1976 Tom Boy Boat, 1976 40 HP Johnson Outboard and who knows what Trailer

[gm280]

Well today the temps AND humidity have lowered some and I took advantage of it too. Temps are 89 degrees and humidity is 43%. So I still sweat but was also able to do some work as well. :rockon:

I decided it was time I welded up the parts for that second stretcher/shrinker unit since I had most all of it cut out, drilled , and ready to be welded. I started off using the TIG welder, but after fighting the welding settings for a time, I switched to the MIG welder and got things done. I realize I honestly need to practice with the TIG, but if you get the amperage setting set too high, you melt right through the metals instead of welding them. And my abilities of setting everything up correctly is still iffy on a good day. We won't even talk about aluminum right now... :facepalm:

I welded everything but the main body and post parts. I have those parts ready to weld on, but decided to wait until the final 3/8" plate comes in.

And that brings me to that silly story...again!

I honestly didn't know how hard it would be to get two little pieces of 6" x 6" x 3/8" plates HO steel in to make this project. The original order was shipped via FedX and I tracked it until it got to Indianapolis, IN and it never left there again to get to my house. :noidea: Even after two weeks...

The metal company stated they would reship them again. Well I finally got the second order yesterday. Problem is, they only shipped one of the plates and not two. :doh:

So now I wait for the second plate to arrive to finish that project. op2: :clock:

Life is so amazing that you can't get angry, you just have to laugh and wonder how things ever get done with all the ups and downs constantly going on in the world. :tickled_pink:

 

[archbuilder]

I think fall is coming....it is 90 something here today...it is supposed to be 57 for the high on Wednesday......that should be a shock lol! But not too surprising, wacky weather is the norm here .

Shipping never seems to amaze me.....but I suppose it could be worse lol. I'm trying to forget the $600 worth of crushed rubrail I got! "oh no wasn't us, it was probably crushed prior to shipment"......:wacko: umm yeah......seems reasonable:bounce:......

 

[gm280]

Wow arch, I bet that $600 dollar rubrail waste hit hard! It seems shipments these days are following the typical washer and dryer scenario. You start off with two socks, and end up with only one shock and no one knows where that other shock went...

But really, adding another week to my situation isn't going to be odd. I mean since this boat project is on it's way to being a decade event now... :facepalm:

However, the number of "other" things I got done while doing this boat project is pretty substantial... Life isn't fixed and simple.

 

[gm280]

Ha all, here is a little info if you are looking for disposable nitrite gloves. Seems everywhere I looked for them they are either out of stock, OR cost two arms and three legs.

I was buying them at Harbor Freight. Well you can forget that idea. And even on line you either have to buy them in 1000 count (10 boxes of a 100) cases and cost about $30 per hundred plus shipping, or you can't get any. Well today we visited out local Walmart store and in the automotive department they have some called Grease Monkey Gorilla Grip gloves. There are only 50 count boxes, but cost $6.88 per box. So if you want to get some before the word gets out, see what your local Walmart has. Absolutely the cheapest I've seen around in a very long time, and they are thicker then the 5 mil of Harbor Freight too.

Just thought you all would like to know. I only bought two boxes so that should hold me for a while.

 

[nurseman]

I love the Grease Monkey gloves! The Home Despot's up here used to carry them, but thanks to our local dictator/governor, the stores couldn't sell them [or any other PPE] after Covid hit. I have been getting by with gloves from Sams Club, but they are thin and tear easily. [still better than nothing though].

 

[archbuilder]

I like the Mapa Trilites, especially for glass work. You can get them at Uline, they are a bit pricey but hold up better than anything I have used against acetone. I bought some after the craziness started, and they only sold them to people who had previously bought them. I just looked and it appears that you can buy them, they just have a limit of 2 boxes. One other note, Uline is a bulk place, so they have always required that you buy at least 2 boxes. The one thing they do not hold up at all against is gasoline.....I thought it weird you can soak them in acetone all day, no problem and gasoline eats them up almost instantly. [h=1][/h]

 

[gm280]

I like the Mapa Trilites, especially for glass work. You can get them at Uline, they are a bit pricey but hold up better than anything I have used against acetone. I bought some after the craziness started, and they only sold them to people who had previously bought them. I just looked and it appears that you can buy them, they just have a limit of 2 boxes. One other note, Uline is a bulk place, so they have always required that you buy at least 2 boxes. The one thing they do not hold up at all against is gasoline.....I thought it weird you can soak them in acetone all day, no problem and gasoline eats them up almost instantly. [h=1][/h]

Maybe it isn't so much the actual gasoline as it is the alcohol in that gasoline. Years ago I bought a good size roll of small engine fuel line for all my yard equipment. And I can tell you with absolute certainty, that that fuel line turns brittle quite often in the fuel tanks.The fuel line on the outside of the fuel tanks is okay. And so far every problem I have with any small engine, be it two cycle or four cycle, is that fuel line. So I know the ethanol mixture is doing that now.

I know a lot of people buy alcohol free gas for their small engines, and I should as well, but it is so much easier, at the time, to just use what I have on hand. And that is ethanol gas mix.

Odd how some chemicals are okay while others not so much. Chemistry is amazing... I guess I need to find some ethanol fuel mix proof fuel line and be done with it...

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Yep I agree. I buy the ethanol stable fuel line as it hard to find ethanol free here. I just try to treat it and keep it from phase separating. My boat gets pump gas most of the time too.

 

[gm280]

I know I must have posted this on here before somewhere, but it still amazes me to see this happen.

Any time I am grinding or sanding metal just outside my shop (to keep the fillings out there instead of the shop) large FLIES come to the source of the noise and me. These are not your typical flies, but large flies. I guess some call them horseflies. They land on my arms, head, face and even on the part I am grinding. It must have something to do with the frequency or vibration that draws them in. But it really does amaze me.

I can be working for hours and not one horsefly in sight. The minute I start grinding any metal, they invade like a swarm all over the place. I manage to kill a few each time, but that doesn't keep them away...

Anyone else ever experiences this? I attached a picture so you can see what I am talking about. Now this is one of the largest I ever seen, dead of course. Most of the time they are about half this size. But still huge for a fly..

 

[Baylinerchuck]

That looks more like a B52......never had that happen in South Central PA. I too do a lot of my grinding out side.

 

[gm280]

That looks more like a B52......never had that happen in South Central PA. I too do a lot of my grinding out side.

Yeah that one was huge. The typical horsefly that the grinding attracts, is about half that size. But even half that size is pretty huge in comparison to the typical house fly. And the grinding sound has to attract them because they only show up when I am grinding metals.

It wouldn't be an issue, but when they land on me, that makes me want to swat them off. And so grinding gets iffy some times. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced that same phenomena?

There are a few horses about a 1/4" mile or more away. So maybe that is the source of them, and when they hear the grinding sound, they come running....I mean flying! :noidea:

 

[archbuilder]

We have them that size around here, but I don't recall them showing up when I am grinding. Some of them hurt like hell when they bite lol!

 

[sphelps]

Gm , do those bite ?
they do look like horse or deer flies ...
They don’t always come around when your in the direct hot sunlight but when you get in a bit of shade they come after you ..
The ones down here will make you bleed when they bite ...
When you pull up to the gate they swarm your car Just waiting for you to get out ! LOL!

 

[gm280]

archbuilder, yes I have had them bite before and that is why I don't like them landing on me when I am grinding. Luckily I haven't had any bite me when grinding...yet! But that is because I swat at them as quickly as I can. They don't seem to have much ability to keep from being swatted as long as the grinder is running. But with one hand holding the angle grinder, it is hard to swat flies and grind that way.

sphelps, yea they can bite and I have had them bite me in the past. And they do hurt pretty good/bad too. That is why I start to swat them as quickly as I can when they show up. But like I said, using one hand to swat and the other to hold on to the angle grinder is pretty hard to do and I don't get to kill many that way. I can usually get a minute or so before they show up when I start to grind. Then it is grind for a few seconds and swat flies, then grind and swat and repeat... The instant I stop grinding, they disappear as quickly as they showed up. Go figure...I wonder if a high speed fan blowing on me would help?
Hummmm....

Oh and this isn't the same all the time. Seems late summer is this way. I can usually grinder other times without them showing up. I guess I can say they are seasonal. Just wonder if others had similar issues? Maybe I need a muffler on my grinder?

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Maybe they are some sort of new anemic fly that requires and iron dust supplement....:dance:

 

[gm280]

Maybe they are some sort of new anemic fly that requires and iron dust supplement....:dance:

Maybe, I will say this, I am really amazed just how close they get to the grinder when they flock in. I've had them land on the metal I am grinding only about an inch or so away from the grinder sparking off metal, while others land on my hands, arms, head, and legs.

So, I have to make a decision to grind inside, and then clean up the metal fillings that are everywhere, OR fight off the flies outside...

Insects...why.................. :frusty:

I often wonder why we have roaches, ants, flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and so many other insects that seem to serve no real purpose! Mosquitoes kill more people each year then all other diseases combined... :cold:

 

[archbuilder]

Insects provide and opportunity for you to exercise, thing of the calories you burn while hopping around and dodging them!

 

[gm280]

Insects provide and opportunity for you to exercise, thing of the calories you burn while hopping around and dodging them!

Yeah I guess that is true. And I also get to sharpen my hand eye coordination accuracy as well swatting them. If I could only use a shotgun, that would surely be neat! Not so sure the neighbors would think so though...:laugh:

 

[gm280]

Ha...I actually did some work on the boat!!! After vacuuming the boat out, and it surely needed it too, I installed the seats. Even though I had the holes pre-drilled years ago, and 3/16" aluminum backer plates made to make the seat mounts solid as a rock, lining all those holes up so the 1/4" stainless steel carriage bolt would go in, was a p i t....well you know! However after multiple tries, the driver's and passenger's seats are installed. Of course I had to sit in the drivers seat and make engine noises like I was on the water. Luckily no one saw me doing that.

I used some outside leaf bags to slide over the seats to keep them pristine until the engine gets installed. So other then the transom cap and OF COURSE the live well cushion, most every thing else is done now. I know that seems like such little things to do. But those two items are seriously a lot harder for me then most everything else I've done because I haven't done such things before and know very little how to. But I am going to have to if I ever want to fish again.

I still need two new batteries. But I want to wait until I get ready to start fishing before buying new batteries and just have them sit there for a few months. In the mean time, I will use a car battery to test everything to verify it all works like designed.

Seems the squirrels worked over the trailer pretty well. Not only did they chew through the passenger side brake/turn light wires, they also chewed up the bunk carpet on one of the bunks on the end. I think I have enough carpet to fix that. They also chewed holes through the spare tire cover and literally pulled the backing material out for their nest building to make their nest nice and soft. But again, I have plenty of vinyl material to make a new cover too. Then I have wash everything up so I can slide the boat on...

Presently the squirrels are leaving the trailer alone because our pecan trees are covered with pecans. But the squirrels will strip those two trees quickly unless we can get the nuts before they do. It is always a fight every year. I know some of you are thinking, a shotgun and some shells and the problems solved. Well not so fast. Since we live very close to the woods, the next batch will take over instantly. It is a no win scenario... Lately I haven't seen a squirrel without a pecan in it's mouth. I wouldn't mind sharing the nuts with them if they would stop after taking half of the nuts. But you know squirrels, they will not give up 'till there are no nuts remaining.

Today I stopped everything and decided to smelt lead ingots. Since I have a wooden box about two feet by three feet about a foot and a half high filled with wheel weights and I can even begin to move it, I decided to melt them into ingots. I tired out after 70 to 80 pounds. And it didn't even put a dent into that box...

I use the ingots for bullets AND crappie jigs...

I'll post pictures of the boat project in the near future...

 

[archbuilder]

I have a solution to the squirrels. Her name is Heidi, she weighs about 100#s and is a German Shepherd....... she "exercises" the squirrels....some of them "die from heart attacks" you know, high cholesterol diet of nuts.....she always tries to give the mouth to mouth and revive them, never seems to work lol!