Something just clicked…..

[Strouty]

My better half has got me working on the house until January 15th, so no real shop time. I have been able to sneak out to buy a few things and I thought I would update.

Pawn shop score on some NOS channellock branded Grip On pliers. They were marked $19.99 and they had three sets. I grabbed them all and when I hit the counter the woman says three at $10.99, I looked and someone had added a zero over the nine, I was happy!






I found a couple nylon strap banding tools, my brother needs one and I needed one, they are $125 new and I got these for much less.



I bought some fancy wire nuts for $1 a pack as well as 8 casters that have some torsion suspension on them. I did not grab any pictures of those though.

Next stop I picked up some little casters (14,000 pound per caster).




I found a new wire measurer that I have actually been looking for on ebay, but they are always $125 or more.




Then I bought a "cat washer" (the place has a sense of humor) just for the new ARO pump. I think I am going to resell that.



Final stop for that trip was my new "war finish" porter cable belt sander. The best part was it came with 30 new sanding belts. The unit is a 3/4 HP with a 4" by 54" belt, it will eat some steel.

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

Those pliers are awesome!

 

[Strouty]

Then yesterday I found out that I still had a chance to buy a baldor grinder/belt sander combo, so this morning I called and headed out to pick up another metal eating tool. This one is a smaller belt (2" by 48") with an 8" grinding wheel, but the motor is 1 1/2 HP so I don't think it will slow down much! They like being close to each other too.

 

[nine4gmc]

I'm more of a Baldor guy but that PC War Finish is all kinds of ****!! Good scores!!

 

[Strouty]

Those pliers are awesome!

I bought one pair of the actual Grip On's and I am in love, but they were $35 just for one pair, these ones will be so much nicer knowing I only paid $5 for each pair!

 

[Strouty]

I'm more of a Baldor guy but that PC War Finish is all kinds of ****!! Good scores!!

Ask and ye shall receive.

 

[the spyder]

I've managed to pickup a few pairs of those Grip On's from a local plumbing supply @19 a set and I thought I was lucky! Nice store. Super envouse of the belt grinders. I can't even find a Baldor locally for under $350.

 

[Thumper68]

Strouty your shop is filling up again you better ship that War Finish to me, I can store it for you and keep your shop cleaner.

 

[Strouty]

With the help of all my GJ friends I could have my shop emptied in a day or two!

 

[Strouty]

Strouty your shop is filling up again you better ship that War Finish to me, I can store it for you and keep your shop cleaner.

Sorry Thumper, I sold a drill press and my old 8" pedestal grinder today, so now I have more room than I did before.

I was almost sad to see my made in China tools go away, not.

 

[dlcwent]

Didn't that clock in the background of the wire measurer give you a subliminal message?
Time to stop buying.

Strouty you are a

 

[Strouty]

I try!

 

[dlcwent]

I try!

I mean it. you are a one of a kind. Not in a bad way. I need to hang with you and see how the other side rolls.

 

[Strouty]

You can live vicariously through me, it will be a lot less of a headache.


Next order of business is a vertical bandsaw, I may have to really travel for a decent one. I want at least a 20", but A_Pmech has me all jealous with the 36" Doall. I figure it needs to match the scale of my drill press, LOL.

The next couple weeks are going to be mostly working on the house, I hope to escape to the shop for a few days here and there. If I get anything done I will update, or if I find my bandsaw.

 

[Strouty]

I got the project at the house to a good stopping point, so now I am going to do a little work at the shop. It is pretty cold outside and of course I have to move some snow, I did not plow the last storm very well. Now I have to shovel some drifts and finish plowing the snow.

I hope to get the boat moved sideways today, that way I can get a car in as well. It just so happens that the GF's car needs some struts and coil springs to pass for the state inspection. Gotta love the bumpy *** roads, she actually broke off a chunk of the coil spring!

 

[Strouty]

I should have taken some before pictures, oh well, you will have to use your imagination. The shelves were packed with stuff, most of it random, some of it trash. I tossed the junk and then started separating things by type. I took a break and then spent some time weeding out the books and catalogs in my office. Tomorrow I will start in on the shelving again, I plan on setting up some areas to help sort things by general type.

 

[Kev442]

Looks like we spent the day doing the same things. After all was said and done, I got some things off the floor and the garbage and recycling bins are pretty full. Feels good.

 

[Strouty]

Looks like we spent the day doing the same things. After all was said and done, I got some things off the floor and the garbage and recycling bins are pretty full. Feels good.

Yes it does!

 

[Strouty]

I found a good example of what it looked like before I started. This is actually the part I did not get to, but it looked close.





I also took apart the "cat washer" and found that the pump should bring about $200 on the bay. I figure the rest of it will make a decent roll around electrolysis tank.

 

[Strouty]

Changed the plan, but got a lot done. GF's car needs to be worked on, so I got the boat moved. I also spent time shuffling some bigger things around, so I still have space to work. I will tell you, those dollies are great, but changing directions is a chore, once it is going the direction you want, it moves fairly well. I also wonder if having four dollies so close together makes it more or less difficult????


Started out like this:



Ended up like this:



Then the incidental stuff I moved:

 

[nine4gmc]

Looking good!

 

[Strouty]

This week should be full of updates, I am feeling motivated.

 

[Kev442]

Another thing I got done Sunday was to gather all the car/motorcycle batteries to the door. I've been getting them out of every nook, cranny, scrap car, truck bed, etc since last summer. Took them in today: $200. Niiiiice.

 

[Strouty]

I have some scrap I want to bring in later this week as well. It is nice to get paid to get stuff out of the way.

Yesterday I ended up doing paperwork all day, trying to get something I thought would only take a few hours done. I was mistaken, I will be working on it some more tonight, hopefully finish most of it. Today turned into another day of waste, I had to go get an estimate to repair my truck after someone back into it. When I got to my shop, I just needed to add air to the 5 ton's front tire, easier said than done. I have no air compressor still, so I had bought parts to make up a glad hand air line so I can just use the truck. I looked in the box that I keep my incoming parts for current project, I could not find the glad hand. I looked everywhere, nothing. I was sure I put it in the box when amazon delivered it, so I looked again, this time with my eyes open and there it was. Next I had to go to NAPA to get some fittings, got that done. I could not get air to go into the tire, I ended up having to remove the CTIS stuff and finally got some air in it. The damn tire still leaks at about 55 PSI, so I will have to remove it and replace the o-rings. Now I am waiting for a buddy to come over so he can help me try and get my freightliner unstuck. I am pretty sure this is not going to be fun.

Here are some pics of the CTIS, someone had added a schrader core to override the unit at one point.

 

[Strouty]

I had to change the tire on the 5 ton, it had gone flat once again. Lucky for me the impact worked off the glad hand adapter I made. With the impending blizzard, there was lots to be done. Just moving a few trucks was a pain since it had been low teens for the previous evening, nothing wanted to start so it took several hours of fun! All the trucks got moved, I even had enough room (barely) to get the snowplow into the shop. When I say it fit, I mean it fit.

 

[2girls&aGuy]

This is in front of the stairs going up to the storage loft

Any details on what those red magnetic tracks shown in this picture are? I just bought a new house that had a few of these sitting in the garage.

 

[Strouty]

If you mean the long skinny ones, they are socket holders. The other ones are just trays.

 

[skulldrinker]

Yeah and i thought I was the only one that has 2 garages and my car is parked outside in zero degree weather.

 

[Firebrand]

I have to commend you on your determination and drive to sort through your collection and fears and move your shop along irrespective of your life's interruptions! I share your desire for being prepared for situations down the road a piece by stocking parts and items you might need, especially when the parts stores aren't open or close by. Those items then are made from unobtainium and cost more than time, which as we all know equals money! Stay the course and keep on making forward progress!! Any compressor progress? More pictures, please!

 

[Strouty]

Yeah and i thought I was the only one that has 2 garages and my car is parked outside in zero degree weather.

You are absolutely not alone.

I have to commend you on your determination and drive to sort through your collection and fears and move your shop along irrespective of your life's interruptions! I share your desire for being prepared for situations down the road a piece by stocking parts and items you might need, especially when the parts stores aren't open or close by. Those items then are made from unobtainium and cost more than time, which as we all know equals money! Stay the course and keep on making forward progress!! Any compressor progress? More pictures, please!

I honestly don't think I will be able to get anything done for another few weeks. I have been moving snow, fixing plows, and other immediately urgent things. The boat kind of killed things, I am sure it will be nice this summer, but right now it is really a problem. I will absolutely update when things start happening again, we are supposed to get another 6 to 8" tonight and we got a few inches last night. I know many of you guys are in the same situation and I feel for you!

 

[Bobcat753]

Just read through your thread and Holy ****! You have a nice shop and a lot of toys!

Also have you sold the lightbars yet? I might be interested if the price is right.

 

[Strouty]

Thanks for taking the time, I hope to start updating things as the snow melts. I just plowed the last 6" of snow, it is quite depressing seeing the projects I want to work on trapped behind feet of snow. I figure a few more weeks and things will start looking better, at least I hope so.

 

[Firebrand]

I feel your snow pain as we have quite similar snow pack depth here in NH. I just plowed out my barn access lane AGAIN for like the thirtieth time this season but can only move my loader tractor as nothing else will make it out. Not to worry, August will be here before we know it! Ever onward!!

 

[Strouty]

I just find it ironic, that the reason I am having so much trouble is a boat that I don't really even know if I want yet.

 

[Firebrand]

I can appreciate your concerns about a boat project given the rule that they are a hole you pour money into. In my case, I purchased a used Whaler, with wifely blessing, and then had to make it more presentable once home in NH. Had a hub grenade on I-95 down in New Haven, CT only five miles into the return trip to NH. Found parts and fixed it in the parking lot of a Wendy's thanks to a fellow boater in the form of the manager! Here's a look at what I started with...

And after stripping the bottom paint off with a sander, prepping the surface, and finally spraying new gel coat from the keel up to the gunnels, she shines like a new boat instead of a wreck from 1975 left out in the sun and salt!

Now there were lots of hours in the prep for that including interior work, electrical wiring, powerhead replacement, lower unit rebuild, new steering cable and helm, new control cables, stereo and speakers, seat rebuilds, lights, and stainless fittings. Good thing this was wife sanctioned and that I have a barn to work on this and my tractors!

Don't fear it, float it!

 

[Strouty]

Firebrand, that came out beautiful. I love whalers, I had an older (1960's) 12 foot one, but it was more project than I wanted and my neighbor was looking for a project, so he has it now. I hope my boat turns out useable, I still have to do a bunch of connections to get the motor usable and the biggest hurdle is mounting the oil tank for the motor. I have no real money into it, but the aggravation it is causing makes me want to pull my hair out. I figure it need to run, then I can decide if I want to keep it or sell it.

Once this storm is over, I am going to move a few things around so I can at least get a few things done inside.

My ebay sales list has grown so I need to start listing things for sale, I will probably put a few things up for sale here too. I decided to scrap a bunch more stainless steel parts that no one seems interested in. Of course my brother and I just bought a bunch of new steel that I need to find a place to put. It was a "great deal" and I fell into the trap, at least I can use a bunch of it when I start making my shelving.

 

[Strouty]

Today was a heat wave, I think it was 38, it felt great! I got the latest storm (only about 4") cleaned up and then decided to move some vehicles around so I could get some room to move in the shop again. I pulled out the car that I am afraid to work on, I have never done front coil springs and I am not really sure if I want to tackle it right now. I was supposed to have a friend help me, but with all the snow he has not been able to do anything in the last month. I may try and do it myself, I am just worried what happens if I can't finish it, then I have a half torn apart car in the middle of the shop.

I also got a great deal on some steel (traded for a couple hours helping my brother), I am probably going to get some more next week, I just need to figure out where to put it all, my steel rack is a mess and access is limited.

Another thing I need to do is wire up the lights that I got from my Dad for free. They are the T5 style lights, he just put them in last year, but there was a rebate program in Maine that allowed him to replace each fixture with an LED version for FREE, so he replaced all of them. I think they allowed $375 per light, it was a no brainer to this. Now I have some nice fixtures, I will have to see about bulbs, he is not as picky as I am and I currently have 6500 if I remember correctly. I don't want to change the "feel" that my current lights give the shop, almost feels like I am outside.

 

[nine4gmc]

That's a hell of a score there Strouty!

 

[Strouty]

That's a hell of a score there Strouty!

I know, I was bragging.


The next load of steel will be longer pieces and some bigger ones too. I am getting some 2x4s tomorrow so I can tarp the boat and get it out of the shop too, that will allow me to get started on some overdue projects.

 

[mdbeck1]

...
The next load of steel will be longer pieces and some bigger ones too. I am getting some 2x4s tomorrow so I can tarp the boat and get it out of the shop too, that will allow me to get started on some overdue projects.

I was wondering if you could do something like that.

With all the snow that you get wold it be better to put plywood over the top of the boat instead of a taurp?