Art & Inspiration did some cleaning in the shop today

Yes he has special tools, will just take some time to figure out which pile they are in/under

 

Hopefully he didn’t scrap them when he was scrapping stuff

 

Well, I'm back. No, i didnt give up, I just have been working outside, and quite frankly, worn out at night. Making fire wood for the coming winter, and after being laid up half the summer, and perhaps a touch of just plain getting old, it wipes me out. The good news is as long as the weather holds on, i will do outside stuff, so no new mess in the shop. everything I have cleaned so far, is still clean!!!! Now, back to the subject, the work table is done. I sprayed it with starter fluid to wipe off all the oils, then hit it with the DA sander with 80 grit, its as good as its gonna get. Too bad all those deep pits are there from when it went thru my shop fire in 2010. Not sure why, but maybe oil or plastic was on those area's and burned hot. It was a very nice thing when I made it 30 years ago, 3/8" top, 44" x 5'. Expensive piece of steel today. Maybe flip it over? have to investigate that as its hard to wipe it clean with the deep pits. Instead, maybe just fill it up with crap again? NO !!!!! So, here's a pic of the done deal. I should go after that back bench next, but I have a hankerin to dig out the tig welder instead, what do ya think? may need it this winter on the roadster. Not sure why that pic is so bad, but you get the point, its sad the way I keep the place.

 

If you flip it over, the vise will be on the wrong side

 

Instead of flipping it how about topping it with a 3/4"ply sheet with 1x2"edging that just lifts off if you want to weld...or 1/4" rubber you could drill and tap a few Csk. Machine screws to hold it down you could even hinge it to the back of the bench and tilt it up and lock UP to weld and utilize metal surface if needed...a top that big would have some weight to it and we're getting old as you say...so hinge instead of lift is preferred and the backboard could be also utilized as a back stop when up

Perhaps you're saying the metal surface has lost its true...

 

My god, a clean horizontal surface! The horror! Get some stuff on it, or else...

 

Rusty, Like the new Avatar...

 

Yeah Dave G , its amazing. If I walk into the shop with something in my hand, you just put it down. No need to look for a clear spot. So far, as I am not doing any indoor work yet, it is staying like that. Stogy, the 34 Tudor has been sold, to pile up money for the new roadster. I had 3 model 40's, too many for a poor boy with too much other crap besides. Jeez, I have had visitors nearly every night lately, so no progress to report, but I'll be back !

 

I remember when a good time on a Friday night was maybe go out and meet some friends, see some live music, have a few drinks, chase girls and maybe even get lucky once in a while. Now days, I am excited to gain back a few square feet of floor space in the shop for my excitement ! Its OK, I am happy to find my welder again. I'll put up the before and after to make an easy assessment. Much of it was garbage, empty shipping boxes, junk mail, dirty rags, etc. Then there's the winter clothes....from last winter....and the parts that never got put on the 34 coupe yet. Fun story, the chinese tool kit on the right of the welder was a gift. A friend who is a Honda dealer mechanic sometimes comes to help on issues with my fleet of Honda daily drivers. When he asks for a tool, it might take me a minute to find it...imagine that! but, I have about 5 or more of every wrench and socket, all at least mid to high grade stuff, but he is one of the pros that has everything laid out in order in its proper drawers, so me having to look for it is too much time. So he bought me that 250 pc set ! That was 2 years ago, and tonight was the first time I touched it. I feel bad when he comes over, but shit why waste the money on that? It will go behind the seat in my pickup now that its out. Now, I have a confession to make...the pile on the floor in the center of my main bay, that you can't see...is getting bigger. Its ok, the trash has been weeded out, and its jus stuff that needs to go out to the barn. Whats next? maybe that back bench...we'll see, but I am going to keep at it, I can't take it anymore.

 

I forgot to mention, remember when I bitched about the wife putting shit in front of the microwave? behind the welder is my parts washer, usually piled up with shit. I guess she learned from me

 

We, not too exciting, but I did capture another 8 square feet of wild floor space. Sadly, I took the photo after I had already cleaned off the top of the little table, but you know what my table tops look like already. The little table is a piece of junk I bring in when I need a clean space. This time, was last april, needed a clean spot for paint products when I painted my daily. Then, it just fills up with shit, imagine that ! This time it went out to the scrap trailer, and now I will just clean the real bench when I need a clean space like a normal person would. Starting to cheat a little bit, some stuff is just boxed up to be moved to "I dont know" land, but its still progress. Next up, the cart on wheels to the left, is my body dolly thing, with no body on it, just another flat spot full of shit, so why is it in here? Its going out. soon I will have 2 bays again

 

Keep up the good work and before you know it you'll be hosting YouTube clips on 'keeping your personal space user friendly'.

 

I'm back on it. My friends are starting to call me "Mr Neat an Tidy" ! Well, a few...well, ok, they should anyway. I got side tracked on restoring my old torch cart. I built it 35 years ago, nice thing with an extra space for an LP tank for when doing lots of cutting, like when I was younger, and also I made quick release straps and handles, over-center, like a load binder to hold the tanks solid and not have to mess with chains. It also has a chain on the front, so when I want to venture out in my junk pile you just roll it on the forks, loop the chain on the bobcat forks, and go. Its solid, tanks dont wiggle, it wont fall off, and no messing around with ratchet straps. It was a nice thing until it went thru the fire here in 2010. You would think if a guy wanted to save it, he would do it ten years ago, but i like a challenge in life so I left it outside to rot for ten years."restored", lets use that term loosely, I scuffed what I could with 80 grit, wire wheeled what was needed, shot it with ASPHO, and brush painted with rustoleum. Should last until I'm toes up. After the fire, the dirty bastards charged me 300 per tank, 3 of em, to keep my lease, I paid the bill to save my good credit rating, but dropped the lease, and for a few years I watched for deals and now have 2 of each, oxy, and act. Mean while, I got a free light duty piece of junk cart made for small tanks, which I stuffed big tanks into, and it was so wimpy you were afraid to move it. So, next, the area between the doors where the torch cart lives, had become an island of crap extending out between the two bays, another spot for "when unsure, just put it on that pile" . So my newly restored cart needed a clean space to live. In that space is a cool rig my friend made for putting the dimple in rims for wire wheel spokes. There was a time when I thought I should be a wheelsmith when I grow up, got the machine, got new spokes, but never happened. Some day...lots of money in that pile. I have Dayton pin drives, and buffalo, and ....I cant think of the brand....for a model t speedster project, that is quite dusty at present. So, next issue was my paint spray unit up on the shelf, was always a tangled up mess. So, I made a mount for a hose hanger, Chrome of coarse, nothing but the finest dumpster diving junk here! Long rant...lets see some pics.

 

And yeah, there's more stuff that needs to go "out ' to someplace !!

 

It's really looking good! It's the "stuff that needs to go" out' to SOMEPLACE" that is getting me!
Interested in your wire wheel indever. When you get toit show us how its' done.

 

We're going to have to start calling you Mr. Clean...lol

 

"Endeavor to persevere"

Chief Dan George, The Outlaw Josie Wales.

 

Hey, Rusty;
Very interested in the "dimpler", + of course, the old lockring wheels n hubs. Would also like to see pics, etc, like gg2.
If you're a-dumpin' talk to me. Hope you get on w/the speedster stuff soon. .
Can/would you do dimpling for others, if you keep the machine?
Marcus...

 

I did some garage cleaning today too! Its trash day, I emptied the trash can...

At least I did something....

 

I guess I had forgotten, there is a reason to have a clean work space. I started in on the rebuild of the trans/transfer case of my 52 m38 jeep, and by golly there's a clean flat table to lay it all out and clean and assemble. Amazing!!! last winter I would have been doing it on the floor. Not much other progress to brag about in the shop, but I am not done. New years resolution ya know...Not be a pig this year. So, any way, the jeep is really a honey, never been apart, never had any rust repairs, never been crashed, really as good as you can find except they forgot to ever drive it. When I bought it, it had not been run in years, and being the model citizen I am, I topped off all the fluids to drive it. Well, the trans and transfer case took a lot, like nearly empty. I soon found out why, leaked like a pig. Then when I drained it all to take it out, Brown mud, years of sitting with water, condensation. Every thing inside is rusty, bearing and shafts shot. Engine rebuild tag says the army fixed her up in 57, and I would guess thats the last time anyone checked the fluids. 38k showing on the speedo, and 120 psi compression on all 4. Happy new year

 

RV nice looking MB, too bad about the trans and transfer. I have run into this also with some of my projects. A previous owner ran it through a creek after an hour or so drive, took it home and forgot about the water bit! Hope you can source the parts readily! (Really nice to have a clean table!) PS Is that one of those GREAT walking boots that you have on? I JUST LOVE THEM, got my own! Be safe and have fun!

 

Grumpy, yes thats a walking boot I wore for 2 months last summer. Yeah, they are good, but better yet would be to not break a leg! The jeep is an M38, not an MB. The WW2 MB's are cuter, and more valuable, but the M38 is considered a better rig by many. Civilian CJ3A would be similar to the M38