rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[PZ 1]

Upgraded the 5/8 chuck on my drill press to a keyless type.

How does that work for you? I want to get a new chuck for my press and am a little scared to go with a keyless thinking I might not be happy with it. Does it tighten well enough so that it does not easily slip? What brand and where did you get it? Does the quality seem to be good?

 

[rattle_snake]

The keyless chuck is working out OK. I bought a cheap one on Amazon, 29$

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB3B88C4?tag=atomicindus08-20

Yes it will tighten enough and is convenient. The issue is that it can get stuck shut after using it at very high torque, like a 1" twist drill. Can't open it even with channel locks. The key is to run the drill backwards and it pops loose. That is, if your press can run backwards which usually requires a VFD to do so.

 

[rattle_snake]

Got the engine/front suspension cross member cut out. Fun times.
Lots of grime, so can only plasma cut for so long then have to put out the flames. Lots of smoke....

 

[phred]

Been there, done that. It’s amazing how much oily, greasy dirt can accumulate in that crossmember

 

[rattle_snake]

Yes it was a complete disaster when I bought it, mainly from a leaking steering box. I cleaned what I could, but no way to get it all off. Fixed the leaky box and did many rounds of oven cleaner on the external surfaces. Have to pull the beams to do any better.
The worst was behind the steering box reinforcement, an inch thick.

 

[ntsqd]

Been there, done that. It’s amazing how much oily, greasy dirt can accumulate in that crossmember

Or even just between two riveted together pieces of steel.

 

[M.Brane]

Got the engine/front suspension cross member cut out. Fun times.
Lots of grime, so can only plasma cut for so long then have to put out the flames. Lots of smoke....

At least it wasn't rusty.

 

[rattle_snake]

Yup. all the suspension bolts and nuts just came right off after 50 years.

 

[ntsqd]

There's method in the madness of allowing the oil leaks?

 

[rattle_snake]

Dry climate without salty roads goes a long ways.

Spent hours cleaning up the mess in just the first four feet of frame rails. Baked on like an iron skillet. Scraper, wire wheel, oven cleaner, grinder more oven cleaner.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Have you tried one of these?

https://www.harborfreight.com/compact-air-needle-scaler-58646.html

I used to sell the Snap-On version to concrete companies for removing concrete splashed onto surfaces of the delivery trucks. They also work good for stress relieving welds by peening the surface.

 

[rattle_snake]

No, I have not. Thanks for enabling a tool purchase.

 

[rattle_snake]

Did some research on guitar feedback. Suspect the pickup lid is vibrating against the coil itself. The other guitar kit has no lids. Opened up the pickups to see how they are assembled. There is nothing between the pickup coil bars and the cover. Some people use wax to pot the lid on and dampen out the mechanical resonance of the lid.


Wax isn't ideal in AZ, instead I used a minimal amount of silicon only around the edge of the bar where it can contact the lid. Solder lids back on and the feedback/squealing issues are gone. Now can turn up to 11 and enjoy. Guitar is cheap, but with some care and minimal money I was able to solve the noise and feedback issues which otherwise ruin the instrument.


I left the pickup wiring as is. Could have removed the wire shield from the pickup baseplate (which is soldered to cover) and ran different wiring. Ideally that would be a shielded pair, which I could make, but don't have anything appropriate at this time.
Pickup baseplate/cover connected to star ground with regular wire.
Pair of signal wires and shield to their respective pot. Shield connected to pot ground/case that is already grounded to star with it's own wire.

 

[ntsqd]

I used one of the HF tools to remove the remnants of the mortar used for a gosh-awful facade stuck to the fireplace when we bought this house.
A friend of mine used one on a fabricated aluminum intake manifold. With contour grinding and the needle scaler he was able to make the intake look like it was a casting.
When I worked at the power plant the welders there all used a monster sized needle scaler for exactly that, peening a cooling weld.
And oddly enough they're excellent at removing paint and surface rust from stuff like engine blocks and vehicle frames.

 

[M.Brane]

Did some research on guitar feedback. Suspect the pickup lid is vibrating against the coil itself. The other guitar kit has no lids. Opened up the pickups to see how they are assembled. There is nothing between the pickup coil bars and the cover. Some people use wax to pot the lid on and dampen out the mechanical resonance of the lid.


Wax isn't ideal in AZ, instead I used a minimal amount of silicon only around the edge of the bar where it can contact the lid. Solder lids back on and the feedback/squealing issues are gone. Now can turn up to 11 and enjoy. Guitar is cheap, but with some care and minimal money I was able to solve the noise and feedback issues which otherwise ruin the instrument.


I left the pickup wiring as is. Could have removed the wire shield from the pickup baseplate (which is soldered to cover) and ran different wiring. Ideally that would be a shielded pair, which I could make, but don't have anything appropriate at this time.
Pickup baseplate/cover connected to star ground with regular wire.
Pair of signal wires and shield to their respective pot. Shield connected to pot ground/case that is already grounded to star with it's own wire.

The PO of my Ibanez V potted the bridge pickup with surfboard wax. It's been fine for 40 years that way.

 

[ntsqd]

In this part of the world I'm betting that wax came from Zogs. I used to work across the street from their HQ. Once in a while the scent of coconut would be wafting thru the air.....