On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 21:00:09 -0500, Tom Watson
wrote:

The first year we followed all the rules and came in third.

My observation was that there was a little more parent involvement
than what the rules called for.

The second year we had my boy design and paint and do the initial
wheel and axle prep and then I did the final polishing with shop grade
abrasives.

He came in second.

We happen to live in an area where about fifty percent of the parents
are engineers, of one sort or another.

When I looked at the degree of finish on their wheels and axles it
seemed to me that it was not something that could be accomplished by a
ten year old.

This year I'm getting my micron level abrasives out, that I use for
finishing solid surfaces to a gloss.


God help those engineer daddies.


Gloves are off.



( I guess the optical comparators will be out next year)









Regards,

Tom Watson

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/



Well, we actually did come up with some 1 micron polishing cloth for
the axles and wheels.

The schedule was:

File the webs off.
File the underside of the nail head to a moderate cone shape.
400 grit.
600 grit.
1000 grit.
1500 grit.
2000 grit.
30 micron polishing cloth.
15 micron polishing cloth.
9 micron polishing cloth.
3 micron polishing cloth.
2 micron polishing cloth.
1 micron polishing cloth.


The boy was mortally tired of going through this prep after four axles
worth.

Then we trued the wheels and coned the hubs with the same schedule.

Then we sanded the car body, where it could contact the wheel hubs, to
1000 grit.

Then we burnished the wood with graphite powder.


I believe that the boy was getting right ****ed off at me and thought
that this project was turning into homework.



But - you should have seen the smile on his face tonight when he came
in first in all nine heats. He was first place out of forty nine
entrants.



Little Dude said, "Can we polish some more before we go to the
district race?"

I said, "I don't know son but, if you can find us some .5 micron
polishing cloth, we just might."



Little Dude learned something about, "...the infinite capacity for
taking pains."


Dad learned something about how to motivate Little Dude.





Regards,

Tom Watson

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/

"Tom Watson" wrote in message

Little Dude learned something about, "...the infinite capacity for
taking pains."


Dad learned something about how to motivate Little Dude.

Congratulations to you both ... you both did each other proud!


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