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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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#1
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
I have been fascinated with flashlights since I was 2. My kids know
this, of course. For Father's Day this year they went together to present me with a really excellent head-mounted task light. There are lots of head-mounted lights but to date they've all been designed by marketing because they behave like flashlights: they have small, bright "spots" that are impressive in the store but about useless on a task at arms' length or less. I designed and built two better ones 5 years ago, gave one to my friend in PA that still raves about it. The technology has advanced noticably since then, and this model from Surefire is absurdly pricey but it really is an excellent design that works extremely well. http://www.surefire.com/SaintMinimusHS2-A-BK So I wrote this to my kids to tell them about how well it worked on a real job today. ---- I spent part of this afternoon on a plumbing job. The leak I mostly fixed maybe 6 months ago got precipitously worse over the past couple of days. I have had very minor drips just seal up over time so I decided to see what this one would do. Didn't work out that way. Gotta fix it right. Grabbed the Surefire wide-angle 100-lumen 3-watt LED electronically-regulated light-weight easily-aimed superbly superior kick-ass head light (and a few tools) and headed for the basement. Illumination and visibility of the situation under the laundry sink was excellent. It wasn't pretty. Lesser men might have quivered in dispair at the sight of that starkly-limned site. But I'm PoppyDon and I was there to plumb. I disconnected the pipe, let it drain for a few minutes (it's about the lowest pipe in the house, comes right off the water meter), popped my semiautomatic MAPP torch and re-soldered the offending joint. Reassembled the union to the water meter, turned the water back on. Leak was same as befo same place, same size. In finest Minnesota form, I thought "oh, golly." Man, I hate soldering problems like that! Turn off water, disassemble, leave to drain while I go to Depot for a new valve. Next step is to replace the valve, which was new six months ago but Chinese. Brass and copper things will only tolerate so many solderings before they get to some sorta amalgam of solder, copper, zinc and unsolderablium that can cause outbursts of foul language, psychological instability and perhaps musings about whether gunpowder might work better than a Bernz-O-Matic torch -- or at least be more satisfying. Depot is close and valves are cheap. Got a ball valve this time, a little pricier than a gate valve but still under 10 bux and an obviously superior valve. The guy at Depot said I wouldn't be sorry, that valve would still be in excellent condition 10 years from now. I said there's no way I'll be under the @#$%#$ laundry sink soldering pipes 10 years from now. He said "you don't think you'll be around 10 years from now?" "Oh hell yes, but not under the freakin' sink. My wife asked me today if I didn't think I'd reached the age where perhaps I should just pay someone to do that job. My reply was NO!" She said "oh". He cracked up. Upon close inspection of the end of the pipe with very good light I noted a blemish. The onslaught of lumens from the head lamp wasn't quite scouring it clean. I abraded it with Scotchbright. Blemish still wouldn't go away. Inspected with hand flashlight. Hello, I see light coming thru the blemish! Aha, THAT kind of blemish does not tin well at all, not at all. I guess my little bitty leak that didn't self-heal done eroded a wee hole plumb thru the copper in only a few months. Back to Depot to get a coupler. Cut 3" off the pipe, spliced in 3" of new pipe. Yeah, I get a little extravagant under laundry sinks. Resoldered the lot, reassembled the union to the water meter. Big honkin' wrench, awkward place, wet, spiders but no water mocassins. A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do. Turn on water. This time it's drier than the history of teaching history. Hooahhh! Polished hero badge. Claimed the many trips up and down the basement stairs shagging tools and supplies were my aerobic exercise for today and got no argument. |
#2
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
On Aug 29, 2:52*pm, Don Foreman wrote:
I have been fascinated with flashlights since I was 2. * My kids know this, of course. *For Father's Day this year they went together to present me with a really excellent head-mounted task light. * There are lots of head-mounted lights but to date they've all been designed by marketing because they behave like flashlights: *they have small, bright "spots" that are impressive in the store but about useless on a task at arms' length or less. * I designed and built two better ones 5 years ago, gave one to my friend in PA that still raves about it. The technology has advanced noticably since then, and this model from Surefire is absurdly pricey but it really is an excellent design that works extremely well.http://www.surefire.com/SaintMinimusHS2-A-BK* So I wrote this to my kids to tell them about how well it worked on a real job today. ---- I spent part of this afternoon on a plumbing job. * The leak I mostly *fixed maybe 6 months ago got precipitously worse over the past couple of days. * I have had very minor drips just seal up over time so I decided to see what this one would do. * Didn't work out that way. *Gotta fix it right. * *Grabbed the Surefire wide-angle 100-lumen 3-watt LED electronically-regulated light-weight easily-aimed superbly superior kick-ass head light (and a few tools) and headed for the basement. Illumination and visibility of the situation under the laundry sink was excellent. *It wasn't pretty. *Lesser men might have quivered in dispair at the sight of that starkly-limned site. *But I'm PoppyDon and I was *there to plumb. I disconnected the pipe, let it drain for a few minutes (it's about the lowest pipe in the house, comes right off the water meter), popped my semiautomatic *MAPP torch and re-soldered the offending joint. Reassembled the union to the water meter, turned the water back on. Leak was same as befo same place, same size. * In finest Minnesota form, I thought "oh, golly." *Man, I hate soldering problems like that! * Turn off water, disassemble, leave *to drain while I go *to Depot for a new valve. Next *step is to replace the valve, which was new six months ago but Chinese. * Brass and copper things will only tolerate so many solderings before they get to some sorta amalgam of solder, copper, zinc and *unsolderablium that can cause outbursts of foul language, psychological instability and perhaps musings about *whether gunpowder might work better than a Bernz-O-Matic torch -- or at least be more satisfying. * Depot is close and valves are cheap. * Got a ball valve this time, a little pricier than *a gate valve but still under 10 bux and an obviously superior valve. * The guy at Depot said I wouldn't be sorry, that valve would still be in excellent condition 10 years from now. *I said there's no way I'll be under the @#$%#$ laundry sink soldering pipes 10 years from now. *He said "you don't think you'll be around 10 years from now?" *"Oh hell yes, but not under the freakin' sink. *My wife asked me today if I didn't think I'd reached the age where perhaps I should just pay someone to do that job. *My reply was NO!" * She said *"oh". * He cracked up. * Upon close inspection of the end of the pipe with very good light * I noted a blemish. *The onslaught of lumens from the head lamp wasn't quite scouring it clean. * *I abraded it *with Scotchbright. Blemish still wouldn't go away. *Inspected with hand flashlight. Hello, I see light coming thru the blemish! * Aha, *THAT kind of blemish does not tin well at all, not at all. *I guess my little bitty leak that didn't self-heal *done eroded a wee hole plumb thru the copper in only a few months. * Back to Depot to get a coupler. * Cut 3" off the pipe, spliced in 3" of new pipe. * *Yeah, I get a little extravagant under laundry sinks. Resoldered the lot, reassembled the union to the water meter. *Big honkin' *wrench, awkward place, wet, *spiders but no water mocassins. A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do. * *Turn on water. * This time it's drier than *the history of teaching history. *Hooahhh! Polished *hero badge. *Claimed the many trips up and down the basement stairs shagging tools and supplies *were my aerobic exercise for today and *got no argument. * Thank you Don, another nice piece of writing. Your the voice of "Everyday Sanity" on this group, a good anodyne to the nutters (yes, me too sometimes) - your a good reference point, glad your here. Andrew VK3BFA. |
#3
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
"Andrew VK3BFA" wrote in message ... On Aug 29, 2:52 pm, Don Foreman wrote: I have been fascinated with flashlights since I was 2. My kids know this, of course. For Father's Day this year they went together to present me with a really excellent head-mounted task light. There are lots of head-mounted lights but to date they've all been designed by marketing because they behave like flashlights: they have small, bright "spots" that are impressive in the store but about useless on a task at arms' length or less. I designed and built two better ones 5 years ago, gave one to my friend in PA that still raves about it. The technology has advanced noticably since then, and this model from Surefire is absurdly pricey but it really is an excellent design that works extremely well.http://www.surefire.com/SaintMinimusHS2-A-BK So I wrote this to my kids to tell them about how well it worked on a real job today. ---- I spent part of this afternoon on a plumbing job. The leak I mostly fixed maybe 6 months ago got precipitously worse over the past couple of days. I have had very minor drips just seal up over time so I decided to see what this one would do. Didn't work out that way. Gotta fix it right. Grabbed the Surefire wide-angle 100-lumen 3-watt LED electronically-regulated light-weight easily-aimed superbly superior kick-ass head light (and a few tools) and headed for the basement. Illumination and visibility of the situation under the laundry sink was excellent. It wasn't pretty. Lesser men might have quivered in dispair at the sight of that starkly-limned site. But I'm PoppyDon and I was there to plumb. I disconnected the pipe, let it drain for a few minutes (it's about the lowest pipe in the house, comes right off the water meter), popped my semiautomatic MAPP torch and re-soldered the offending joint. Reassembled the union to the water meter, turned the water back on. Leak was same as befo same place, same size. In finest Minnesota form, I thought "oh, golly." Man, I hate soldering problems like that! Turn off water, disassemble, leave to drain while I go to Depot for a new valve. Next step is to replace the valve, which was new six months ago but Chinese. Brass and copper things will only tolerate so many solderings before they get to some sorta amalgam of solder, copper, zinc and unsolderablium that can cause outbursts of foul language, psychological instability and perhaps musings about whether gunpowder might work better than a Bernz-O-Matic torch -- or at least be more satisfying. Depot is close and valves are cheap. Got a ball valve this time, a little pricier than a gate valve but still under 10 bux and an obviously superior valve. The guy at Depot said I wouldn't be sorry, that valve would still be in excellent condition 10 years from now. I said there's no way I'll be under the @#$%#$ laundry sink soldering pipes 10 years from now. He said "you don't think you'll be around 10 years from now?" "Oh hell yes, but not under the freakin' sink. My wife asked me today if I didn't think I'd reached the age where perhaps I should just pay someone to do that job. My reply was NO!" She said "oh". He cracked up. Upon close inspection of the end of the pipe with very good light I noted a blemish. The onslaught of lumens from the head lamp wasn't quite scouring it clean. I abraded it with Scotchbright. Blemish still wouldn't go away. Inspected with hand flashlight. Hello, I see light coming thru the blemish! Aha, THAT kind of blemish does not tin well at all, not at all. I guess my little bitty leak that didn't self-heal done eroded a wee hole plumb thru the copper in only a few months. Back to Depot to get a coupler. Cut 3" off the pipe, spliced in 3" of new pipe. Yeah, I get a little extravagant under laundry sinks. Resoldered the lot, reassembled the union to the water meter. Big honkin' wrench, awkward place, wet, spiders but no water mocassins. A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do. Turn on water. This time it's drier than the history of teaching history. Hooahhh! Polished hero badge. Claimed the many trips up and down the basement stairs shagging tools and supplies were my aerobic exercise for today and got no argument. Thank you Don, another nice piece of writing. Your the voice of "Everyday Sanity" on this group, a good anodyne to the nutters (yes, me too sometimes) - your a good reference point, glad your here. Andrew VK3BFA. I totally agree Andrew, I get quite a bit of pleasure reading Dons posts. Good on you Don. |
#4
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:52:33 -0500, Don Foreman
wrote: I have been fascinated with flashlights since I was 2. My kids know this, of course. For Father's Day this year they went together to present me with a really excellent head-mounted task light. There are lots of head-mounted lights but to date they've all been designed by marketing because they behave like flashlights: they have small, bright "spots" that are impressive in the store but about useless on a task at arms' length or less. I designed and built two better ones 5 years ago, gave one to my friend in PA that still raves about it. The technology has advanced noticably since then, and this model from Surefire is absurdly pricey but it really is an excellent design that works extremely well. http://www.surefire.com/SaintMinimusHS2-A-BK So I wrote this to my kids to tell them about how well it worked on a real job today. ---- I spent part of this afternoon on a plumbing job. The leak I mostly fixed maybe 6 months ago got precipitously worse over the past couple of days. I have had very minor drips just seal up over time so I decided to see what this one would do. Didn't work out that way. Gotta fix it right. Grabbed the Surefire wide-angle 100-lumen 3-watt LED electronically-regulated light-weight easily-aimed superbly superior kick-ass head light (and a few tools) and headed for the basement. I know how this is going to turn out right now. Excellent notion to make one into a headlamp, Don. That's really the only type of flashlight to own. Oh, OK, that and a 2AA LED MiniMag, for those rare bounced-light requirements. Your friend's job turned out to be a normal PITA plumbing job, I see. Condolences. -- If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do. -- Samuel Butler |
#5
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
Don Foreman wrote:
I have been fascinated with flashlights since I was 2. My kids know this, of course. For Father's Day this year they went together to present me with a really excellent head-mounted task light. There are lots of head-mounted lights but to date they've all been designed by marketing because they behave like flashlights: they have small, bright "spots" that are impressive in the store but about useless on a task at arms' length or less. I designed and built two better ones 5 years ago, gave one to my friend in PA that still raves about it. The technology has advanced noticably since then, and this model from Surefire is absurdly pricey but it really is an excellent design that works extremely well. http://www.surefire.com/SaintMinimusHS2-A-BK So I wrote this to my kids to tell them about how well it worked on a real job today. I don't have one as nice as yours but I do have a number of the white led types stuck in my tool box, trunk of car, hunting gear bag, ect. I don't know if you wear glasses but if you do you know that bright light = greater depth of vision for those of us that wear multifocal lens. The biggest issue I run into wearing progressive lens glasses (the only thing progressive about me ) is changing the tilt of my head to see closer or farther away has me re-aiming my headlight. In tight quarters inside an assembly cell working on a repair or adjustment it is irritating as heck. It does beat using a flash light all hollow though. Loved the plumbing story and I fully agree the ups, downs, stair climbs, trips to home despot and back constitutes your cardio workout for the day. Wes |
#6
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
I've had similar experiences. A couple things I do differently.
Headlamp from harbor Freight, with a Nite Ize module in it, three LED. I wonder why your light has 1 lumen, and 100 lumens. Isn't that a bit too wide a difference? Second, I use a full auto Mapp torch. It keeps firing, as long as I hold the trigger back, until the magazine is empty. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "Don Foreman" wrote in message ... I have been fascinated with flashlights since I was 2. My kids know this, of course. For Father's Day this year they went together to present me with a really excellent head-mounted task light. There are lots of head-mounted lights but to date they've all been designed by marketing because they behave like flashlights: they have small, bright "spots" that are impressive in the store but about useless on a task at arms' length or less. I designed and built two better ones 5 years ago, gave one to my friend in PA that still raves about it. The technology has advanced noticably since then, and this model from Surefire is absurdly pricey but it really is an excellent design that works extremely well. http://www.surefire.com/SaintMinimusHS2-A-BK So I wrote this to my kids to tell them about how well it worked on a real job today. ---- I spent part of this afternoon on a plumbing job. The leak I mostly fixed maybe 6 months ago got precipitously worse over the past couple of days. I have had very minor drips just seal up over time so I decided to see what this one would do. Didn't work out that way. Gotta fix it right. Grabbed the Surefire wide-angle 100-lumen 3-watt LED electronically-regulated light-weight easily-aimed superbly superior kick-ass head light (and a few tools) and headed for the basement. Illumination and visibility of the situation under the laundry sink was excellent. It wasn't pretty. Lesser men might have quivered in dispair at the sight of that starkly-limned site. But I'm PoppyDon and I was there to plumb. I disconnected the pipe, let it drain for a few minutes (it's about the lowest pipe in the house, comes right off the water meter), popped my semiautomatic MAPP torch and re-soldered the offending joint. Reassembled the union to the water meter, turned the water back on. Leak was same as befo same place, same size. In finest Minnesota form, I thought "oh, golly." Man, I hate soldering problems like that! Turn off water, disassemble, leave to drain while I go to Depot for a new valve. Next step is to replace the valve, which was new six months ago but Chinese. Brass and copper things will only tolerate so many solderings before they get to some sorta amalgam of solder, copper, zinc and unsolderablium that can cause outbursts of foul language, psychological instability and perhaps musings about whether gunpowder might work better than a Bernz-O-Matic torch -- or at least be more satisfying. Depot is close and valves are cheap. Got a ball valve this time, a little pricier than a gate valve but still under 10 bux and an obviously superior valve. The guy at Depot said I wouldn't be sorry, that valve would still be in excellent condition 10 years from now. I said there's no way I'll be under the @#$%#$ laundry sink soldering pipes 10 years from now. He said "you don't think you'll be around 10 years from now?" "Oh hell yes, but not under the freakin' sink. My wife asked me today if I didn't think I'd reached the age where perhaps I should just pay someone to do that job. My reply was NO!" She said "oh". He cracked up. Upon close inspection of the end of the pipe with very good light I noted a blemish. The onslaught of lumens from the head lamp wasn't quite scouring it clean. I abraded it with Scotchbright. Blemish still wouldn't go away. Inspected with hand flashlight. Hello, I see light coming thru the blemish! Aha, THAT kind of blemish does not tin well at all, not at all. I guess my little bitty leak that didn't self-heal done eroded a wee hole plumb thru the copper in only a few months. Back to Depot to get a coupler. Cut 3" off the pipe, spliced in 3" of new pipe. Yeah, I get a little extravagant under laundry sinks. Resoldered the lot, reassembled the union to the water meter. Big honkin' wrench, awkward place, wet, spiders but no water mocassins. A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do. Turn on water. This time it's drier than the history of teaching history. Hooahhh! Polished hero badge. Claimed the many trips up and down the basement stairs shagging tools and supplies were my aerobic exercise for today and got no argument. |
#7
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
What's that Lassie? You say that Don Foreman fell down the old
rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:52:33 -0500: this model from Surefire is absurdly pricey but it really is an excellent design that works extremely well. I got one too. I like that the battery pack can use three CR123 cells or two AA cells. And you can ditch the pack and screw one CR123 cell into the light for super light weight. And the variable light output/battery life is great too. Probably never use the SOS feature though. -- Dan H. northshore MA. |
#8
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:29:07 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote: I've had similar experiences. A couple things I do differently. Headlamp from harbor Freight, with a Nite Ize module in it, three LED. I wonder why your light has 1 lumen, and 100 lumens. Isn't that a bit too wide a difference? Actually, it isn't. Our eyes respond logarithmically to light intensity so a range of 100:1 in luminous intensity isn't nearly that wide a range in perceived brightness. 1 lumen (from this light) is quite sufficient to read a book comfortably at normal reading distance, as e.g. when camping. I just tried it outside at minimum setting. Battery life would probably be 100 hours at that setting. |
#9
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:55:02 -0500, Don Foreman wrote:
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:29:07 -0400, "Stormin Mormon" wrote: I've had similar experiences. A couple things I do differently. Headlamp from harbor Freight, with a Nite Ize module in it, three LED. I wonder why your light has 1 lumen, and 100 lumens. Isn't that a bit too wide a difference? Actually, it isn't. Our eyes respond logarithmically to light intensity so a range of 100:1 in luminous intensity isn't nearly that wide a range in perceived brightness. 1 lumen (from this light) is quite sufficient to read a book comfortably at normal reading distance, as e.g. when camping. I just tried it outside at minimum setting. Battery life would probably be 100 hours at that setting. SM may have assumed it has 2 settings, at 1 and 100 lumens, ie overlooked that the web page says variable from 0 to 100. http://www.surefire.com/SaintMinimusHS2-A-BK -- jiw |
#10
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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A flashlight story -- metal content, apolitical
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 03:11:55 +0000 (UTC), James Waldby
wrote: On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:55:02 -0500, Don Foreman wrote: On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:29:07 -0400, "Stormin Mormon" wrote: I've had similar experiences. A couple things I do differently. Headlamp from harbor Freight, with a Nite Ize module in it, three LED. I wonder why your light has 1 lumen, and 100 lumens. Isn't that a bit too wide a difference? Actually, it isn't. Our eyes respond logarithmically to light intensity so a range of 100:1 in luminous intensity isn't nearly that wide a range in perceived brightness. 1 lumen (from this light) is quite sufficient to read a book comfortably at normal reading distance, as e.g. when camping. I just tried it outside at minimum setting. Battery life would probably be 100 hours at that setting. SM may have assumed it has 2 settings, at 1 and 100 lumens, ie overlooked that the web page says variable from 0 to 100. http://www.surefire.com/SaintMinimusHS2-A-BK It is indeed continuously variable from min to max. I haven't verified the actual lumen output in my lab but I've no reason to doubt their specs. |
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