ShopTalk Sunday: We’re Hosed – Reel-ee

by

Here you thought the Pun Police would have the weekend off.  Nope.

Our silly and small project of the weekend is assembly of a hose reel for up at the greenhouse end of the old place here in the woods.  In addition to 100 feet of that semi-fancy stainless hose that promises to be less kinky that prime time news, I also picked up a hose reel.  Which – natch – needed to be assembled.

What better place than on the Chop saw?  My major radio parts sorting operation has every other square foot of space utilized for sorting.  Thus, out of the box and “We see what we saw…”

The tires are plastic, the metal is “powder coated steel” and while pondering the parts pile, I noticed instructions!

We almost didn’t need them.  Far from rocketry.

You begin putting in a cross brace and an end.  Into which go two axels and then two tires with washers and cotter pins, like so with two more oppposing:

The Cotter Pin Lecture

We have two points of Home HandyBastards Assembly Training to be covered this morning and cotter pins are our first stop. Cotter pins, are in this hose cart assembly above, are a marvelous way to old lots of assemblies together.  Before metal, wooden pins (we speak spokeshaves) were sometimes used to hold items together. But we wouldn’t have the industrial appreciation for cotter pins until a machine to make them was invented just after the turn of the last century.  The story is told on the Western Wire Products website.

“In 1912, the family inventor Ira J. Young applied for a patent on a machine for forming split pins, later to be known as Cotter Pins. He manufactured Cotter and Split Pins under the name of Wire Manufacturing Company and soon sold his interest in this company to his brother, Harry M. Young and Alvin L. Bauman, a non-family member who was a partner. The Wire Manufacturing Company’s assets were transferred to Western Wire Products Company, which had been incorporated on February 26, 1914. Being in bad health and knowing death was imminent, Ira Young transferred his shares of Western Wire stock to his brother, Harry M. Young. On November 28, 1914, Ira Young died at age 33.”

Damn shame he died, too, since great inventors are hard to find.  Between cotter pins – and the earlier screw machine – the world was set for mass industrialization.  We found elsewhere…

“In 1861, an innovation that would forever change the landscape of manufacturing was born—the first automatic screw machine. Patented by Brown & Sharpe in 1865, this marvel of engineering was not merely a machine; it was the harbinger of industrial efficiency.

This was from the Hi-Standard Machining site and from reading their history a bit, you can see what was happening in the opening decades of the last century:

“The evolution from a single-spindle to a multi-spindle screw machine post-WWI marked a significant leap forward. Imagine a world where a single machine, once capable of delivering two products simultaneously, transformed to empower manufacturers with the ability to produce six-fold, all thanks to the ingenuity of the multi-spindle design. This wasn’t just about quantity; it was about revolutionizing efficiency. Multi-spindle screw machines became synonymous with unparalleled production speed, heralding a new era in high-volume machining.”

You have to wonder sometimes what the world would be like without the prodigious types of screws – and cotter (and lynch) pins that over run our shop.

I am still trying to find an automated alternative for screw sorting. OilMan2 sorts while watching (mindless) television. I’ve built some sorting containers with fancy boards to feed ’em, but nothing really satisfying, yet.

Back to point, the proper bending of cotter pins varies by trade and tradesman.  As you can see, I did a 90 degree turn on one leg of the pin. This is fine if the pin is not where it can snag you.  However, in the aviation work I’ve done, it’s considered “right” to give a cotter pin a pair of bends on each side.  This way, the (sharp) end is turned in on the rod or axle it is attached to.

Some people prefer the “Y” use of such pins, particularly because “Y” pins are faster to disassemble hard right-angle bends which will usually need pliers.

Oftentimes, though not in aviation (where there’s a spec for everything) there’s no one “always right” solution. Shade tree mechanics will generally grap both the tails and twist them to one side at 90, but there’s very little art to that.  You can still get snagged on those.  The aviation style (four bends per pin) (also suitable for generators and other rotating assemblies) is more professional.

Finally, cotter pin bends will depend on shop conditions while working.  Since I got a late start Saturday, the shop was a humid 92F.  Which I didn’t give a tinker’s damn about the arty cotter bending when I’m pouring off sweat like the Rio Grande at flood.

Need more Minutia?

The second part of “fine craftsmanship” comes in assembling the little wire basket on the hose reel.  The instructions aren’t particular – put in a bold and washer on each side, then tighten the nylock type nut and be done.

Again, though: Pappy Ure insisted that I always “Stop and think about how you’ll be using something.”  In this vein, then, it becomes clear that there is only one way to assemble the bolt for the basket. Because?

I can almost hear Pappy explaining it:

‘No matter what you’re assembling, make it so when people go to put their hands around it, they won’t snag their fingers or clothing…”

With the head in there’s much less chance of catching something on a bolt that sticks out 1/2-an inch.

(I did tell you these were fine points of workmanship, right?)

Now we can move along to bolting the rest of the project together and loading it with a fresh 100-foot roll of stainless-steel hose:

All that remained was to hook it up outside after putting in the best hose washers I’ve yet seen.  This is a $57 and change  hose reel on Amazon, but Vevor didn’t chintz on the hose washers – some of the best I’ve seen.  Good silicone and very flexible and good sealing.

Tool Of the Week

I keep running into a problem out at the welding table.  When cutting down odd scraps of steel (to make corner gussets, for example), the small parts are a bear to work with a 4-inch plug-in grinder.

The solution comes in two parts, one of which is a small rechargeable push-grinder what was about $50 bucks.

 

If you have sharp eyes, you’ll see that is an Asian & Europe plug, but an adapter was included which was a nice touch.  A 50-pack of cutoff wheels will ser you back about $20, but for the convenience of not firing up the compressor for the other push grinder or winding out the retractable power cord for the 4″ high-power grinder, it looks like it will do the job on, oh, 1/8th inch steel and some of that smaller work.

Just too damn hot to get out and do some test welding, but there’s a new class of handheld welders out that do basically what a stick welder does.  I bought one of these last spring, and haven’t had time to play with it, or get around to mounting a work vise on the welding table, either.

One other thing to toss out there is the idea of buying one of those Evolution slow-speed carbide steel saws.  They seem like a better idea than abrasive saws, but in either case you’re still going to want an N95 – or better an N100 mask- because abrasive is not something you want to get in your lungs.

One for the Road

We are getting great “financial pleasure” out of our latest updated solar panels which has boosted our output considerably over the old panels put in back in 2008.  Notice the year-on year change: $453 last July vs. $230 last month and this month we are on track to run about $250 (maybe less) vs. $497 last year: With one week left in the billing cycle, already a home run in view.

The easiest money to make is the money you don’t have to spend.  Got a ShopTalk project in mind for next spring to see what kind of power savings could be had from hanging white shade cloth from the gutters (or under the eaves) to eliminate sunshine on the sunny sides of the house.

Might not be pretty, but honestly, green looks better to us.

Write when you get rich,

George@ure.net

29 thoughts on “ShopTalk Sunday: We’re Hosed – Reel-ee”

  1. Credit markets are indicating unusual stress:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/shock-drop-credit-card-debt-biggest-covid-crash-card-aprs-hit-new-all-time-high

    I believe I may have just heard the sound of 300+ million wallets slamming shut. Blame BOJ, but there is 1929 – 1932 sorts of action starting to happen under the economic hood local. Contrary to many versions of the ’29 – ’32 collapse, the real damage was caused by collapse of bond and credit markets. As to whether the ’29 stock crash was an initiating event, or a manifestation of underlying credit deflation is a viewpoint issue. If credit for margin calls dries up, then overleveraged markets go into free fall.
    The action described in the ZeroHedge article above is an early leading-edge indication of present day credit deflation. The all-time high credit card interest rates is a gauge of how tight credit really is, not necessarily the lending unit greed indicator that is the usual interpretation.
    With credit deflation, credit becomes very tight, and routine credit for loans become unavailable to anyone except those who really don’t need it, or those sufficiently connected that otherwise shouldn’t be getting the credit to start with (hedge funds and partisan politico’s in this era). Next escalation would be increased evictions and foreclosures of all type, followed by lay-offs and business closures because businesses can’t get credit to meet payroll, all coming out of seemingly nowhere. That was the ’31-’32 scenario.
    Hose with braided SS jackets is d@mn expensive; I notice you aren’t admitting how much you paid for it. I wonder if George Soros or Warren Buffet have SS lawn hoses ? Naw, they’re too cheap, just like all the financial robber barons.

      • $100 for a hundred foot at the current price. That appears to be unlined corrugated. I would be interested to hear how that holds up, and whether it splits somewhere down the line. I have used corrugated in larger sizes (2″ & 3″) for low pressure equipment hook-ups, instead of more expensive braided lined hose. It allows for wiggle in hook-ups compared to a flanged expansion joint.
        My brush fire hoses are 3/4″ industrial, which can be burned in half. The idea is to stay on the spigot side of the fire. I originally bought from Darley, I think, but there are other sources:

        https://shop.darley.com/product/34-and-1-combination-fog-nozzle/01t4U000006Q2aqQAC

        https://www.wildlandwarehouse.com/shop/34-green-plastic-fogstraight-stream-nozzle/

        I had a burn pile get away from me some years ago. When I lit the pile, the wind was blowing 2-3 mph. Within 1 minute of me lighting it, the wind picked up to about 25 mph, and the fire started running toward the house. Without those brushfire nozzles and the big hose, I would have been in trouble. Lighting the burn pile 25 foot from a spigot 100’+ from the house turned out to be a good move in this case. Closer to the house, or somewhere further away with no water, I would have been in trouble.

  3. We B Sailin’ – It’s Race Day ATL.

    This opend the racey end of my summer with a major Invitational here for my Class next Saturday, followed by normal Sunday fleet sailing. On Tuesday we fly DTW > PVD and will be living on friends yacht, sailing out of the Bristol YC, RI. The Herreshoff Classic goes off that weekend so there will be marvelous yachts in every direction. I’m trying to get aboard Gleam, a classic 12m employed as a Trial Horse back when NYYC auditioned Defense Candidates.

    First light, while walking my 12.75 YO TomCat, I saw a 20″ fish laying in the yard? A CatFish lept up 24″ seawall rise and was 4′ into the yard? I fetched a hoe, yep, he wriggled, so put him back in the water. Hmm, found another fish, a windsock that flies a few doors down.

    I thought we had fish on Friday?
    Nope. Sunday …
    Egor

    ps – last weekend I penned a story about Clevis Pins, Ring Dings and Paper Clips for our lake weekly. Great minds …

    • Was out Narragansett Nay Friday evening on a Schooner – get know ya cruise, night before wedding rehearsal-Dinner at Downtown Oyster Bar.
      The motor yatchs in this area are off the hook massive. but M48 racing cats I think they are called are wicked and fast – all crew wear helmets.
      View from Eisenhower House at old fort during sunset looing out on bay was spectacular! Lots of spinaker sails out on boats returning with wind a back.
      Wedding was tween a Thomas Jefferson/NeMours resident and Brown University resident..lots of Brown U residents were in attendance. Bristol Yacht Club – founded by folks who know the Rah Rah Brogonya-onya fight song..which I learned 50 years ago at summer camp.

      Sounds like a really goodtime to be had in RI- dig that!

  4. Nice work. The stainless steel hose is a nice touch.
    The shade cloth on the sunny side is an excellent idea.
    We lived in a house when I was a wee one that had awnings on each window. Dad was still on active duty and away often while I was getting just old enough to easily get into trouble. There was a large awning over the living room picture window and the summer we lived there it was really hot but mom would draw the curtains as the sun would come around that side of the house. The house seemed to be cool enough in those pre AC days anyway due to the awnings and moms curtain strategy. One day a giant wasp nest appears in the big awning and mom was terrified of wasps making us all have to use the back door that being a pain in the ass. So after a lot of her fussing I decided to take action. I found an old bamboo fishing pole and snuck around the house to eliminate the dreaded wasp nest. The first assault failed after I decided to use the upper cut attack which just slapped the nest and seemed to infuriate the wasps as they fell off the nest and began buzzing about. I also broke the pole so I retreated to a safe area and using a roll of dad’s black tape from his tool box I made a repair and was ready to get back into the fight. This time I decided to go with a more direct decapitation strike with the intention of separating the nest from the awning. I approached the enemy and once in position I thrust the old pole like a Knight in a jousting match. This time my aim was on the mark. Not only did I achieve mission objective of decapitating the nest and inhabitants from the awning but unfortunately I somehow knocked the entire awning loose from its mounting hardware and it fell to the ground in a heap right on top of the wasp nest and the buzzing of the now really pissed off wasps who mounted a counter attack. I took off to the back of the house and behind the shed at the rear of the backyard. Later I remember some old man come over and sprayed the wasp nest and kept asking why the thing just fell off the house like it did. When he picked up some of the wreckage my assault pole was discovered and shown to my mom. They say she could be heard yelling all three of my names blocks away.
    The legend of myself and the window awning used to come up every summer when mom would ask dad about awnings on the west side of the house. No, they are ugly as hell and they attract wasps was always his answer.
    Stay safe. 73

    • As a general rule, West facing windows are worst since they catch the direct setting sun at the hottest part of the day. East facing windows are second. When possible, I try to eliminate them both, and if that’s not practical, just replace them with something smaller. Stupid building codes mandate some percentage of the floor area be the minimal area for windows, which is both a security problem and a livability one. Awnings are pointless here unless they are strong enough to withstand the Spring winds, or are retractable(and you retract them). Just imagine the forces working on the hardware in a dust devil or worse. Think three tier flaps on a Boeing! I have blackout curtains on all windows, though they work only to a degree. If I need to see out, I can always open a door or look at the cameras.

      On wasps: Only attack a nest at night – hours after dark, and thoroughly saturate the nest with wasp killer, then retreat. If there’s no activity next day, remove the damned thing the next night. Drop it into a five gallon bucket and put the lid on for transport. I had to deal with some nests in a hard to access attic. When done, spray foam is your friend to seal up any further access.

      • All good advice but it would have been lost on a then 7 or 8 year old boy. And the house was probably a rental in Columbia S C since my dad was still on active duty.

    • uRE has a bit LOTO 4000d WHICH WAS $495 IN 2018

      aNYTHING WITH ELECTRIC IN IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING CHEAPER.

      Ure will spend the rest of Sunday cogitating how Moore’s law can apply to welders…

      • Cheap and available high current IGBT’s made the little welders possible! They seem reliable for the most part, even in the face of high level dirty currents. I can see Moore’s law applying for a while unless something bad happens to the fabs in Asia. It seems that they’re concentrating on adding features now, as $80 seems to be the absolute bottom line price today.

        Regarding plasma, it’s fine to cut real steel in a fireproof environment, but using a cordless grinder to cut stucco mesh after installation is a lot quicker and safer.

        • Yes, of course. There is no reason for a non-metalworker to purchase a (previously exotic tool) PLASMA CUTTER, it would be dumb to do so.

          What in the world would he do with it?

          Yes, please tell him!

    • Watch the Vevor listings on Temu. They are often significantly cheaper than on Vevor itself, or Vevor’s storefront on Amazon…

  6. I’ve never used a stainless-steel hose but so far, every “kink free” hose I’ve used has lasted 2 seasons before the inner portion delaminates and ruins the hose. Yes, I even drain them and store them in my shed.

    I’ve found that the “medium” priced hoses outlast all others. They may kink at times but they just seem to hold up much better.

    • The SS hose (not to be confused with the hosed SS) lasts a long time and doesn’t kink and is easy to handle. It is not braided, it is like the old flex steel covered home wiring but looser.

      It is very difficult to remove, however, from the blades/spindles of a powerful 3 blade mower.

  7. Neighbor bought me a 75 foot pocket hose with nozzle that adjusts from jet stream to a spray. Love it! Lightweight, expands and works great. When done it creeps back to the house like a snake. Fun to use.

    • Mine lasted two seasons in the tropical sun before UV deterioration split the inner rubber.

  8. the whole website has changed. cool. i love the “passion fruit” font.

    fyi: I’d tread lightly around Entheos.

    i met the girl.

    its a group, Think. i give them a wide berth.
    they know who i am from the webot forum and
    glp days. perhaps even as far back as timebomb
    2000 forum days.

    “They” are either a J.A.S.O.N type group, although one of them is a Priest. could be Vatican…. or Rand Corp or maybe even Hidden Hand. top tier, maybe even Monarch Tier.

    if ya know the pyramid, Monarch Tier is one above the 13 families.

    they have a history of prescision in accuracy, for predicting the future. proven track record. more so than my new york burns and geroges on going replay of the 1929 market crash that has been going on for uhmm 12 years or so as the dow hits 40k. lol

    friendly sugjestion… i tread lightly around them. very high connections.

    i found the girl, very delightful. charming. i think she thinks im an arrogant prick.

    hahah. She is not wrong. i am. at times. im also gentle enough to hold a butterfly in my hand. i only humble myself before THE DUDE everyone eles here on planet E, eats, shits and dies at some point.

    recently i took the way back machine through memory lane. had a look at the old doorfore.

    fond memories and its shaping the future, my future very well.

    they are far above

    some Q tag group.

    anywho… Entheos means God within us.

    a friendly sughestion, i’d tread lightly out of respect.

  9. Remember when i was sitting under the maple tree and that Big Monarch butterfly came and sat with me on my knee.

    back before i stood in the rainbow on the top of the mountain in Enoch Valley.

    then big storm came and everyone ran and the thunder shook the houses. but i stayed in perfect peace under the tree with that big butterfly resting on my knee.

    then the sun came out and not a single drop of rain touched me.

    the next day a green heart shaped leaf grew up under my lawn chair. i posted pics back then.

    that Entheos lady, reminds me of that experiance. especially when she gave a similar heart.

    who knows George, could be love.

    hahahahahha.

    hmmmmm…. maybe i will see her at burning man?

    Ok, On to the Church of Life 360, tim open to recieve the message of The Lord.

  10. i thought about sharing this or not….

    at my house, which again is a scaled replica of The City of The Gods. We got a puppy about 3 months ago. My roomate named him Theos. That Puppy Loves loves Lovea me.

    Now, everytime when someone calls him in the house, they say, In Theos. and he enters the City of The Gods.

    and i smile.

    There isnt much in this world better than puppy love. its a such a beautiful thing.

    Im right where im supposed to be. all the time. how could i not be? I am in harmony with all that is.

    It wasn’t luck, It was God.

  11. Yes, of course. There is no reason for a non-metalworker to purchase a (previously exotic tool) PLASMA CUTTER, it would be dumb to do so.

    What in the world would he do with it?

    Yes, please tell him!

  12. The myth of sekhmet…. warrior goddess the daughter of Raw and the god of beer dance..

    https://mythology.net/egyptian/egyptian-gods/sekhmet/
    here is the recipe for the ancient Egyptian beer…

    200g sprouted grain (wheat, barley, einkorn, emmer – any will do)
    200g unsprouted grain
    1l water
    1 date
    Handful of pistachios
    1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
    1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
    1 teaspoon rose petals

    Grind your sprouted grain to a coarse flour. Add about 500ml of room temperature water to the grain and stir well.
    Grind your unsprouted grain. Add 500ml of recently boiled water to the grain and stir. The water should be warm to touch, but not boiling.
    Heat the unsprouted grain and hot water mixture until it thickens to a porridge like consistency.
    Pour both mashes into a large pot and allow to cool completely.
    When the mashes have cooled together, place a sieve over a ceramic pot. Pour the mashes into the sieve and allow the liquid to drip into the ceramic pot.
    Toast and crush the spices and place them in a muslin bag or cloth. Place the spice bag in the pot with the liquid. Add the date to the pot.
    put it in a fermentation tank let ferment then clarify it.

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