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ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

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zmotorsports

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While I was finishing up my son had come by the shop to perform a LOF service on his Jeep WJ. It was great to be able to spend the better part of a Saturday hanging out in the shop with my son.
wj1.jpg

Preparing to rack the Jeep.
wj2.jpg

Tires/wheels removed for rotation and oil draining while he greased the chassis.
wj3.jpg

Set back down on the ground and wheels torqued to spec the last thing was to fill with oil.
wj4.jpg


Thanks for looking.
 
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Scuderia-F1

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What a wonderful giftidea and exquisite craftsmanship through the entire build.

As a bit of a writing instrument connoisseur I can assure you that your custom-made pen will be greatly appreciated by your cousin.

Awesome to see the pictures throughout the build process.

With best regards,
 
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MadeByMiller

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Very well done Mike, you made that look easy! Another impressive showing of your character to recognize your cousin and the goodness he added to your life from a young age. Between the pen and shop time with your son, this was a nice, wholesome weekend update!
 
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zmotorsports

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Thanks for the comments everyone.

It was a fun project and one that really allowed me the opportunity to learn from as the parts were quite small. The wife and I had a great weekend overall being able to spend some great one on one time together in addition to spending some time with our son and DIL Saturday and yesterday.
 
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zanyad

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zmotorsports said:
Completed.
pen35.jpg
Click to expand...
Is the knob pressed or glued in the bolt? I saw you used a center drill to put the hole in the bolt, and you mentioned using a Ø1/8" collet to hold the knob for milling the flats....
zmotorsports said:
Thanks for looking.
Click to expand...
It's always a pleasure to see your thread coming up on my Watched Threads feed.
 
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zmotorsports

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zanyad said:
Is the knob pressed or glued in the bolt? I saw you used a center drill to put the hole in the bolt, and you mentioned using a Ø1/8" collet to hold the knob for milling the flats....

It's always a pleasure to see your thread coming up on my Watched Threads feed.
Click to expand...

Thank you for continuing to follow along.

The knob is threaded into the bolt. I didn't have a center drill small enough so I used my smallest one to just put a "dimple" in the bolt after machining the flat with the 1/8" end mill. I then switched over to a #50 drill bit followed by a 2-56 tap. Then I cut the head off a 2-56 screw and used that to join the knob to the bolt after the bolt was dropped into the pen's body. It worked perfectly and I could use a small wrench to align the knob's flats with the spring clip.
 
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zanyad

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zmotorsports said:
Thank you for continuing to follow along.

The knob is threaded into the bolt. I didn't have a center drill small enough so I used my smallest one to just put a "dimple" in the bolt after machining the flat with the 1/8" end mill. I then switched over to a #50 drill bit followed by a 2-56 tap. Then I cut the head off a 2-56 screw and used that to join the knob to the bolt after the bolt was dropped into the pen's body. It worked perfectly and I could use a small wrench to align the knob's flats with the spring clip.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the clarification. I missed the threads on the knobs the first time, and the photo doesn't show the tapped hole in the bolt. Very nice work all 'round!
 
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zmotorsports

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purplezr2 said:
Mike, do you by chance watch the Inheritance Machinist on youtube? he made a similar pen.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is actually where I got the idea. He offered the drawings if you signed up for his Patreon account but I drew out the dimensions and spec's from scratch using a Waterman Rollerball ink cartridge as my starting point.

He's a hell of a good machinist.
 
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Monza Harry

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Mike how tight was the "pucker factor" with that #2-56 tap? Those are pretty tiny and can create quite the pucker no matter how many times you use them. Pen turned out nice! Personalized gifts are the best I believe! Harry
 
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zmotorsports

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Monza Harry said:
Mike how tight was the "pucker factor" with that #2-56 tap? Those are pretty tiny and can create quite the pucker no matter how many times you use them. Pen turned out nice! Personalized gifts are the best I believe! Harry
Click to expand...

Thanks Harry.

I'm not gonna lie, the first hole involved a little pucker factor for sure, especially in the stainless steel bolt. However, it went very well. I used my small T-handle so I could keep a good "feel" for the chips and what the tap was experiencing and ANY resistance or change in feel demanded backing out and clearing the chips from the tap. I actually didn't have a tap this small in my arsenal of taps so when I ordered the screws from McMaster Carr I actually purchased two taps as well. Two as I thought I'd have a "backup" for when the first one broke but I'm still using the first one. I must also mention that I use my good ole' standy fluid when it comes to tapping and that is Castrol's Moly Dee tapping fluid. I had forgone using general cutting fluid for threading years ago and for the past 10 years or so turn to my Castrol Moly Dee whenever a tap or die is involved.
 
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Monza Harry

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Castrol MolyDee [I'm a long time Castrol fan.] is good stuff albeit messy $#!+, I don't have any at home and haven't worked anywhere that uses that for maybe 20 years unfortunately, and I still have a good supply of trade show free be's (sp?) still. Now for another top shelf fluid see if you can source a small "Jock Itch" https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...1,of:1,eto:13546180657850537289_0,prmr:1,cs:1 this is a paste [looks like wheel bearing grease this is equally slippery stuff as well but much cleaner than Castrols' MD really nice for reaming as it stays put well unlike most liquid fluids. Chromatap the old one with 1-1-1 was the bomb back in the day. [Deadly as it was] Warning the Jock Itch is pricey stuff, I only have it because someone I knew was closing up and gave me over 1/2 a can. Harry
 
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zmotorsports

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I agree that the Castrol Moly Dee is a bit messy, but it flat works, no iffs, ands or butts. I can tell a noticable difference from any of my other cutting fluids to the Moly Dee when tapping. When tapping something in the bench vise I generally throw a partially soiled shop rag down on the floor and just let it drip and collect chips, yes my shop rags are sorted by degree of soilness.:ROFLMAO: Then when done tapping toss the rag, otherwise the stuff is like anti-seize and gets everywhere. :rolleyes:

My general duty cutting fluid is just some Rigid Dark Sulphur cutting fluid as it has a nice viscosity and clings well to both parts and tooling. Used it last night for some drilling and reaming and the reamer stayed lubed with it even into a 3" deep hole. Usually takes a bit of brake wash followed by a shot of compressed air to clean before putting away. I bought a gallon of the stuff back in 2014 when I purchased my new lathe and mill as I gave the old nearly empty bottle to my buddy who purchased my used lathe/milling machine.

I also bought a gallon of Mobilmet 766 that I like fairly well. I think it lubricates fine for machining but just doesn't have that "cling" factor that the heavier sulphur based oil does. I also like the Rapid Tap but I'm a Relton fan anyways. A co-worker got me hooked on both the Relton Rapid Tap and the A-9 about 30 years ago and I keep both on hand and use them to this day. But for general machining of ferrous materials I seem to reach for the economical Rigid Dark Sulphur cutting fluid as it is cheap and easy to find. For high speed aluminum I do sometimes just grab my small spray bottle of WD-40 and give the part a spritz.
 
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zmotorsports

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Last night I was able to wash the Jeep, although it's snowing again this morning, :mad: but at least I was able to get the bulk of the mess off of it. Going to try and get to the wife's car tonight but it was only a high of 25* yesterday and not supposed to be much higher today, but some so hopefully I'll be successful and not freeze my hands like yesterday that took about an hour to thaw.:rolleyes:

Last night was relaxing. I turned on the Christmas music and commenced a deep cleaning of the shop after last weeks machining frenzy. The entire machining/fabrication quadrant was a mess, from machines to floors. Did a thorough detailing of the machines as well as behind all of the equipment then swept the entire shop floor in order to get the shop into mechanical mode again for next week.

Lathe and mill vacuumed off and wiped down. Swept around all equipment and cleaned the bandsaw and disc sander as well.
shop1.jpg

Detail swept around all of the welding and fabrication equipment as well as swept the entire shop floor. Also blew off the shavings and dust from all of the equipment before sweeping.
shop2.jpg

Everything put away and shop is back in mechanical mode.
shop3.jpg



I want to thank everyone for following along and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. May everyone and their families be truly blessed this holiday as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. May each of us hold tight and cherish those we love and count our blessings.
 
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zmotorsports

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Bob Heine said:
Mike, wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Before I found the Garage Journal, my mechanical advice came from the shop manuals and me, myself and I. Your posts have opened my eyes to the world of a true professional. Thank you and bless you for all you share with us.
Click to expand...

Thank you Bob, I am beyond flattered. This is a great forum where we all can learn from each other. I too have learned so much from being a member of this great group of people.
 
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signcrafter

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Merry Christmas to you and your family Mike.

And thank you for sharing your shop with all of us. I have learned a great deal from you and others on here!
 
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MadeByMiller

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Mike, you sharing your life and skillset here has brought real value to my life this year. Thank you for all that you share, and for the thoroughness in which you share it. I hope the new year brings you and your family much happiness and prosperity - Merry Christmas!

P.S. Shop is looking very tidy and squared away, as I've come to expect!
 
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bugnut

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zmotorsports said:
I want to thank everyone for following along and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. May everyone and their families be truly blessed this holiday as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. May each of us hold tight and cherish those we love and count our blessings.
Click to expand...

Mike, like others your teaching and sharing is what makes this site enjoyable to me. May you and your family also have a most wonderful Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Christ!
 
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4 FN 27

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Merry Christmas Mike!!! Shop is looking great as always.

I enjoy "deep cleaning of the shop". I lean towards more vacuuming rather than sweeping. I don't like the dust sweeping put up in the air to settle on top of things. If I do sweep it is with a Mop Broom and a Microfiber Mop Pad from Cintas (I borrow them from the plant along with Shop Rags).

Actually stash the Push Brooms away for large chip removal only...you can find a Dust Pan in every room but will have to find the Push Broom. Also keep a Lobby Broom and Dustpan hanging ob the wall of each room in the shop for those small messes or to pick up the pile made from the Mop Broom.
 
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mercracing

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Merry Christmas Mike! I love following your thread and watching the exact details you do in everything. You have definitely positively influenced the way I do my work. Thank you!
 
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