The Aerodrome Studio - Machine_Punk

[GirlnAgarage]

Does your garage have a floor???

 

[machine_punk]

Thanks. Yes, as I look around the shop, I see a fair mix of stuff I bought brand new, and stuff I got really cheaply, because I am constantly watching for deals. Just the other day, I was looking at the website for my rack rail supplier, and found aluminum handles on clearance, 10 for $10. Needless to say, I bought 30 of those. It may be a lifetime supply for my own projects, but at least I found them for a great price.

My threshold for buying 'new' is when used costs 75% of new price. If I am going to get that close in price, I don't want to risk buying other people's problems. Of course, if I can get new for a severely-discounted price, that helps too.

While it is nice having a little bit of open floor, I'm not sure where I'd shove anything else (says the guy who is getting ready to order a few more tools from Tin Man Tech). I am looking forward to actually building things for a while, instead of just accumulating.

M_P, nice score at the sale. Always nice to find useful equipment at garage sale prices. At one office building I worked in, I got my wall mounted TV shelf for $5.

Congrats on the 1 year of pounding rivets. Seems I haven't seen any smiley faces in a long time. Hold on to that sample as a memento of Aluminum - Day One!

And that question on the gray stuff is a hard one. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm sure you are all over it and will figure it out. Although I've heard from some people that when you get so much of that stuff, it's time to get more tools...

 

[machine_punk]

Does your garage have a floor???

I don't remember ever seeing one, but I know 'something' has been holding up all this Stuff for the past couple of years. Actually, I had the garage fairly cleared out, until a couple of years ago. Then there was a big upheaval and here we are.

M_P

 

[GirlnAgarage]

lol That's cool to see the floor start growing. Once you find it you do everything you can to keep it. Least that's what I'm finding in mine. I love the floor space. I can clutter it up if I want, but soon as I can I get things put away. I don't want to lose it!


BtW I'm totally jealous of your sheet brake again. Those photos you posted hit my I want button.

 

[machine_punk]

Hee hee...yep, I worked on a couple of small projects today and got a few bits of plastic on the floor, then got the dust pan and broom and cleaned the floor up, before moving on to another project.

I seem to remember that you have a wonderful, home-built brake. I do have to agree with you, though, having a shear, brake, and roll available to fabricate with is quite fabulous. I have no idea how I made ANY progress in fabrication before this machine.

Thanks for taking the time to post!

M_P

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I do have a pretty good brake. But the fingers on yours are too shiny in that end shot.

As for the floor, I sometimes vacuum it. Sweeping is NOT enough Actually I started doing that because I like to run in there real quick and I'm barefoot.

 

[machine_punk]

With the new camera, it is difficult to get a wide angle shot. The lens I have is listed as a focal length of 50mm, which is equivalent of an 80mm lens (once you factor in the digital camera sensor size ratio thingy). It is a prime lens, which means the only 'zoom' you have is your feet, moving you closer or further from your subject. Long story short, it is hard to get wide angle shots. Hmmm...maybe I'll have to look for a zoom lens for this thing.

So, I broke out the old point & shoot camera and, oddly enough, my new cell phone, which seemed to take the best wide angle shot of all of them.

Here are a few more pictures of the studio, all freshly cleaned up. Enjoy...
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M_P

 

[machine_punk]

MP, have a look at urethane dies. From what I've seen they're extremely impressive and there's a wide range of stuff you can do with them. They also don't mar the outer side of the bend.

I will look into that...thanks!

I did look into the urethane dies...and that is COOL.

http://www.polyprod.com/Urethane-Press-Brake-Dies.html

Looks like a urethane die solves a LOT of problems with a press brake. I've got a few 'low cost' ideas surrounding the die tooling issues...I'll post more, as I have time to test a few things out.

M_P

 

[Bob Heine]

Re: The Organized Studio

On the wall, you see the Reconfigurable Tool Rack and the first couple of Custom Tool Boards I have built...
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M_P

M_P

I noticed your custom power strip is filling up. While looking to improve the rat's nest of cables living under my office desk, I came across something that reminded me of your Reconfigurable Tool Rack. It is a standard rack width and has 2 outlets on the front and ten more on the back. You could have the items that are always plugged in connected to the back side outlets.

Link to Item: http://www.cyberguys.com/product-details/?productid=24382&core_cross=SEARCH_SKU

Unfortunately it is 4.5 inches deep so it may not fit your Reconfigurable Tool Rack. If the depth is close but regular plugs won't fit, these pigtails might help:

Link to Item: http://www.cyberguys.com/product-details/?productid=6227&core_cross=SEARCH_SKU

 

[machine_punk]

Thats a problem I've been thinking about too! The power outlets on the front are actually intended only for any tools I happen to plug in, while I am actually using them (one of those cords is the drill press).

I like that unit you show...I've seen and used many units like that as a volunteer sound engineer for the past 30 years. You know me, though, I want a CUSTOM solution. ;-) The rack rails that commercial surge suppressor is designed for are exactly the same as the rack rail I have used in my rack.

That outlet strip, built into the Reconfigurable Tool Rack, is actually fed by a heavy-duty extension cord. My plan is to place another outlet strip behind the RTR (there is a fair amount of clearance, since it is surface-mounted on strut rails, which are also surface mounted. I was sure I'd need a little wiggle room back there, so I am glad I engineered it into the system. There will be several things which will always need power, that I don't want to clog up the front power strips with (two dental lights, mounted at the top of the rack. A clock, which I am building soon, which will use AC power. A fluorescent tube light panel at the top of the rack. I will also make a Custom Tool Board for mounting that iPod dock/speaker system, and permanently run power for that.)

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and chat!

M_P

 

[machine_punk]

Flow Forming

I got a fair amount of time in the studio this afternoon and evening, despite having to go in for a three-hour meeting this morning. The rest of the family seemed to be self-entertaining, so I sneaked out to the studio. Now that the Baileigh 3-in-1 is settled in, I am back to prototyping my vertical base for the Milwaukee portable band saw.

I swear this was clean, just an hour ago. E-TEK...have you been working in my garage?!?!
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I got some new toys! I've been a fan of this place, called TM Technologies, for quite a while. The owner has been doing sheet metal of all sorts for a long time and teaches courses and sells equipment. The place is relatively close to me and I plan to attend his 4-day welding course some day...

http://www.tinmantech.com/

As most of you know, I've been planning to build aeroplane-like items for a while. I want to actually built these items with the same techniques you might use to manufacture a wing or another part of a plane. A wing has one, or more, long, stiff spars, from the base of the wing out to the wingtips, which carry the load of the plane to the wings. It also has ribs, which are formed pieces of very thin metal, which give the skin of the wing its aerodynamic shape. There are a LOT of neat little tricks to give these very thin sheets of metal the strength they need, without adding a lot of extra weight. They have shape (as opposed to just 'bent,' they are curved in two different directions) they have lightening holes (which remove even more weight, but are bent at the rims, which stiffen the panel more), and they often have an indent formed into them for more stiffness (the name of this escapes me at this time)...

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I did NOT make these, but they are a beautiful example of ribs...
View media item 20813(nope...I didn't make those, but they are beautiful)

There are slow and painful ways to form these ribs and there are faster ways to form these ribs. The fastest way, is to own an aeroplane factory, with a huge press, with dies to punch these out as quickly as a worker can put another piece of metal in the press. I suppose the slowest way would be to form each one by hand, with hammers and dollies. The 'Mama Bear' solution, in the middle, is to build a basic form (in my case, out of MDF) and use a flow forming tool to form the metal to the form. Here is the flow forming tool I got in the mail yesterday (covered in my friend, Cosmo Line). I already owned the pneumatic rivet gun. What I got was the metal piece, which fits where you would put a chisel on an air hammer, and five different hammer inserts (which go from the softest, the cream-colored one, to the hardest, the white one in the rivet gun). This setup put me back about $250 (for just the insert holder and 5 inserts. EEEK.) OH well, I'm sure this is going to save a lot of time, once I get going. Here, you see a piece of 0.040 aluminum, trimmed, on the form, and ready for flow forming...
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How did I get a round-tipped, MDF form, you ask?

I noticed that my hole saw made nice plugs of MDF, when I was cutting 1-11/16" (4-1/4 CM) holes for something else. It gives me a plug which is pretty much exactly 1.5" (3-3/4 CM) in diameter (inside diameter of the kerf of the hole saw). I figured it was close enough, for what I was trying to build, so I cut some MDF strips to exactly the same width as the diameter of the MDF plugs I already had, screwed that plug onto the end of the strip (with a washer for wiggle room), and used a straight pattern bit to cut that diameter on the both ends of the strip.

Here is the setup, before cutting (this is just for show...I flipped everything over, clamped it down, and used standard router safety procedures)...
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This is after cutting...
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This is the finished form, with all the bits disassembled, so you can see what I used to get the rounded form...
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The result was less-than-successful tonight (but a good learning experience). For one, I think I can go with significantly thinner metal for ribs this size (I have a sheet of 0.020 aluminum too). I think I may also need to turn down how hard the rivet gun is hitting (It is busting the form out of the clamps, but not moving much metal. I have a pressure control and gauge built into the whip hose of the rivet gun). I may have to noodle around with annealing the aluminum too, it may have just work hardened to the point it is too stiff to work.
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The project on the right was my first project in the studio today, just a practice piece to demonstrate 'anchor nuts,' also called a 'nut plates' in the aeroplane industry. These are little captive nuts with holes to rivet them permanently in place. I won't pretend this was a stellar job of riveting for me, but I am overall pleased with the test piece for anchor nuts. This took a good two hours to make, just because I was following normal aeroplane-building techniques, and not just trying to knock out a piece. This was my first time using countersunk rivets--I didn't even have the countersinking cage. I just used my deburring/countersinking tool and kept at it until they were flush. In front of the test piece, you see three anchor nuts (these are the nice free-floating ones, which give you a little wiggle room for assembly. I get them for $0.40 each on eBay, when I buy lots of 100. I have standardized on the 10-32 size for my shop (the same fasteners as used in the rack rail on the Reconfigurable Tool Rack)...
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One last picture. This is some red oak I got at Home Depot the other day, for a little project in the studio. I won't tell you what that project is yet, but I found a way to deal with a recent problem, which will be easier and cheaper than what I thought I was going to have to do. For those with sharp eyes, who follow The Aerodrome Studio, there is a hint in the picture...
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OH! The Baileigh got a workout today...I started with a 4x8 sheet of 0.040 aluminum sheet and cut it in half first, then cut a few 2.5" x 4' strips for the prototype I am working on.

OH! X2. I also ordered the Roper-Whitney No 5 Jr. punch kit the other day from McMaster-Carr (I'm thinking I should have gone with Enco now...I'm afraid to see what overnight shipping is going to cost). That should be here tomorrow. It is going to really speed up some of the construction methods I use. (I already drill a LOT of holes, to put rivets in. I will use this punch for when I want to add relief to a corner which will be bent (see my little anchor nut project in this post...I drilled the corners, cut out the rest of the 'notch' with tin snips, then bent the edges. It doesn't matter so much for that project, but it reduces the likelihood of stress fractures on structural parts.

I think my next major purchase is going to be the Alibre Design 3D modeling software (I only had the one-month demo before. Go back a few posts, if you want to see some examples I created). The Personal Edition is about $200 and I was well pleased with the program, once I wrapped my head around the concept of 3D modeling.

I've been enjoying the new (to me) digital SLR camera (old Canon 10D). The only issue is that it does NOT take wide angle pictures with the current lens. I'm thinking about trying one of those $40 wide-angle attachments, which just screw onto the front of the lens. I only occasionally take wide angle shots (mainly just when I want to show an overview of the studio), so that might be an acceptable option for the short term.

I am really pleased with my new fluorescent lights. I stuck with T12's, but I upgraded to 'Daylight' bulbs (6500K, for those who have been following the other discussion in Electrical). I know some folks complain it is 'too bluish,' but I absolutely love them. Every time I walk out into the garage, from the house, I think, "Oh no, I left the garage door open," but then I realize it is just the daylight bulbs in the Studio.

Anyway, had a blast out in the studio today. Really felt like I was getting back into building, after taking a while to settle in the new machine and sort out the garage enough to be able to move around in there.

M_P

 

[Wingnut65]

Glad to see you are having fun in the Aerodrome. I put the daylight bulbs in my place and love it as well.

I could probably find most of your smaller tools in my garage as well. Growing up we had my Dad's '56 Cessna C-172 in the garage as we rebuilt it. We formed ribs for the flaps and ailerons just like you are doing. I also have a shrinker that helps on those curves. You will love that punch.

One source for sheet metal tools that I have found good prices is The Yard Store. Not sure what the hammer tip would cost there, but other tools are reasonable.

Keep it up M_P and have fun out there. Glad to see the Baileigh is getting used.

 

[barrelvalve]

Keep it up.

In the future if you need to grind aluminum, get some blocks of wax from a craft shop. Touch your grinding disk to the wax and grind away. The wax will stop the disk from filling up with aluminum. Also will help when sawing thicker aluminum.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I apologize in advance for cluttering your thread with pictures. But I made a wing out of aluminum a few years back. I was totally improvising with the design, but it held up for years of use as an automotive wing, which is a pretty punishing kind of use.

I made a wooden buck so I could duplicate the airfoil shape of the ribs. I used a combination of nesting tubes and T-shaped stock for the spars. I skinned it with aluminum sheet that is sold as roofing flashing. It was all held together with 3M structural adhesive. At the time, I put about $25 worth of aluminum into it. But the adhesive costs were somewhere around $50.

In use, it looked like this (that's the corkscrew at Laguna Seca -- it's like driving off a cliff):



Here's a set of pictures that shows how I made the ribs. I think I was using much thinner aluminum than you, but the thing supported 400# of static weight when it was done.



















Here's a summary of all the pieces I used:



Construction:

A - Ribs are Alloy 3003 .02 inch, folded over to 3/4 inch tabs

B - Anchor rib: Alloy 6061 .9mm
Rear leg doubled up with same material
Front leg doubled up with 1.1 mm by 3/4 inch bar, L-shaped to meet up with 1/2 tube, secured with clamp and glue

C - Spars are 35" each Alloy 6061 T-Section 5/8" X 1/2" X 1/20" Thk
Spars are bridged with 4" rectangles of Alloy 3003 .02 inch

D - Main tube is Alloy 38.5" 6063 .625" Od, .527" Id,
with inserted 36" Alloy 6063 .500" Od, .370" Id

E - Rear tube is 14" 6063 .625" Od, .527" Id,
with inserted 7.5" Alloy 6063 .500" Od, .370" Id

F - Skin is '0.86 gauge' Aluminum flashing material

Also:

Gurney lip is made with 35" each 1/2-inch L-shaped Alloy 6063 1/16" thick

Where tubes meet ribs, the junction is reinforced with a snap-on piece of PVC pipe, about 1/3-1/2 inch, secured all around with adhesive.

When it was finished, it all came apart to fit inside the car for trips to the track:



Full documentation in this thread.

And as a footnote: you'll see that it was all done outside, under a canopy. This was back when my garage was just a 20x22 pile of storage and junk -- not inhabitable at all.

 

[octironSmith]

Is that the corkscrew?

 

[SiGmA_X]

Pick up a 35mm lens for your DX camera! You'll like it a lot better than the 50. I bought a 50mm first as it was half the price, and then sold it for $30 less... Big waste of money! The 35mm is win on a DX.

 

[EdT]

M_P,
I saw the video on flow forming shortly after I got a tote full of aircraft tools from an estate sale; including a rivet gun or two. It looked like an ideal solution for a project my neighbor had asked me to investigate involving some long obsolete car parts. They are fairly simple heat shields involving intersecting stiffening ribs and rolled edges. The standard way of doing stiffening ribs is with a beading machine, but the intersections are tricky. Apparently it can be done using a skateboard wheel for the lower wheel. But, since this is a multi piece project I was concerned about the repeatability of the process especially the location of the beads and their ends. While flow forming requires making a form to make the part in, it does offer repeatability once that is made. Anyhow, it's been remarkably successful as a way to make the parts. I've been using .040 AK steel and .032" regular CRS. The stiffening ribs are the simplest part while the outside corners are the hardest (as you found).
On your test piece, I think if you anneal the aluminum and work from the center of the corner around to the straight sides you should have good luck. I think the idea is to redistribute the extra metal into the straight part where it can be more easily "absorbed". That's what I've been doing, and it seems to work. Avoid letting the metal get into a tight pleat as you massage it to shape. I also found it helpful to reduce the width of the bent down flange to what it will ultimately need to be. The wider it is, the more extra metal you have to deal with. Bigger radii are easier. One of the pieces I'm working on has six outside corners and four inside corners. The inside ones are a breeze because the metal is getting stretched. That said, you need to watch out for nicks and other stress risers when you are stretching or you run the risk of a tear. Even the little toothy marks your hand shears leave can be problematic.
I am definitely liking flow forming and I'm looking for other projects to apply it to. I'm sure Kent is ticked because I made my own tooling, but I have the material, the equipment and the time and no sense or money so that seemed the best way for me. TM's prices are fair when I look at what it took me to make a set up that worked and didn't have fatigue failures. Third time was the charm

 

[machine_punk]

I could probably find most of your smaller tools in my garage as well. Growing up we had my Dad's '56 Cessna C-172 in the garage as we rebuilt it. We formed ribs for the flaps and ailerons just like you are doing. I also have a shrinker that helps on those curves. You will love that punch.

One source for sheet metal tools that I have found good prices is The Yard Store. Not sure what the hammer tip would cost there, but other tools are reasonable.

Keep it up M_P and have fun out there. Glad to see the Baileigh is getting used.

Thanks for the kind words! Cool...you know exactly what I'm trying to do, if you've done repairs on a real aeroplane. The Yard Store is definitely on the list of places I look, but I mostly use Brown Tool (since they usually have US-made options on most of their tools) and Aircraft Spruce (primarily for the actual rivets, but occasionally they have the tool I want and Brown Tool doesn't...and their shipping is SUPER quick, since it is in LA, which isn't that far from Napa Valley).

Thanks for stopping by--I'm glad to be using the Baileigh.

Keep it up.

In the future if you need to grind aluminum, get some blocks of wax from a craft shop. Touch your grinding disk to the wax and grind away. The wax will stop the disk from filling up with aluminum. Also will help when sawing thicker aluminum.

Great idea! I've heard about loading files up with chalk. I'll have to try that wax trick on the grinders, even though I finally have enough saws and shears to not need to use the grinder much on aluminum anymore. Dealing with clogged cutters is definitely a challenge in working with aluminum.

Thanks for taking the time to post!

I apologize in advance for cluttering your thread with pictures. But I made a wing out of aluminum a few years back. I was totally improvising with the design, but it held up for years of use as an automotive wing, which is a pretty punishing kind of use.

I made a wooden buck so I could duplicate the airfoil shape of the ribs. I used a combination of nesting tubes and T-shaped stock for the spars. I skinned it with aluminum sheet that is sold as roofing flashing. It was all held together with 3M structural adhesive. At the time, I put about $25 worth of aluminum into it. But the adhesive costs were somewhere around $50.

--LOTSA PICS--

And as a footnote: you'll see that it was all done outside, under a canopy. This was back when my garage was just a 20x22 pile of storage and junk -- not inhabitable at all.

You are always welcome to post pics here, Jack. I've followed your garage with great interest. This has always been a very picture-heavy thread.

I'm much closer to the 'pile of storage and junk' stage in my garage, but I have finally beaten back the Pile of Stuff enough to see some empty floor space, so I can think, breathe, and work in the studio.

As I look at your pics, it is clear that your car racing wings have a definite heritage in aeroplane wings. I have read a couple of your threads on building car wings. I thought it was particularly interesting that there are a bunch of 'standard profiles' out there for racers, and you choose the wing shape which gives you the characteristics you are looking for.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pick up a 35mm lens for your DX camera! You'll like it a lot better than the 50. I bought a 50mm first as it was half the price, and then sold it for $30 less... Big waste of money! The 35mm is win on a DX.

Thanks for the information. I came from the regular, 35-mm-film world (college photography course), so I am working on incorporating that 1.6 digital conversion factor thinking. The 35mm lens you mentioned would bring it right into 56mm, with the conversion factor, right about the 'normal' lens in photography.

My concern was, though, that I would end up buying another lens, which still wouldn't do what I want (actually the 50mm lens does do exactly what I want most of the time, I just occasionally want a wider angle.) Your personal experience gives me one more piece of information in the search for a new lens.

Thanks for taking the time to show me another option! First-hand experience is one of the most valuable results of this forum.

M_P,
I saw the video on flow forming shortly after I got a tote full of aircraft tools from an estate sale; including a rivet gun or two. It looked like an ideal solution for a project my neighbor had asked me to investigate involving some long obsolete car parts. They are fairly simple heat shields involving intersecting stiffening ribs and rolled edges. The standard way of doing stiffening ribs is with a beading machine, but the intersections are tricky. Apparently it can be done using a skateboard wheel for the lower wheel. But, since this is a multi piece project I was concerned about the repeatability of the process especially the location of the beads and their ends. While flow forming requires making a form to make the part in, it does offer repeatability once that is made. Anyhow, it's been remarkably successful as a way to make the parts. I've been using .040 AK steel and .032" regular CRS. The stiffening ribs are the simplest part while the outside corners are the hardest (as you found).
On your test piece, I think if you anneal the aluminum and work from the center of the corner around to the straight sides you should have good luck. I think the idea is to redistribute the extra metal into the straight part where it can be more easily "absorbed". That's what I've been doing, and it seems to work. Avoid letting the metal get into a tight pleat as you massage it to shape. I also found it helpful to reduce the width of the bent down flange to what it will ultimately need to be. The wider it is, the more extra metal you have to deal with. Bigger radii are easier. One of the pieces I'm working on has six outside corners and four inside corners. The inside ones are a breeze because the metal is getting stretched. That said, you need to watch out for nicks and other stress risers when you are stretching or you run the risk of a tear. Even the little toothy marks your hand shears leave can be problematic.
I am definitely liking flow forming and I'm looking for other projects to apply it to. I'm sure Kent is ticked because I made my own tooling, but I have the material, the equipment and the time and no sense or money so that seemed the best way for me. TM's prices are fair when I look at what it took me to make a set up that worked and didn't have fatigue failures. Third time was the charm

Thanks for the sage advice, as usual! Believe me, I was very interested in trying to make that insert holder myself...but I just don't have much time behind a lathe. In the end, it's a 'once in a lifetime' purchase...or at least 'once every few years.' I am a firm believer that whatever your hobby is, you should have the professional tools for that hobby.

I actually have learned the basics of metal shaping...I took the Contour Autocraft week-long course (specialists in vintage Jaguar XK cars...they can build you an entire body, new, from scratch), while I lived in England.

http://www.contourautocraft.co.uk/

I have the basics of it down, just need to dust off some of that knowledge and apply it to my aluminum work. I am rolling around some ideas for a shaping stump.

I'll have to read back through your reply a few times and digest all the information you posted! Thanks for stopping by.

M_P

 

[machine_punk]

Motorcycle Relay Bracket

I got a little time out in the studio this afternoon. I thought I'd work on a quick project for someone else. There is a guy at work, who has an off-road bike (a big BMW K-something-or-the-other...the sort you ride across Africa). He does does have his set up for that...the panniers, built in communications and GPS, and extra lights.

The problem comes with his extra lights. He needed a relay to switch them, and that relay had built-in, plastic tabs for mounting. The very first trip with the relay, that mounting tab broke and left him with no way to mount the relay. He has it temporarily zip-tied to something solid, but has been wanting to fabricate an aluminum bracket for it. He showed me the relay and the bike the other day and I got to thinkin'...Hmmm...sounds right up my alley.

So, I take some precise measurements (place my fingers next to the relay and try to remember about how long and wide it is--and how much room there is around the bolt where he wants to fasten it), and store the information away until I have time to work on it.

That time came last night. My evaluation month is up on Alibre Design and it will be a couple of months before I am budgeted to buy the Personal Edition. So, I broke out my P.A.D. Program on my biochemical processing unit (Pencil Aided Design and my brain) and worked through the design.

The started on the back of an old envelope, in the 'shred' pile, and figured out where I was going to need to have support for this relay. Once I had a basic design, I got out the graph paper and started to pencil in specific details, using the assumptions and 'about that long' measurements from my few moments inspecting the bike. Then, I transferred the design to a piece of .040 aluminum sheet. Here, you see the envelope sketch, the refined sketch, the metal layout, and the new Roper-Whitney No. 5 Jr. hole punch, in which I have the 0.25" round punch, to punch the inside corners...
View media item 20870
The punch worked beautifully. The neat thing is that the punch has a small centering point in the middle, so you can use center punch marks to line up the punch, the same way you use them for drilling a hole.

I punched all the inside corners, then used the Milwaukee portable band saw (clamped in a work table) to cut the straight lines, then used a couple of hand files to finish up the outside corners. I used the 3-in-1 to bend the big tabs, then used a bench anvil to hammer over the smaller tab, in the opposite direction (wouldn't fit in the press brake at this time).

Here you see the finished bracket. You can see the center punch mark I left him, so he can drill the appropriately-sized hole to mount it. The small tab under the center punch mark keeps the bracket from rotating from horizontal. The two tabs on the right hold one side and the top of the relay. There is a rubber tab (cut from a bicycle inner tube) to provide some grip/cushioning to the relay and a couple of heavy zip ties for mounting the relay...
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Here is one of my next projects. I've been wanting a clock in the garage, but not wanting something 'normal.' I love the old 'flip clocks,' so I got one on eBay. My plans? You guessed it! Take an aluminum face panel, cut a hole to see the clock face through, then mount it as a Custom Tool Board on the Reconfigurable Tool Rack...
View media item 20871
M_P

 

[machine_punk]

Cuesta Metal Meet

Hello everyone!

It's been a busy month. My brother was in town visiting and the water pump failed on the van. That was the largest engine repair I've done to date, and the original repair took 18 hours (I didn't have all the right tools and one of the bolts fought me at every step of the way...ended up cutting it off and re-drilling for a helicoil...after reading online, that seems to be a common problem with the Ford 5.8 liter) (The ONLY positive thing so far is that I got a few new tools for the repair) (Well, OK, also, in the big scale I didn't spend much money...the water pump was only $40). Got the first repair done and hopped in the van for an hour trip to see my brother, at his hotel in San Francisco. Got to the city limits and the van died. Hard. Towed home over an hour (Thanks AAA for the tow...that would have cost a cool $500 without you). Spent another 3 hours redoing some work and the van worked great around town. That puts me at 21 hours, so far. Now, the engine likes to shred serpentine belts on long trips (anything over 45 minutes). Which wouldn't be so bad, except that I am 5 hours from home, in Southern California, in San Luis Obispo, for the Cuesta College Metal Meet. Things seem to be OK, if I keep it to 55. It's going to be a long drive home tomorrow evening. (At least the boys will be at the house waiting...they are getting home from their trip today). I'm just about ready to pull my hair out on this one.

So, I've attached a couple of pics below of the Metal Meet. It's been nice to see a couple of GJ members here (Thanks, FATFENDERTRUCK, for making me feel so welcome at the Metal Meet). Metal Meet is all about folks getting together to shape metal. I missed the one in my area this year, due to work, so I decided to catch the Southern California Metal Meet, instead.

Not only did they make me feel welcome, they asked me to do a demonstration on using solid rivets. I gave that presentation and demonstration today, to a bunch of folks...good thing I am used to teaching my cooking class every week, or I would have been a little nervous with that many people watching my every move. I think it went well and a few fellas told me some specifics they enjoyed about the presentation.

Aside from that, I've spent the past couple of days working on my own projects, giving impromptu classes on every aspect of solid riveting, and helping others integrate rivets into their projects. Of course, I directed them here, to my Garage Journal Garage Gallery thread, to see what I am up to on a day-to-day basis.

So, after I got the van working again, I've spent a LOT of the last couple of weeks preparing my posters and outline, and building physical rivet examples, for the Solid Rivets 101 presentation at the Metal Meet. Thursday was a long day. Up at 5:30AM to get ready for work. A busy day in the ER. Four hours of packing and loading the van (over half of my tools and materials from The Aerodrome Studio). Followed by five hours of driving. I arrived at the hotel a little after midnight and fell asleep immediately. I got up the next morning and made it to the Metal Meet a couple of hours after it started...and set up 'The Aerodrome Studio: Southern California Campus' for the 3-day Metal Meet.

I've had some great, positive comments on my work. I think my favorite comment so far though, was after one of the guys spent a few moments looking at examples of my Custom Tool Boards and what I planned to build next, and said, "You have too much time on your hands." HA! If only he knew...between work, family, teenagers and their friends, weekly cooking lessons, and trying to get The Aerodrome Studio up and running, I often wonder how I have time for it all.

OOOH...I know what's next on my list for a large piece of equipment...it rhymes with 'electric bead roller.' (Well, OK, it IS an electric bead roller). I'm REALLY digging the look of that Mittler Brothers CNC Aluminum bead roller...but Baileigh has some nice offerings too, including one with a 36" depth. Hmmm...time to start researching. The thing which would REALLY clinch the deal for me is if I could find a control pedal which allowed you to change direction and speed (instead of just speed) with your feet...most of them have really taken the cheap way out on the control system for the electric models. It like the bead roller is going to be a tool which is relatively cheap to purchase (I said 'relatively'), but very expensive to keep in tooling...once you see everything it can do.

So, with one whole day to go at the Metal Meet tomorrow, I'm sitting here at my Morro Bay hotel, listening to the sea lions bark and the fog horn bellow, thinking about a great couple of days, with:
- a great group of guys (and a few gals) to spend time with...
- some great equipment to play with and try out...
- great food for breakfast and lunch (thanks to the presenters)...
- some great presenters, willing to share their time and knowledge to help everyone get better at shaping metal.

I realize now that I haven't got many pics...so I'll have to concentrate on that tomorrow. Have a great weekend, everyone.

M_P

 

[machine_punk]

OH...and I got some feedback on this bracket I built for a friend (it holds a lighting relay, for off-road lights on his BMW Ksomething-or-the-other). He says, "It is just like it was built for it." (Well, it WAS!). I totally surprised him with it. I don't know why he was so surprised--I took some very accurate machinist's measurements of the relay, when he showed me the problem (I put my finger up next to it and tried to remember how far it came up my finger), then built it without him knowing about it. He seemed shocked that I would do that for him (little did he know that it was a WONDERFUL chance to try out my then-new Whitney-Roper punch, not to mention it was a nice 'real world' engineering example and different from most of the work I do in The Aerodrome Studio.)

M_P

 

[norcaljr]

Re: Motorcycle Relay Bracket

Here is one of my next projects. I've been wanting a clock in the garage, but not wanting something 'normal.' I love the old 'flip clocks,' so I got one on eBay. My plans? You guessed it! Take an aluminum face panel, cut a hole to see the clock face through, then mount it as a Custom Tool Board on the Reconfigurable Tool Rack...
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M_P

Just saw this after seeing your post.

http://uncrate.com/stuff/brick-flip-clock/

https://www.northernicon.com/p-2394-brick-flip-steelwhite.aspx

 

[machine_punk]

NORCALJR: As I found out (after buying it on eBay), the clock I pictured above is not actually a flip clock. It has a similar mechanism, but it works more like the old, mechanical gas pump displays (or mechanical odometers). S0, I ended up buying a different clock to tear apart for the shop...the vintage gold/wood one below. Of course, I took it out of it's case and put it in an aluminum box, to mount on a Custom Tool Board, for the Reconfigurable Tool Rack. (I'll try to get pics of progress tomorrow...)

I like the one you posted...I may have to get a 'reverse color' model for somewhere around the house.

I have had the chrome 'open air' flip clock below in my living room for years (lasts about 3 years on one D battery)...

M_P

 

[machine_punk]

Cuesta Metal Meet Show & Tell

I spent this past weekend at the Cuesta Metal Meet (if you are interested in learning metal shaping, go to the Metal Meet Forums and find a Metal Meet near you). It was held at the wonderful facilities at Cuesta Junior College, in San Luis Obispo, California.

That was quite a hike, but it was a wonderful weekend, with a good 40 participants and several people giving demonstrations on metal shaping topics, followed by plenty of time to practice on metal shaping machinery, from English wheels to bead rollers to kick shrinkers and stretchers to air power planishing hammers. They were kind enough to invite me to be a presenter...and, you guessed it, I gave a presentation called Solid Rivets 101.

Here are some pics from the event...

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Looks like a neat event, Mr Rivet. BTW I can't think of a rivet without thinking "MP's duct tape"

 

[machine_punk]

Recent Projects at The Aerodrome Studio

I had a flurry of building projects and creating diagrams over the past couple of weeks, getting ready for the Cuesta Metal Meet.

I finished a tabletop, self-supporting version of the Reconfigurable Tool Rack, so I could show off the Custom Tool Boards I have already built. This one is 1 rack unit wide, by 20 rack units tall. At the top, you see one of the diagrams I created for my presentation...
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The portable RTR is the same height as my home wall rack, but only one bay wide...
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My wife was kind enough to donate one of her clipboards to the cause...which I promptly disassembled and riveted onto a Custom Tool Board blank, to hold the diagrams for my Solid Rivets 101 presentation...
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Here are some of the demo pieces I built in the week leading up to the Cuesta Metal Meet. Some of them show you what to do, some of them show you what NOT to do (Second from the left = "There is nothing which looks worse than a crooked row of rivets..."
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The top piece just shows what rivets look like after they are set. I just set three rivets and took the piece to the sander, to grind down to nearly the center of the rivets, to give a view as if you sliced through a set rivet...
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Here are some things I will be working on soon.

I am going to build a Shop Information Center, which will be a Custom Tool Board for the Reconfigurable Tool Rack, which will include this flip clock I bought online, a thermometer/hygrometer, and an electric pencil sharpener. I've already pulled the clock out of its original case (it used real glass for the faceplate!) and built an aluminum box for it. YUP...those are pop rivets, instead of solid rivets...
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These are a couple of pieces I made on the bead roller at the Cuesta Metal Meet. I am going to make a small first aid cabinet which will fit into the Reconfigurable Tool Rack. I will rivet one of these raised-panel crosses onto the door of the cabinet. I also plan to make a similar cabinet, for storing safety equipment, like N95 masks and safety glasses. The symbol riveted to the front of that one will be a WWII gas mask (a little steam punkish)...
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I really enjoy the new Baileigh 3-in-1, but there are some tools which need to be kept close, for making adjustments and moving brake fingers for different-sized projects. I just wanted a small drawer, which would fit under the 7" lip of the front of the bench. So, I made this little, 6"x12" aluminum drawer. I am torn on whether I am going to buy ball bearing drawer glides, or just make some friction slides out of sheet aluminum...
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That drawer was designed to fit under here, and hold a few tools specifically used with the 3-in-1 sheetmetal machine...
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M_P

 

[machine_punk]

Looks like a neat event, Mr Rivet. BTW I can't think of a rivet without thinking "MP's duct tape"

Ha! I think I've finally found a signature line which works for me. It was actually on your thread that I came up with that phrase...while others were teasing me about what my suggestion would be for keeping your drawer liners down (i.e. build a riveted frame out of aluminum to hold them down).

Oh...did you see the post above...you inspired me to try building my own tool drawers. I built my first mini drawer at the Cuesta Metal Meet this weekend. It is just a tiny 6"x12" drawer to hold the tools associated with the 3-in-1 sheet metal machine.

Thanks for stopping by my thread. I'm looking forward to seeing what you are planning for that other corner of your garage...sounds like you are going to build a cabinet for your crosscut saw.

M_P

 

[A_Pmech]

Your work is improving rapidly, looking good! The relay bracket you made looks first class.

Won't be long and you'll have better sheet metal skills than the majority of aircraft mechanics.

 

[machine_punk]

Your work is improving rapidly, looking good! The relay bracket you made looks first class.

Won't be long and you'll have better sheet metal skills than the majority of aircraft mechanics.

Why thank you, A_PMech...that means a lot, coming from you.

I have noticed it is a LOT easier to drill long rows of straight holes than it used to be. I was making a piece to show how NOT to do it (crooked line of rivets) and it was VERY hard to make it crooked.

Looking forward to see what you have been working on in your shop lately.

M_P

 

[flybefree]

Great looking work A_P is right, your work is first rate.

Shaun

 

[Kevin54]

Hey Machine....check out this company. We used it quite extensively at work for different parts. You may be able to utilize it in some of your designs. It's called Zero Can. They have all sorts of square, and round housings that you can utilize to make different types of enclosures http://www.zerocases.com/# You have to download their catalog.

 

[Wingnut65]

Agreed, nice looking work, M_P.

That Metal Meet sounds great. It always seems easier to learn from watching someone doing it in front of you than reading many pages in a book and hoping you understand what they are saying. That meet reminds me of the hands-on workshops they have at Oshkosh and Sun-N-Fun for the airplane builders. It is aways good to watch a master at work.

The workshop you held sounds like it went well. Might be an idea to post a thread with some of what you taught for those of us not near the west cost.

 

[machine_punk]

Great looking work A_P is right, your work is first rate.

Shaun

Thanks, Shaun. I appreciate you stopping by the thread and commenting!

Hey Machine....check out this company...it's called Zero Can. They have all sorts of square, and round housings that you can utilize to make different types of enclosures http://www.zerocases.com/#

I knew that name sounded familiar...what man here hasn't lusted after an aluminum Zero Haliburton briefcase at one time or another. (see attached picture of the briefcase).

They definitely know their stuff. I've been looking through the catalog, getting ideas. I have a longtime friend, who has played guitar for decades. I keep thinking I am going to make him an aluminum and rivet rack case for the rack-mounted guitar sound effects he usually travels with.

Agreed, nice looking work, M_P.
That Metal Meet sounds great...the workshop you held sounds like it went well. Might be an idea to post a thread with some of what you taught for those of us not near the west cost.

The Metal Meet was great (they have them all over the world...but I suspect I'll only ever end up teaching at the two local to me (Santa Cruz and Cuesta) and possibly the international one, if I ever make it to Oblong, Illinois, some October.

I have threatened often enough to start a thread called Solid Rivets 101. I suspect there are folks on this forum who have done this professionally for much longer than I, but I finally have enough material and photos to put together a basic riveting course. If you go and look at the albums on my profile, I have a place for lesson pictures. I am about to run out of picture space here, though (which is why you see me attaching more pictures and embedding fewer pics).

I wasn't very well received over on the metalshaping forum (I don't do enough metal 'shaping' for them), but I've always been pleased with my welcome here at Garage Journal (even though I don't specifically do much related to the garage either). There really doesn't seem to be a forum which covers my niche (primarily aluminum fabrication, combined with a lot of rivets and a little metal shaping), but I have always been treated well at Garage Journal.

I may end up hosting Solid Rivets 101 on my own web site (there is not much there yet, theaerodromestudio.com, but will probably eventually be a blog and a barrel of pictures).

M_P

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Ha! I think I've finally found a signature line which works for me. It was actually on your thread that I came up with that phrase...while others were teasing me about what my suggestion would be for keeping your drawer liners down (i.e. build a riveted frame out of aluminum to hold them down).

Oh...did you see the post above...you inspired me to try building my own tool drawers. I built my first mini drawer at the Cuesta Metal Meet this weekend. It is just a tiny 6"x12" drawer to hold the tools associated with the 3-in-1 sheet metal machine.

Thanks for stopping by my thread. I'm looking forward to seeing what you are planning for that other corner of your garage...sounds like you are going to build a cabinet for your crosscut saw.

M_P

I did see, I like Is that Baileigh cool or what?

And my drawer liners still move. I haven't remedied them I remember your suggestion though. I might have to use them.

 

[Titaniumboy]

MP,
Great job on the small drawer you made for the Baileigh.

I don't know if you have pulled the trigger on the $199 version of Alibre, but perhaps this $50 parametric 3D cad program called Cubify Invent will work for you. Evidently a company named 3D Systems has bought Alibre, and Cubify Invent is closely related to Alibre. I haven't used it yet, but I hope to watch some of the demo videos in the next day or two.

Titaniumboy

 

[machine_punk]

I have already pulled the trigger on Alibre. I found Alibre while looking for a new CAD program (the recommendation came from Garage Journal). I wasn't particularly looking for a 3D modeling program, but that seemed to be the way to go, after a little review. I've used 2D CAD programs before (and, indeed, done more than my fair share of actual drafting on paper). The 3D modeling was a COMPLETELY foreign concept to me. I had to learn to think completely differently about the design process. I'm still working on learning 3D modeling. I pick an object I already know, and then try to create it in the 3D modeling environment. I'm still stretching and growing in the learning process. Just like when I learn any new computer application, I am going through the menus and figuring out what each option does and playing with it, until I can get that option to function reliably for me. That often takes a lot of digging through help files. They have a few sample videos, but I wasn't all that impressed. The help files seem to be a little better written than the video training material (the video material seems to 'skip' stuff...arrive at a point that they did not explicitly explain how to get to). So, I figure it out my normal way...fumbling through the help files and trying things until they work.

The cool thing about Alibre is that they have a sheet metal module. The bad thing is that you have to buy the $800 version to get that sheet metal module. They also have a library of common parts (bolts, nuts, etc), but you have to buy the expensive versions to get that too.

So, I am using the standard 3D modeling module to create sheet metal parts the hard way (see attached PDF)...

The other cool thing about using a modeling program is that I can output a file type which can be used by CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing). So, CNC or waterjet, or whatever CAM they have. Which is neat, because I have a special sheet metal forming bench top which I want to have cut out of 1/2" tool plate (see attached PDF). I'm pretty sure that all I have to do at this point is send my local water jet company the file and tell them which metal I want them to use. They should be able to load the file directly into their waterjet and cut the part I designed.

Here are a few attached pictures of what gave me the idea for this sheet metal fabrication table, from the course I attended in England, at Contour Autocraft (along with a picture of me, 'panel beating' old-school...just so E-Tek can see that I know how to do it. Here I am using a bossing hammer and a modern 'stump' to form the left front wing (fender) of a vintage Jaguar XK) And, me, standing on the right of the group, holding the rather large patch panel (or good beginning to a whole fender) I built for a Jaguar XK...

(remember to click on the PDF's below, for a couple of 3D modeling samples)

 

[machine_punk]

My family just got back from a short trip to the Redwoods (Around the Myer Flats area...on the Avenue of the Giants). It is only about 4 hours away and was a nice, relaxing time with the family.

On one of our little adventures to the local beach, we stopped in a little town for lunch. Not only were there FABULOUS blacksmith shops (selling wares from several local blacksmiths), I also stumbled upon a small-town hardware store. I told the wife I needed to go have a look, thinking that there might be some NOS Vice Grip pliers in there...and I was NOT disappointed. Here is my find for the week. They are all US Made. They were a bit more than I wanted to pay, but it was the 'list price' for the current imports at this establishment. I got the chisel so that I could grind down the tip to touch up the pieces I made on the roll-forming machine a couple of weeks ago (the crosses for the first aid cabinet)...

OH...we also happened to see this band at a local Inn there, called "Igor and the Red Elvises" (Think: Russian surf music). They sounded good enough, but take a look at this guy's custom bass guitar. Wild...

 

[cafyrman]

And the name of the town was.......

 

[machine_punk]

I don't mind telling you (because it is not likely I will make it back up the way for a while). It was the hardware store in Ferndale, called "Valley Lumber and Millwork/DoIt Best Hardware."

The guy at the hardware store seemed intrigued that I was going through so much effort to get US-made Vice Grips. He was a great guy, who also spent some time in the Air Force. I showed him the quick trick for figuring it out at a glance (roll pin securing the release handle for US-made, vs. rivet in the same place for imported).

 

[Aero-1946]

Hello, you spoke about a first aid cabinet. Bought one for my sample collection some years ago. It is made from aluminium and riveted.