The question is,, any of you actually makes something useful with all you know?

[ricardo kuhn]

The question is,, any of you actually makes something useful with all you know..??

No, Not your work at Nasa or Ford, but something that you actually make on your own as a hobby or even on a proffesional setting and NOT something you think about and calculate and calculate over and over again..

I'm just wondering about the pragmatic aplications of all this know how. I will love to see Objects. prototypes, wimsical movil sculputures, whatever is actually made and use for one thing or other, even if is to get a smile out of a little Kid.

Well Show and tell, for everybody to share and rejoice..

Ricky

 

[Danger]

Unfortunately, most of the things that I make are pretty useless. Probably the most elaborate was about 25 years ago when I took a dive-flap extension cylinder from a P-40, the power brake system from a Buick, and a couple of welded brackets and built a hydraulic clutch for my Roadrunner. The reaction time sucked, though, so I scrapped it.

 

[Q_Goest]

Hey Ricky, I've enjoyed your pics, and I love the way you've combined function and art. The segway stuff looks great!

Danger, where'd you get a P-40 dive flap extension cylinder from? Wouldn't that thing be worth more as just a spare part for the actual airplane? There's probably some rich tycoon in the confederate AF drooling right now, wishing he could find one of them boogers!

I built my own motorcycle (late '70's/early 80's), before I was married with children . It took about 5 years to finish. The engine is an old CB750 which I got from a classified add. Apparantly it was the only part worth selling after some guy killed himself on it. I bored the motor out to 811 and put a high compression big bore kit in, then had it balanced and a few other goodies added. All the other parts on it, including the frame came either from aftermarket companies, motorcycle junk yards or I made myself such as the oil tank which is that chrome thing under the seat. This picture was taken near San Diego about 15 years ago. I just gave the bike away after it had been sitting in my garage for about 8 years waiting for me to fix a few things. <sigh>

 

[Danger]

That's a mighty fine looking bike there, Q. Good job.
There's a company up here called Princess Auto that was primarily a surplus supplier. They had the weirdest stuff you could ever want, really cheap. That cylinder was in perfect condition, and it cost about $3.00. Really good DC motors went from about $0.50 up to $25, depending upon size and power. Mostly they sell new stuff now, though, and more expensive. I have their newest catalogue right here. Some samples of their surplus stuff are:

4-pack of AA Ni-Mh batteries for $8.88
Generac 2gpm 2,000psi pressure washer w/ 3.7hp B&S engine for $222.22
phone line tester for $1.88
Nokia hands-free kit for $1.88
12VDC 0.9A brushless 2.9cfm CPU fan for $2.99
dual-shaft vacuum motor for $2.49
50' of 1/8" aircraft cable for $3.99
Hella Optilux 1502 driving lights w/ wiring for $14.99

Keep in mind that those are Canuk $'s, too, so knock about 40% off for Yank funds.

 

[Shawnzyoo]

the main reason why I am working on my Mech. Engin. degree is just for working on my own projects.

I just finished a small trebuchet
and building high powered rocket
and currently i just finished a foam cutting table
so that i can make foam molds for a carbon fiber road bike i am making
this summer i rebuilt a 1978 Puchs Free Spirit moped
and mainly I pride myself because I have a drill press and band saw 6ft from my bed
my website is partially up, so there will eventually be many posts/pics there
--shawn

 

[Shawnzyoo]

reply

the main reason why I am working on my Mech. Engin. degree is just for working on my own projects.

I just finished a small trebuchet
and building high powered rocket
and currently i just finished a foam cutting table
so that i can make foam molds for a carbon fiber road bike i am making
this summer i rebuilt a 1978 Puchs Free Spirit moped
and mainly I pride myself because I have a drill press and band saw 6ft from my bed
my website is partially up, so there will eventually be many posts/pics there
--shawn

 

[Danger]

Redundant little bugger, aren't you?

 

[Shawnzyoo]

redundant yes!
it wasn't posting
so i sent it again
and here we are
sorry about that

 

[turbo]

No, Not your work at Nasa or Ford, but something that you actually make on your own as a hobby or even on a proffesional setting and NOT something you think about and calculate and calculate over and over again..

Well, I facet gemstones (anything softer than a diamond!) for a hobby, play blues/rock music (used to do it professionally, but this darnded sensitivity to perfumes {asthma, migraines, elevated blood pressure} has clipped my wings) and can pretty much troubleshoot and fix any Fender tube-type amplifier. I haven't ranged into amps from other manufacturers, but that's because I prefer Fenders and like Leo's build-philosophy. I can take a marginal-performing electric guitar and usually turn it into a very playable, livelier instrument that intonates more accurately, but I cannot make it really "sweet" or "toneful" since I cannot change the tonal characteristics of the wood in the neck and body.

My coup de grace? Perhaps the finest, most flavorful grilled fresh shrimp in the world. I have never measured the ingredients for the marinade, and never will - it evolves from one batch to the next, but it includes: Cold-pressed olive oil, dry red wine, Heinz Ketchup, Annie Green Springs Roasted Vinaigrette Dressing, Heinz yellow mustard, lemon juice (fresh! you infidel!), molasses, really strong home-made habanero sauce, minced onions, crushed garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper, freshly-ground black pepper, and salt. These are pretty much in the order of appearance (volume), and if you are a cook, you know what I mean. Don't try this marinade with every seafood - it won't work. The beauty of shrimp is that you can get the marinade to coat every mm² of the shrimp, but it won't penetrate the flesh too deeply, so you can use the marinade as your statement (borne by grilled shrimp, which are pretty popular!).

 

[russ_watters]

I don't make a whole lot - I mostly just take things (everything) apart.

 

[Danger]

Turbo, with the minor obstructions that I'm deadly allergic to shrimp and don't like mustard, that's actually a mighty fine recipe. Is there anything else that it can be applied to?

 

[Clausius2]

No, Not your work at Nasa or Ford, but something that you actually make on your own as a hobby or even on a proffesional setting and NOT something you think about and calculate and calculate over and over again..
I'm just wondering about the pragmatic aplications of all this know how. I will love to see Objects. prototypes, wimsical movil sculputures, whatever is actually made and use for one thing or other, even if is to get a smile out of a little Kid.
Well Show and tell, for everybody to share and rejoice..
Ricky

This thread is sort of propaganda against theoretician peple, isn't it?. Do you mean you have to have something material in front of you in order to satisfy yourself and say ok all this work has been worthy?

You should know there are thousands of scientists in the world who work on the theoretical field. They only have a pencil and paper in front. But they are generating things, are opening the frontiers of the human knowledge, and will never make an sculpture, will never build a plane, will never build a car neither a motorcycle, and maybe most of them don't know how to fry an egg.

This people is generating IDEAS, which are more important than any material stuff, merely because ideas have the POTENTIAL to become some day material stuff.

Most of modern engineering is precalculated and conceptualized with pencil and paper, long time before going to the factory and the media. Some of these ideas are rejected, some storaged, and some applied. Take a look at some scientific publication and read papers on theoretics, and ask yourself if the author is not satisfied with himself because he does not have the stuff right in front of him.

 

[ricardo kuhn]

This thread is sort of propaganda against theoretician peOple, isn't it?.

not really No, I'm just wonder were all this potencial goes...

Do you mean you have to have something material in front of you in order to satisfy yourself and say ok all this work has been worthy?

no, not at all...
most of the work I do is totally conceptual, actually is not even Fisical(Antropological, social, ritual base and semiotical patterns) is all about A Vision and the avility to asociate in your mind parameters they are not soppose to fit togheter from the start.. and at this I'm sure I'm not the only one around here , at least i hope.

actually I date a "Theoretical matematics mayor" a few years back and I need to say she was one of the most interesting experience of My life,, yeah she was mostlly numbers , theories and equations but she also play a few musical instruments and compose "Duodecaconal" music (No idea how you spell that) and also Rock climp like the best of them.. and yes she was a geek and wear the t-shirt with the levels in the front and all that other typical stuff..

You should know there are thousands of scientists in the world who work on the theoretical field. They only have a pencil and paper in front. But they are generating things, are opening the frontiers of the human knowledge, and will never make an sculpture, will never build a plane, will never build a car neither a motorcycle, and maybe most of them don't know how to fry an egg.

Yes I know that...

A little sensitive are we...??
just because something is Mundane and simple does not make it any less important.

plus life is far more than Numbers and coheficients, to really produce (Idea, concepts, whatever) and something important you need to be in some kind of contact with the world around you.. (At least I firmlly believe that)

This people is generating IDEAS, which are more important than any material stuff, merely because ideas have the POTENTIAL to become some day material stuff.

Most of modern engineering is precalculated and conceptualized with pencil and paper, long time before going to the factory and the media. Some of these ideas are rejected, some storaged, and some applied. Take a look at some scientific publication and read papers on theoretics, and ask yourself if the author is not satisfied with himself because he does not have the stuff right in front of him.

Man you really have a few sensive areas...

Yes I do all that stuff, hell i have clients In germany (when I can varelly speak Ingles) that i comunicate via drawings and diagrams all day long, plus I do it all the time for fun or profit, but I still have the avility to apreciate a nice sunsets and hold the hands of the person i love,,
I have about 25 possible patentable items on "Pat-pend" status at this very moment (don't have much money for all the laywer fees) but I still like to get my hands dirty and make stuff happend...

I was not trying to be ofesive judgamental or anything, I'm just one of the guys that grow up reading "Popular mecanics" and wondering how life will be when I get to be one of the articles on the magazine...

that was the focus of the Topic,,,basically is any of the people here that make stuff like in the old days, after all is so much brain power around here,,, why not well call me Old school if you want, but i will like to see who do better on a desolated island.

for sure I admire the conceptual and theoretycal work done by many but being a person that tries to be a little more "Renacense" i still like to learn how to make diferent things, since i believe I learn more about the limitation and the possibilies of the materials and production methods when I'm actually inmerse in the process...

actually many years ago, I perform a seminary at the mecanical Engeniering department of a fancy University (Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, sur america) in "Human Power platforms" to be use on III world country enviroments (I have deggre in ergonomics and Biomecanics) and I'm sad to say I never found of cluster of people so Un-creative brainstiff close minded and unawere of the day to day needs of the comunity as that group, we were soppose to be talking about apropiated technologies, low tolerance production methods (No Not HIGH Tolerance since most of the parts will be made with very limited resourses) and this people were thinking about the Titanium extrussion methods that they read on the latest "American Science",,, Come On, the focus of the design group (Their tesis)
was to generate conceptual and practical "Human Power couplers..." so a lot of people and comunities can benefit of low cost, practical and realiable machines,,, yes I acept is not "Rocket science" to any extend, but is also a important part of the world we live in...

I don't know I just think reality also need to be a part of life and that you can not just live on a bublle and pretend everything is ideal and clean and that Antiseize will never get on your clothes because that kind of stuff does not affect well educated scientist.
We are On the same boat, even if maybe is Sinking...

 

[ricardo kuhn]

This thread is sort of propaganda against theoretician peOple, isn't it?.

not really No, I'm just wonder were all this potencial goes...

Do you mean you have to have something material in front of you in order to satisfy yourself and say ok all this work has been worthy?

no, not at all...
most of the work I do is totally conceptual, actually is not even Fisical(Antropological, social, ritual base and semiotical patterns) is all about A Vision and the avility to asociate in your mind parameters they are not soppose to fit togheter from the start.. and at this I'm sure I'm not the only one around here , at least i hope.

actually I date a "Theoretical matematics mayor" a few years back and I need to say she was one of the most interesting experience of My life,, yeah she was mostlly numbers , theories and equations but she also play a few musical instruments and compose "Duodecaconal" music (No idea how you spell that) and also Rock climp like the best of them.. and yes she was a geek and wear the t-shirt with the levels in the front and all that other typical stuff..

You should know there are thousands of scientists in the world who work on the theoretical field. They only have a pencil and paper in front. But they are generating things, are opening the frontiers of the human knowledge, and will never make an sculpture, will never build a plane, will never build a car neither a motorcycle, and maybe most of them don't know how to fry an egg.

Yes I know that...

A little sensitive are we...??
just because something is Mundane and simple does not make it any less important.

plus life is far more than Numbers and coheficients, to really produce (Idea, concepts, whatever) and something important you need to be in some kind of contact with the world around you.. (At least I firmlly believe that) Just look at guys like Otto hann and the rest of the people that generate the technology for the atomic fusion and how clualess they were about the ill intensions of certain humans to benefit from the Almost unlimited power.

This people is generating IDEAS, which are more important than any material stuff, merely because ideas have the POTENTIAL to become some day material stuff.

Most of modern engineering is precalculated and conceptualized with pencil and paper, long time before going to the factory and the media. Some of these ideas are rejected, some storaged, and some applied. Take a look at some scientific publication and read papers on theoretics, and ask yourself if the author is not satisfied with himself because he does not have the stuff right in front of him.

Man you really have a few sensive areas...

Yes I do all that stuff, hell i have clients In germany (when I can varelly speak Ingles) that i comunicate via drawings and diagrams all day long, I just like to come up with new ways of thinking about things, I do it all the time for fun, profit and also to inspire others and sometimes even challenge them, even then I still have the avility to apreciate a nice sunsets and hold the hands of the person i love,,
at the moment I have about 25 possible patentable items on "Pat-pend" status (don't have much money for all the laywer fees) but I still like to get my hands dirty and make stuff happend...

I was not trying to be Ofesive, judgamental or anything, I'm just one of this guys that grow up reading "Popular mecanics" and wondering how life will and If I will ever get to be one of the articles on the magazine...

the focus of the Topic was,,,

basically to find out if any of the people here make stuff like in the old days, Nothing more Nothing less after all is so much brain power around here will be great to see what they come up with,,,

call me Old school if you want,but for sure i will like to see who do better on a desolated island.

for sure I admire the conceptual and theoretycal work done by many but being a person that tries to be a little more "Renacense" i still like to learn how things work, to make diferent things, since i believe I learn more about the limitation and the possibilies of the materials, technics and production methods when I'm actually inmerse in the process...

actually many years ago, I perform a seminary at the mecanical Engeniering department of a fancy University (Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, sur america) in "Human Power platforms" to be use on III world country enviroments (I have deggre in ergonomics and Biomecanics) and I'm sad to say I never found of cluster of people so Un-creative brainstiff close minded and unawere of the day to day needs of the comunity as that group, we were soppose to be talking about apropiated technologies, low tolerance production methods (No Not HIGH Tolerance since most of the parts will be made with very limited resourses) and this people were thinking about the Titanium extrussion methods that they read on the latest "American Science",,, Come On, the focus of the design group (Their tesis)
was to generate conceptual and practical "Human Power couplers..." so a lot of people and comunities can benefit of low cost, practical and realiable machines,,, yes I acept is not "Rocket science" to any extend, but is also a important part of the world we live in...

I don't know I just think reality also need to be a part of life and that you can not just live on a bublle and pretend everything is ideal and clean and that Antiseize will never get on your clothes because that kind of stuff does not affect well educated scientist.

Believe We are On the same boat, even if maybe is Sinking...



Again I was just asking something really pracmatic,,, DO you make S^^T and what do you with all this knowhow you posses,,,??
nothing more, nothing else

 

[brewnog]

Well, when I was seven I built an amazing go-kart, with pram brakes and Ackerman steering.

Then, when I was 15, I learned to weld, and built a kickarse tool cabinet work bench kind of thing.

I've always got little projects on the go, but as of yesterday I have a new, exciting project, my biggest yet. Kit car! Yayyyy!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/images/58286-1.jpg
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/images/58286-2.jpg

It's driveable, but it's going to need quite a bit of work doing to it. The exhaust is horrible, I'm going to fit a side one. The engine is a bit shot, the main bearings seem to be quite loose. It's got twin Weber 40's which are going to be a right pain. I love it already!

 

[Q_Goest]

Hey Ricky, don't worry about Clausius. I don't think he likes anyone till he gets to know them! lol

Hi Clausius <wave>

Hey brewnog, the car looks great! What do you mean as of yesterday, did you just buy the car? Does it need a lot of work to put on the road? What all do you need to do to it yet? And what kind of car is it, it looks like a very old racing car. Tell us more, inquiring minds want to know!

 

[brewnog]

Hey brewnog, the car looks great! What do you mean as of yesterday, did you just buy the car? Does it need a lot of work to put on the road? What all do you need to do to it yet? And what kind of car is it, it looks like a very old racing car. Tell us more, inquiring minds want to know!

Well, since you asked...!


It's a Locust Seven, a Lotus replica kit. I don't know when it was built, but the original donor was a 1965 Ford Cortina, I think. It's got a Ford 1600 Crossflow engine in it, with twin Weber 40 carbs. The engine is probably the worst bit, it's quite worn out and the crankshaft main bearings are pretty shot, you can hear them rattling at idle but it goes away when you push the gas. It took about 5 minutes to start yesterday, made some beautiful popping and burbling sounds for a few minutes before it cleared up and started running nicely. It sounds gorgeous when you open the throttle though. I reckon if I get the carbs set up just right, it should be able to push 135bhp at the flywheel with a reasonable road cam, but I have yet to fully assess just how worn the engine is, so we'll see. It's only got a 4 speed box at the moment, I'll see how it goes but I might take the engine and gearbox out and replace with a 2 litre Pinto engine and a 5 speed box for happier motorway cruising.

It's got a ladderframe chassis and a marine ply tub, with aluminium panels and GRP wings and nosecone, which is unusual because most of these things have a steel spaceframe chassis. I'm not quite sure how heavy it is, the really light spaceframe ones come in at under 500kg, I'd imagine this to be closer to 700.

The current exhaust is some bodge job with a silencer box hanging underneath the back, it looks a bit gash, but the guy is supplying a side exhaust with it which I'll fit soon, perhaps with a 4-1 manifold, should make things sound a bit more interesting! The interior needs work too, I want to treat all the wood with Cuprinol because I'm likely to take it out in the rain. Carpets, seats and harnesses all need fitting too, and the dashboard could do with some reorganising. There are a few minor bodywork issues, some crazing on the GRP, but nothing to worry about. The front suspension is from the donor, lots of people are fitting tubular steel wishbones which look neater and handle a little bit better too.

Short of the engine, it shouldn't need much major work, just tidying up here and there. Fingers crossed for passing its MOT when I pick it up next weekend!

 

[dlgoff]

A long time ago I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Robert Moog. It was presented for the school of engineering. Moog described the design process, with demostration, of his keyboard music synthesizer. From this I decided to design a synthesizer in the form of a guitar. I called it a synthestring since it produced string instrument sounds. i.e. you could set it up for pick, pluck, bow and adjust attack, sustain, decay. The strings were only used to fret the notes and the pick, pluck, bow was trigered by touch sensitive plates in the body. I worked well. I think I still have it in a box somewhere.

 

[turbo]

Turbo, with the minor obstructions that I'm deadly allergic to shrimp and don't like mustard, that's actually a mighty fine recipe. Is there anything else that it can be applied to?

You wouldn't notice the mustard in the recipe, but I certainly would notice if it were not there. Now the shrimp, that's another matter. I fine-tuned this recipe for shrimp, and added the ketchup, molasses, etc so that the marinade would form a nice carmelized layer on the shrimp (I baste the marinade on the grilling shrimp every time before flipping the basket on the grill).

I have tried this recipe on chicken with some success, and on finely-sliced strips of steak with less success. Grilling salmon and haddock with this sauce just did not work for me.

The best alternate use for this marinade is as a basting sauce for grilling fresh vegetables - cherry tomatoes, strips of sweet (and hot - Yum!) peppers, mushrooms, and sliced onions. Heck! even the dreaded zuccini taste OK once you've dressed them up in this stuff.

 

[Clausius2]

Hey Ricky, don't worry about Clausius. I don't think he likes anyone till he gets to know them! lol
Hi Clausius <wave>
Hey brewnog, the car looks great! What do you mean as of yesterday, did you just buy the car? Does it need a lot of work to put on the road? What all do you need to do to it yet? And what kind of car is it, it looks like a very old racing car. Tell us more, inquiring minds want to know!

Hi Q_Goest (waving too). I would like to have time to look into your thermo paradox thread, but I am right now with the finals over me. Hope everything is doing fine with you.

 

[Artman]

I've made several telescopes, which took some drafting knowledge and some little bit of math, physics and design. I built several improvements over classic designs into my scopes including access panels into the mirror areas, easily operated mirror aiming methods that require only one spring, etc.

I made a guitar amp from components, used my own design for the cabinet, soldered all the parts. I found the basic amp circuit on the net and made some minor alterations to suit my project.

I also design and build my own furniture. I use cadd to draw up my plans. It takes a bit of engineering design principles to make the things I build structurally sound.

I work in a couple of drama organizations doing scenery, and setwork that requires a lot of structural thought and creative solutions.

I am also constantly designing home projects that I never do implement, such as solar pool heaters, underground energy-free cooling systems, various electricity generating schemes.

I don't know if this is the kind of thing you were after, but that's a bit of what I do.

 

[Danger]

Ah, Artman... I hadn't considered design stuff as opposed to things that I've actually built. If we get into that realm, there are several weapons that I've come up with (one being a 20mm RPG that fires 18 rounds and can fit in a shoulder holster), a bunch of equipment for the screen printing industry (I did actually build a couple of those to make my own job easier), a mechanical artificial fireplace for theatre use (looks like a real fire and you can add logs to it while it's running, if the script calls for it), I built my own adjustable draughting table from a surplus restaurant table-top, an aluminum ladder, some overhead garage door hinges, and a few nitrogen struts...
Hmmm... it's about time I got a life.