Druidic Dabblings and General Twaddle !!

[Lancs Lad]

well that didn't happen .... we had Harper most of the day yesterday, who wasn't 100%, but did manage to get all the grass cut - again amazed how much was on it in 4 days
View attachment 35132

and then spent a couple of fruitless hours sat in Vicki's garden, before tea, for the third time this week, with me air rifle, waiting for the rat that'd spent most of the morning wandering around like he owned the place, to show his face, for extermination.
all I want is one shot ... I'm yet to even see the bloody thing.

so was determined to get summat done today...
patch looked like it'd snowed ... crab apple tree dropping blossom like confetti ..
View attachment 35134
got the tank top out and knocked a corner out of it, after I'd sussed how much to remove,
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then cut some bits an' pieces for the next bit .. set 'em out and put some holes in 'em View attachment 35136
followed by a bit of thread tapping ...View attachment 35137
and some studs cut to suit View attachment 35138
all fitted fine ...
View attachment 35139
welded up a few more bits ...
View attachment 35141 View attachment 35140
and ground back to a finished flat ... consolidated the studs ..
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after I'd sorted a 'have we got ? & a can you just?' ... I did and an hour later went to see the result and have some lunch .....
View attachment 35143
next step .. stitch some more bits up ...
View attachment 35144
and nail 'em View attachment 35145
and I've used me quota .... (much to Rory's annoyance).....

Grass... Gave our scrub and verges a good strim on Monday ..you'd never know now. Tempted to roundup the lot .
Looks bit brown dear ..oh that's odd

 

[V8Druid]

and on to the next bit ....a lid ... from the corner

suitably drilled and tapped ...

ready for ...

Pam'd been busy ...

and I got it all back together for more sussing

tea interrupted progress for half an hour .... then time for some bracket attachment ..

lovely fit ...

mocked up a position for the neck

and was fine ... enough clearance from the exhaust .... so got it stitched ...

and mocked again ...

200mm deep tank will give me 54 lt.s ... plenty .. 'Drema uses 4.5 lt.s an hour digging.

 

[V8Druid]

couldn't go too tall on yon tank .... got other stuff to juggle in ...

an' it's big

will have to make up an intake duct to get this connected up

and it's gonna need about 4" of offset ... some cut and shut required .... don't 'spose you have the intake plumbing for the filter @Mogman

Hopefully and according to the forecast, 't ain't gonna be too windy tomorrow, so can get the mig out for some tank assembly
stuck a bit of shiny black tish on the brackets, last thing

's all coming together nicely as planned ... worth the thinking time and get it right first off hopefully

 

[V8Druid]

Grass... Gave our scrub and verges a good strim on Monday ..you'd never know now. Tempted to roundup the lot .
Looks bit brown dear ..oh that's odd

you will be in so much trubble if you get caught .....
not an option here ..
spent too much getting it green in the first place .... was a wilderness 'fore I got at it

 

[V8Druid]

Photo alert Rory

Sunday was a blue sky day and relatively calm ... ... tank time ..
usual story ...

O ring bollo-ed .. 's the trouble with leaving the torch disconnected, sat on top of a cupboard
new one required ... can never have enough stock ....

.... so .. MIG out and put together ready for some action ...

welded inside and out right up to the top ... gotta be pretty unlucky/inept to get a leak ... never had a tank leak yet
quick try to suss the mounts ..

and nailed together

 

[Cyberprog]

Cool! I had an afternoon tinkering yesterday too, and killed my last remaining angle grinder. Sigh.

 

[V8Druid]

was a busy day ... 'til Clara and the gang arrived ... and it was all stop for a couple of hours

mounts tacked ..

and a handling eye added for ease of fitting (and later extraction if needed ....
air filter mount sussed and tacked

trimmed and consolidated with bolts captured

tea time .... followed by ....

Half expected to see it covered in crab apple blossom this morning, stuck to the wet paint ... but was fine so got it in spot on top of some rubber strips under the mounts

and filter attached .... nuts an' washers took some juggling in, as I guessed they would .. pretty tight

next issue today was creating an inlet tract

to align everything ....
haven't used this in a while

such a handy tool .... off set and 'going' sussed ..
saw time ...

first bit looked good

trick with cut and shutting a bend is remembering to put a centre line each side of the tube ..... so much easier to align the angles after

 

[Cyberprog]

I have many vices. Sometimes I combine them.

 

[Lancs Lad]

I have many vices. Sometimes I combine them.

Flying vices hurt...
@doobin bisleys

 

[V8Druid]

cleaned up, de-burred and ready to sick together .....

couldn't be arsed to set the MIG up again so a few 1.6 rods later ...

and some fettling ... then into the saw to trim the final 2" of excess off

luckily I fitted an isolator on the genny, on top of the neg pole and having opened up to knock it off, noticed cherry on top of the tank (which it's all built on top of) ... on inspection the return line had split ....

nipped the end off it and re-attached, with an Oetiker to keep it in shape and in place ... and mopped up the small amount of red creeping about in there ...

back to the fettling and then a trial fit ....

" Perfick "

quick coat of shiny .. dug out a suitable hose clamp for the turbo rubber .... and installed, just before it started ....... to spit with rain ...
stuck everything away just in time for it to ..........
stop FFS !! barely wet the bench

.....and for all those thinking I didn't get much done today ....
's hamster juice day, so tha's the morning ****ed
and there were numerous "can you just",s to intersperse/interrupt what time I did get to meself

next up ..... oil cooler installation/mount ..... been pondering various possibilities for some time and 'jury's still out ', but think I may have a handle on it finally

 

[V8Druid]

I have many vices. Sometimes I combine them.

shouldn't be so bloody tall

 

[V8Druid]

Cool! I had an afternoon tinkering yesterday too, and killed my last remaining angle grinder. Sigh.

that's annoying ...
still want a new 4.5", after my last Makita died a while ago ... yet to find anyone doing the same model ... all what's available seem to be a tad lacking in the wattage dept.
mr Aldi's 40V is getting quite a bit of use ATM .. bloody good it is too .... should've had a second one at 25 quid ... were up to 40 quid the last time I saw them listed on their site

 

[Lancs Lad]

that's annoying ...
still want a new 4.5", after my last Makita died a while ago ... yet to find anyone doing the same model ... all what's available seem to be a tad lacking in the wattage dept.
mr Aldi's 40V is getting quite a bit of use ATM .. bloody good it is too .... should've had a second one at 25 quid ... were up to 40 quid the last time I saw them listed on their site

I'll say it again ..Fein... Their metal bashing range is growing now with good feedback.

But then again at £25 that's disposable. So Ruddy handy ain't they cordless?

 

[V8Druid]

I'll say it again ..Fein... Their metal bashing range is growing now with good feedback.

But then again at £25 that's disposable. So Ruddy handy ain't they cordless?

so what do they have to offer in the 4.5" - 240v range? ... Mr Mak's was lovely in the hand and IIRC 1400w ...

was my thoughts exactly ... the bloody batteries are dearer at 30 quid a pop, but're 20/40v and run quite a range of their gear ...
not as I have any 20v stuff .. all 40v ....

have never been able to justify (to myself) the cost of the'mainstream' cordless stuff for the amount of use I thought I'd give it ... nice not having a lead though

 

[V8Druid]

I'll say it again ..Fein... Their metal bashing range is growing now with good feedback.

forgot to say .. once had a couple of Fein 9" with a camlock disc clamp .... were brilliant on site ... no spanners required .. and could be undone if they 'bit' at all ...... but didn't stick the pace sadly ...

 

[GazCro]

so what do they have to offer in the 4.5" - 240v range? ... Mr Mak's was lovely in the hand and IIRC 1400w ...

was my thoughts exactly ... the bloody batteries are dearer at 30 quid a pop, but're 20/40v and run quite a range of their gear ...
not as I have any 20v stuff .. all 40v ....

have never been able to justify (to myself) the cost of the'mainstream' cordless stuff for the amount of use I thought I'd give it ... nice not having a lead though

Personally don't see the point in hire wattage 4.5" grinders. BIL has a Makita and I bought a £36 Metabo and it's far nicer lighter and more comfortably sized than the Makita.

 

[V8Druid]

Personally don't see the point in hire wattage 4.5" grinders. BIL has a Makita and I bought a £36 Metabo and it's far nicer lighter and more comfortably sized than the Makita.

I'll have a look at 'em ... it's the shape I'm more interested in really .. just happens that what I liked is a big wattage unit .... was just right in the hand
... got a 110v Bosch (spit spit) 4.5" but it's the 'wrong shape'

 

[Cyberprog]

that's annoying ...
still want a new 4.5", after my last Makita died a while ago ... yet to find anyone doing the same model ... all what's available seem to be a tad lacking in the wattage dept.
mr Aldi's 40V is getting quite a bit of use ATM .. bloody good it is too .... should've had a second one at 25 quid ... were up to 40 quid the last time I saw them listed on their site

Mine was a hitachi. Bloody nice it was too. It made a nasty noise and smoke came out. Might not be a total gonner but not hopeful.

I have a collection of dead ones now. Need to buy some cheap ones.

My own fault, was using a thick cutting disc on a 10mm plate. Should have gone back home and got my Evo chop saw. Or some thin discs! Or done one cut and worked on that bit for a while. And deffo not hugged it on a hot day with my leather mittens on till it over heated lol!

 

[V8Druid]

Mine was a hitachi. Bloody nice it was too. It made a nasty noise and smoke came out. Might not be a total gonner but not hopeful.

I have a collection of dead ones now. Need to buy some cheap ones.

My own fault, was using a thick cutting disc on a 10mm plate. Should have gone back home and got my Evo chop saw. Or some thin discs! Or done one cut and worked on that bit for a while. And deffo not hugged it on a hot day with my leather mittens on till it over heated lol!

have a few Hitachi 9" ... bloody great grinders ... never tried their smaller range ..
the noise/smoke scenario's what did for me Mak 4.5" ... but it had had several years on the bench in the workshop, 'fore it came home, so has seen some seeeeeeerious use ...

TBH you're better off buying decent - once, than cheapo tish ....
remeber Makro ? ... used to do ultra cheapo 4" crap ... but had 3 yr warranty ... used to take 'em back half a dozen at a time for replacements
.. every other month ...
they got PO-ed with me eventually and started to get arsey ... and I got fed up with pissing about with them .....

think I had my money's worth out of 'em over 18-ish months though

 

[Cyberprog]

have a few Hitachi 9" ... bloody great grinders ... never tried their smaller range ..
the noise/smoke scenario's what did for me Mak 4.5" ... but it had had several years on the bench in the workshop, 'fore it came home, so has seen some seeeeeeerious use ...

TBH you're better off buying decent - once, than cheapo tish ....
remeber Makro ? ... used to do ultra cheapo 4" crap ... but had 3 yr warranty ... used to take 'em back half a dozen at a time for replacements
.. every other month ...
they got PO-ed with me eventually and started to get arsey ... and I got fed up with pissing about with them .....

think I had my money's worth out of 'em over 18-ish months though

That was why I bought the Hitachi. Had it like 5 years but it's not even battle scarred... Till now.