Handy how-to eBooks and etc.

It's funny that it liberates enormous amounts time.

 

Likewise, and when I do engage in things which may have a hazardous exposure factor, I take the steps needed to help ensure my safety prior to risking more of the same. Fumes are a mofo for sure, A proper "car spray booth" with protective gear a.k.a. rainsuit w. duct tape sealing the gloves and boots and a respirator with forced air inlet can be assembled with a little planning and be as effective as any commercial model. And you're damn right I'll build one if I get close to the point of mixing resins and such indoors. :cheers2:

 

This I Like very much as well.

 

Me too, but one of my essential needs is a handle for a 20+ Lb hammer head that can stand the full force when I swing Mjollnir,,,

 

Why on earth do you need a 20 lb hammer? What, are you mining or something?

 

Buddhism, eastern philosophy, meditation, all kinds of stuff

http://www.holybooks.com/

 

Bud Macintosh "How to Build a Wooden Boat"
Classic plank-on-frame Charvel style boat-building
crammed full of great old world woodworking techniques, with this book,a few hand tools and some timber, you can rescue yourself next time you're stranded on a remote coast or Island...lol

 

Didn't we cover that earlier? :rofl:



And then theres the large scale mechanics and blacksmithing work, not quite big enough to call for a trip hammer but too big for the 10 pounder. AND I <3 Excercize. I think Chainsaw Charlie caught some video of me moving trees around at one point,,, was doing it for shits and giggles.

Professionally speaking, in my working life, THIS is the kind of stuff (All of it you see in this shot and then some) I work with when I do as a rule, but have had hands deep in many other trades,,, but this stuff is my bread & butter when I'm hungry. Logistics and heavy equipment.



The last one I worked on was 4 times as wide with a 20' conveyor deck that used a twin mast configuration for raising the platform..

AND then theres stuff in this category,,, this one's about 1/3 the size of the largest I've fixed.


Riggers do it with bigger hammers.

I know at times it's likely it seems I have an answer for everything, but when you dont have as much as a H.S. Diploma and you're earning $60K a year in a Technical field on the basis of your background and diverse work history,,, you learn to find answers quickly, and some habits die hard whether you're getting paid to do it or not.

 

Ai'ght, point taken...I'm just a minimalist I guess, I don't do big projects n' stuff that require a lot of phisical labor much anymore, certainly not just for giggles...
I've put in enough time with 20lb sledge thank you, I plan to take it easy on whats left of my industrially diminished joint surfaces and connective tissue.

 

The industrial scale is not a do it yourself activity by definition. Alone we have access only to malleable metals and chemical reactions and natural shapes.

 

It IS a DIY thing if you know how to rig things and sling large parts with strapping and use a front loader or forklift to maneuver the bigger bit's of your erector set together. I've spent most of my life doing the work of 3 men, you learn how to work smarter and how to not let fools leave all the hard shit to you, but know how to carry on when they get shit canned in any event. .

 

technical skills are way better than having a college degree anyway. give me a choice between knowing how to do stuff and having a piece of paper and i'll choose the technical skills anyday.

that's awesome fritz. seems like you have a little bit of know-how on some interesting stuff.

 

Do you smelt ore?

 

I've done some copper but hadn't collected enough clay or limestone in the Ozarks to build a proper Cupola, but I had some sources for ore spotted.

Plenty of plans to when I was in Tecopa on a small scale too.

No fancy alloys planned, just basic serviceable stuff like Bessemer steel, Pig Iron and Copper (others too) to cast into basic serviceable stuff really,,, but that lady didn't want to do anything when it came right down to it other than play mind games with her underlings and I sure ain't gonna waste my years of insight to help a turd not stink.

I'd like to experiment with Damascus folding one of these days when I find the right spot to call home, but not holding my breath in this neck of the woods for anything to happen other than relocating. lol (Chicago Burbs are not my kind of place)

Copper and lead ore mixed



And some "Iron Ore" with a greater than 80% yield based on sp. gravity measurments I made in comparison to nearby stone without the iron present.

 

I try to keep a focus on the things I find important to my survival really, but I like to think of myself as having the ability to survive more comfortably than I do now were a SHTF scenario ever come to pass,,, AND once we get past this hump of shitty markets & the Production market improves (OR I relocate to where it is these days) I'm set with know-how in any event to keep me busy.

I've got some irons in the fire these days that are feeling pretty hot to the touch so I aint sweatin' in one bit in any event.

 

You have done some interesting research. Lead and copper are in that malleable metals category.

Seems to me though beyond an individuals single work life to build a forklift from scratch.

 

A golf cart or ATV in essence run on LP gas with additional weight and a stronger engine with a couple Axis of tracked rails and driven by about as simple of a hydraulic configuration as you can imagine? (Up-down / tilt, and reach if yer' pushing it)

Put the parts list in front of me and I'll have you one in 2 months if properly equipped from the starting point. Add another couple weeks if I need to design it too.

 

I had actually considered such a system based on an ATV vehicle base while in the ozarks as a means of helping move around my slabs of Limestone, but wasnt meant to lift very high, just a few feet.

Id much rather build a small front loader or a backhoe however, much more useful to me than a forklift.
In fact there are plans for a small gas powered backhoe in an old edition of popular mechanics,,, well more of a steam shovel, but I can make the needed changes to the design to do what I want.

 

lol, yeah I've worked with blow-hards just like you before...no further comment.

 

Pffft, none needed, I've worked with your kind as well. :2thumbsup: