JLP Blacksmith Teaching Center.

[jlpservicesinc]

On 6/6/2024 at 3:13 PM, Tim Harvey said:

Hey Jenifer 

I’ve been reading this thread for a long time and you’re doing a fantastic job with this project .
 

Hey Tim, I do remember you on the YT video..   

I've been away since last Wednesday as I went to Teach/demo at the 50th ABANA celebration.  The subject was Welded hinge barrels and in-depth look.. 

Thanks for taking the time to read up..  

i'd look at how cold it gets there and see what your long term frost depth is..  I plan on storing a couple of tons of metal on one side of the front porch and gas cylinders on the other.  I figure with all the rebar having been tied away from the sharp corner points should help to keep cracking in check. 

I'll be looking forwards to your shop progress..   If and when you start a thread on it, please link back or PM with thread info.  I love seeing what others are doing.   

Edited June 9, 2024 by Mod30
Trim quote.

[jlpservicesinc]

So, just before I left for ABANA conference as mentioned.. 

When I came back the floor guy called and asked if I was ready.. "Of course" I spouted..   Was I ready NO..  
I spent the next 5 hrs tieing rebar, installing the spacers at all the openings and installing the expansion foam.. 

I added more rebar and devised a way to hold 2x4 boards up so they would be embedded at each opening. 

I also installed 1/2 double sided foam insulation as an expansion joint on all surfaces.. 

I'm not sure how to bridge subjects that people who are professionals dismiss, only to have problems later and then they claim it's because of so and so..    

Anyhow the floor is poured and though there is only a drop of 1" in 20ft the water only has 2 places it sits.. Otherwise it drains off pretty quickly or at least quickly enough for me. 

Tim, it sounds like once you are done it will be a super nice shop..   Since you mentioned fixing it and installing new beams and siding it's going to be tough..   

I see some heavy equipment in your future..   I have no regrets buying the Manlift...   It's probably one of the best items I have ever bought..  So, so handy.. 

Follow up photos..    

 

[JHCC]

Floor!

[jlpservicesinc]

Frisbee!!!!!!


Thought we were doing word association games..   

Yes indeed..  Now just to pull the boards and bring the items in like the steel rack, hacksaws, roller table, gas cylinders.. 

I will then need to hang the vinyl clear plastic strips..   

Setting this area up will be a huge step into proceeding forwards..  I'm glad I have taken the time and expense. 
 

[Frosty]

Keep it wet, at least 3 days, a week is better but forever even betterer.

Looks good.

Frosty The Lucky.

[jlpservicesinc]

Frosty, I've been wetting it 2 or 4X a day.. Was poured yesterday morning.. have hit it with water about 6X and I then go over an sweep it to reach all corners.  

Thanks for the input. 

[Frosty]

An easy way to keep it wet is cover it with gunny sacks or old bed sheets and wet them. We set up a couple sprinklers on my shop slab and I turned them on every couple hours or if it started to look dry. The important thing is not letting it dry out. Concrete "Cures" it doesn't Dry, there's a huge difference. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[jlpservicesinc]

I understand that.. 

But from what I read, wetting the top help with slab curl.  I could be totally whack.. 

On this topic when should I remove the form boards? 

 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I usually cover new concrete with Visqueen sheeting and keep it wet.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[jlpservicesinc]

I have extra vapor barrier..  Should I just use that? 

 

[JHCC]

Yes, it will help slow evaporation. 

[jlpservicesinc]

Pulled the boards today..  MOve the metal rack into position.. 

Then started to pull the piled up material back down and smooth it out. 

[jlpservicesinc]

Yesterday (Saturday) I went up to VT and picked up another power hammer..  A Fairbanks model E..  150lbs

It came from Trow and Holden Company, Barre VT.    They outed the mechanical hammers to NEB.. 

Gave it a good cleaning..    Then using a hand winch lifted up on the tractor bucket and moved it into the school. 

This is hammer #4..   25, 50, 150 and 200lb hammers..  2 Little giants and 2 Fairbanks. 



 

[JHCC]

That's a good looking hammer!

(I sometimes think it would be nice to get a beastie like that, but then I remember that it would probably shake Lisa's entire teacup collection off the walls of the house, and that would not be a good thing.)

[George N. M.]

Jennifer, not only are you giving me power hammer envy I also am jealous of the equipment you have to move stuff like that around.

How are you planning to mount it?  Bolted to the school floor slab or are you planning on some sort of more substantial foundation?

GNM

[Frosty]

Did you get the ram and the rest too? 

Frosty The Lucky.

[jlpservicesinc]

JHCC the hammer is pretty good looking indeed..  from what I can tell, it's original paint..  Sure you can install one in your garage.. No problem..   

George,  dont' be envious of the equipment..  Everything I buy is beat up and needs repair..  This huge machine will only lift about 4000lbs as long as I don't sneeze..  I had to raise the bucket then put the hand winch on it and raise it the rest of the way.  I have 0 luck buying equipment like this.. 

Mounting will be done once the school is cleaned an organized.  

I'm not as motivated as I once was so things take longer.. 

When the time comes I'll floor mount it and see how that goes..   The 200lbs hammer will be in operation too..  So.. 

Frosty all the parts are there but the dies, and the main spring. 

I was able to pick up the needed parts for the 200lbs hammer as well.. 

And with this.. Today got another large aspect of the building completed.  This outside corner was not insulated and the corner trim was not put on.. 

Reason was the complexity of the roof to siding junction and insulation has to be put in from the outside of the building. 

That one sheet when I put it up last time took me 2hrs to move it into place by myself.. The sheet wraps around the Ibeam and I can not lift the sheet and open the metal to go over the beam.. 

My buddy Andrew came today to help and it took about 5 minutes to get it up and screwed in.. 

Ordered the new triple pane window for the opening.  

The school is going to be even warmer with all the insulation finally installed and the gaping holes covered. 

[Frosty]

Insulation AND no gaping holes?!?! You don't go half way do you Jennifer. Joking aside it looks like you'll finally be able to get down to business with the school.

We're pulling for you.

Frosty The Lucky.

[LarryFahnoe]

13 hours ago, jlpservicesinc said:

I'm not as motivated as I once was so things take longer.. 

Age and time catch up with all of us it seems, but take heart Jennifer: every bit you have showed represents an amazing accomplishment & I would hope that you can look upon it all with great satisfaction. I too wish my own projects went faster and that I was farther along. Looking back over the last 20 years or so the main thing I didn't fully appreciate is that things seem to get heavier as I get older! Ah well, we all keep at it and are better for it!

--Larry

[jlpservicesinc]

Hah.. Yes.. Well at least on that corner for the time being..   1 more corner to do and it will finally be closed in.. 

Was super nice having Andrew to help.. 

The other side I just cut a U slot so should be a little easier.. 

I need to do a bunch of metals moving to get over there since I put the metal rack up and it's loaded now. 

[jlpservicesinc]

Hey there Larry..   Yes for sure..   The injuries sustained over the last couple years have really played in..   Dislocating my right arm and nearly cutting off my right hand..  Then the stroke effected my left side head to, toe..  That has played in more leading to a weaker left side and surgery on my back.  

My left arm has had to pick up slack from the right arm being gimpy and from all the injuries while working with rogue horses and kicking while holding on has fried both elbows..  

I manage but it's not pretty and it's exhaustive..  

LIke most things now, taking time off is luxurious but more painful when I start again.  

One foot in front of the other..   I'm still here and chugging along.. 

[jlpservicesinc]

It's been a few months since I have visited here.. 

Since before winter..  

Winter was extremely cold in a bone chilling kind of way..   But, it stayed nice and warm in the school all winter long.. 

With the air filter/circulator up at the ceiling my oil consumption was cut nearly in half..    The unit is thermostatically controlled and comes on at 64F and shuts off at 63F.   This works perfectly to blow down the heat from the ceiling and equalize the temperature at the floor. 


I have since picked up an 8000lbs Lull 844TT34 which I have repacked several cylinders, changed and cleaned the hydraulic reseovor as well as hoses and wiring..   The unit was ordered from Sweden and at some point it was fitted with a heated enclosed cab with 3 windshield wipers, spring suspension seat, windshield washer and adjustable angled steering wheel and controls.   It' was also fitted with 7 lights and rear brake as well as full directionals. 

I have since gotten all the wiring straightened out so everything works.. 

it also have a quick attach system so rebuilt that as well..   Has forks, a bucket and a jib crane. 

Deutz 5f912 motor..  Runs great with 60-80psi oil pressure.. 

I had to get creative with this brake nut holder..  I'm not sure how anyone could stick there fingers in there to hold the nuts..  So instead made this to hold them for me. 

I used the gozintuz as braces to unscrew the cylinders gland nuts..  Had to make 2 pin wrench spanners to get them apart.. 

There was some frost heaving of the front aprons concrete pad..  It raised about 1.5- 2inches overall and settled back down. 

I'm going to have to install a rain/snow gutter to vent the water/snow away from the front..  Rutland being the cold belt of MA lead to a lot of ice in front of the apron meaning lots of chipping and ice formation. 

[JHCC]

Looking good! How long before you’re ready to open up the school?

[jlpservicesinc]

John,  while things are getting closer to open, it's still 1 foot in front of the other.. 

The big thing now is to get more organized so there is more room to sort equipment and do layout.. 

I think I figured out the smoke stack problem which was a big one..   It is ever evolving for sure. 

[jlpservicesinc]

I got lucky and picked up a Vapor hone cabinet..   60K new..  bought from 2nd owner who never used it.. Was to big for their shop.   Having the Lull has changed moving stuff around into a simple and effective time frame. 

Got a new doggy back in Sept..  A rescue that was at the shelter for 6 months.. 9year old stud dog pulled from puppy mill.. 

He's turned out to be a great doggy. 

With the new blast cabinet which uses 80cuft per minute with the largest nozzle/air jet,  My old compressor while 27cuft did not come close to 100% duty cycle.. 

I ended up finding an old 1977 Kellogg American rotary screw compressor that puts out 92 cuft at 90psi, it was sold as low hour factory back up compressor..  Well that is not the case as the hour meter was changed and is not functional now.  But the compressor does work and it does make plenty of air..      KRS25 is the model. I've changed the oil and filter as well as made the mounts for the oil separator beefier.  It looks like someone pushed on the top of it so the bottom oil drain was bent up..   I fixed all that.. 

On that note I also found a Mattei 15HP Rotary vane compressor few towns over for a very reasonable price with 51K on it.  I have been intrigued by this technology and it's a 2001 mfg date.    It was being sold as a Worthington, but after a lot of research I was able to figure out it is a ERC511  Also known a model 58.. 

I pulled the oil, cleaned it with oil/grime remover and then got it in the school and took it apart to clean out the air/oil separator..     It's a very neat compressor and it actually pretty quite compared to the screw compressor. 

The unit is super simple and glad I pulled it apart..   I learned out it worked.. Hands on is way better. As always it's a learning time.