2015 POTD Thread Archive

My Bird has Thunder in front of it and I'm pretty much a Ford guy, but I like all the old iron and generally the people that own them. Granted some just buy them, but the ones that turn there own wrenches I can usually talk to for hours. That one should be really nice when done. Will it get the Big Bird decal on the hood? I think I like them better without. Mike
 
I don't have a project in mind right now so I cast some stock out of old brass pluming parts and other scrap.
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It doesn't machine quite as well as brass bar stock but not bad. I wonder if I could heat treat it to improve machinability?
R
 
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rwm said:
I don't have a project in mind right now so I cast some stock out of old brass pluming parts and other scrap.
15%2B-%2B5.jpg
15%2B-%2B3.jpg
15%2B-%2B2.jpg
15%2B-%2B1.jpg

It doesn't machine quite as well as brass bar stock but not bad. I wonder if I could heat treat it to improve machinability?
R
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That's pretty cool, especially with the price of brass being what it is. I have quite a pile of old brass. If you don't mind, could you outline what is required to do this and cost of getting started? I'm somewhat aware of the steps involved and some of the required equipment, but have never tried it. Thanks, Mike
 
Nothing because my arm is still in the sling and I am under stricked orders not to use it. But I did get my son to help my install a new computer at my desk, and it is also giving me time to learn a little CAD
Mark
 
FOMOGO said:
That's pretty cool, especially with the price of brass being what it is. I have quite a pile of old brass. If you don't mind, could you outline what is required to do this and cost of getting started? I'm somewhat aware of the steps involved and some of the required equipment, but have never tried it. Thanks, Mike
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There is A thread on this forum that covers casting, I am sure you will find lot of info there. I checked it out a while back as I would also like to try it out. But I just can't seem to get going on building forge/furnace.

Here is a link http://www.hobby-machinist.com/forums/welding-casting.17/
 
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FOMOGO said:
That's pretty cool, especially with the price of brass being what it is. I have quite a pile of old brass. If you don't mind, could you outline what is required to do this and cost of getting started? I'm somewhat aware of the steps involved and some of the required equipment, but have never tried it. Thanks, Mike
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Brass is a bit of a challenge compared to aluminum. Aluminum you can do in a tin can with a pile of charcoal in a hole in the ground. Unless you really want to get into casting it is probably more efficient to buy brass stock. I have not been at all pleased with the machinability of cast Al but the brasses seem to be OK.
To do brass, you need:
a decently efficient furnace
a good gas or oil burner with a blower
a real ceramic crucible (not steel pipe)
casting sand
and various other tools.
If you are interested in learning metal casting I recommend AlloyAvenue.com.
I am also happy to help or advise in any way.
R
 
No Phoenix on that hood. It's the formula hood with dual nostrils, functional ram air. It does not however have ram air heads or anything associated with ram air, except the air cleaner system. I'll be starting a 76 trans am this summer which will have all the ram air goodies, it's a 455 4sp car with the shaker hood. The one in the vid is a 400 with an auto 400, transgo shift kit built by yours truly.
 
I needed to cut some screwdriver slots in the heads of some weird proprietary bolts. I keep my Burke mill set up with a slotting saw just for this purpose but I don't have a good vise for the mill. I have a 3" Palmgren drill press vise set up on the mill table as it is just about the right size for this little mill. the problem was I couldn't get the fixed jaw of the vise close enough to the saw to cut the slots. I am limited in arbors and spacers for this mill. So I took the vise off and milled longer slots in the vise so that I could move the fixed jaw of the vise in the Y axis on the table so that I could cut the slot in the bolt head.

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New urgent shop project.

While turning a part yesterday I heard a clicking sound coming from somewhere inside my cross slide. Then something inside the headstock clicked and the lead screw quit turning. I looked inside and found that the change gear lever had disengaged. I moved it back up, tightened it and fired it back up, threw the drive lever and it popped back out again after a fraction of an inch of travel.

That disappointing series of unfortunate events repeated a few times.

I left the drive lever disengaged and finished the job by manually turning the last bucket full of swarf off my part with great effort and vast expenditure of time.

When life hands you lemons, you can make lemonade that will probably taste like cranberry juice — but only if you don't like cranberry juice. Otherwise, it will taste like something else you don't much care for.

My Grizzly G-4000 lathe is 10 years old and has never malfunctioned before. I was nervous about removing the cross slide. Finally, today I got up the nerve and unscrewed a couple bolts that hold the shifter rod that the lever operates, discovered that the hand wheel secured with a roll pin had to come off too, and removed a cover on the back of the slide so I could see what the heck with a mirror and flashlight. (I still haven't taken the slide off). I discovered that the drive gear that engages the drive screw was missing about 6 teeth. I guess that is what was making the clicking noise.

I have no idea how that gear got chewed up like that. I've known not to engage the drive lever and threading lever at the same time for several months. I don't think it is something I ever did before, but who knows what black sheep have been shoved to the back of my mind's closet. At any rate, it broke yesterday for reasons only the Great Mooga comprehends. I'll not waste energy assigning blame.

I will definitely have to remove the cross slide.

I called Grizzly this evening right before 7pm and ordered a new gear. $20.74 shipped and will arrive middle of next week. Good for them! I hope I ordered the right gear. All those zig-zagged lines on the parts drawing were a bit confusing.

More later...
 
Finished facing off my upper cabinets in prep for making the doors, mounted my cordless drill center (built by me) and repurposed an old garage cabinet (that the PO had done a horrible carpentry job on) to hold my hand power tools/jointer/scroll saw. I did a bit of a rework on the cabinet first, its not perfect but it works and was essentially free.
 
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