What did you do today?

Unboxed my NPR. Carrier unit developed a fatal rust hole, whole truck was replaced by a Hino 195 with a Thermo King.

Looking for a dirt cheap flatbed body. And a limited slip diff. :rofl:
 

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After the A&P-IA finished his inspection, I started putting the plane back together--spark plugs cleaned, blasted, and installed, underwing inspection panels, tailcone (top and bottom) seats, spinner, lower engine cowling, and upper and lower nose bowl. I did figure out an easier way for one person to install the lower cowling.

All that's left are the main strut fairings and the wheel pants. BTW I HATE dzus fasteners.

We'll finish today. Just have to pull her out and do a run up.

Only a two issues found.

Control cable pulleys under the rear seat were stiff. A good spray/soak of brake cleaner, then a shot of CorrosionX addressed the issue.

Lightly grease the jack screw. I filled the threads on the exposed sections above and below the cable spool with grease and ran the trim to the stops in both directions twice--done.
 
Initial Fix said:
But it remained me I really need to get a few more tools to carry in the plane.
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There's a thread for that.

Ed Haywood

Thread 'Travel Tool Bag contents'

Recent loss of my hangar led me to reconfigure my tools for mobile packout. That in turn has led me to set up a bag of tools left at the aircraft, to be used for XC trips. Contents so far:

Pliers, needlenose, dikes, screwdrivers
Combination wrench set
Adjustable wrench
1/4" ratchet and socket set
3/8" ratchet and selected sockets*
Safety wire
Duct tape
Zip ties
Steel bristle brush
WD-40 and tube of synthetic grease
Wire stripper/crimper, few feet of wire, butt splices and ring terminals
Jack adapter

To balance bulk and weight against utility, I limited larger sockets to those I...
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ColinD said:
Unboxed my NPR. Carrier unit developed a fatal rust hole, whole truck was replaced by a Hino 195 with a Thermo King.

Looking for a dirt cheap flatbed body. And a limited slip diff. :rofl:
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Couldn't find a flatbed body I liked for my '98 GMC 3500 hd with the 454 big block. When we're slow gonna have one of the boys make our own and get it galvanized.
 
I got a couple hours of free time and started making ingots out of the pigs I poured in post 4502?. I have about 400 pounds of large castings to process (I figured I’d get it done over the long weekend) and of course the drive belt on my bandsaw gave up the ghost so the mini processing sequence to finish it is on hold. Frustrating..
 

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Flatiowa said:
I got a couple hours of free time and started making ingots out of the pigs I poured in post 4502?. I have about 400 pounds of large castings to process (I figured I’d get it done over the long weekend) and of course the drive belt on my bandsaw gave up the ghost so the mini processing sequence to finish it is on hold. Frustrating..
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What kind of saw you got?
 
Just an old craftsman bandsaw I bought at sears years ago. Aluminum cuts surprisingly well with normal wood shop level saws and some oil applied to the blades.
 
Flatiowa said:
You should, when I first started doing hobby level casting years and years ago I had to build my own melting furnace. Now you can order one online and have it delivered to your door. Man, how times have changed, the little propane melter in the picture was $150 from Walmart. (Granted I also took “hot metals” in high school shop class that focused on pattern making and casting, I don’t think many high schools offer those types of classes any more either unfortunately).
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Do you cast anything that's reasonable to cast, reasonable to machine, and reasonable to TIG weld? Asking because you mentioned AL bronze, which I think is something that can be TIG welded, but I've heard it's kind of miserable to machine.

For no particular purpose, and not requiring any particular strength, just for fun.

When I was in high school I could do "metal" in shop, which was sheet metal forming and soldering, that's as hot as we got. There were vo-tech classes, too, but they were in short supply so just for the kids that weren't going to take math, more or less. Which is a shame, but better than nothing....we did have a trade program, and most didn't. I grew up in and around the stone business, so was familiar with moving heavy stuff at an early age, and didn't want to bump a slot for someone that needed it even if I could have. Ended up in IT, and while that's been good to me there's something non-tangible about it that draws me to hand on hobbies.
 
Albany Tom said:
Do you cast anything that's reasonable to cast, reasonable to machine, and reasonable to TIG weld? Asking because you mentioned AL bronze, which I think is something that can be TIG welded, but I've heard it's kind of miserable to machine.
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One of my customers is a machine shop that specializes in bronze bushings. Every once in a while they'll send me a bushing they goofed up or had an inclusion in the casting. But the material is usually aluminum bronze and they'll supply me with the rod. We'll build it up Tig welding and they'll re machine.
 
Cashed in that 50 dollar PCA NL MVP bet I made in June with +3500 odds. Cash out now was 1754. Figured why wait till November for an extra 46 bucks.

I then retired from sports wagering after my one and only bet and deleted the app. Quitting while I'm ahead.
 
Racerx said:
Cashed in that 50 dollar PCA NL MVP bet I made in June with +3500 odds. Cash out now was 1754. Figured why wait till November for an extra 46 bucks.

I then retired from sports wagering after my one and only bet and deleted the app. Quitting while I'm ahead.
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Sounds like a good move. And sounds like me and stock options. I finally made $500 on one this week. Maybe I should stop trying.
 
Albany Tom said:
Do you cast anything that's reasonable to cast, reasonable to machine, and reasonable to TIG weld? Asking because you mentioned AL bronze, which I think is something that can be TIG welded, but I've heard it's kind of miserable to machine.
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Aluminum is all three (tig welding it is bit of a skill. ) unfortunately I don’t have machining tools, but I am a pretty good pattern maker and have made usable parts for my bailer and potato digger in the past that only required a little clean up with a belt sander and file (mostly to remove spruce marks). Green sand, lost foam, and lost wax casting molds can get reasonably high level accuracy as cast.
Aluminum bronze is a bear to cut or machine, but it is very durable, doesn’t corroded or tarnish and it looks like 18K gold when made in a certain alloy ratio. It is also much harder to cast, it doesn’t flow as well and requires much higher temperature than aluminum.
 
Thanks! I'll start with aluminum. And I can attest to Al welding being a skill. Tig steel, ss? I can do that in an ok sense. Al? I'm mostly good at making puddles near my feet. :)

But I know it's practice. When I learned to stick weld with 601x, it was a lot of swearing, laughing, and smoke...and now I can technically do it, but I'm much better at grinding than welding, if that makes any sense.

Back to topic, today I cut up some cribbing so I can gradually lower the mini-mill from little skates to the floor without tipping it over and ruining my day/week/month.
 
Albany Tom said:
Thanks! I'll start with aluminum. And I can attest to Al welding being a skill. Tig steel, ss? I can do that in an ok sense. Al? I'm mostly good at making puddles near my feet. :)

But I know it's practice. When I learned to stick weld with 601x, it was a lot of swearing, laughing, and smoke...and now I can technically do it, but I'm much better at grinding than welding, if that makes any sense.

Back to topic, today I cut up some cribbing so I can gradually lower the mini-mill from little skates to the floor without tipping it over and ruining my day/week/month.
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Some unsolicited pointers from someone that does it for a living

Clean tungsten. If you stub it. Don't try to keep going, stop and break or grind the trash off. Ac polarity. Wait for it it to "shine". Dip in the shiny part. Dipping outside the shiny area will make a mess.

Before it shines and outside the puddle is just the aluminum oxide which is super hard and melts at 3,700 degrees. Whereas base aluminum melts at 1200. That's why we need the positive side of the current to essentially rip off that oxide layer.

I have DC Tig welded aluminum on very thick parts. It looks like crap until you take a wire brush. You're sort of guessing when you do it. But it can be done.

I fired up some 6010 the other day for the first time in a long time. That cellulose flux smells like burning wood.
 
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NealRomeoGolf said:
You can get free lunch at 3MY (Peoria).
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Everyone knows there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

EDIT: Peoria airport is named for "The WAD": General Wayne A Downing, a hero of my community. I was fortunate enough to serve under his command and meet him a few times. Had drinks with him after he retired. I'll stop by and pay my respects.
 
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Ed Haywood said:
Everyone knows there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

EDIT: Peoria airport is named for "The WAD": General Wayne A Downing, a hero of my community. I was fortunate enough to serve under his command and meet him a few times. Had drinks with him after he retired. I'll stop by and pay my respects.
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My credit card says otherwise. The not-free part is having to deal with my company I guess.
 
ColinD said:
Bonnie Cafe at KMVN

Like an absolute idiot, I ordered an omelette off the menu instead of following the lead of the church crowd and having the fried chicken lunch buffet.
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Shoot I must have just missed you. I’m just finishing brunch at MVN
 
Ed Haywood said:
That's a bit south of my flight path. Anyone know a good eatery with cheap gas west of Springfield?
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its a bit thin west of Springfield (IL) ... Quincy had a restaurant but it closed a few months ago. A little east is Decator with a place on field; I haven't been there since they reopened a few years back.
 
In FL helping my parents clean out their house to move to an independent living apartment in the same community. Dear god is it hot here.
 
Pugs said:
In FL helping my parents clean out their house to move to an independent living apartment in the same community. Dear god is it hot here.
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Yes, it is. Please spread the word. Help everyone understand that Florida is much too hot a place to live and they shouldn’t even consider it.

Which part of hell-on-earth are your parents in?
 
Half Fast said:
Yes, it is. Please spread the word. Help everyone understand that Florida is much too hot a place to live and they shouldn’t even consider it.
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Happily. :vomit:

I burn an awful lot of Jet-A going there far too often. I don't get it. To visit in January? Sure. To live? Absolutely not.
 
A little R&R, and learned the dog's name was Barnie.IMG20260907154955.jpgIMG20260907165858.jpg
 
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Pugs said:
In FL helping my parents clean out their house to move to an independent living apartment in the same community. Dear god is it hot here.
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Yep. Just changed my oil outdoors in direct sunlight yesterday afternoon at Manatee. 2 hours and I was ready to collapse.

Weather turns in Nov. Then it is beautiful until March.
 
Half Fast said:
Yes, it is. Please spread the word. Help everyone understand that Florida is much too hot a place to live and they shouldn’t even consider it.

Which part of hell-on-earth are your parents in?
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My current beef with Florida is that you can't pay them corporate income tax without jumping through a bunch of hoops to do so. Why governments make it so hard for you to give them money is beyond me. Florida is on my list of idiots list (goes along with California and a few other states that have incompetent tax folks).

I really wouldn't mind becoming the United State of America. Having to deal with 50 different tax laws/procedures really wears me out trying to run a business.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
Florida is on my list of idiots list (goes along with California and a few other states that have incompetent tax folks).
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I can't argue with that, and it's yet another good reason for people not to move here.

When I bought my plane, I had an argument with one of the tax people in Tallahassee about the cap on the sales tax (county surtax is limited to the first $5k of the sale price), with him insisting I needed to pay a higher amount. I finally gave up (IIRC it was a few hundred dollars) and sent a check. A couple of months later I received a notice from the idiot's boss's boss stating that I would be receiving a refund for the overage. People who can't do simple arithmatic should not work in tax offices.

Spread the word - do NOT move to Florida. We're full. The weather sucks. Alligators will eat your dogs. Mosquitoes will kill your children. Interstates are parking lots. Pool boys will seduce your wife. Rust will destroy your vehicles. Hurricanes will flood your homes. Stay away!
 
Half Fast said:
I can't argue with that, and it's yet another good reason for people not to move here.

When I bought my plane, I had an argument with one of the tax people in Tallahassee about the cap on the sales tax (county surtax is limited to the first $5k of the sale price), with him insisting I needed to pay a higher amount. I finally gave up (IIRC it was a few hundred dollars) and sent a check. A couple of months later I received a notice from the idiot's boss's boss stating that I would be receiving a refund for the overage. People who can't do simple arithmatic should not work in tax offices.

Spread the word - do NOT move to Florida. We're full. The weather sucks. Alligators will eat your dogs. Mosquitoes will kill your children. Interstates are parking lots. Pool boys will seduce your wife. Rust will destroy your vehicles. Hurricanes will flood your homes. Stay away!
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You don't have to worry about me. I'm a pale Irish boy. I don't like the heat.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Yep. Just changed my oil outdoors in direct sunlight yesterday afternoon at Manatee. 2 hours and I was ready to collapse.

Weather turns in Nov. Then it is beautiful until March.
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Went to Marathon for Christmas and Daytona for the 500 in February. Plan on making that a tradition
 
Half Fast said:
I can't argue with that, and it's yet another good reason for people not to move here.

When I bought my plane, I had an argument with one of the tax people in Tallahassee about the cap on the sales tax (county surtax is limited to the first $5k of the sale price), with him insisting I needed to pay a higher amount. I finally gave up (IIRC it was a few hundred dollars) and sent a check. A couple of months later I received a notice from the idiot's boss's boss stating that I would be receiving a refund for the overage. People who can't do simple arithmatic should not work in tax offices.

Spread the word - do NOT move to Florida. We're full. The weather sucks. Alligators will eat your dogs. Mosquitoes will kill your children. Interstates are parking lots. Pool boys will seduce your wife. Rust will destroy your vehicles. Hurricanes will flood your homes. Stay away!
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You forgot Love Bugs obliterating your car radiator/hood/windscreen.

Too many days in West Palm Beach working at Pratt & Whitney Florida Operations for the USAF on F-15/F-16 Engine Programs during the summer to ever want to go back.
 
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