Above 1200 Sq/FT Cleaning Up My Shop

[Rex_A_Lott]

I ran into one of those cross-breed rearends back in the '90's, where the guts didnt match the external appearance.
I have also ran three-point hitches for lower control arms, on a dirt car, but I wouldnt recommended it for a street car.
You might use that idea to make a temporary top arm for one side, while you fab up the other side.
Good Luck

 

[Bob Heine]

Andy, you may already have all the parts you need to make a pair of adjustable upper control arms. These are for an Olds 442 and run about $240 for the pair (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...rp-pSv2d7ONdyHbmW-tMeIVm16xMhPiaBoCP4Dw_wcB):

The Johnny Joints are the expensive parts in the kit but I bet you could build something similar for a whole lot less.

 

[oldironfarmer]

I ran into one of those cross-breed rearends back in the '90's, where the guts didnt match the external appearance.
I have also ran three-point hitches for lower control arms, on a dirt car, but I wouldnt recommended it for a street car.
You might use that idea to make a temporary top arm for one side, while you fab up the other side.
Good Luck

In this case, I think it is a straight 442 axle, it's just that the Olds had a 12 bolt ring gear with a ten bolt cover. The cover plate does not match anything Chevy put in their cars.

Three point arms should be plenty strong enough. I considered using those ends but didn't think they would last very long in highway vibration conditions. I didn't need a temporary. I could roll the axle by hand to line up with the wooden template.

Thanks for your visit!

Andy, you may already have all the parts you need to make a pair of adjustable upper control arms. These are for an Olds 442 and run about $240 for the pair (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...rp-pSv2d7ONdyHbmW-tMeIVm16xMhPiaBoCP4Dw_wcB):

The Johnny Joints are the expensive parts in the kit but I bet you could build something similar for a whole lot less.

Thanks for the suggestions! As I prefaced the post but was not really clear, this was a problem I fixed back in January. It turned out successfully and I wanted to show how it worked.

I looked at adjustable upper arms, but I needed an offset arm since the Olds axle mount is not perpendicular to the body bushing bolt. The new arm had to be shorter than the stock. The differences are the change from 64-72 vs 73-77 A Body geometry. And I hated to buy an aftermarket arm and immediately cut it up to fit.

After learning I had a 73-77 axle in a 72 car, I was not sure that even when I got the pinion lined up at the "down the road" loaded position that the pinion angle would be OK in full squat against the stops. Four bar linkages are very complex and sensitive to small dimensional changes so I was not going to be real surprised if what worked at loaded position would not work at full axle travel each way, up and down. By experimentation I proved it would work.

On to the fix!

 

[oldironfarmer]

This is how badly the axle was rolled up, and rolled up more during axle travel. The shocks have been turned around to verify there is no interference now.

Having determined the geometry necessary to make the 73-77 style Oldsmobile 442 axle in my 72 Chevelle, I either needed to cut up the old upper control arms or make new parts. Never wanting to cut up original equipment, and recognizing I might want to put the right axle in the car at some point, I decided to make everything new.

Unfortunately I didn't have anything convenient to make the rings to hold the bushings. The heavy wall pipe I have was either too big or too small. And I only needed six inches or so. That's really expensive to go buy, and Tulsa is a long way away so I decided to make the rings out of my favorite raw material: sucker rod!

I took some 1" sucker rod (rod that goes down oil wells to **** on the bottom hole pump) heated it up real good in the forge and flattened it to rough dimensions then forged them around the anvil horn to get about the right size. Didn't think to take pictures until I got it to this point:

Then trimmed them for full penetration welds

Then reheated and bumped them around a mandrel to get them roundish.

Ready for welding now. With plenty of preheat, I welded the inside of the rings first, then ground from the outside to clean metal.

Ring on the left needs one more grind and weld. Ring in the vise is ground and ready to preheat and backweld (on the outside).

Welded and ready for hot peening.

Welding finished and rough ground to make sure the welds will clean up to the full size. Did that a couple of times

Turned for a press fit for the new bushings.

Tacked up and ready for test fit.

The plate is 2x2x1/4 angle iron. The tube is Ditch Witch drill stem drops, heated and flattened to match the ring. I had a friend who worked where they made the drill stem and brought me a LOT of drop. Three sizes which don't nest so they can be turned to every intermediate diameter from 3/4" ID to 2-1/4" OD. I think this is 1-1/4" OD 1/4" WT. They are not standard pipe sizes so that's a plus. Pipe in the same range gives me more options.

It's a little hard to tell, but the angle iron is rolled 5 degrees and angles 4 degrees with respect to the centerline of the bushing.

Here's a comparison to the original control arm. The new arm is shorter.

Test fit, with bolts in, a good fit.

After test fitting, which included full travel verification, I welded the angle iron to the pipe, and took them to a friend who wanted to help to heliarc the ring to the pipe. He is a very good alloy welder, including chromes, stainless, and nickles. He promised to get me back up to speed when I get my TIG rig set up (it arrived yesterday but I'm too busy to unpack it, much less go get gas)

Old saying from an elderly lady friend "A little powder, a little paint, makes a girl what she ain't"

In this picture you can see the rings are not in line with the angle iron.

Installed and double checked for pinion angle. Using the rear surface to check for pinion angle so the cover is not on yet.

Full travel down, some bushing deflection, but not too much.

All dressed up and ready go to out!

A farmer fix on a muscle car. Or was I an engineer that week? I'm afraid it is a bit of both. But the car runs great! No vibration and the rattle at idle I couldn't find (shocks, I think) is gone.

I consider it fixed

 

[1/2 Cup]

Andy, great outcome..

 

[slimpickins]

Holy Toledo Andy! That's some impressive work there!!! I'd still be there scratching my head thinking I gotta go get the correct rear axle.



Wow!

Cheers!

 

[Terrick down Under]

Oh..I thought that you would have forged them out of one piece of steam pipe and then painted....but I suppose this will do....LOL
Now to sit and watch the first time someone else sees the yellow paint and asks "how much did they cost"
Well done.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy, great outcome..

Thank you, sir! With my motto "If you're going to spend the fuel, spin the tires" I was very pleased that she squealed loudly without a lot of vibration. We all like to hear them squeal, after all!

Holy Toledo Andy! That's some impressive work there!!! I'd still be there scratching my head thinking I gotta go get the correct rear axle.



Wow!

Cheers!

Well thank you very much. Sometimes it pays to be cheap, and I saved some money on this fix.

But I was timid on posting this because I really didn't fix it "right"...

Oh..I thought that you would have forged them out of one piece of steam pipe and then painted....but I suppose this will do....LOL
Now to sit and watch the first time someone else sees the yellow paint and asks "how much did they cost"
Well done.

Thank you. If I'd had the pipe, I would have used it. In industry, if you need a large ring it is generally rolled and welded, so why not?

If someone competent looks at them they'll see the rough welds I made. But I have this fetish: I refuse to grind rough welds just for appearance. If that's how I welded it, that's what I'll live with. If helps me try to make smoother cap passes first time. To me nothing looks better than a ******** that looks like it was machine done, so I'm striving for that.

Thanks for the visits, guys. Had I known about GJ back then I would have taken more pictures!

 

[drivesitfar]

OIF: FARMER'S FIX looks WELL DONE!! thanks for taking the time to post up the process, thinking and all the in place pictures that I'm sure were not easy to take.

 

[egnorant]

Clean and organize the shop, make cool stuff in the shop, put cool stuff on the toys, play with toys! Kinda nice ain't it?

Bruce

 

[Terrick down Under]

OIF, some people would say, " what are you talking about". I like doing a really nice weld, but some days the splatter gods just kick you. Then it just looks like the dry scum from your corking gun. For my truck camper tie downs I welded the first tube to the anchor point then slid the next size over that and welded again. OCD I suppose.
Just stopped to look for some pics and they are stuck on photobucket...I'll work that one out later.

 

[oldironfarmer]

OIF: FARMER'S FIX looks WELL DONE!! thanks for taking the time to post up the process, thinking and all the in place pictures that I'm sure were not easy to take.

Thank you so much for the kind comments! Taking those pictures was like taking candy from a baby, only the crying was mine. Not really, I took those last January mainly to share with a friend in Houston.

Clean and organize the shop, make cool stuff in the shop, put cool stuff on the toys, play with toys! Kinda nice ain't it?

Bruce

Well, I haven't cleaned or organized the shop yet, but it is in the plans. I very much like having tools and a little skill at using them to make things I need or want. but, yes, it is very nice to be retired and have the time. It doesn't even take much money if you stick to using materials you find around the house Thanks for stopping by and nice comments!

OIF, some people would say, " what are you talking about". I like doing a really nice weld, but some days the splatter gods just kick you. Then it just looks like the dry scum from your corking gun. For my truck camper tie downs I welded the first tube to the anchor point then slid the next size over that and welded again. OCD I suppose.
Just stopped to look for some pics and they are stuck on photobucket...I'll work that one out later.

Photobucket! GJ got me onto Photobucket. The only complaint I have is my Flashplayer grows in size as long as Photobucket is open until it locks up my computer. So I close Flashplayer and Photobucket gets upset that Flashplayer "crashed". I just keep my mouth shut.

If my welds look too bad I assume they don't have integrity so I grind them out and start over. Otherwise they just look bad. It's easier with TIG because you can go back and pick up a spot pretty easily. Right now I gas weld thin stuff and it's kind of like stick welding, you get one shot: if you try to go back too many times it will oxidize and pop. I gas weld with baling wire, it must have high silicon content because it welds like a dream, it's just not really straight enough to spin and it is not coated so for a good weld you have to clean the rust off.

Show us your pictures!

Thanks for stopping by, I like your comments.

Today I finished the prime coat on the new sheetrock, about 3,600 square feet, whew. Just have to trim out the corners. I'm using Kilz PVA Sheetrock Primer. It was not expensive but goes on like a dream and covers well. It went on at about 450 sq ft per gallon, so it's on plenty thin but has covered.

Just about ready for wiring, be prepared to be shocked

 

[Guster]

Now that's the stuff. Good job on the forging. Bit of farmer, bit of engineer and a whole lot of Andy!

I really have to get my gas forge going and an anvil sorted from somewhere. Been doing without for too long.

Looking forward to see you TIG. It machines nicer than MAW and MIG welded parts. Also lets you tackle other materials though if I recall you already have an OA set so that was never really a problem anyway.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Now that's the stuff. Good job on the forging. Bit of farmer, bit of engineer and a whole lot of Andy!

I really have to get my gas forge going and an anvil sorted from somewhere. Been doing without for too long.

Looking forward to see you TIG. It machines nicer than MAW and MIG welded parts. Also lets you tackle other materials though if I recall you already have an OA set so that was never really a problem anyway.

Thanks so much, Guster!

Do you have a gas forge? A blower, some real charcoal, and a truck brake drum make a good forge. Of course railroad rail makes a good anvil. But just about any block of steel or iron does surprisingly well. If you can locate one, a railroad coupler buried on end makes a good anvil. I didn't say this so much to you as to anybody who wants to do a little forging. It's pretty easy to get set up and then you can justify improvements as the bug will make you sick if you don't treat it with more and more equipment. It's easy to make hardwood charcoal which works just about as well as coal. Gas forges are noisy and expensive, says the guy who is getting ready to melt metal with propane.

 

[slimpickins]

... But I was timid on posting this because I really didn't fix it "right"...

Did you say "I didn't fix it right"?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
To me it looks like you fixed it better than the original!!!

You know I just finished fixing a paper shredder which I didn't post any pics of because I figured nobody would be interested. But maybe I should have. A plastic part in the shredder that was engineered tooooo thin broke in several places and I "welded" it back together with ABS cement(it was made out of ABS) and probably made it stronger than the original.

Now, I'll probably never fix an axle mount like you, but just seeing you showing that it can be done and done in style!!!!! ... well it inspires me and others to think outside the box and tackle something they might not have otherwise done.

So kudos to you! Mr. IronMan!!!

Cheers and thanks for the inspiration!

 

[Jo Diesel]

I put a Ford Ranger 8.8 into my Dart with a 3 link. Does this count

 

[dlcwent]

Hey Andy. Did you ever hear "It can't be done"

Don't you know that some things just won't work.

Sweet job Lazy Andy. Another little thing that you do makes me think I need to go to Florida via Oklahoma.

 

[slowzuki]

Sheepishly raise my hand. Its amazing the stuff I'll let go on my daily driver that I'd never accept on one of my "good" vehicles or one of my main tractors. We don't live in town so after a brake job rotors and pads that aren't that bad go on the shelf for the next time one fails and I can't get to town.

Case in point: When I was commuting and averaging 100 miles per day, I would occasionally slip up and get metal to metal on my disc brakes. I would sacrifice a set of pads and they would slick the rotor right up before they were worn out. You buy pads for both sides, install on the bad side only, then a few thousand miles later install the second set on the bad side. I've never had pulsating pedal, warped rotor, or any other side effects. New pads on grooved rotors wear in quickly and you actually then have more braking area with the grooved profile. This method is not for everyone, and I would not do it on someone else's car, but it was my minimum overall cost solution. Mind you, I never intended to get to metal to metal, but when trying to get pads to under 1/8" to avoid throwing away good pads, sometimes you do get busy and forget to check. Not much of an engineer, am I

 

[Guster]

Now, I'll probably never fix an axle mount like you, but just seeing you showing that it can be done and done in style!!!!! ... well it inspires me and others to think outside the box and tackle something they might not have otherwise done.

You are right.... farm implement yellow paint is definitely 'a style'

Now all the kids will be doing it.

Do you have a gas forge? A blower, some real charcoal, and a truck brake drum make a good forge. Of course railroad rail makes a good anvil. But just about any block of steel or iron does surprisingly well. If you can locate one, a railroad coupler buried on end makes a good anvil. I didn't say this so much to you as to anybody who wants to do a little forging. It's pretty easy to get set up and then you can justify improvements as the bug will make you sick if you don't treat it with more and more equipment. It's easy to make hardwood charcoal which works just about as well as coal. Gas forges are noisy and expensive, says the guy who is getting ready to melt metal with propane.

I am close to done building one as priorities allow at the moment.

I agree mate. Life could be simpler. However since powers that be declared burning coal for household heating a threat to the environment. It’s made it very hard to come by. Especially the good stuff that will burn right to get to a good temperature. Which leaves wood or charcoal and pushing a whole lot of air through it. Not to mention that open fires are not allowed during parts of the year(not right now of course – right now we are growing gills for goodness sake)

Otherwise I have steel, I have ceramic wool and fire bricks and I have means to make a few burners to help empty out some of my BBQ gas. Not perfect but better than nothing. Intent was to bend some heavy steel to make some Holdridge style radius turning tools for my lathe to make tube bend forming dies for something else. That old story of tools to make tools to make tools to make something else. It would also be very useful to anneal weldments for machining too. Truth is I could have cut the sections from plate by now – but where is the fun in that? My neighbours are also used to me welding and running an angle grinder in the driveway for a few hours now and then. I think a forge’s dragon roar will be quite peaceful by comparison.

I am slightly concerned that I may have to consider moving out of town by the time I get an anvil. There is a very fine line up to how much my neighbours are willing to put up with.

If you want to step up the temp on your propane burner you can also greatly boost it’s performance with a forced air setup. Depending on your burner you may not even have to change the setup much and it may save quite a bit of propane.

PS. …don’t think we’ve seen your lathe yet?

 

[oldironfarmer]

Did you say "I didn't fix it right"?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
To me it looks like you fixed it better than the original!!!

But I didn't buy new parts and modify them. I liked the result, and the original was stamped sheet metal.

You know I just finished fixing a paper shredder which I didn't post any pics of because I figured nobody would be interested. But maybe I should have. A plastic part in the shredder that was engineered tooooo thin broke in several places and I "welded" it back together with ABS cement(it was made out of ABS) and probably made it stronger than the original.

I think people are interested in all kinds of repair. You never know when it will come in handy on a similar repair.

Now, I'll probably never fix an axle mount like you, but just seeing you showing that it can be done and done in style!!!!! ... well it inspires me and others to think outside the box and tackle something they might not have otherwise done.

So kudos to you! Mr. IronMan!!!

Cheers and thanks for the inspiration!

Thanks! I always appreciate comments, and kind comments are ever in style
!!

I put a Ford Ranger 8.8 into my Dart with a 3 link. Does this count

Man, that is cool! Did you fabricate the new cross member? It really looks good.

Hey Andy. Did you ever hear "It can't be done"

I've heard that. Not really sure what it means...

Sometimes it means the first idea doesn't seem to work. I'm busy compiling a long list of ways to not do things.

Don't you know that some things just won't work.

Sweet job Lazy Andy. Another little thing that you do makes me think I need to go to Florida via Oklahoma.

Thanks for the kind comments. Come by anytime. I'll wager it's not over 1,000 miles out of the way.

Sheepishly raise my hand. Its amazing the stuff I'll let go on my daily driver that I'd never accept on one of my "good" vehicles or one of my main tractors. We don't live in town so after a brake job rotors and pads that aren't that bad go on the shelf for the next time one fails and I can't get to town.

Thanks for the shameful admission. Apparently I'm not alone.

You are right.... farm implement yellow paint is definitely 'a style'

Now all the kids will be doing it.

Well, the paint does match the car's color pretty close. And if nobody sees it going down the road, there's no harm done. And, it is painted. Thanks for your comments!

I am close to done building one as priorities allow at the moment.

I agree mate. Life could be simpler. However since powers that be declared burning coal for household heating a threat to the environment. It’s made it very hard to come by. Especially the good stuff that will burn right to get to a good temperature. Which leaves wood or charcoal and pushing a whole lot of air through it. Not to mention that open fires are not allowed during parts of the year(not right now of course – right now we are growing gills for goodness sake)

I'm not much of a blacksmith, but I had saved some hardwood charcoal in a bucket and absently minded put it in the forge one day. I couldn't tell it from coal for what I was doing.

Otherwise I have steel, I have ceramic wool and fire bricks and I have means to make a few burners to help empty out some of my BBQ gas. Not perfect but better than nothing. Intent was to bend some heavy steel to make some Holdridge style radius turning tools for my lathe to make tube bend forming dies for something else. That old story of tools to make tools to make tools to make something else. It would also be very useful to anneal weldments for machining too. Truth is I could have cut the sections from plate by now – but where is the fun in that? My neighbours are also used to me welding and running an angle grinder in the driveway for a few hours now and then. I think a forge’s dragon roar will be quite peaceful by comparison.

Making tools is my passion. I like to make what I could buy, but even better to make a custom tool I can't buy.

I am slightly concerned that I may have to consider moving out of town by the time I get an anvil. There is a very fine line up to how much my neighbours are willing to put up with.

I just can't comment, I'm not a town kind of guy. Our little town (pop 177 plus dogs) is a couple of miles away. There was talk of expanding the city limits to take in my farm and others. I politely told them I would become an activist and do my best to disband the town. Continually until I succeed. I just don't need regulation. I lied, I guess I did comment. However, if you keep your iron hot the gentle ring of the anvil is enjoyed by most people.

If you want to step up the temp on your propane burner you can also greatly boost it’s performance with a forced air setup. Depending on your burner you may not even have to change the setup much and it may save quite a bit of propane.

Maybe so, but I think a properly designed self aspirating burner probably gets as hot as it can if it produces a clean blue flame. Lots of good designs on the internet which get hot enough to melt steel. I need to learn about forced draft with propane burners. Have you made burners yet?

I'm sure you know you need to put hardener on ceramic fiber as it becomes an airborne hazard when fired. I have some 3,000 degree refractory which I plan to use in a gas furnace for melting.

PS. …don’t think we’ve seen your lathe yet?

No? I think this was posted before, I'll get one of just it. It's dead center, with the oil can (with cutting oil) on top. It's a 14 inch swing with a gap, 40 inch bed. It's been good so far, one of the few things I've bought new.

Thanks for all the comments guys, they are motivational comments

 

[oldironfarmer]

Picture of my lathe. It's a little fuzzy, but so is the picture.

 

[Jo Diesel]

Yes I made every thing except the lower control arms. Car did not come with a cross member so it took me a couple of tries to get what I was looking for. The tubes were bent at my brother in laws which is on my way home from work . They took me a week. Yes the tube is not welded in the front in picture but is now

 

[dlcwent]

Nice lathe you've got yourself there. Is it a JET? And what's a thousand miles (give or take) between friends. Have a great weekend Lazy Andy.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Yes I made every thing except the lower control arms. Car did not come with a cross member so it took me a couple of tries to get what I was looking for. The tubes were bent at my brother in laws which is on my way home from work . They took me a week. Yes the tube is not welded in the front in picture but is now

Great work!

Nice lathe you've got yourself there. Is it a JET? And what's a thousand miles (give or take) between friends. Have a great weekend Lazy Andy.

Thanks, it's a Grizzly Gunsmith lathe. Not very expensive, ground ways instead of hand scraped. But is is plenty accurate for what I do. Here's a clearer picture of it.

I'm making brooms at my UPS guy's pumpkin farm tomorrow. I would rather work in my shop, Bob's head and head gasket are finally here, but I'm being lazy and going to make brooms! The broom room looks a little different with the machine gone.

All corralled up and loaded for the trip to the pumpkin festival!

Hmmm, looks like I pack like I work...

 

[drivesitfar]

OIF: so while you are making brooms at the fair do you tell stories the entire time or do you have to concentrate? how many brooms did you make this weekend?

with the scraps do you make a bunch of smaller brooms or just toss them?

YOUR SHOP ONLY LOOKS 1/2 complete with the broom vise and tools missing.

 

[1/2 Cup]

OIF: so while you are making brooms at the fair do you tell stories the entire time or do you have to concentrate? how many brooms did you make this weekend?

with the scraps do you make a bunch of smaller brooms or just toss them?

YOUR SHOP ONLY LOOKS 1/2 complete with the broom vise and tools missing.

All the best for the pumpkin festival Andy..,

IMHO Sharing your broom making skills would be a top day out, enjoy.

Regards

 

[oldironfarmer]

OIF: so while you are making brooms at the fair do you tell stories the entire time or do you have to concentrate?

I jabber constantly, and since the audience changes every few minutes, I repeat myself incessantly.

how many brooms did you make this weekend?

I made about sixteen small brooms today. It started off cool and misting at 65 degrees and finished up at 85 degrees. It was windy all day with gusts of 35 mph. Wears you out. But there were lots of little kids having too much fun.

with the scraps do you make a bunch of smaller brooms or just toss them?

They're trash. I knew a guy that picked them up off the floor and made little brooms he called cake tester brooms. From the floor to a cake

YOUR SHOP ONLY LOOKS 1/2 complete with the broom vise and tools missing.

You must be at least 1/2 right.

All the best for the pumpkin festival Andy..,

IMHO Sharing your broom making skills would be a top day out, enjoy.

Regards

Thanks, 1/2. But the weekend is only 1/2 over. Here's hoping the next 1/2 is better!.

Having a great time

 

[1/2 Cup]

You must be at least 1/2 right.



Thanks, 1/2. But the weekend is only 1/2 over. Here's hoping the next 1/2 is better!.

Having a great time

Great stuff..

 

[Craptain]

I could use some of the "waste" corn. I make a device for finishing wood from corn. Right now I use old brooms for my supply as I can't find any in reasonable (to me) quantity. I mentioned it in my pm for when you start shipping brooms.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[Karl's Garage]

Looking better

 

[54earl]

I have enjoyed you garage addition/building as well as the humor in your story telling. Now I feel like I need a tractor. I am off to the broom thread.

 

[bgarrett]

Hi Andy. I just read this complete thread. It took a while If there is anyone here who hasn't figured it out, Andy is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. His shop is awesome and NOT cluttered

 

[Guster]

Oh now I see… the arms were for the bright yellow Chevelle. Painted matchy-matchy!

Maybe so, but I think a properly designed self aspirating burner probably gets as hot as it can if it produces a clean blue flame. Lots of good designs on the internet which get hot enough to melt steel. I need to learn about forced draft with propane burners. Have you made burners yet?

Self-aspirating burners are great, especially if you can get three burners going in a small confined space. I have three 3/4” burner bodies built and scrounging for more stainless tube to make the flared nozzles(will have to make a flared drift too) as well as some plumbing. Got a regulator that will open wide and some 3/8” bore hose as most normal BBQ stuff is around ¼”. Based off some popular ¾” tube design using small MIG nozzles for the jets.

I'm sure you know you need to put hardener on ceramic fiber as it becomes an airborne hazard when fired. I have some 3,000 degree refractory which I plan to use in a gas furnace for melting.

Yes you do and I have some rigidizer for it. Mind you I don’t need efficiency as much as I need longevity due to infrequent use so the forge bricks may be good enough especially if I also coat them for high IR reflectivity. They’ll soak up a bit of heat to begin with but will last forever in my case. If I use it once or twice a year I’ll be happy with it given it cost me next to nothing so far.

No? I think this was posted before, I'll get one of just it. It's dead center, with the oil can (with cutting oil) on top. It's a 14 inch swing with a gap, 40 inch bed. It's been good so far, one of the few things I've bought new.

Probably… though you now have 36 pages of posts you know. Nice size. Bigger brother to my 12x36(which looks just as fuzzy right now). Could always use larger, though it is a very decent size for everyday farm work.

What is nice about them is that Grizzly also supplies other accessories for it. I was needing a MT5-5c spindle collet adapter and nearly bought one till I decided to bore out a MT4-MT5 adapter to 5C specs. Works well.

 

[oldironfarmer]

I could use some of the "waste" corn. I make a device for finishing wood from corn. Right now I use old brooms for my supply as I can't find any in reasonable (to me) quantity. I mentioned it in my pm for when you start shipping brooms.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

I'll send you a little and see if you can use it.

Looking better

Thank you, sir!

I have enjoyed you garage addition/building as well as the humor in your story telling. Now I feel like I need a tractor. I am off to the broom thread.

I'm so sorry you don't have a tractor How do you get by?

Hi Andy. I just read this complete thread. It took a while If there is anyone here who hasn't figured it out, Andy is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. His shop is awesome and NOT cluttered

Thanks for the kind comments. But your judgement may be suspect if you think my shop is not cluttered

 

[oldironfarmer]

Oh now I see… the arms were for the bright yellow Chevelle. Painted matchy-matchy!

It made sense to me

Self-aspirating burners are great, especially if you can get three burners going in a small confined space. I have three 3/4” burner bodies built and scrounging for more stainless tube to make the flared nozzles(will have to make a flared drift too) as well as some plumbing. Got a regulator that will open wide and some 3/8” bore hose as most normal BBQ stuff is around ¼”. Based off some popular ¾” tube design using small MIG nozzles for the jets.

MIG nozzles instead of acetylene tips - interesting. If you have an anvil with a horn you can flare without a drift, if you get my drift. If your flare was done and you could heat in the forge, you could make the flare easily.

Yes you do and I have some rigidizer for it. Mind you I don’t need efficiency as much as I need longevity due to infrequent use so the forge bricks may be good enough especially if I also coat them for high IR reflectivity. They’ll soak up a bit of heat to begin with but will last forever in my case. If I use it once or twice a year I’ll be happy with it given it cost me next to nothing so far.

Bricks are so stackable...

Probably… though you now have 36 pages of posts you know. Nice size. Bigger brother to my 12x36(which looks just as fuzzy right now). Could always use larger, though it is a very decent size for everyday farm work.

It is amazing what you can do with a small lathe. I could have done most of what I do with my old 6" South Bend.

What is nice about them is that Grizzly also supplies other accessories for it. I was needing a MT5-5c spindle collet adapter and nearly bought one till I decided to bore out a MT4-MT5 adapter to 5C specs. Works well.

I'm impressed that you met 5C specs. Of course next thing you'll need is a #4 Morse.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Had a great time at "The Pumpkin Patch".

They certainly had lots of pumpkins, I even failed to get a shot of the orange ones. He said they have sold as many at 165 varieties of pumpkin?

They had a couple of acres packed with orange pumpkins for kids to select their favorite.

My tent was in a good location

My location was on at the entrance to the store/office where everyone had their pumpkins weighed and paid so I got a lot of traffic.

Saturday evening we had some calves out, so early Sunday I had the opportunity to fix fence.

A little wire twisting and stretching.

And then a crimp joint and the fence is tight.

This fence was put in by the previous owner, and is wired with gaucho wire. This was high tensile light gauge wire promoted in the seventies. It was cheaper and advertised as stronger. I bought some. But, it breaks easily a couple of years after you twisted it. We didn't know at the time. And it is so small the crimp ferrules for 16-1/2 gauge wire won't hold it and the larger wire at splices. I'm replacing it with the help of the cattle. They show me the weak areas so I don't have to spend time checking. They're great!

The cows barely noticed. Nobody admitted to having been astray. They have plenty of grass, it is just juvenile curiosity and none of the cows want to get the offenders in trouble. Not one of them said a word about the previous night's infractions.

This morning I started on Bob's old head. Lifters looked real good, I pulled them out and cleaned them to make sure no debris was left in the block after the deck was cleaned.

Glow plugs are out, rocker studs loose, and exhaust studs out. I damaged two of the exhaust studs getting them out so I may just replace them all to help make the next time easier.

Swept up the broom shop floor and removed a desk destined for the new addition. It was a little crowded in the broom shop.

Broom factory back in it's home. I plan to build shelving for the far wall primarily to store fiber for weaving and sock knitting. The broom supplies fit pretty well on the existing shelves. Especially when I get the junk moved out.

Then I spent the rest of the day getting ready for an ex-coworkers hay ride and cookout this coming weekend. Moved tractors around so I can mow under them. I like moving tractors

Thanks to all for stopping by.

 

[jimreed2160]

Those cows won't snitch on each other--herd mentality.

 

[drivesitfar]

I've heard cows LOVE PUMPKINS so is that true and do you get the leftover pumpkins from the fields to give to your LOYAL COWS?

BROOM TENT looks AWESOME and even though i own several i would have bought one or two at least from you.

shop looks great with broom stuff back in their spots.

cheers

 

[Guster]

Always the catch 22... my forge burners need flared nozzles - to make the flared burner nozzles I need a forge to heat them. Good thing I have a propane hand torch and some loose firebricks at the moment. Hmmm… no anvil yet. A piece of cold roll and press will make do till then.

MT5-MT4 adapters(and MIG tip nozzles) are common and cheap as chips. MT5-5C and other 5C tooling are either exorbitantly priced or just not available at all. NZ is like Alaska in many ways. Few guys over on another forum suggested it as a cheap alternative to importing the MT5-5C adapter from Grizzly(+NZ$250 over the cheaper $9 locally available MT5-MT4 adapter) I was more surprised myself that I could machine the hardened steel adapter in situ like that. I was worried I may have to make a toolpost grinder but my fears were unnecessary. The hard steel machined beautifully and lets you take razor fine cuts to sneak up on final dimension. Already paid for itself when I had to make a whole bag of 5/8” spacers for a friend.

Wow! That is a lot of pumpkins! That sock knotting machine looks very interesting.

 

[madoc1]

being from texas and only mainly driving 35, i always had an impression it all looked like west texas ( except for s.e. okla ). that is certainly pretty country. how much rain do you get a year? good looking cattle you have there. angus? nosy aren't i?

jim