Project Fuggly - No Longer Fuggly And Splashed!!!!!!

[Baylinerchuck]

Hey Baja, the stainless ones weren't crazy....I think $100, but they looked really nice! Anyhow I have a lot to worry about before I get down to that lol! I got a new toy today. This should make buffing out the trim a lot easier. Before I used my bench grinder, but the arbor is the wrong size. Works ok, but its hard to keep it balanced. This thing runs like a top!

What?? No guards? Someone call OSHA.....quick!! Lol.

 

[gm280]

Arch, I actually have one very similar to that but from Grizzle Tools. However, I have to say, It is one of those tools you buy thinking how great it will be to polish metals on, and then hardly ever use it. First of all, the motorcycle project I actually bought it for, I abandoned. And even with the Grizzle pedestal stand, that thing vibrates all over the place. I didn't bolt it down like it should have been. I could easily give it up and use something else in that floor space. I bought all the different pads and grit polishing compounds, but just don't really use it.

Hope you find better usage for yours. Also, watch for static shock while using it. It seems to build up static voltage and you will know it when it releases it.

 

[gomopar440]

While static is more of an issue with sand blast cabinets in my experience, those buffing wheels can also give you a pretty good jolt from time to time. A static discharge wrist strap, the kind you use when working on PC's or electronics, can make it a non-issues though. They're worth it if you find your hair starting to look like Albert Einstein's infamous hair style while working.

 

[gm280]

While static is more of an issue with sand blast cabinets in my experience, those buffing wheels can also give you a pretty good jolt from time to time. A static discharge wrist strap, the kind you use when working on PC's or electronics, can make it a non-issues though. They're worth it if you find your hair starting to look like Albert Einstein's infamous hair style while working.

I honestly thought about wearing one, but you have to be extremely careful NOT to get the connecting wire caught up in the buffing wheels or static shock will be the least of your worries. That IS the primary reason you don't want loose fitting clothes or anything that can get caught up in spinning power tools. It only take one opps and things get serious. JMHO

 

[gomopar440]

It only take one opps and things get serious.

Hey now gm, I resemble that remark. eep::doh::facepalm:

No worries though. I must be over that little finger "incident" if I can laugh at myself about it now.:lol:

BTW: Good point about being wary of the dangly stuff when working around spinning machinery. One way to reduce the hazard with a wrist strap is to run the cord back and up through the shirt sleeve and then have it exit at the waist line. From there it can be attached to any good ground point that lets you move around the polisher and doesn't create a trip hazard. Most static straps come with a fairly long curly pigtail type cable that should reach far enough to work with the above scenario. If not, an extension is simple to make with a piece of wire and a couple crimp on butt splices. Solder and heat shrink would be better than butt splices, but for this purpose, the butt splices are more than adequate IMHO.

 

[archbuilder]

Chuck, I'm pretty sure OSHA has a pic of me with a circle around it and a slash through it lol!

GM this one is surprisingly well balanced and stable. Not much vibration and the 50 lbs along with the rubber feet hold it in place just sitting on the table. I have way more buffing experience than I probably want, but it is rewarding to watch that metal come to life. I used to polish semi-truck tanks, wheels, etc. It is a really dirty job! But it is nice to see the end results.

I have never had a lot of static build up, but an occasional zap here and there. I don't have any hair Gomopar, that is one good thing about shaving your head every day! So I am ok with getting zapped every so often. The ground strap would work nicely, but I like the freedom of movement not having it. And as you guys noted you have to be careful with how you use it around spinning things!

I did play with it briefly....I cleaned up some of chrome on the old clam shell cowl vent I really needed a different wheel and it needed a course pass and a fine pass. I used an aggressive wheel with a fine rouge. Not exactly what you should do, but it did really bring up the luster. I was surprised, but it didn't try to move around at all. Eventually I will get an old steel wheel off of a medium duty truck and make base out of it. They are usually heavy enough they are hard to move even when vibrating. But for now, I want to shine up the rub rail and some of the other bright works. I'm going to try out putting shark hide over the finished surface. I keep hearing really good things about it, guess we will see.

 

[gomopar440]

In the gunsmithing school I went to, they issued us a couple different polishing wheels for the metal refinishing part of the course. We were told above all else to keep each of the wheels separated in individual plastic bags and to only use one kind of rouge per wheel. FWIW the fiber and thread density of the wheels was said to be a secondary concern as the rouge is what does most of the work.

Given your experience working on spiffing up big rigs, you've probably already know all this stuff though.

PS: There's another way give you the freedom of movement you want, and still have static isolation from your work. Do the above tip about extending the ground strap, but make it long enough to reach the floor (run it down your pant leg?), plus a few inches extra. Figure out where the strap reaches the floor and strip the insulation back to that point. Then unwind the twisted wire conductor and splay the strands out like the end of a broom. A rubber band around your ankle and the wire will hold it in place next to your leg so it won't trip you up as you move around.

The next part is the hardest part, but not if you have the materials on hand already. When you get your buffer wheel stand made, set it on top of some steel sheet metal that's large enough for you to also stand on it when you're working the parts on the buffer. The buffer will also need to be grounded to the stand, so if you have rubber feet on it, either remove them or add a ground wire between the motor and the stand.

With this setup you'll be taken out of the ground loop (no more BZZTTTT!!!) and not have to hook up or disconnect anything once the strap is fitted on you and the wire is routed properly. You just have to make sure your splayed wires at the end are contacting the steel sheet on the floor.

 

[gm280]

I do remember back in my soldering days, we have foot straps and anti-static mats when soldering that we had to wear as well as wrist straps too. And if you were caught not using those devices, they wrote you up and put it in your personal file. But then we weren't working around spinning anything. :noidea:

 

[Patfromny]

I've done my fair share of polishing as well and don't ever remember being zapped. I used to Polish parting lines off of emblems for old Pontiacs and other muscle cars before they went to the plater. We had the machine bolted to a wood top bench with a sheet metal exhaust fan right behind it. The course to fine rouge is the way to go with most things. Less heat build up. I remember having no real feeling in my fingers due to the constant burning of them and the skin thickening as a result. Those little emblems got hot real fast Make sure the wheel is facing a wall as well. If you catch an edge the piece you're buffing will do some damage throughout the shop if facing into the open. The sheet metal fan box was great for catching the emblems when they took off. I think my boss put a fatigue mat on the bottom of it to lessen the damage to the emblem when it got free but that didn't always do the trick Lol

 

[archbuilder]

More boat parts showed up today. I order 4 more really expensive quick release hinges for the rear seat backs. I had it in my head they would flip up about 180 degrees relative to toe deck. After mocking them up, I am only going to get about 120 degrees. I really want the quick release so that I can take the backs off (the seat bases will more or less be quick release too) if I need to get to the stuff behind them. Fuel tank, battery, etc. So I don't plan on opening them a lot, but I was considering the front area on the starboard side for anchor storage. The 180 would have been better for access, but i think this will still work. I looked at piano hinges, but I really want to have the quick release.

 

[archbuilder]

I did find some really cool aircraft hinges that would work great......for about $150 each.....don't need them that bad lol!

 

[sphelps]

Those look like they would work ... Maybe some sort of flip down post to hold it up for just your quick trips under them ... The release pin is a great option ...

 

[archbuilder]

It should work fine, I was just thinking it would flip up higher.......guess I should have studied it more lol!

 

[archbuilder]

Ok I didn't have any time on the boat for the last week.I spent about 5 days at the lake replacing the old plumbing lines. I also ended replacing the hot water tank, which wasn't part of my original plan.....which meant I had to build a platform to raise it (new one is bigger and didn't fit in the tight space where the old one was). I also had to move a vent stack that was next to it over, and of course re-plumb the gas line! I wanted to add a drain pan, but good luck finding one that would fit in the closet, lol! So that took an extra 2 days after all the long trips to the store. But that is done and I will get some time on Fuggly this weekend!

 

[gm280]

Do you think you have enough clamps and blue pipe going on there? :smile:

Yea, some times life interferes with our boat projects. BTDT.

 

[archbuilder]

Yes GM, the "blue" pipe is the important one, lol! That is the main distribution for all the fixtures. The blue pipe with the red tape on them are hot water supplies. They were out of the red 1/2", so I just used the blue and labeled it.

 

[ezmobee]

They were out of the red 1/2", so I just used the blue and labeled it.

That made my eyes twitch

 

[jbcurt00]

IIRC a current 40gal water heater has mandated thicker insulation under the metal wrap, so its fatter then a 40gal tank was 20yrs ago. Taller too. I am also fatter then I was 20yrs ago, and most of it is also 'insulation'.

Out of 100s of houses I've worked on, only had 1 faucet w the hot/cold installed backwards, and it was all white PEX, no markings at all. Installer just had to keep track of what was what and stub them out correctly under the appliance: hot left, cold right......

Disconcerting every time you saw a house in rough.

Not to derail, but have you ever seen the PEX banding instead of the metal strap clamps you used? Heat expansion in LasVegas caused problems w alightly misaligned metal PEX clamps. Ater numerous HOAs sued builders for water leaks, the metal rings were prohibited in both Las Vegas and North Las Vegas.

They simply cut a 3/4in long pc of 3/4Pex and used a hydraulic spreader to stretch it slightly, pushed the ring over the end of the Pex, stuck a fitting in, and 5-10sec later the 3/4in collar shrank and made a water tight seal. Tool was expensive but you didnt buy clamps/rings.... or a 1/2in long pc of 1/2Pex. Might have been an older Wirsbo sytem, which now uses a Wirsbo Pex band, not a pc of Pex to make the clamp..

Neat install w all the short pcs and elbows.

 

[archbuilder]

JB that is actually a 30 gallon, LP heater. But same deal, more insulation. I have seen what you are talking about, but never here locally. Everyone either uses the copper rings or the stainless band clamps. The commercial plumbers we work with seem to favor the stainless ones. I haven't heard of any problems here.

I did have a 35,000 sf church project where the plumber talked us into running underground. (most commercial projects are ran overhead here, under the insulated deck). They used red, white and blue, no rime or reason where. They crossed the cold and either the hot water or the hot water return loop somewhere! So the cold water was warm in one wing. We tried, but never figured it out. We finally killed the loop and re-plumbed the hot water side, the plumber was fired and got a hefty bill from the G.C.

Thanks for the complement. This is an old trailer and it was super tight. Neatness was a requirement, and I also wanted it so all the lines drained back to the closet so that I could drain the lines in the winter.

More boat stuff tomorrow! Looking forward to it!

 

[GA_Boater]

So Fuggly has hot and cold running water! :thumb: LOL