kempy

Haven't so far, but what's the deal with ferrous metals?

A bit of an update.. Got a bit frustrated with the output of either compressor not being able to keep up with such a small sand blaster, so I started from scratch again This time I picked up an unused 2nd hand cabinet that 's a bit larger, added a dust recovery system and instead of using garnet I'm using glass bead. Wow, what a difference, it seems the glass media cleans 2-3 times faster than garnet on the copper/brass/aluminium and ssteel bits I'm doing and I can see in the cabinet at all times, often with garnet it just turned a sandstorm in a box. I'm blasting at lower pressure which means the compressor can keep up too. Cant help but keep rummaging in corners of the shed for things bead blast

Having a bit of fun with the bead blaster and polishing machine. Gauges polished, tested and back in place.

Awesome, thanks for the link Corbie!

Time for an update, Have cleaned up the Stainless front using a scotch brite and a foam backing, came up reasonably well. The pump had a few issues and was vibrating so much that it snapped off the rubber mounts and was wearing the hoses, upon inspection I found that the rubber anti-vibration coupling had gone brittle and fallen apart. Old pump vs New pump Here's the rubber mounts, The new ones I got are too tall and the pump touches the boiler so I need to find some small ones like the originals somewhere, not having much luck so far. They're supposed to be 3mm shaft and around 11mm high if anyone knows of a local source.

Time for a different approach?

Haha yea its a noisey little bugger!, there's 2 metal stakes and a 15kg weight holding it which is a bit of an overkill but safety first

Just realised Corbie that the picture doesn't show that it is brushed stainless, so have edited the post.

After suggestions how to deal wit this one, A Scotch brite carefully to restore the brushed stainless look? will replace the logos with stick on ones I think.

Chassis back from the powder coater, they did an OK job, nothing like the quality of my Quad Bike bars though. Electrics cleaned up and going in It's worth mentioning that a fairly regular item to get missed out on cheaper rebuilds is the pressure-stat (the grey black device in the middle) which is responsible for turning the water heater element on/off 100's of times a day, often for years on end, The only thing separating the steam pressure from the electrics is a thin rubber diaphragm which needs replacing every 12-24 months ideally, on tops of that the contacts wear out and can stick closed if not serviced. This one is well worn

Saw him when he came over a couple of years ago, fucking awesome describes it well. Good interview with him here http://www.ted.com/talks/yves_rossy_fly_with_the_jetman Have a short run on the jet engine here mounted on the test bed, getting up to 105,000 rpm which is about 60% thrust. https://youtu.be/Q-5ps-kWI50

Superb.

Walked into the blissful smell of freshly roasted coffee and jet fuel in the shed this morning...aahhhh

Fun day having the OS crew over, meeting everyone and spinning spinning yarns, playing with toys, lurking in dark corners of sheds checking out relics of the past, beer and meat on the BBQ, pouting over car parts, sweet rides around Auckland between sheds, jet fuel and burning rubber inhalation.. ..,and man making almost drum melting fire. Thanks again to Threeonthetree and ZebraDude for organising the tour ......and an awesome bonus of having a clean, organised shed I can actually use and find stuff.

Lol, SNAP! , 5.31am in the shed making stuff.

Boiler done, starting the rebuild process now. before and after.

Stripping down the Group Heads while I'm finishing off the boiler and pipe cleanup. By far it's the most complicated part of the machine and a lot more needs to be done than people realise. Most tend to think that servicing the group head is replacing the shower screen and head seal with new ones, like those on the bottom right of the picture. It it's done properly then all of the components on the bottom half of the pic. need replacing along with a couple more seals I haven't stripped out yet, sometimes springs need replacing as well and occasionally the jet housing (tall bit between the 2 springs). All this needs a good soak in hot cleaner and then I'll start rebuilding the group heads.

I watched that a while ago and had a chuckle at it. One thing I didn't anticipate is how loud this thing is and the extent of how far very hot air extends. certainly not going to be an every day commuter. Put the engine on a test rig and had a couple of trial runs up to 90Krpm, loads of fun! The Mrs now knows about the secret jet bike plan, that's for sure. pretty sure the neighbors do too.

New, about $9k, this one I picked up under $2k, seen mint 2nd hand ones go for $4-5k

Hmm, the old get out of jail card trick eh?!? Dunno, sounds dodge ! You do know that to the Mrs, all this trip will confirm is that you probably should be committed like the rest of us, right? , sweet!

Consider it yours. Ps. Some dude called Fat Albert said he's excited about meeting you and has a little" sweetner" to add to the water. Hey Hey!

Thumb war for passenger seat

Shotgun in the zebrawagon

Always welcome, plenty of beer in the fridge, or coffee...

Gave the boiler a quick bead blast at lunch time, came up really nice and really easily too. In font are the cold water Injectors I mentioned in a previous post Inside the boiler is fairly mint too.