What did you do today?

[darryl heinrich]

What I did today- making some lighting for a local pub. Aluminum channel with led strips, etc. I needed to attach mounting brackets, but avoid having anything sticking up where the led strip would go, so I opted to use flush setting rivets. I had some on hand so I tested the hole size and the recess so the head would come out flush. I epoxied the brackets into place, then drilled two holes in each. Before I even started drilling, one of the channels slipped and fell to the floor. All the brackets came off. For some reason I was able to drill the holes and apply the right chamfer on both sides without knocking the brackets loose, but the first time I pounded one rivet into place, the other brackets came off. Took me two hours to do what should have been a half hour job. After I drill and tap the brackets so they can be held in place I'll stick the led strips down and solder the lead wires in place. Then I'll pour an epoxy layer over it for protection. That should be interesting- there won't be enough depth of epoxy to self-level, especially over the 50 inch length of one piece, and 28 inch length for the others. I'll just have to try to pour to the right depth as I slowly go from one end to the other.

I'm a little tired today, after the dance fest rock and roll food bank fundraiser last night, so I'll likely leave the epoxy for tomorrow.

[danlb]

I picked up a fast charger for my Plug in Hybrid. It runs on a 120v 20 amp circuit or 220V 20 amp. I have not decided where to put the receptacle so I ran an extension cord from my mill's drop to the front of the garage. The charger has a NEMA 6-20 plug and the drop has a 15-20r twistlock . Fortunately I had a 15-20P plug left over from another project, and a section of 10-3 STOW cable cut from an old 25 foot generator cord. All I needed was the 6-20R inline receptacle, available at the local Lowes for only $15 or so.

The fruits of my labor.

[Dan Dubeau]

I spent the weekend cleaning out the barn and my garage. I made so much room in both, have a trailer FULL of scrap metal and can see the floor in the garage now. Plus I opened up another bay in the barn. Also got moved my blast cabinet into the garage, and will bring in my horizontal bandsaw and hydraulic press this coming weekend. Getting so close to finally having a functioning workshop where I can just go out and build things.

[mattthemuppet]

so I'll likely leave the epoxy for tomorrow.

that sounds neat - what epoxy are you using? Is it UV resistant? Can you get cloudy versions so it can act as a diffuser too? I've made a bunch of lights around the house, but they're still not what I'd call "pro" installations

[Dave C]

I spent the weekend cleaning out the barn and my garage. I made so much room in both, have a trailer FULL of scrap metal and can see the floor in the garage now. Plus I opened up another bay in the barn. Also got moved my blast cabinet into the garage, and will bring in my horizontal bandsaw and hydraulic press this coming weekend. Getting so close to finally having a functioning workshop where I can just go out and build things.

Congrats on the clean up. I need to know your secret. Every time I remove a bunch of stuff, I seem to wind up with less space than I started with.

[Cenedd]

Congrats on the clean up. I need to know your secret. Every time I remove a bunch of stuff, I seem to wind up with less space than I started with.

That's an easy one. You just let your wife decide whether each item needs to be kept or binned. You'll soon have a clear shop!

[Dave C]

I don't know, the last time I cleared a nice space, she went to HD and came home with one of those heavy wire racks. Guess where it got set up and loaded with her stuff.

[darryl heinrich]

The epoxy I'm using for my aluminum channel lights- I'll probably use the water-clear casting epoxy. It doesn't particularly like to flow into a beautifully flat surface, but that won't matter. It did matter for the lenses I cast, but in that case I allowed for a further covering layer of coffee table epoxy. That stuff is not very clear, but for a 1/8 thick layer it does self-level nicely and gives the optically good layer without adding a yellow tinge. That doesn't matter for this project, but it's worth knowing.

I took one of my fabricated parts into the pub today and realized that I mounted two of the brackets in a bad spot, so what I did already today- drilled the rivets out and re-located the brackets. I'm going back to the pub to buy some drinks for a few veterans later today, so I'm hoping I get the strip lights installed and the epoxy poured before I do that.

[reggie_obe]

that sounds neat - what epoxy are you using? Is it UV resistant? Can you get cloudy versions so it can act as a diffuser too? I've made a bunch of lights around the house, but they're still not what I'd call "pro" installations

That not how diffusion or softening works on lighting instrument. Visit with your theater department and ask them for a demo of how the diffusion material becomes the light source. Different diffusion materials also have different properties, some harder, some softer, all of them "eat" a certain amount of light output.

[Dan Dubeau]

Congrats on the clean up. I need to know your secret. Every time I remove a bunch of stuff, I seem to wind up with less space than I started with.

I've just had enough of moving stuff to do anything. I backed the trailer up to the garage and just started firing stuff out the door. Quite therapeutic in a way

[mattthemuppet]

The epoxy I'm using for my aluminum channel lights- I'll probably use the water-clear casting epoxy. It doesn't particularly like to flow into a beautifully flat surface, but that won't matter. It did matter for the lenses I cast, but in that case I allowed for a further covering layer of coffee table epoxy. That stuff is not very clear, but for a 1/8 thick layer it does self-level nicely and gives the optically good layer without adding a yellow tinge. That doesn't matter for this project, but it's worth knowing.

I took one of my fabricated parts into the pub today and realized that I mounted two of the brackets in a bad spot, so what I did already today- drilled the rivets out and re-located the brackets. I'm going back to the pub to buy some drinks for a few veterans later today, so I'm hoping I get the strip lights installed and the epoxy poured before I do that.

thanks Darryl, the info is much appreciated.

That not how diffusion or softening works on lighting instrument. Visit with your theater department and ask them for a demo of how the diffusion material becomes the light source. Different diffusion materials also have different properties, some harder, some softer, all of them "eat" a certain amount of light output.

Why not? Or is the issue with the word "diffusion"? I'm interested in scattering the light so that the point light sources (LEDs) become more diffuse and produce less glare. Similar to the translucent plastic tubes over LED light tubes. Obviously there's no free lunch in doing so.

[plastikosmd]

2 days off
Traded the 3/4 for 1 ton
Wife is happier w/o lift and 37” but I hate the stance. So 3” Front/1” rear level kit going in. Also got to undercoat the ram/jeep and crane truck for winter

[RB211]

First time doing a large 3d print with flexible material, and also the first time inserting a steel plate into a cavity and continued printing. Made a bumper for the foot plate of my daughter's wheel chair. No more gouging out the walls and front door of the house!

[Cenedd]

First time doing a large 3d print with flexible material, and also the first time inserting a steel plate into a cavity and continued printing. Made a bumper for the foot plate of my daughter's wheel chair. No more gouging out the walls and front door of the house!

You can't do that RB211! You've made something helpful and useful outside the workshop! It'll give (some of) the rest of us a bad name! ....or worse, a list of jobs!
Nice job though. And you justified the cost of the 3D printer too!

[RB211]

You can't do that RB211! You've made something helpful and useful outside the workshop! It'll give (some of) the rest of us a bad name! ....or worse, a list of jobs!
Nice job though. And you justified the cost of the 3D printer too!

Most of my projects have been for my daughter as of late, adapting toys, etc.