Something just clicked…..

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: did you put up just a regular white board for your to do's and having them checked off when completed until you find the one that closes up like a cabinet?

from my chair it looks like you've been busy both in the shop, with Tower book keeping and working on a tower this last week. you are only one man so give yourself a day off once in a while to either relax or spend with your GF.

you made a road trip to pick up an inversion table so you could have one at home and at the shop and i haven't heard you have any back pain lately. you've lost some weight too.

keep up the progress and don't look back and reflect negatively because it doesn't ever help.

 

[Strouty]

I am still using pen and paper for now. I did end up buying a surface tablet I just need to learn to use it.

Tomorrow morning I am going on a quick road trip to buy a 1954 chevy 210 hood. It is going over the door at the shop so I don't get all wet when unlocking the door in the rain.

 

[Nursepeter1973]

Great idea on the hood... and as one of the audience - stop being so hard on yourself. You sound like you doing a lot of stuff... you have the list...keep to the list

 

[dlcwent]

I am still using pen and paper for now. I did end up buying a surface tablet I just need to learn to use it.

Tomorrow morning I am going on a quick road trip to buy a 1954 chevy 210 hood. It is going over the door at the shop so I don't get all wet when unlocking the door in the rain.

A great idea for an awning.

 

[Strouty]

I met up with Grimaldi at his shop in Woolwich and he has got a bunch of projects as well. Maybe I can get him to join the forum too. The hood was better than expected and we made a deal so I ended up with the hood and all the trim, emblems, and hood ornament for $100.

 

[Strouty]

Great idea on the hood... and as one of the audience - stop being so hard on yourself. You sound like you doing a lot of stuff... you have the list...keep to the list

It is easy to be hard on yourself, I guess I need to recognize that and ease up a bit. Having the list is a great thing, but at first it is overwhelming, that is where most of my stress is coming from. Trying to balance life and work can be a pain when you run your own business and have no employees. I can see that if things keep going well, I may need to hire someone to help out next year. I am just not at the point where I want that responsibility again. I really wish I could work with my brother, but he seems to keep things one sided and never is available to help me out.

 

[Strouty]

I took a couple pictures of the hood, it is a two piece design, so it is riveted together under the trim. I will make a subframe for it as a support system and I will also need to weld the halves together. It will be a good project because I have not welded a lot of thinner metal like this, at least not for a long time, and then it was with an oxy acetylene setup. The back edge will also need to be squared up so it fits tight to the exterior of the building. I will probably paint the supports black and then clean the hood up and maybe clear coat it as is.

 

[Strouty]

Next week I would like to move this big vidmar cabinet out into the shop, I am going to put my adjustable table there instead. I have missed my little work area and I need to get things moved out for the new lista cabinets anyways. They are supposed to be ready in a few weeks. I was going to remove the cabinets my Dad bought, but he's not in a hurry, so I can wait and then unload them after I get the new wall system installed. That is a HUGE relief. Last time I got rid of cabinets, I ended up with piles of stuff everywhere!

Here is the beast:




Here is where is will end up:

 

[Strouty]

I also need to start prepping for the fall auction, basically anything that has not sold on craigslist and ebay by then will end up in the auction. I have about 6 weeks before they start taking consignments. I need to pace myself, I know if I push too hard, I will burn myself out. I think that is the typical cycle that I have been following. I am hoping that getting my physical body back in shape will help me mentally as well. Not feeling exhausted and worn out would be very welcome.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: i love the idea of the hood for a little shelter over the shop door. another idea might be to put up some flashing up against the shop to go over the gap where the hood isn't straight so you don't have to cut up the hood. have any lead or aluminum flashing laying around?

keep at it and i too sometimes wish i had an employee or helper and remember what all the negatives were with that such as making sure they have work and dealing with any and all their personal issues and i'd rather be slower and sore.

cheers buddy

 

[Strouty]

Good points for sure.

The hood has such a rounded area where it would meet the cowl, it is just goofy looking. If I get it close the roof has an 18" overhang all ready, so it does not need to be perfect.

 

[rmalkow2]

Very cool hood and with the trim as well. I've see other examples of that an it will look very good over your entrance and be a fairly simple project. Looking forward to the end result.

 

[Strouty]

The hood awning is on a sliding scale of importance. So it may be a while or may end up happening soon.

I have a few things to list on ebay, tomorrow I am going to list my older knaack boxes on craigslist. I also thought of an ingenious plan to move the big vidmar cabinet, the snap on guy can help me move it!

 

[Strouty]

I am starting things off with the 5 ton batteries. I just got them all out, next thing is to get them inside and start charging and testing them. I hope it is just one battery dragging the rest down, but who knows. At least my 24 volt booster pack will start the truck without the batteries installed, that way I can move the truck out of the way. One of the batteries is wet (seeping along the top), while the other three are dry. Once I get them inside I will also check the water levels and I think I have a hygrometer as well. I figure worst case if they are all junk, then I will buy just two batteries to replace these.

 

[nine4gmc]

That hood is awesome, can't wait to see it up so move your slider in the right direction please.

 

[RacerRick]

I think you may be overthinking it a bit. I would just clear coat the hood after squaring it off, then just run a line of black caulk down the center before reinstalling the trim. The frame you are building will be the structure, so all you really is for the hood to keep the water off of you.

BTW - I have read all 80 pages over the last week or so. Your doing great, and getting a hell of a lot more done than I am in my shop!

I took a couple pictures of the hood, it is a two piece design, so it is riveted together under the trim. I will make a subframe for it as a support system and I will also need to weld the halves together. It will be a good project because I have not welded a lot of thinner metal like this, at least not for a long time, and then it was with an oxy acetylene setup. The back edge will also need to be squared up so it fits tight to the exterior of the building. I will probably paint the supports black and then clean the hood up and maybe clear coat it as is.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: sounds like you are already off to a good start this week. good luck and we are here if you need a sounding board or help.

cheers

 

[dlcwent]

I think you may be overthinking it a bit. I would just clear coat the hood after squaring it off, then just run a line of black caulk down the center before reinstalling the trim. The frame you are building will be the structure, so all you really is for the hood to keep the water off of you.

BTW - I have read all 80 pages over the last week or so. Your doing great, and getting a hell of a lot more done than I am in my shop!

That is a lot of reading you've done RR. And he has made some unreal progress. With his shop as well as his mental well being.

And Drives, you're always there to help in what ever way you can.

 

[Strouty]

Nines, I would love to jump on it, but I have a bunch of more pressing things to do. I figure it can be a late night project. In October I will be sending some custom tower steel to the galvanizer and thought the frame might look cool galvanized, at least I would not have to worry about it rusting.

Rick, Thanks for taking the time to read and post, I appreciate it. I agree and believe I over think almost everything. The caulking would also keep the hood from warping.

Thanks Drives, so far so good.

As far as clear coating, do they make some that is not super glossy? I guess I will have to do a bit of research on that.

As far as the military batteries, I guess I should have measured the voltage before pulling them out, it looks like only one is bad, it reads 8.78 volts. Two of the remaining three were over 11 volts and one was over 12 volts. I am going to charge each one, then do a bit more testing since I all ready have them out. I need to go and get a spray nozzle for the hose (yes the water system works!), I figure I will wash down the inside of the battery box while the batteries are out of the way. I am also going to clean up the hold downs, they came apart surprisingly well, but they could use some never seize when I reinstall them.

 

[Strouty]

OK, so now I feel like a little kid in a candy store. I just got to use water under pressure at my shop! It is awesome, now I can wash things, I can rinse things, I can even setup a slip and slide!

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: you might have mentioned it before, but curious are you filling the big tank up with rain water or how?

congrats because i know that is a great improvement for you shop.

i sold or gave away all my white boards and need to pick another one up. i was at a sale where the person had a new pack of dry erase pens so i picked them up for $1 and now just need the board for my to do list.

 

[Strouty]

I do not have a collection system for water yet, I will work on that next year. Right now, I just bring the tank home and fill it with the hose, then bring it back. Of course I don't know how long it will take me to go through the water, so I am going to mark the level with some masking tape just to get a feel for it.

The dry erase markers also work great for writing a note on your car or truck windshield. I do that all the time, my Freightliner has no trip odometer, so I write the mileage that I fill up the full tank down, then just wipe it away. I also write phone numbers and addresses on it too.

I have a 3 by 4 dry erase board in the office, but I need to get one setup in the shop, it will be handy for those projects. That is most likely when I will make the fold out one.

 

[Strouty]

I almost have the big vidmar emptied out. Need to clean off the top and empty two more drawers that have tools in them. When the snap on guy shows up, he will help me get it moved, I am going to make him earn his money today!

 

[Strouty]

It is totally empty and the shop does not look like a tornado hit!

 

[mdbeck1]

OK, so now I feel like a little kid in a candy store. I just got to use water under pressure at my shop! It is awesome, now I can wash things, I can rinse things, I can even setup a slip and slide!

Not to throw a damper on the parade but ....

Does this mean you got the compressor tank cleaned out?

 

[mdbeck1]

It is totally empty and the shop does not look like a tornado hit!

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[Strouty]

Snap On helped me move the cabinet, worked out really well. He even suggested putting it on a pallet, so we did that. He thought I was kidding when I said the drawers weighed 50 pounds each. So we weighed them, at first it was only showing 22 pounds, but when I looked at him I could tell he was holding some weight. The big drawers weigh a bit over 50 pounds each. I think the cabinet weighs about 250 and then with the drawers it is about 600 pounds, empty. I was going to post some pictures, but photobucket has not been cooperating with me. Maybe I can post them later. I am headed out of the shop for the night, I will check back in later tonight.

 

[Strouty]

Not to throw a damper on the parade but ....

Does this mean you got the compressor tank cleaned out?

Not yet, I have to bring the crane over so I can pick the tank up, maybe tomorrow.

 

[rmalkow2]

You can get clear in flat, satin and gloss finishes so you've got your pick. You can get it in spray cans or buy a quart from the local auto supply that carries touch up paint if you need more. It will come pre-mixed and ready to shoot.

 

[Strouty]

Sounds good. I am not sure if I want flat, but I know I don't want gloss.

 

[nine4gmc]

Ahhh Slip and Slide...

 

[Strouty]

Here are the pictures for the day.

 

[Strouty]

This week I need to empty out the knaack boxes so I can get them listed on craigslist. I think after that I will try and get the base frame made for the vidmar, then I can put the drawers back in it, load it up, and still be able to move it. In the midst of all this I need to check the batteries from the 5 ton again, move the bench back to where the vidmar was, remove some lockers from the shop (yes again, but this time they are going up for sale on craigslist), and figure out how to attach the plumbing to the tank (I know I was going to do that a while ago, but I got sidetracked). I am sure there will be more that needs to get done, well I know there is more, but I am going to take things one day at a time. So we will revisit my list tonight and see what I got done today.

 

[Strouty]

I checked the batteries for the 5 ton, only one is good, the rest are junk. I am going to buy just one more and route the cables a bit differently. It should be fine except on the coldest days, but now that I have the booster pack, that will most likely offset losing the other set of batteries. Now I need to scrounge all my junk batteries together and go to the scrap yard. I guess I can load up today and bring the stuff over in the morning.

 

[Strouty]

So far I have done nothing on my list, but I did complete a bunch of tasks that needed to get done in the office. I ordered materials for a couple jobs and I spent some time getting info so my Dad can register his tractor trailer truck without paying all these crazy fees that he was told he needed to pay. This needed to be done so I can get the excavator over to my shop as well as to the job sites.

My GF is coming over this afternoon to see the new (old) hood that I am using for the awning.

I will say that my desk is 10 times cleaner than it was yesterday and it feels very good indeed. I have one more round of phone calls to the state that I will do after lunch, then I should be able to start working on getting the scrap together.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: paperwork and that other stuff you mentioned all is needed to keep the ball rolling for your business and TO DO's should come after that as time permits. pictures look great.

with all the bins do you have a method you want to share how you figured out where to put things and find them later? i probably have a half of a storage unit full of nuts, bolts and parts i need to organize so i can find them when i need to and having a hard time getting started.

we went from 90's for about a month to raining and 60's here this week so guessing our winter is right around the corner now. how's the AC in your shop working or do you even need it now?

 

[Strouty]

This week is hot and humid. So the AC is humming along nicely. As far as finding things later, I can't find them right now. Honestly the place has been a mess for a long time. Shuffling things has been a real problem, but the new storage wall should start to alleviate things. I had a few small areas organized, but they were just moved again, so now things are a mess.

This is one of my long term goals, to be able to find what I need when I need it. I hate buying something that I know I own, but can't locate it when I need it. This is going to be a long process and I will detail what I do. One thing I will say is that I have a tendency to over think everything, including organizing and labeling things. When I try and find a home for something, I tend to be too specific, I have been working on being more generalized, but it is tough for me.

 

[Strouty]

I guess I am not going to load stuff for the scrap yard today. I decided I would do a few of the errands that I was going to do in the morning, tonight, that way I don't have to waste time tomorrow.

 

[Mgnu]

Don't know about the rest of you, but I can't wait to see the wall-o-lista!!!!

 

[Strouty]

I can't wait either!

Only thing is it won't look quite as nice as the drawings, I was going for function not fashion.

I did get some of my errands done, but I got delayed by NAPA, I can't get my battery until tomorrow around 10AM. Not sure how that will shape my day, guess I will just figure it out when I figure it out.