Dusting off the cobwebs

[Sean Powell]

Today, I will be reducing the ends of these guys to form the pivot/rivet shanks.

Mac

I'm guessing that you stick them in the chuck of the drill now that the 'flag' is narrow enough to fit between the chucks and you file the diameter down, or maybe you do it on the lathe... but you could have a way of pinch and elongating the steel that I haven't thought about.

Sean

[Mac]

Today, I will be reducing the ends of these guys to form the pivot/rivet shanks.

Mac

I'm guessing that you stick them in the chuck of the drill now that the 'flag' is narrow enough to fit between the chucks and you file the diameter down, or maybe you do it on the lathe... but you could have a way of pinch and elongating the steel that I haven't thought about.

Sean

Sadly, it never works to try to chuck them by the end with the flag. The shank is too far off of cylindrical after all that hand work, and a three-jaw just won't hang on to them.

Just to check my memory against reality, I tried doing one that way in the lathe, and the first time the tool tried to dig in, it tore the work out of the chuck and ruined it.

I did the rest of them using my "new toy". I scored some collets, an adapter, and draw bar for my lathe at the model-steam-engineer's-convention last month. http://www.cabinfeverexpo.com/ This allowed me chuck up the other end of the turning pins very reliably.

It took a narrow tool and a lot of overhang...



.....but I got them done well enough.



I should really start with longer rivets, so I end up with more shank to hold on to, but this is the only size I stock. The turned down shanks are long enough that I can nip off the remnant... but just barely.

Sure. It's probably cheating to use a lathe, rather than a file. But these fittings are another example of the sort of thing that armorers would have bought from locksmiths. I will try to live with the shame.

Mac

[Mac]

I've managed to hurt my shoulder by pressing the greaves up to the black emery wheel. The greaves are starting to look OK, but I need to do something different for a bit and hope my shoulder improves.

I guess I will turn my attention to preparing the pauldrons etc. for heat treating. They will need some sort of bracing, and probably a fixture to set them on while they are in the kiln.

Mac

[SafetyTurtle]

I've been reading this entire thread through a couple of times now...and you sir, are an inspiration!

This is such beautiful work!

[Zetheros]

Hi mac, I found a sheet of pewter at a scrapyard here in China, and thought of you while turning it into a cup, since I know you like turn pewter into silverware. It's not that great; it's my first time working pewter, but here it is: https://skfb.ly/LIuI

You're an inspiration to us all, and take care of that shoulder

[Tom B.]

Hi mac, I found a sheet of pewter at a scrapyard here in China, and thought of you while turning it into a cup, since I know you like turn pewter into silverware. It's not that great; it's my first time working pewter, but here it is: https://skfb.ly/LIuI

You're an inspiration to us all, and take care of that shoulder

Take care as to the possibility of lead in that found sheet.

[Zubeydah]

I shall leave the vibrator and oil experiment for others.

Mac

This made my day.

[Kristoffer]

Oil and vibrators can do that for you!

I shall leave the vibrator and oil experiment for others.

Mac

This made my day.

[Mark D. Chapman]

I cut the lines on the knees with the arrangement I showed above. The only change I made was to true the edge very carefully between my test pieces and the project. That was not really such a good idea, because the wheel did not cut as aggressively as it did in the tests. The result is a slightly thinner line. The less aggressive cut also meant that I had to advance the work slower, and this made the lines a bit less "spontaneous" looking. The moral of the story is to test after every change.


Mac

Mac, This is way out of order but I have been admiring the really nice clean lines you achieved with that sort of double flute effect that strengthens the wing/cop junction. Could you elaborate on the steps and tools you used to do this.

Thanks,
Mark

[Mac]

Could you elaborate on the steps and tools you used to do this.

Thanks,
Mark

Ya' know, Mark.... I can't remember for sure what I did, because it was a number of years ago.

But, I probably....

--bossed up the areas under those two flutes from behind, using a small ball hammer and a tin block to generate the volume
--established the flutes from the face with a small square hammer and a small, curved edging stake
--sharpened the valleys from behind with a small crosspeen and an edging stake (or perhaps the heel of the anvil)

I certainly would have alternated between those last two steps until I was satisfied that it was "within grinding range".

Mac

[Mark D. Chapman]

Thanks Mac, Appreciate you trying to remember. You answered the part I was most curious about. How you started the process.

Mark

[Mac]

So.... I've been pretty slack lately. One of the reasons is my upcoming surgery. Back in December, in the midst of a coughing fit that accompanied my Christmas cold, I thought I might have felt my left inguinal canal let go. Last month, it seemed to be getting worse, so I performed the usual "turn your head and cough" palpation on myself. Having decided that I really had blown a gasket, I went to my doctor, and from there to a surgeon.

I'm in no particular pain, and there is no good reason why this should have kept me from getting things done, but waiting for medical procedures always seems to put me off my stride.

Tomorrow I will go in for a "Walk in, limp out", "Hernias fixed while you wait" procedure. This same hernia was repaired when I was a kid back in '68. If I get similar millage out of this fix, I should be good from here on out.

Mac

[John Vernier]

Sounds like you have a better excuse than a lot of us. I hope the procedure goes smoothly and they get you buttoned up properly!

[Mac]

Thank you, John!

I expect this to go without a hitch. It's a retinue procedure, and I have employed this surgeon before. He took out the second half of my thyroid a decade or so ago. The thing that impressed me most about him is that he removed my stitches without me noticing it. He put his hands on my neck, and said "OK". I said "I thought you were going to take the stitches out today" and he said "I did. They're here in the trash... have a look in the mirror if you don't believe me". Very smooth.

Mac

[Kristoffer]

I will cross my fingers that everything goes well and that we will have you back in action soon! Take care of yourself and be as awesome as always!

[Mac]

Thank you, XT!

The plan is to employ a spinal nerve block so that I will be conscious for the procedure. My mother asked me why I would want that. I told her that it was a slice of life to be savored and enjoyed. That sounded pretty cool a couple of weeks ago, but I am beginning to settle into the pre-operative jitters.

I will try to be as awesome as I can be. That which does not kill us gives us a no-shit story.

Mac

[Gerhard von Liebau]

The plan is to employ a spinal nerve block so that I will be conscious for the procedure.

Have you read an article titled The Wisdom of Instinct by Jean Henri Fabre (1918)? You, of all people I know, may already have... If not, I highly recommend doing so before your operation!

-Gerhard

[Signo]

I wish you a speedy recovery.

[Otto von Teich]

Hoping for a speedy recovery!

[RandallMoffett]

Sorry to hear that Mac. I hope that everything goes well and you recover well.

Keep us posted!

RPM

[Keegan Ingrassia]

Here's hoping for a boring procedure, and an easy recovery!

[Mac]

Thank you, Guys!

I back home, and my head is clearing. The site of the operation received an injection of a local anesthetic. That has not yet work off, so I don't know if I will need the pain pills. They're percocets, and I won't take them unless I need to.

I remember having been awake for the procedure and having chatted more or less continuously. However, I have little recollection of what I said, beyond having answered questions about my work. That's the nature of this sort of thing. The anesthesia they administer to calm you before the nerve block has an amnesic effect.

Mac

[Mac]

The plan is to employ a spinal nerve block so that I will be conscious for the procedure.

Have you read an article titled The Wisdom of Instinct by Jean Henri Fabre (1918)? You, of all people I know, may already have... If not, I highly recommend doing so before your operation!

-Gerhard

I googled that up and started reading it last night, but didn't finish it till this afternoon. Some of that seemed familiar. I may have read it about 45 years ago. More likely, I read excerpts in some more modern work.... Wigglesworth, perhaps. http://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Insects- ... B00CD7F27E


Mac

[Sean M]

Get well soon! Being sick so often this winter has taken a lot out of me, even though I am theoretically young and healthy. St. Florian can wait, and as the patron of firefighters I imagine that he knows something about ruptured ligaments.

[Mac]

My surgeon injected the site with a local anesthetic before closing things up, which had given me a rather false sense of well being. That wore off yesterday evening, and I'm moving slowly and painfully now. In a sense, I feel better about the whole thing, since this is more like what I expected. On a scale of 1 to 10... the pain did not even wake me up, so I won't be taking anything stronger than Tylenol for it. If everything heals on schedule, then today's discomfort aught to be the worst of it.

Mac

[Tom B.]

Hope you are back to usual in short order.

My surgeon injected the site with a local anesthetic before closing things up, which had given me a rather false sense of well being. That wore off yesterday evening, and I'm moving slowly and painfully now. In a sense, I feel better about the whole thing, since this is more like what I expected. On a scale of 1 to 10... the pain did not even wake me up, so I won't be taking anything stronger than Tylenol for it. If everything heals on schedule, then today's discomfort aught to be the worst of it.

Mac

[Kalle Ommer]

Okay, had to look for a translation for inguinal canal, not beeing a native speaker and this beeing a word you don´t learn at School , to really understand what ailed you.

Now I wish you a speedy recovery and the patiece to wait until you are completly recovered. I know sitting around is quite dull, but you are versed in so many different arts! Pick out one where you can sit still and enjoy yourself while doing it. Some drawing, painting, making new pewter molds or do some models - I really enjoyed the tent models you made!

Best of health

Kalle

[Mac]

Thank you, Tom!

Mac

[Mac]

Thank you, Kalle!

Sorry about the technical vocabulary. I was trained as a biologist, and it never occurred to me that I might be "talking in tongues".

Mac

[Mac]

I'm feeling a bit better today. I changed into my work clothes, and have been out to the shop to putter with a couple of small projects. Mostly, though, I'm sitting if front of the computer or playing the fiddle when I feel as though I just have to get off my ass.

Mac

[Jeremy.G]

Glad to hear all went well and you're on the mend, Mac.
My corporeal vehicle is a bit banged up as well. I'm ready to file some complaints with the manufacturer.
I'm looking for my warranty card, but must have hid it on myself when I filed it away...

[Mac]

Glad to hear all went well and you're on the mend, Mac.
My corporeal vehicle is a bit banged up as well. I'm ready to file some complaints with the manufacturer.
I'm looking for my warranty card, but must have hid it on myself when I filed it away...

Nothing serious, I hope!?

I am in regular contact with the manufacturer of my corporeal vehicle, but she says that there are no replacement parts available, and that I am on my own. That's reasonable, I suppose. No one expects Ford to stock parts for the Edsel.

Mac

[Jeremy.G]

Just think: if we could manufacture our own parts, we could keep ourselves running forever!

Lower back issues for me. The latest guess is 'disk degeneration'. Ack. 6 weeks of PT have helped a little, but mostly just made me crankier.
MRI next week will hopefully tell me more, but I'm fearful of what the 'fix' will be.

I haven't swung a hammer since December. Probably contributing to my crankiness.

-Jeremy

[Mac]

The human lower back is an evolutionary work-in-progress that has reached the "Ah... that's good enough" stage. Almost no one dies from it, and it doesn't really get disabling until we are past our reproductive years. If we are lucky, our grand children will not put us out on an ice flow when we become to much of a burden.

Good luck with the back!.. and take every opportunity to impress the young ones with how important it is to have wise old elders in the tribe.

Mac

[Mac]

It's been a full week since my surgery, and I am feeling a lot more chipper today. I need to see my surgeon in a week to get his OK to lift heavy objects etc, but I think it's time I got back into the shop in a meaningful way.

Mac