Been a bits and pieces kind of week.
Today started with cutting a foot or so off a old desk leg (1 inch square tubing with a screw adjuster on the bottom) and using it to tighten the belt between the air compressor and motor. Checked and then changed the oil in the compressor. Also drained and refilled the oil in the forge blower. Much quieter now, both of them. Had to regrind the tip on the good but broken largest flatblade to get the screws out. And had to make a small funnel to refill the compressor. Sequentially yours…

Decided to finish the hot cut hardy as the copper wire is now done. Broke and cut the guide wings off and ground the edges down and got it ready to weld. Clamped it in the big pipe vice and cranked the welder up. Welded the tip to the pipe then put a square sleeve around the base and welded the top edge to the pipe. Went to test fit it in the hardy hole and noticed how bad the edges were.

This is a real POS Anvil Shaped Object but its my POSASO so decided to see if I could weld to it. I think it’s cast iron as it came from the foundry down on 22nd or 23rd street in anniston, al where they make them. Anyway, moved it and its stump around to the front of the barn and ground a bit on the rough edges and cut down to clean metal on all the really bad and pitted places. Ground a bit on the horn and hooked the ground electrode there, got a hand full of 6011 rods and cranked the welder up. Welded fine. Took some fiddling with the control to cut the arc down enough to keep whatever kind of metal it is made of from running/burning away from the added metal but after getting the feel of it was able to weld it fine. Got some copper pipe and flattened it then bent it to fit the hardy hole and put it in there and welded up to it. Managed to melt it a couple of times and have to tear it loose, but got a nice upper edge without having to file and grind the inside. Ground the surface down a few times and refilled low spots. Filled in a couple of other places in the surface and one bad one on the edge. Over all looks much better. Will know more when I work on it again.

Moved it back to the side of the barn and then cleaned the forge out. Sifted the small sand and chinkers out and put the bigger pieces back in.

Took a break and went to the campsite to look at things there. Decided to use the tractor and do a bit of landscaping. Spent the remander of the day cutting a ditch and dropping the level of the ground on the west side of the roundhouse to reroute the water into the creek from the lake rather than the into the crossing which is causing so much erosion. Should know tomorrow when the rain gets here whether it is sloped enough or whether I need to do more.

At dark came back to the barn and put stuff up before the rain gets here. Looked at the shinny new surface of the anvil and got a old vcr case that beat it into a cover for the top. Should keep the rain off anyway. 🙂

Spent the past couple of days clearing the woods between the old trailer and bills bus. Trying to get it clear enough to move the cars from the field to a new temp resting place while they wait to be stripped and recycled. Still got another day or so to go with the clearing but need to wait a day or two before fighting the tractor again. Am hurting but not as bad as usual. Hope this able to work spell lasts a bit longer.

The 2 days prior to that was mostly spent digging cans out of the mud and briars down in the field. Got 2 to 3 loads left and hope to get them gone first of the coming week. Cleared some of the area down there with the tractor and scrape blade already but got a lot more to go. Digging stuff out of the muck and vines that have been there for 20 years. Some of it is still usable.

The past few days have included a bit of computer/electronics work and also cut up some more wood from fallen trees for heat. Got about 4 or 5 more keep a roaring fire all day long type days worth in the wood room and another 3 to 4 weeks worth waiting to be cut up. Hope that will finish out this heating season.

Arms and hands are giving out so will close for now.