[widgitmaster]

The Vietnam traveling wall will be in town soon, so I've been working on a nice set for my friends booth!
The USMC & USN are done, the USCG & USAF are on the pain bench!
The ARMY had a crack in it, so I've had to cut another one!

[widgitmaster]

Finished painting another one!

[widgitmaster]

All done!
It took me a while to finish them, but its was worth the effort!
Hope you all like them!

Widgit

And yes, the New Space Force is next, but the Seal & Logos have not been officially released

[peteeng]

Hi Widget - What paint do you use thats so bright? Peter

[widgitmaster]

Hello Peter!
Actually, all I use is standard Matte finish Acrylic paints!
All so, none of the last 5 plaques were clear coated yet!

[peteeng]

Hi WM - Are they art type acrylic or housepaint? Peter

[widgitmaster]

Hi WM - Are they art type acrylic or housepaint? Peter

All Artist paints! I prefer the matte paints, as it's easier to add additional coats for better colors on the absorbent wood!

[widgitmaster]

I realize it's been an incredibly long time since I've uploaded anything from the machine shop, so here is a project I've been working on for several months now!
As Big-Red is now running better, I've noticed the water cooled spindle is running too hot! After investigating the cooling system, I realized the water lines were circulating hot water as the machine ran for hours!
My solution is to add a little radiator with a 150-CFM fan! In order to do this I'll need to add an air filter, to keep the fine dust from clogging the radiator's fins !
I had a mounting bracket made out of welded aluminum, which will support both the radiator and the fan! But attaching the air filter required a little more detailing!

[widgitmaster]

After mounting a 1" thick aluminum plate in the lathe chuck, I made a face cut and drilled a 2" dia. through hole. Next I expanded the bore to match the filter's bore!
The I used a 45 deg. bit to make a nesting area that matches the angled protrusion on the ends of the filter! Then I turned the OD to match the filter's OD.

Next, I needed to remove the Turret from the lathe, and put the single tool holder back on!

This enabled me to flip the part, face the opposite side, and put a deeper 45 deg angle into the bore. this will improve the airflow from the fan's larger diameter to the filter's smaller diameter!

[widgitmaster]

Now it's time to switch chucks, so I can hold the part in soft-jaws. Then I placed a spider under the three jaws, and bored out a nest for the part to clamp into!

Because the next cut requires a long radius cutter, I free-hand made one on the pedestal grinder using a 1/2 x 1/2 HSS tool bit!
With the tool clamped in position, I carefully made a series of cuts in the edge of the part. This created two flanges, one fits up against the filter. The other will be machined square, to match the fan housing, and have holes for the attaching screws!

It's been a long time for me, and standing in the shop is still a bit painful! But I did manage to get the rotary table setup on the mill, and made a fixture plate to securely attach the part in the center of the table! This will allow me to mill the fan side flange square, and drill the mounting holes!

But not today!

[stragenmitsuko]

Nice to see shop pictures once more .

A tip I got from a retired painter :
To stop wood from absorbing the paint and needing multiple coats , apply one thin coat of latex or emulsion paint first
This will seal the surface and fill minor imperfections .
Then paint as you normally would , spray or brush .

Pat .

[widgitmaster]

More progress!
Today I milled the fan side flange square, and drilled the four mounting holes.
Then I put the vise back on the mill, so I could drill & ream a 1/2" diam. hole across the center, 45 deg. from the four mounting holes.
This allowed me to place an aluminum pin across the bore. After a quick trip to the welder, I had the ends of the pin welded in place.
As soon as it returned to my shop, I placed the part back in the lathe and re-surfaced the edge radius.

[widgitmaster]

The pin that crosses the bore will allow me to attach a long pin down the center of the filter, which will allow an end cover plate for the filter.

That's a job for tomorrow!

[widgitmaster]

Today I drilled & tapped a hole in the cross-bar, then I made a small spot-face the same diameter as the long shaft.
Then I drilled & tapped the end of the long shaft, put a screw tightly into the bottom of the threaded hole, then cut the head off the screw.
Next I screwed the parts together, and used the Height Gage transfer a mark onto the long shaft. Then I cut off the excess, drilled & tapped the end.

With all that done, I drilled a small hole in a piece of aluminum plate, bandsawed the corners off and turned the OD on the lathe
With a little radius tool, I made the top cover plate look nice!

[widgitmaster]

Now It's off to assembly!

Tomorrow I decide where on Big-Red it will be mounted!

[widgitmaster]

Got them all finished!

[peteeng]

Hi WidgitM - excellent metal and wood work. Keep it up. Peter

[Bubba]

Widgit,
You continue to amaze me with the work and service that you continue to do. Keep it up and stay safe.

[widgitmaster]

Thanks guys!
You-all stay healthy !

Widgit

[widgitmaster]

WOW!
It's been a long time sense I've posted on the Zone!
Much has happened in my life, like another totaled Trike! So I've decided not to ride any more!
My left foot has finally healed, after 4-years!
Big RED has been running like a top, except for the PC! After trying to get V-Carve Pro to run on Win-10, I threw it in the trash and bought an old Win-XP system for $10 at a yard sale! Then I set the system Clock to 2001, turned off all the update junk, and now it runs everything !

The Marine Corps Birthday is Nov 10th, so I've been busy making & painting plaques for our Marines!

Hope O'l Bubba is still on the Zone!

Widgit