Gurp, I must say you certainly are handy!
Ever see PBS Red and Green show? Some funny stuff.
He always says, "Remember guys, if you can't be handsome, be handy!"
Makes me smile and I often drop a variation of that line when someone thanks me for doing something.
I will quip, "Like they say on the Red & Green show from PBS, 'If you can't be handsome, be handy!"
Sometimes women will tell me I'm not bad looking... With a wink And big smile ... I say in reply..., "Ssooo, I'm not handy enough? That what you are trying to say?" then comes the wink with the big grin or I say it deadpan with pained expression at first and end with a big grin and wink as they are looking at me by then... I will laugh and thank them for the compliment.
Since you are married and happily so and don't want to change that, you may want to avoid that last bit as they may think you are flirting with them and not just having a little banter fun. Don't open the door for any woman to get the wrong idea about you and your availability... It avoids problems and shows your wife respect. Basically, never say to another woman what you wouldn't if your wife is beside you or behind or or even 5 or 10 feet away. Saying, "Now you are reminding me of my wife, she is brutal, but I love her...". That should shut down any thoughts she might have about you.
Nice work on all the welding. Wish I knew how to weld MIG and TIG. Your welds look good from my perspective!
If you don't want to show the welds or hide them somewhat ...
Some bright silver paint similar to chrome might help hide the weld somewhat and the melding of the multiple parts. It is a good way to fill pin holes in chrome if you derust a chrome part buff it for luster you want then clean it for painting scrubbing it well and using a brush to get any waxy or protective coating the buffing compound might have... then spray it completely with a good chrome like bright silver paint. Then your buffer buffs off the paint reveals the chrome but doesn't dig out the paint from the pits and if you don't try to buff the chrome to a higher luster it won't dig into the edges of the holes, a light coat of paint. Just enough coverage into the pin holes, you cannot see them easily after you clean and derust.
Chromed areas already buffed should buff clean of paint pretty easily.
Avoid the welded area, buff that area by hand.
Several good photos helps you know where you back off and leave the paint on and blending to the chrome away from the full painted surface....overlapping the paint onto the chrome as you cannot blend on areas that need the full paint layer.
Then apply a heavy wax over the chrome and paint and hand buff it to a nice shine. That protects the paint and chrome from oxidation
Painting pin holes on rust rabbit hole...
This trick can be used on fenders as well and sometimes it can be done to make a part look better close up...but it is work and most don't try to do this...best to ask if the chrome is developing pinholes a good examination closely will show the silver paint but it really isn't to receive but to improve the looks a bit.
I think bikes that see lots of weather are the ones with chrome failing, bikes that are in northern climates where they only come out part of the year and are babied are the ones that have gorgeous chrome decades later...
More chrome rabbit hole....
Soaking your chain in gas would strip the oils from it...then let it dry a couple days to get the gas to evaporate out best you can. Hanging it outside.
Gonna have to oil it regularly if you want to stop the rust. Your wife won't like the rust getting on her clothes, she problably would like oil either... Maybe use a wax chain wax or paraffin wax dripped on it heating it with a torch to rub the chain with a block of paraffin, gulf wax - often carried by Ace Hardware, is paraffin wax. Canning jellies I would see it used to seal the jelly. You would pour it on top of the jelly. Reused after you wash it clean you would remelt it next time you put up a batch of jelly or jam.
It ain't cheap no more but theirs an old mechanics trick as well.
Old mechanics parrafin wax trick.
You put a "crusty and rusty" stuck caliper bleeder screw with caliper body that you have cleaned up in a pot of heated paraffin wax and cook it for 20-30 minutes a stuck bleeder screw comes out without breaking!
Stuck pistons it is easy to pump them out using a grease gun to pump out the piston, loosely screwing grease gun hose finger tight into caliper brake line opening. Don't force it, some grease may come out but it just does it for a bit, then it stops coming out as much and every pump moves the piston.
If you just do it fingertip tight you won't damage any threads for the bleeder. Pump it full and watch the magic of it coming out with each pump. Grab it and see if it moves out by hand. I usually just pump it nearly completely out. You won't be reusing that piton so you can grab it with big plumbing pliers or channel lock piers to finish the job and minimize the grease use. Just pad the jaws of the vice if you have one so you don't mar the caliper body. Once you pop the piston out I stick my finger tip along one side of the bore inserted until it stops, swirl around the circumference and then hook finger in bottom to Scoop out the big blob of grease and put aside in a small plastic container for your to apply to anything where new clean grease isn't essential...sometimes there is old brake fluid in the caliper body that won't come out once you pump it full a lot of it will be clean and you can reload it in your grease gun or just pop it in a container from old cottage cheese container or old short broad container or other recycled use container from food you have handy....
Then separate the contaminated grease out with a plastic spoon to throw that part out..
Anytime you need some grease for a fastener or anywhere you apply a dab of grease that will attract dirt but the grease will protect the threads or fastener from rusting or remotely might possibly prevent dielectric from dissimilar metals.
Or, use a metal spoon if you wanna reuse the spoon for food consumption too you will have to wash it well outside in some very warm water with some Dawn detergent dish soap. Don't want to contaminate your sink with an oil product that could cause cancer long term exposure...
Wearing until gloves is a good habit to make as used motor oil is carcinogenic and grease is likely. It takes getting used to. Latex offers better feel at the expense of being thinner it also doesn't hold up well to mechanical work. Double gloving can help insulate your bands and if you tear a glove you can peel off one and put another one on over it.
Oil, grease carcinogens rabbit hole ....
leading to Glove rabbit hole...
I prefer to use the silver antiseize paste when thinking about the galvanic risk. I use grease on steel fastener ends knowing it will attract dirt I put the grease on thick enough to fill the threads with a light finger pressure. I do this on cars when exposed to salt and corrosion from moisture. I don't do it here as much in the desert as there is too much dust and sand and the rest is minimal because of the very low humidity rust here is surface rust, any rusty cars with heavy corrosion are from areas that see more moisture than southern AZ... The northern AZ cars and trucks see snow and more rain and use of calcium salts on the roads causing corrosion. My Mini Cooper S came from Wisconsin, the underside of the motor and likely other areas has a heavy layer of oxidized aluminum. I spent an hour brushing the bottom of the oil pan and easily to get to areas trying to remove it with a stainless steel toothbrush style detail brush. It was slow work and lots of places that oxide layer was pretty hard. I was trying to remove that heavy layer so it would oxidize heavily and old moisture from the underside as that oxide crusty layer retains moisture.
The undersides of the heads of screws need antiseize as often this area is what is stuck very firmly.
Definitely use antiseize paste when doing stainless steel to aluminum, it is highly reactive in galvanic corrosion from dissimilar metals. I think the silver Permatex antiseize is zinc based. There is another antiseize paste Permatex makes that is labeled aluminum antiseize paste. I want find out if it is designed to prevent seizure of dissimilar metals or if it is made with aluminum. We want to stop galvanic dissimilar metals corrosion, not enhance it ...if it is made with aluminum that would defeat the purpose in our steel into aluminum use of the antiseize, if anything if made with ground up aluminum paste it would enhance that dissimilar metals erosion of the aluminum cases and covers!
Another deep rabbit hole...
Yet another rabbit hole we are going down....
If you collect small food containers for small bolts or to put small screws or big screws in while working.
I've been known to to put a screw through the bottom of a longer piece of plywood or a scrap board I can set beside my area I'm working to drop screws in as I work on a part disassembly or assembly. The screws through the bottom of the container(s) allow me to move multiple small containers associated with a job I'm working on easily and keep them together... Write in pencil on the wood where those are from and it segregate the screws from various parts in one job. The board gives a weighted surface so not easy to send parts everywhere if container is bumped lightly. I always keep the lids with the containers. A string through the center of the lid or off to the side and piercing the edge near the top in the thick part of the molding of the plastic but low enough the string won't interfere with the knot with an awl let's you attach the lid string to the container.
Or, if you fish and fish with Spectra or kevlar braided fishing line then you can use a big needle threaded with kevlar line shoved through the side of the plastic container with pliers or just hold a small nail in pliers and heat red hot or very hot with torch or lighter and you can easily melt a hole that is smooth around the opening for a piece of string. Kevlar fishing line will need special knots and or just tie it to a very small screw using the kevlar knots and then give it a small shot of a thin super glue On the knot. More is not better with glues...
I like the braided kevlar fishing line I use it frequently for many things. I always forget the kevlar knots technique so I put packing tape over the instructions on both sides to laminate it if you will. It is easy to keep track of then...
Container fishing line or string rabbit hole...
So when container fits short screws you can drop in containers of various heights if working with longer screws. The really tall ones often make the board tippy... so they often just get put in tall container laid on its side on my work stool or table and I just have it on its side on the floor if I'm on the floor as it doesn't have a chance holding upright and the round container gives me a way to easily scoop my hand under it on the floor or table or stool to grip them, makes faster clean up or when moving stuff. It is a time saver in the end. A lone piece of electrical house wire scrap with insulation still-on , solid core not stranded can do the job of wrapping around that bundle of screws. 14 gauge solid wire or even 16 gauge if long enough gives you a bundle of long screws. greater than 4-6 inches... I learned this trick working on cars so, the fasteners there tend to be longer and heavier. Magnetic rails from Harbor freight on sale can be used to collect screws and some tools attach a wooden handle on the end made from a piece of 1x makes them handy... 😂😉
Not many screws, shafts, or fastener, or retainers that long on our bikes...the big ones are what? motor mounts in back of motor, center stand shaft, rear swing arm shaft and axles.
These don't require containers, easily recognized.
Most of the screws are short enough to fit in 6" tall or much shorter container. 1x or 2x used most of the time. I will visit a construction site (not driving into the construction site as tire punctures can be a danger) and my run flats are hard to get a damn expensive! Even with road hazard... Going into new home constructions during the day when workers are present and ask if they have any off cuts that are getting trashed and tell them you are just using them as a base to attach plastic containers. Or, better yet make one and take it with you, as showing what and why can help a lot. They will point you the way to their scrap bin. And sometimes the scraps are longer or bigger. You should go at night or in evening as taking without asking is stealing and sometimes , oftentimes any more, the sites have security as people steal lumber and plywood and everything they can...it is bad.
Once you make one you will make several I bet. 2x4 is big enough for some containers but a piece of 1x6 or 1x8 is better for broader containers. 2x6 and 2x8 make for very heavy bases, good and bad in a way.
If you are using 1x or 2x material I bore a series of holes with a big spade style bit near the end or both ends at our an inch from the end and edges clean it up with a wood rasp or wood file and then with lids on I can carry it by the end hooking my hand through the oval that I drill through and then cleaned up. 2x base is going to require two hands or carry it by the end, trusting the lids to stay closed.
A jig saw can connect the circles and not trying to push your way through just let the blade do it's work.
Key to making spade bits work without wanting to jump is start your line of interlocking circles only drilled shallowly, once you establish the holes center and have drilled 1/8"-3/8" you are deep enough to move to next one starting draw your center line across the board for your holes and 2 inches from edge for a 2" spade bit... Reduced appropriately (1/2 the diameter of the bit + an inch, if you are doing it an inch away) 2x? Material you could go closer to the edge but if you go too close you reduce the length of the cross piece screwed to the ends if so fitted screwing them into the end of the board to make a T end for stability... If securely fastened they can be a good handle to carry. Just carry from opposite corners with both hands.
Clean up the wood between hole arcs with a chisel and hammer securing the wood clamped to a surface with a sheet or sacrificial soft wood beneath the piece you are cleaning up with the chisel and hammer/mallet. Or, a wood file and wood rasp can do the job.
No need to get fancy unless you are the type who like functional and elegant then you can drill one hole completely through then pull out your Japanese pull saw hole saw and cut by hand from hole to hole. Then off to the drill press with drum sanders chucked up to hand oscillate through the block of wood ...if you are well off then you use the oscillating drum sander machine ...
Then you drag out the router and your 3/8" or 1/4" or 1/2" round over bit to round the edge of the opening. Or, drop that bit in your router table and set the height and router out that square edge to rounded over bliss.
If you have a router table you are likely to cut between the end holes with a straight router bit, flipped over you finish the cut from the other side if your cutting surface is greater than an inch in length. A straight edge or block or length of wood clamped across the board measuring from the side of the base plate of your router to the outside edge of the straight bit will allow you to have repeatable and a straight line routed as you route out the wood lowering your bit. Much easier to hold against a straight edge than to try to do it freehand...faster too!
Out of that rabbit hole...
Easy to grab and move when done, pop the lids on anytime you aren't actively using that container, if it has screws in it. With their string captive lids you are using it is open or closed whatever you find convenient. I usually use the with lids off as string isn't too long just long enough to set on the bench with lids flat. y
You might like them with short leash so they are at an angle against the container side. Try it, easy to figure out which you like. And easy to change. Lids being plastic they wipe off easy enough. I keep them closed all when not using to keep the dust and dirt out or spiders or lizards. I work outside, wish I had a place to work inside...
I open them all when starting fresh. If you have to get up, presumed sitting or stepping away from the work, get in a habit of pop the lids on securely. Sometimes it just tilts onto it's side and good lid will stay close if you bump it hard enough to knock over the board and containers. If you find you are knocking it over then split a 2x3 or 2x4 and add stabilizer ends to your 2x4 or attach a furring strip to the end like a T. Extends 2-3 inches past each end of the width. Or you use a scrap of plywood, paying attention to your overhang if any as that gets you in trouble the most...
Way more back in that rabbit hole...
😉
Back to the parrafin wax method...
Put the cleaned up part in a pan emersing the part . A thrift store double boiler or a small cheap pot or aluminum pot you can set on top of or in another pot. Put your caliper in and the wax in your double boiler setup on your grill outside away from the house or any structure that could catch fire. If you need to take up room in the pot do so to raise the wax level...essentially you want probably 2-3 pounds of wax or way more for big pans. Caliper put on its side and then put in other objects around it that are metal and solid or it will go inside them too! Heat the part in the double boiler. Have some heavy mitts to firmly grip the pot, or you be dangerous and skip the double boiler and melt the wax but don't boil the wax! Definitely with fire extinguisher handy.
hot wax will send you to the ER in a hurry, water in the part will cause pops and splatters, so Face shield is recommended or clear lense welding helmet. Face shield to divert the hot wax it something unplanned happens and with hot paraffin wax ALWAYS dress or prepare for the unplanned, you get casual with safety around hot wax at your very real risk of permanent deep scars that will be bringing 100k doctor bills your way faster than you can read that sentence. Welding coat and ability to not have wax reach any exposed skin is key. If you drop the part or do anything to cause splash or splatter reverse away from it as quick as you can. It is no joke.
Anyway, do your big full of water double burner base pot boiling with the wax pot on top and when wax is melted cook that caliper for 30 minutes. Turn off your grill let the wax start cooling down. Carefully move the pot if it rocks on the double boiler at all... Lower it to the grill surface after clearing your bottom pot. Then carefully move it to a hot matt on a table setup beside your grill with sheet of cardboard covering your work surface several sheets of newspaper loosely secured on one end above your cardboard the top sheet is flat, wad up and unwad the other layers as you want a surface that absorbs and does not present as a hard surface, it gives with and drips or splatters minimizibg any drip from splattering if it can easily deflect with the drop or splatter...
Very Dangerous steps moving the hot wax.
Then fish the caliper out...you did remember to snake a coat hanger wire through that caliper body for this step right 😁? Then let the wax drop off it...holding it very close to the surface will minimize splatter. If you put a wire in both holes you can grip them both, otherwise those thick oven mitts can handle the wax and insulate you from the heat for a brief handling. Then you can help it rotate that part after you moved it out of the hot wax if the surface on top is starting to cool and harden the wax is still dangerous. Long pants are a must, as is real shoes and a welding jacket might help.
Serious Safety rabbit hole ...
How this works...
The hot paraffin works it's way into the corrosion wicking in through capillary action and you cook it for a long time so the wax will work it's way completely into that part that is corroded. If it is not emersion friendly then you use a torch heat the part up cherry red at the base where it goes into the part and remove the heat and drip wax from a candle into that area or rub that area that is very hot with your parrafin wax block.
It then unscrews rather than breaking off! You will be shocked how well this way works for parts than can be emersed to fully cover the offending part. Since the caliper body is like a giant efficient heat sink it works best if you can prevent any breeze from cooling the parts a lid for the top pot is ideal if you can, a improvised lid from heavy large foil sheets is next best. You can tape them together in a few spots to have them easier to handle or you need to make a bigger sheet as many don't have 18" or 24," wide foil to make a improvised lid. Using your hot matt mittens one to hold the foil to the side then gently work the foil to be retained over the part crimping edge at lip of pot putting the foil over the part with a mitten on the top of the foil to the top of the part. A dry run forming the " lid" roughly so it sits over the part and just have it have straight down sides then the crimp of the foil around the lip is left to when you have things setup and ready to cook for 20-30 minutes.
Another rabbit hole...
Fish out the other parts that took up space out of the hot wax, a slotted spoon that is metal works or Fish Turner of wire construction....
Or, weld up your own wire cross mesh dipping basket to fit the wax pot so you have two big strong loops that won't pop off or break off and can support the weight of everything.
A brief make your own basket rabbit hole...
Then you would just lift your basket out and set it on a piece of cardboard after you lift it out and if you do this over the hot grill I will shoot you myself...heat and wax and splatter are your enemies .
End of paraffin wax use rabbit hole...
You are aware of the phosgene gas risk cleaning metal with brake parts cleaner? Your me tooning it had me concerned. It is deadly and kills people every year.
Search "Welding after using brake cleaner". Should be plenty of hits for more details.
Sorry for so many rabbit holes... hopefully they are useful ideas.
David
