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Workshop and fixit stuff

Started by Dave, July 10, 2017, 07:26:50 PM

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jumbojak

I went to a flea market for the first time today. Was looking for a tap wrench or two but found a guy with some old tools and came away with two ratchets for the farm, one an SK and the other a Proto, and a pair of what I suspext are Snap On duck bill pliers. Compared to retail I saved about 95% and had a good chat with the guy at the table.

He tried to get me to come back tomorrow when he found out the ratchets were going to farm duty as he has a bunch of 3/4 drive stuff he'd sell me cheap! It's probably a good thing the flea market isn't right down the road... most of the other sellers were seriously overpriced on what they had. I do need at least on 3/4 drive extension but wasn't paying new prices for picked over, rusty stuff.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

jumbojak

Quote from: hermes2015 on July 30, 2017, 05:25:14 AM
Hey, Gloucester, you've been quiet - what are you up to?

Yesterday, I started replacing the porcelain edge tiles on the steps surrounding my daughter's swimming pool. I first tried some quick-setting cement, but it was too goopy and kept flowing down. It is a wonderful product that sets rock hard in an hour, but not really easy to use for this job. I have decided to get some tile adhesive and try that instead. Any advice will be appreciated.

Do you have a product called thinset over there? Mix it to a consistency where it doesn't run? That's what I'd try anyway. The funky looking tile trowels are supposed to help too. So you end up with the right amount of adhesive.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

hermes2015

Quote from: jumbojak on July 31, 2017, 03:52:52 AM
Quote from: hermes2015 on July 30, 2017, 05:25:14 AM
Hey, Gloucester, you've been quiet - what are you up to?

Yesterday, I started replacing the porcelain edge tiles on the steps surrounding my daughter's swimming pool. I first tried some quick-setting cement, but it was too goopy and kept flowing down. It is a wonderful product that sets rock hard in an hour, but not really easy to use for this job. I have decided to get some tile adhesive and try that instead. Any advice will be appreciated.

Do you have a product called thinset over there? Mix it to a consistency where it doesn't run? That's what I'd try anyway. The funky looking tile trowels are supposed to help too. So you end up with the right amount of adhesive.

Thanks, but I have bought an adhesive that they assure me is the correct thing, so I will try it this week.
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames

Dave

I mentioned the "Men in sheds" thjng on other threads, ssying that the guy had not git in contact. Now, five days lster, he has.

Seems they meet, once a week, in a unit in a local industrial estate, right next to the county police HQ! They are setting up a workshop and do community as well as private projects, have talks and demos etc.

Could be interesting.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

jumbojak

Been tinkering with an old vise today. Got the screw cleaned up with the wire wheel and might head to town the grab a can of paint stripper to prep the body. It's small, beat up, and not a particularly useful style but makes for a fun project. The slide is a bit bent so I might risk persuading it back into line. Or I might just paint it and have it as a conversation piece. It was found in an old barn we tire down.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

Dave

Quote from: jumbojak on August 06, 2017, 08:09:32 PM
Been tinkering with an old vise today. Got the screw cleaned up with the wire wheel and might head to town the grab a can of paint stripper to prep the body. It's small, beat up, and not a particularly useful style but makes for a fun project. The slide is a bit bent so I might risk persuading it back into line. Or I might just paint it and have it as a conversation piece. It was found in an old barn we tire down.

Heh, conversation piece, eh? Since "vise" is a homophone of "vice" and that one was dirty and needed stripping - there's room for a chain-pull somewhere in there!

I keep looking for an old, wooden block plane. Ever since I saw one in a craft exhibition fitted with a mast, sail, stays, lifebuoys etc and titled "Plane Sailing" I have wanted to copy it!

Perhaps we need a thread on "Favourite conversation pieces"!
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

jumbojak

I'm actually impressed by how well the paint has held up. The wire wheel removed a layer of grime and rust to reveal mostly intact hunter green paint. This has me wondering if'n I should leave it rough, given the poor condition of the screw and handle and attempt some sort of clear coat. The screw and handle are currently undergoing a BLO treatment but I might soak them in acetone to remove it for clear.

On another note; does anybody besides Rigid make a halfway decent pipe wrench?! I wrecked two today getting the handle free. Both of German manufacture. My 6" Rigid which was purchased as an extractor worked marvelously once I found an appropriate cheater. No damage to the teeth whatsoever. The two longer German wrenches might get used for yard art...

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

jumbojak

Quote from: Gloucester on August 06, 2017, 08:51:28 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on August 06, 2017, 08:09:32 PM
Been tinkering with an old vise today. Got the screw cleaned up with the wire wheel and might head to town the grab a can of paint stripper to prep the body. It's small, beat up, and not a particularly useful style but makes for a fun project. The slide is a bit bent so I might risk persuading it back into line. Or I might just paint it and have it as a conversation piece. It was found in an old barn we tire down.

Heh, conversation piece, eh? Since "vise" is a homophone of "vice" and that one was dirty and needed stripping - there's room for a chain-pull somewhere in there!

I keep looking for an old, wooden block plane. Ever since I saw one in a craft exhibition fitted with a mast, sail, stays, lifebuoys etc and titled "Plane Sailing" I have wanted to copy it!

Perhaps we need a thread on "Favourite conversation pieces"!

The old wooden plane bodies are high priced items in antique stores. I found a pair in town with NO irons or chip breakers that the proprietor wanted $40 a piece for! You might be able to find an inexpensive japanese block plane that would suit your purposes. I got one for about ten dollars for use on doors and the like. Be aware that changes in humidity during shipping will make it very, very difficult to remove the iron. I had to clamp a vise grip and smack the body with a deadbolt for nearly an hour. Still haven't tuned it for reassembly.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

jumbojak



As you can see, it had been out in the weather for a while. I'm really suprise it cleaned up as nicely as it did. It took about a month of soaking in penetrant and some judicious rapping with a hammer to free it up. Has a certain charm though, doesn't it?

The next step will be to, hopefully, drill the old cotter pin from the screw and then go to work on the fixed and dynsmic jaws in earnest. I'm not sure how far I'm going to go on the swivel base. The old square peg style never had a lot of holding power and it isn't for actual use at any rate.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

Dave

Oh, dear, I must have a really dirty mind (at my age and vondition it's about all one is left with!) but that image immediately brings certain adjectives to mind. Mostly similar to a certain cocktail... but adding "rough" into the mix.

Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

jumbojak

I picked up some paint stripper and I'm not too sure about it. Might work very well but it doesn't seem toxic enough to be effective. Time will tell.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

jumbojak

Time told and the paint stripper was completely innefective. A wire wheel at high speeds was also innefective. So was scraping after stripper and the wire wheel. That paint is TOUGH!

Next attempt will be with a heat gun. If that doesn't do the trick I'll break out the torch. If that doesn't work I'll fire up the forge and chuck it in... one advantage to the forge is that any remaining rust comes off with minimal effort at a red heat.


"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

Dave

Well, eventually found "Men in the Shed". On the industrial estate but not in a unit - in a Portacabin on a corner of land not yet developed.

Six chaps there of about my vintage, teo struggling with a portable petrol-generator unit, it would not start and is thrir only power supply. Finally got the cover off the conttol psnrl (by drilling out the screw heads, they were rusted solid) and found inside - a rodent's nest! Loads of chewed up rag etc, mostly rotted. The engine ignition switch was japut so they dragged the wires out and twisted them together. Then it started, just. Time to put the kettle on. Er. 1800W generator - 2400W kettle. Well, just took a while to come to the boil.

Kit at the moment is a smallish wood lathe, small band saw, some battery and mains hand tools (still in boxes, could not see just what.) Their current priorities are shelters for the wood stock and the generator. This is only their second week at the site.

My gout was giving me problems so I peeled off after an hour of intros and swapping sarcastic comments around. Very friendly, nothing like as "cliquey" as similar groups I have seen. Hope foot is better next week!
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

jumbojak

That reminds me of trying to run an air compressor off a generator at a friend's shop. The genny did not like that at all. Shame too, he has a nearly full compliment of air tools and more than enough compressor to run them but no 240v power.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

Dave

Not really a workshop thing, but has applications there if your eyes are lije mine.

Found a "magnifying glass"  in the Google shop, Alfarays Magnifier x30 zoom, . Gives x30 magnification and takes pictures. Friend showed me an app buiot into the "Accessibility" tools on his latest iPhone. Luckily other apps available. Good for getting a more precise measurement off a steel rule!

Being a zoom tool, of course, the image quality depends on the camera in your phone. Mine, at 12Mpix, handles the max 30x quite well enough for my purposes.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74