Vermont American tap. Now, you'd think with a name like Vermont American, that might be a tool made in America. But no, it's made in China. I guess I can't complain, the price was right. And it did cut the threads I needed cut. You can see in the picture that I had to write the size of the drill it needed on it, using a laundry marker. J'ever notice how many things we mark with a laundry marker that aren't laundry? Post-It notes. Envelopes. Death threats. Here's one I wrote to my cable company. Tools. All sorts of things. Now, in the old days, a self-respecting tool company would have stamped the size of the tap, and the size of the drill bit to use, into the shaft of the tap. And, having some pride, even the name of their company. Kinda works like advertising, but I guess you only want to advertise if you're reasonably certain your customers aren't going to be mad at you. Well, maybe the Chinese factory that Vermont American outsources their work to now has pride, or maybe they don't, but for this tool, they just used a computer inkjet to shoot a bunch of hard-to-read numbers on the shaft, including the drill size. Well, I don't feel like reaching for a magnifying glass every time I pick up this tap, and who knows what will come off with solvents or oil in the future? So I wrote on it with my laundry marker.
Now, having tired of buying tap handles this year, I just looked in my socket collection to see what fit the square end of this tape. What do you know, a 16mm 12 pt 1/2" drive socket. I probably got that one in the 1980's in some Sears 400 piece tool kit. It just goes to show you, it's good to have one socket of every size. And if the tap gets hard to turn, I've already got a ratchet for it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sit in my recliner and sniff this laundry marker.
What's the deal with tap handles? It seems like every time I buy a new tap, it doesn't fit any of the tap handles I have. This is nothing like my ratchets. Those come in three sizes and turn a great variety of socket sizes. Here's my 1/4", it's small. I use it sometimes. And here's my 3/8", the one I started with decades ago. You can use it for all sorts of things. And here's my 1/2" ratchet, it can do most of the size sockets you'd use on your 3/8" ratchet, and a whole lot of larger sockets than that, if you have the room for it. But I buy another tap and all of a sudden I'm supposed to shop for yet another tap handle. And for such a simple device, you'd think they'd be cheaper. Cheaper than a ratchet, at least.
I bought a Vermont American tap. Now, you'd think with a name like Vermont American, that might be a tool made in America. But no, it's made in China. I guess I can't complain, the price was right. And it did cut the threads I needed cut. You can see in the picture that I had to write the size of the drill it needed on it, using a laundry marker. J'ever notice how many things we mark with a laundry marker that aren't laundry? Post-It notes. Envelopes. Death threats. Here's one I wrote to my cable company. Tools. All sorts of things. Now, in the old days, a self-respecting tool company would have stamped the size of the tap, and the size of the drill bit to use, into the shaft of the tap. And, having some pride, even the name of their company. Kinda works like advertising, but I guess you only want to advertise if you're reasonably certain your customers aren't going to be mad at you. Well, maybe the Chinese factory that Vermont American outsources their work to now has pride, or maybe they don't, but for this tool, they just used a computer inkjet to shoot a bunch of hard-to-read numbers on the shaft, including the drill size. Well, I don't feel like reaching for a magnifying glass every time I pick up this tap, and who knows what will come off with solvents or oil in the future? So I wrote on it with my laundry marker.
Now, having tired of buying tap handles this year, I just looked in my socket collection to see what fit the square end of this tape. What do you know, a 16mm 12 pt 1/2" drive socket. I probably got that one in the 1980's in some Sears 400 piece tool kit. It just goes to show you, it's good to have one socket of every size. And if the tap gets hard to turn, I've already got a ratchet for it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sit in my recliner and sniff this laundry marker.
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So, 16mm CMan 12 pt 1/2 drive socket, plus a sliding T handle, and I've got a tap handle for this big thing. Sliding T handle -- I swear, if you buy one, you'll find a use for it every 5 years or so!
I bought two back in my bicycle days, it's nice to apply torque sometimes without any side-tilt-distortion-slippage factor. I don't know the word for it. When you round out an Allen head bolt, that's often the reason. Forces not purely perpendicular, that's my theory.
Same reason I didn't want to crank on this tap with Andy Rooney's ratchet if I didn't have to.
I bought two back in my bicycle days, it's nice to apply torque sometimes without any side-tilt-distortion-slippage factor. I don't know the word for it. When you round out an Allen head bolt, that's often the reason. Forces not purely perpendicular, that's my theory.
Same reason I didn't want to crank on this tap with Andy Rooney's ratchet if I didn't have to.
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Chilliwack Murray
Well-known member
Ahh laundry marker, take away all the day's troubles.
Tappin!
This went fairly well. Not easy, but not hard, didn't break anything or get anything...
OK, I got one thing wrong. In a minor bit of Beavis frenzy, I tapped! and I tapped! and I kept tapping! Until the tap was all the way through. This is an NPT thread and the elbow I wanted to put into it never got tight against the taper. Because by the time I was done witih it, there was no taper. Good enough for light air suction and nothing teflon tape won't fix. But if I were to do it again...
This went fairly well. Not easy, but not hard, didn't break anything or get anything...
OK, I got one thing wrong. In a minor bit of Beavis frenzy, I tapped! and I tapped! and I kept tapping! Until the tap was all the way through. This is an NPT thread and the elbow I wanted to put into it never got tight against the taper. Because by the time I was done witih it, there was no taper. Good enough for light air suction and nothing teflon tape won't fix. But if I were to do it again...
