ThomasPowers Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 No sign that anything happened yesterday; time for a candle light vigil in front of the CoOp? When the power was out for so long I went and got a box of LED votive "candles" I had sourced for my camping light and distributed them around the bedroom and bathroom. Camping light #2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 15, 2021 Author Share Posted July 15, 2021 Called again, he promised that they were not getting so annoyed by my calls that they would "accidentally" hook my metal building up to the hot line... He told me that they were out there yesterday with the Supervisor this time; but even though they traced the line that fed the transformer for our house they wouldn't agree that that was the line they would hook up for my shop. GM is getting involved and perhaps "next week" they would get everyone to agree and do the sign off and SCHEDULE it to be worked on. My Wife and I are expecting it will go in right before I have to drive to Seattle and back to fit in with "The Perversity of the Universe Tends Towards a Maximum" (O'Toole's corollary of Finagle's law). I'm beginning to wonder if the original underground work was done by the UFO that "visited" Socorro. Those grey aliens are such pranksters! Hopefully I get to spend time at the scrapyard Saturday. I'm looking for a fan for the shop gable now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 Might mention you're looking for a Hand Crank fan for the gable next time you call the power company. Might be time to get the twirly light Alien artefact detector out and see if you can find one of their zero point energy generators. Oh wait, the voices are playing scenes from "My Science Project" . . . Nevermind. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 15, 2021 Author Share Posted July 15, 2021 Hmmmm I have a couple of 99# dock weights; perhaps a clockwork gable fan. I must talk with Miguelito about making one...see what was scrapped from the Trinity Site. Maybe see if I can borrow a couple of bears from Elisha... After everything gets hooked up I still have to have a final inspection. Today is 5 months to "early" retirement. 6 months to "planned" retirement. There's a sporting chance I'll have power to the shop *first*! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 I love Camping light #2. It has given me an idea for a hand crank, high volume campfire marshmellow toaster. I know someone that takes a LOT of kids camping. I would opine about shop wiring but considering what I dealt with in my old shop, best not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 On 7/15/2021 at 12:17 PM, ThomasPowers said: After everything gets hooked up I still have to have a final inspection. Today is 5 months to "early" retirement. 6 months to "planned" retirement. There's a sporting chance I'll have power to the shop *first*! Retirement.....WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 Congratulations on the upcoming retirement Thomas! How many years have you been trying to get power the your shop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 19, 2021 Author Share Posted July 19, 2021 17 years to this one---so far! Most of the time I wasn't pushing as I had other uses for my money. Once the house was paid off and all the kids on their own I could think about powering the shop---and then I had that job in Mexico for 6 years! Thinking about retirement put a bit of habanero in the project...Nice thing about the rains lately is that it shows where the trench was dug and backfilled so I can level it up. Nodebt: have you looked into a modified dangle spit for the marshmallow extravaganza? I've also forged a toasting fork with 4 tines spaced to form a box, each tine taking one hot dog or 2-3 marshmallows. (Flatten the end of the stock, hot cut four tines, spread and taper and then bend the tines forward leaving a central gap, trim to make them even---forge welding them is easier for me.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 No, but I will look into a dangle spit. Sounds interesting and ominious. The toaster fork sounds like a fun project as well. These are great ideas and tips, I will put them to the front of my backlog of future projects I am behind on. I better go buy another notebook and pencil now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 3 ring binder allows you to rearrange the priority easier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 Oh yeah, ring binders and graph paper RULE! I slip a sketch of the general subject in the clear pocket on the outside of ring binders to help keep things straight. For example: Building sketches and drawings in one binder. Trailers and specialty trailer stuff in one. Power machinery like the 2" x 72" grinder, various belt and gear reductions, clutches, etc. in one. I have two power hammer binders, one self contained another mechanical that's leaning towards converting my Little Giant to a Scotch Yoke and eliminating the leaf springs and link arms. I have a number of graph paper spring binders for "thinking on paper" and fun sketches. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 I bet it would be fun to browse through your "thinking on paper" and fun sketches" binders! I wonder what one would come across.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 I’ll bet the fun sketch binders have some cheesy blacksmith cartoons to go with all those Frosty jokes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 Think Leonardo da Vinci notebook with a modern twist.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 Hieronymus Bosch, only not so restrained! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 Lol I was thinking more like Bill Watterson only blacksmith themed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 I used to doodle during long boring meetings; soon my agenda would be filled with projects I was thinking about. Luckily it was drafting rather than drawing. I would have gotten in trouble for characterchures... Recently I was remembering a description of a place as "What William Randolph Hearst might have done if he hadn't been so limited by good taste and lack of money." Now to get that person to design a blacksmith's shop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 Sorry, no cartoons at all, all my training was drafting. My couple efforts at cartoons made your first grader's stick figures look pro. I've been talking about making working drawings and concept sketches on graph paper for the past 15+ years and you think I can make artistic drawings? I look through some of the old ones when I run across one and believe me you wouldn't know what the subject was if you didn't k now already. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 I still have a hard time believing there isn’t just at least a few one liners wrote down in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 I'd have to put myself on moderated. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 I take a lot of notes actually. And draw sketches. It's kind of bothersome when you want to duplicate a thing or process you KNOW you have done before successfully, but just can't "remember". Lately, I have adopted the "take a picture of it with cell phone" before disassembly technique. I know, I'm slow to adapt new technology.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 Taking a pic is a good thing but for myself drawings carry much more information. A lot of what I'm looking for in old drawings are the problems and solutions. When I was building things professionally making things fit in existing structures was the norm and included a lot of problem solving. I LOVED that kind of job. Some of the real buggers took many pages of drawings to problem solve before I bought the steel. Leafing through old binders can trigger some satisfying memories. I'd changed jobs before electronic cameras became available and the first one wasn't so good. I shot photos with a Canon autowind T90 and didn't bring it out to take photos of things of which I already had dimensioned drawings. I make a LOT fewer drawings of forged projects. Bearing in mind I differentiate between forging and "joinery" in many aspects. For example making a gate. Forging elements like: latch, hinges, finials for pickets or rails is one thing. Bending and twisting is maybe. Joining the elements into a whole is most often fabrication with the exceptions of forge welds and collars. Tenons I suppose but punching a mortise or holes for rivets? Unless I drift them it's faster with a drill unless I'm already heating the area. Sorry, that's getting too involved in details and personal preferences. What particular technique or sequence worked in a given situation can't be conveyed in a photo but is evident in drawings. Especially the smudged and singed drawings I had on the table when I made the thing. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 27, 2021 Author Share Posted July 27, 2021 I called the CoOP, again, and was told they are going out at Noon today with a bunch of supervisors to make a *FINAL* determination of where they will hook into which line. Then this can get on the schedule to have the transformer dropped and hooked up and the meter installed. So the hook up that they said was going to be done by July 4th might get done by Labor Day (Sept 6 here in the USA this year)! Of course every weekend in September is already booked for other things than a shop party...OTOH it's encouraging me to stay working my day job till I turn 65. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Yep, a power wall and panels is sounding pretty good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted July 27, 2021 Share Posted July 27, 2021 Thomas, If you have air conditioning at work, then you should at least keep your day job till the humidity breaks out your way lol. well hopefully that happens before September… maybe with luck you’ll be up and going before the holiday season starts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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