What did you do today?

[Dave C]

I remember the nuns wearing those small ones on a chain like a necklace, when I was in grade school.

[Dave C]

Spent too much time trying to figure this thing out. The idea is to take it apart and put it back together. I think I found the key, but afraid to twist too hard on it. Some Christmas gifts from my daughter are better left in the package. She thinks I'm a genius. You would think after all these years she would know better.

[eKretz]

I've done quite a few of those. Generally they don't require any real force. Some have to be pulled in directions you wouldn't expect and that they don't look like they could move in. Or need just a slight shift one way so another part can slip by. My mother has friends that send them to her just to see if I can do them, heh.

[Baz]

We had one of these at my Christmas gathering. We did know how they worked but I think there is a batch of them that have been glued together by the varnish as they should almost fall apart if correctly made.

[Dave C]

I got it apart today. Found a video that confirmed my id of the key part. I decided to twist it hard and if it if I broke it, so be it. It took a lot of pressure but finally was able to twist it and unlock it. Spent way too much time on this, but the aggravation is over. Now I have to put the darn thing back together.

[Cenedd]

[Replacement door latch]
So, does it work? Well, no...that'd be too easy. It seems that either I need to fettle it a little so it pops out properly under the power of the return spring - that or the mechanism is also in need of some attention. A job for another day when it isn't pitch dark and 4°C out there!

Well that day finally came when it stopped raining...and then hailing. I found the latch was just catching on the outside bottom edge - the top face in the picture. Not much but it was enough to stop it popping all the way out. You could see just the tiniest nick in the filed chamfer. So little that when I undid the screw half a turn, it popped out. So I cheated; stuck a 1° angle block under it and dusted off the face until it cleaned up all the way across - wouldn't have wanted it to look odd
Doesn't show being only 1° and it's enough clearance that it now pops out properly and I have not only a door that stays shut when you swing it behind you, but something ("useful") I can trot out for all-time when asked what I've done that isn't for something in my shop

[metalfixer]

Last year I needed a taller chair, with better casters to help get around after hip replacement. Chair worked great.
The hip replacement , thankfully went fine.
I needed a better welding stool, I had some 8"steel pipe, 24"stainless pipe and 6" X 4" angle iron left over from projects and just decided to use it up.
Lightened it up with the holesaw. It is height adjustable and swivels.
I'll paint it when the weather warms up.
STYX "Too Much Time On My Hands" song keeps going through my head.
Larry

[vpt]

Welded up a bike pedal. Then cleaned a bit in the shop, it needs a a whole lot more cleaning!

[ImFred]

[QUOTE=vpt;n2031985]Welded up a bike pedal. Then cleaned a bit in the shop, it needs a a whole lot more cleaning!

So you rubbed that groove in there with an eraser. Bet that took a while.

I hope that weld don't peel off when you machine it.

Just teasing.

[eKretz]

Might need to do a little work on that internal square fit after that welding too.

[vpt]

Took 4 days to get that groove done with an eraser. I was careful not to distort the square drive. Owner said he wanted to grind it down and polish it up.

[J Tiers]

That square drive looks straight and not tapered. Is it off a Lambert?

[Paul Alciatore]

Today? I guess after midnight counts as today. I got back in the shop for the first time this year. Just did some work on a long neglected project that I have all the needed materials for: replacing one of the way covers on my mill. The old, OEM cover was falling apart with several cracks.

I had purchased some of those BBQ pads used on the grill to even out the heat or whatever. What I discovered when I removed the old one was the folded, sheet metal that gripped one end was a lot heavier gauge than I thought. I tried to pry it open for reuse, but it did not want to yield. I guess the Chinese made one part well. I gave up on that and cut a couple of aluminum bars to replace it. I still need to drill and tap them.

The other end was clamped to the back of the cross slide with a single strip of a lighter gauge sheet metal and it was bending. I may use that folded over piece in it's place so a couple more holes may need to be drilled.

And the metal parts will need to be painted. Painting is not my favorite shop activity, but I hate an unfinished look.

No pictures yet.

[Ironbearmarine]

At a craft show last month i met a metals craftsman who had a beautiful selection of handmade knives, wood chisels, specialty hammers, and jewelry. The artist, whose name is Jim, is a spry and charming gent of 91. He is an inspiration.
Its because of him that i have decided to add small knives to my line of crafts. I currently produce a line of jewelry that is a rugged, brutalist style that uses Damascus steel and meteorites as a gem. So i designed some tiny knives that will be incorporated into pendants where the knife is the gem. Most will be of Damascus steel others will be chromoly steel. The designs have been worked out on paper, and i started on producing some prototypes. I already have well tooled workshop, decided my blacksmith’s forge was too large for this operation. So i built a small one fired with a propane torch. I call it my “fire-breathing cricket”.
I had some 26 gauge stainless steel, some kao-wool and some hardware to fabricate this. I also have some small bench tools for sheetmetal work. A 14 inch wide slip roller, a bench shear and a 12 inch finger brake. This fire-breathing cricket is about 7 inches in diameter and eight inches deep. Using two inch thick kao-wool sheet would yield a fire hole about 3x6. Just right for these little knives. So i rolled out the sheet and formed the mating ends to make a locking seam. Then i cut a disk for the bottom and welded it in place. Added 2 bolts for feet and drilled a port for the torch nozzle. Fired it up and it gets things to forging temp in about 3 minutes. This furnace could also be made using discarded restaurant size cans, but i had no cans lying around. Anyway here are some photos.

[Dan Dubeau]

I like the little forge. After building my big ribbon burner one, I had an immediate want/need for a much smaller one for rod work. So I started scrounging stuff to make a something with about a 4" dia x 8" chamber, and single venturi burner. I read somewhere while doing research for my big one years ago that building forges was addicting, and there is no one size fits all.........I can see it.

I like the knives too.