Dent removal on a BSA tank....

A customer sent me his tank off of a 60's something BSA to see if I could maybe take a couple of dents out of it.  After years of faithful service, its bound to have a few bumps and bruises.  But, because BSA polished their tanks, you can't hide these under layers of filler and paint.

Unfortunately, the only good way to remove these is to get to them from the inside.  This meant cutting the entire bottom out.

Once I could get inside, I could start bumping the metal back out with a couple of dollies.  There wasn't enough room to swing a hammer so I had to use one dollie as the hammer.  Once it was brought back close,  I could hit it with a body file, then some 80 grit and eventually work my way down to 1000 grit before polishing...

There still is a long way to go with the polishing, but at least you get the point...

Back in business!!!!

#406 is back up running and making chips....Today is a good day.

All of the adapters should be back in stock shortly.

#406 is down....

The reason there hasn't been too many updates is well, not much good has been happening lately. The Fadal went down about a week ago and we are waiting on parts to get it back up and running. 

As I was machining the first production round of Model A T5 adapters, the spindle drive motor started smoking profusely.  This in turn caused the drive to over current and shut down the machine.  Since releasing the smoke out of any electrical component is generally bad, I removed the motor and dropped it off at a local electric motor repair shop to have it checked out.

Apparently, two of the phases in the motor shorted out to each other.  This was caused by the breakdown in insulation because of how old it is.  Of course, I can't simple order a new motor as it was specifically built for Fadal by Baldor.  Luckily, repairing it is no problem for Radabaugh Electric in Barberton, Ohio.

So,as soon as I get it back, we'll be making chips....

Such a sad sight....

The latest addition to the Family Fun Park...

I came across a deal to trade a go-cart for these coin operated rides and I simply couldn't help myself.

There are coupe of missing panels and the wiring is a bit sketchy but at least they work.  I really just want the helicopter but the guy threw in the jet pack so I had to take it.

They both are made by a company called AutoRovo.  I haven't been able to find much info on them so if you know anything, please call or email.

1940 Chevy 409...

The latest project to come into the shop has been this '40 Chevy sedan.  It's a pretty cool car that's been on the road for quite a while.  It's got a 409 in it with power steering and disc brakes. 

When the owner put the car together, he used a set of modified fenderwells.  With the aftermarket power steering kits, there is absolutely no room on the driver's side.  So, as one could imagine, finding a set of headers that fit and weren't fenderwells is next to impossible.  So that's what we are doing...

He actually purchased a set of Sanderson block huggers that he wanted modified.  Luckily the passenger side fit without issue but the driver's required a little finesse.

Generally, it's actually easier to make headers from scratch than trying to modify a set....especially to this extent.

So...once again, it's been awhile...

To say the least, we have been swamped.  There are plenty posts coming.....I promise....just hang in there.

Kyocera FS-C2126MFP+....learned my lesson.....

I am sure we have all been there.... you go to purchase something off of Craigslist or eBay and think that you are getting a really good deal but in actuality, it turns out to be a nightmare of epic proportions.

I've been looking for a printer/copier for the shop for sometime and stumbled across this Kyocera on Craigslist.  It was a 2013 model that supposedly worked fine.  Being it was a color copier, printer and fax machine all in one with a $200 price tag, I was all over it.  The guy that I dealt with was very nice and ran a very nice business die cutting foam.  He made a copy as I was standing right there to prove that everything worked as it should.  Admittedly, he mentioned that they only used it for black and white copies and the counter surely proved this.  So, the deal was made and in the truck it went.

When I finally got it home, I connected it to the network, installed the drivers and was able to get it to print relatively easy.  However, I had some trouble with the magenta printing correctly.  I happened across the self cleaning menu and so I ran all of the options several times.  After each cleaning,it got better and better.  I was all excited until I received the "Add Toner" message.  So, thinking it was simply out of toner, I ordered more.  When the packet of toner finally arrived, I installed them, re-powered the machine and waited for it to run through it's warm up cycle only to find the same "Add Toner" message. 

I was a bit perplexed so I turned to the internet for answers.  What I immediately found was a bit disheartening.  First off, who knew there were forum boards for printers?  Secondly, this particular model is know for having this issue because of problem with the toner supply drive.  Luckily, Kyocera has a fix for this and an accompanying bulletin.....however, the printer has to be almost completely torn apart. 

After some more internet searching, I found Printer Source in Pa.  Their website is HERE.  I called them up to explain the problem and lucky for me, I happened to get a tech repair man of the phone.  This guy knew his printers....and subsequently, knew the problems associated with them.  After a little digging on his end, he confirmed the issue I was having with factory techs at Kyocera and sent me a copy of the tech bulletin.  This bulletin was 50 pages long with detailed step by step instructions on how to disassemble and replace the defective parts.  Once I said that I wanted to attempt this repair, they were also able to get me the parts I needed.

Oh yeah, the bulletin said that this was an 8 hour job...

 

 See those white parts....they are the issue....

 

Well, after seven hours and a couple of mistakes regarding the timing of the components, it's printing.  I really do not want to have to do that again......