Stuff you have made today

[Munkul]

Made a ratchet and handle winding mechanism for a BBQ project I've nearly finished. Ordered the sprocket from evilbay and also the 200mm rolled steel ring for the handle, at £5 it's cheaper than rolling my own, even though I have a powered ring roller for the job!

 

[KemppiFrog]

Shaft looks long, whole pigs? or Ox? Nice work!

 

[Munkul]

Shaft looks long, whole pigs? or Ox? Nice work!

haha not quite. Just a large BBQ. I haven't taken many pics of it for some reason. This is a pulley/winch system to raise and lower the grille. It all sits in a brick fireplace so the ratchet mech and handle will be mounted on the outside.
Almost ready for paint and install!

- unfinished frame with grille, firebox and stainless ashtrays


- firebox, made from10x20 flat bar, it's about 35kg

 

[KemppiFrog]

haha not quite. Just a large BBQ. I haven't taken many pics of it for some reason. This is a pulley/winch system to raise and lower the grille. It all sits in a brick fireplace so the ratchet mech and handle will be mounted on the outside.
Almost ready for paint and install!

- unfinished frame with grille, firebox and stainless ashtrays
View attachment 338707

- firebox, made from10x20 flat bar, it's about 35kg
View attachment 338708

Very 'clean' lines. I find that angle, set pointy bit up, makes good bases for charcoal. I set the gaps at 5mm.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

and also the 200mm rolled steel ring for the handle, at £5 it's cheaper than rolling my own, even though I have a powered ring roller for the job!

Got a link, please?

 

[Blue Chips]

I've been putting in a new upstairs bathroom in the old house we're restoring, and I found a bidet that pretty closely matched the style of the bog that we're installing, but for me, the bidet wasn't tall enough for comfort. I wanted it to match the height of the toilet, which is about 17 inches from the floor to the porcelain, plus another 3/4 inch for the seat. I couldn't find a matching bidet of this height for what I considered to be a decent price, and the looks of the generic off-the-shelf plastic toilet 'risers/spacers' that I've seen (so far, at least) aren't bad but I wanted something that looked like it was made specifically for this bidet. So I decided to fabricate a custom riser, which was a good excuse to use up a lot of leftover resin, filler materials, gel coat, etc., while still within their shelf life dates. It turned out to be more work than anticipated (doesn't it always?). However, it was a nice little project to occupy a few evenings and a couple of bad weather days...and it didn't cost much, since I had most of the supplies already. Here are the basic steps:

After placing the bidet on some supports at the desired height and screwing it down securely to a piece of plywood, I placed non-drying modeling clay under it and formed it in the general shape that I wanted for the riser. I didn't try to get the clay surface perfectly smooth, since the final casting would end up being coated with gel coat and sanded to remove surface imperfections.

I coated the clay with PVA mould release and created a mould around it with a couple of layers of fiberglass cloth and polyester resin. After that cured sufficiently, for extra rigidity I applied an additional coating of resin thickened with fumed silica.

After the mould had fully cured, I lifted off the bidet and removed the clay, cleaned the mould, and inserted a chunk of styrofoam to take up most of the interior volume.

I levelled the mould, applied mould release, and poured a deep-pour type epoxy casting resin mixed with chopped e-glass strands into the mould in multiple thinner layers, with long enough intervals between pours to allow each layer to cure enough to avoid overheating, but still produce a good bond with subsequent layers, per the manufacturer's instructions and guidelines.

The multi-layer pour process took place over quite a long time, but it's important to be patient, since overheating can be a serious problem with deep pours or large volumes of epoxy or polyester resins. It's essential to obtain full information from the resin manufacturer in order to avoid problems such as overheating, etc. The last pour was a thin layer of non-reinforced resin to allow self-levelling.

After removing the casting from the mould (which required cutting the mould apart), I sanded the outer surface smooth (the other surfaces won't be visible, so they only needed rough sanding). I then applied a layer of white gel coat, sanded that smooth, and applied a couple of coats of white epoxy appliance paint.

The epoxy paint will take a long time to develop maximum hardness, so I wasn't able to permanently attach the riser yet, but I temporarily placed it gently on the upside-down bidet to check the fit. The joint will eventually be caulked with white silicone.

For most people, the amount of work might not be worth the effort, but I had fun doing it and didn't spend much cash.

My standard disclaimer: This is an experimental, prototype device. I am not a professional in this discipline, and I do not guarantee the safety, efficacy, or applicability of any devices, designs, or ideas that I have described or depicted here. Any use of these devices, designs, or ideas is entirely at your own risk and responsibility.

 

[MattF]

Nicely done.

 

[Barking Mat]

I made something to make me smile when I drive as it's upsetting burning fuel. Smiles for miles people.

View attachment 338427 View attachment 338428 View attachment 338429 View attachment 338430 View attachment 338431

What on earth is that ?

 

[Memmeddu]

First Time Tig welding.
And that's alluminum

 

[123hotchef]

What on earth is that ?

you will see soon enough!

 

[Barking Mat]

First Time Tig welding.
And that's alluminum

View attachment 338788

Superb start.

Mine's shocking.

 

[Munkul]

Got a link, please?

ROUND ROLLED Mild Steel Bar RINGS - Mild Steel Rolled Circles 8.0 10.0 12.0mm Ø | eBay UK

Mild Steel Round Rings. In a hurry?.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[redlig]

Made some dust.

View attachment 338312View attachment 338313View attachment 338314View attachment 338315View attachment 338316View attachment 338317View attachment 338318

What do you mean YOU made some dust I recon it's the young lad with his radio controlled tractor kit.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

^^ Many thanks, bookmarked for a future project.

 

[Tupers]

Toylander?

Nah Power Wagon

 

[Kram]

First go on tig for a few months.. didnt have any parts ready so just messing about.. have about 15bar gas left.

Chipping hammer ready to grind.

Filled in some porosity on casting, and some anodising connection wires. These will be painted in epoxy to be sure they dont get eaten.

 

[selectedgrub]

Some removeable neon graffiti on the church in the dead of night.
If you look carefully you can see the stained windows

 

[redlig]

Nah Power Wagon
View attachment 338816

What is the saying? " the bigger the toy the smaller the W****y" .

 

[MattF]

What is the saying? " the bigger the toy the smaller the W****y" .

Some of us blokes must have vag's then.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Some of us blokes must have vag's then.

vags? Never owned a VW group car... Have to maintain some standards!