What did you do today?

[emery.dewitt]

More progress on my Sherline base. I made a stand for the DRO head. My welding is not the best, but it's certainly sturdy and useable. After the photos, I primed it, and after paint I'll give it a try!

[The Metal Butcher]

Cut a few 5/8-18 threads at work in 304 stainless male and female. Humorously, I've machined titanium before stainless. Just not a metal I work with much. A little tough but not too bad. Threads looked really good. The engineer must have bought some really good taps, as it tapped like butter.

[Richard P Wilson]

Did you ever resolve your problems with the chattering chuck? It was discussed so much, I'm curious to know the outcome.

[The Metal Butcher]

Did you ever resolve your problems with the chattering chuck? It was discussed so much, I'm curious to know the outcome.

I have not. I've found a 3 jaw we had that I like pretty well so my motivation to wear my self out screwing with that thing has been low. Hopefully sometime soon, I don't want to leave you guys hanging.

-------

We finished our first production 3d printed tungsten parts at work. They printed pretty damn poorly, but came out ok. The ones in there now are printing so much better, so I'm feeling pretty good about them. 61 hour print for about 2 kg of product. In 110 hour period I'll have had that machine running for 105. Kinda painfully slow.

[nickel-city-fab]

We finished our first production 3d printed tungsten parts at work. They printed pretty damn poorly, but came out ok. The ones in there now are printing so much better, so I'm feeling pretty good about them. 61 hour print for about 2 kg of product. In 110 hour period I'll have had that machine running for 105. Kinda painfully slow.

Oh wow, that's awesome! I used to work for Buffalo Tungsten -- one of the largest suppliers of the powder as well as carbide. (I was their #2 plant mechanic/millwright/welder). They can do any grain size and can also do ultra-pure and sub-micron.

[J Tiers]

Just finished almost identical plumbing repairs for two neighbors.

One had been screwed up by a plumber, the other by somebody, maybe a handyman, dunno.

*****The handyman had assembled slip joint drain pipe under the sink on the outlet of the disposal without the washers. He HAD known that something should be in there, because he used plumber's putty as a substitute. Of course it leaked, and because there was no washer, it slid apart. The neighbor had thought the issue was the dishwasher, but it turned out to be the completely effed-up drain. Worked OK with actual washers in it.

******The plumber had messed up royally, and scrammed. He had cut the right angle pipe that exits the disposal too short, using a saw (the setup is really too tight, but it is what it is). It was so short that it really was not long enough to get the entire compression washer onto it. But it gets better.....

Not only had he cut it short, he also cut it on an angle, so part of it was even shorter than the already too-short piece, and really did not get into the washer. But even that is not all......

He also must have cut it from each side separately, because for part of it he had actually cut into the good part of the pipe that was probably actually in the washer, so there was a leaky spot.

So 1) leaky spot.... 2) angle cut that the washer could not seal against....3) overall cut so short that the washer was not even all the way on it, so the joint was not held, and would pop off every so often.

He had to know it was not right, but he skedaddled, and never came back to fix it. Probably he did not have another piece of disposal exit pipe handy and thought he'd bodge it and run.

I had a piece of the right pipe and just cut mine straight, and a bit longer. Works fine, of course.

[Mr Fixit]

I have been working on my shop heat. I built my shop in 2010 and put radiant floor heat PEX piping in the floor when I built it. ON the list to finish but it kept falling down the list.
Well I left the electric space heater on over night and it does not have a T-stat so it ran over night, I'm not looking forward to the electric bill.

So I'm getting back on the project. Oh buy the way, I bought the parts in 2017 but again it fell to the bottom of the list.



I'm getting closer. I do need to wire it up and fill it with water, then it's good to go.

I do have a question if you have read this far. The "Y" strainer above the pump is SS and I can't get a thread seal on this with the copper fittings. I've used teflon, and PDFE tape but it still leaks. I've been air testing @ 40psi. What can I use that will get me a good seal? The SS has started to gall the coper but still good threads on the copper.

TX
Mr fixit for the family
Chris

[J Tiers]

When the fake stuff fails, use old-fashioned brush-on pipe dope. Do NOT try to use the thin watery stuff that has teflon in it.

[Ron43]

https://www.amazon.com/Oatey-15707-H.../dp/B004EVF88A, My plumber buddy swears by " Block" brand.
He used it on black iron gas lines in a kitchen remodel for me Pressure stayed for 24 hrs as inspector required. It is tough to get off your hands so it must seal well.
Ron.

[Jerrythepilot]

I've had good luck with the Blue Block pipe dope.

[Tim The Grim]

I made a quick 2x4 bracket to place some of these new LED Garage lights in the shop. Honestly didn’t expect them to be as effective as they are.
Now I can machine and get a tan simultaneously.

[Tom S]

I have been working on my shop heat. I built my shop in 2010 and put radiant floor heat PEX piping in the floor when I built it. ON the list to finish but it kept falling down the list.
Well I left the electric space heater on over night and it does not have a T-stat so it ran over night, I'm not looking forward to the electric bill.

So I'm getting back on the project. Oh buy the way, I bought the parts in 2017 but again it fell to the bottom of the list.



I'm getting closer. I do need to wire it up and fill it with water, then it's good to go.

I do have a question if you have read this far. The "Y" strainer above the pump is SS and I can't get a thread seal on this with the copper fittings. I've used teflon, and PDFE tape but it still leaks. I've been air testing @ 40psi. What can I use that will get me a good seal? The SS has started to gall the coper but still good threads on the copper.

TX
Mr fixit for the family
Chris

Nice setup. If I get the opportunity to build a shop from scratch that's probably what I would be looking at to heat the building. Nice even temperatures throughout the building without drafts or ducting, no cold feet from cold floors. Couple small fans up in the rafters so that the heat doesn't gather there. Plus hot water on demand for various things.

As far as the fitting, I can't stand threaded copper fittings. Go brass and you'll never have this issue. Probably too late now however by the looks of it, changing it out would require a good bit of work.

[Bob Engelhardt]

... new LED Garage lights in the shop. ...

I like it. Do you have a link for them?

[Mr Fixit]

Thanks for the suggestions fellas. If anyone is building a new shop and is doing slab on grade, really consider doing this for heat as it was only a few hundred $$ to insulate and install the PEX piping in the concrete pour. I wasn't ready to afford the rest, but at least the base was in place.

I'm considering looking for a brass strainer to fit the space as Tom S suggests. I'll give the pipe dope a try first, but brass as a backup sounds good. Might report back (if I remember to) when I have results of the installation.

TX
Mr fixit for the family
Chris

[Tim The Grim]

Bob....

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085SVCT8X...?ie=UTF8&psc=1