Saw It Coming and Unmanageable Machine.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

When I was told to just blend the edges on a Feedscrew yesterday I told Mile he would be having me build it up again today. I must have had a Crystal Ball because an Hour after the start of today’s shift guess what I was told to do. Of course, he didn’t like being reminded so next time I’ll simply do it my way.

One of the advantages of sitting in a Small Plant while doing delicate TIG Welding is you can hear things happening around you. I mentioned yesterday how we were running out of Argon because our Supplier said they had no Electrical Power. While sitting, concentrating on the task at hand, I could hear the clanging of Compressed Air Cylinders being moved around in our compound. That put a smile on my face. Once I had finished the job as I was winding up the TIG Welder I found the Argon Cylinder had just gone empty. Good Timing!

I managed to load a Left-Handed Metric Feedscrew into the PTA that I was told was “Past Due” but there was no Date written on the Tag. Since it was a larger Unit, I made certain to have everything ready for an early start tomorrow but then it happened. As I ran a Test to see if the Torch would follow the Numbers, it started wandering off wherever it wanted. Everything was double checked, but I had the same results. It could be an interesting shift tomorrow.

It was 3:36 when I punched out. Kathy was happy to see me in the Apartment shortly after 4:00. The Wind had nearly blown her off her feet earlier but when I came in there was no Wind at all. As we were talking about our day, I suddenly felt extremely Tired. The next thing I knew it was nearly 5:30. I must have needed it.

Kathy made Sweet and Sour Chicken on Vegetable Rice for supper.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

If you ever resort to violence there is one thing that you must never do, and that is to lose.  

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States of America.

Going Digital and Doing It Right.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

On Friday when I stopped at Princess Auto one of the things, I purchased but didn’t mention was a Digital Laser Temperature Gauge. Pat the Consultant had mentioned that using the old Temperature Sticks was not accurate enough for the work we were doing. When I showed it to Mile the Owner, he immediately asked if I had the Receipt. Since I planned on using it for work, he will reimburse me for it.

My thoughts of getting an early start on the Feedscrew that was already mounted in the PTA were set aside when Mile insisted, I touch up a Two-Inch Diameter Screw. It surprisingly took nearly an Hour, but he was very happy with the result. The finishing would not require the use of the OD Grinder but simply the guys doing the Hand Sanding.

It took a bit longer to get started because I had emptied all the Hard Surfacing Powders from both the Bins on the Plasma Transfer Arc because the Heaters that keep the Powder warm were not functioning. I also had an Empty Argon Tank that had to be replaced with the Last Argon Cylinder. The Supplier used the Power Outage as the reason for not delivering our order.

Using the Digital Laser Temperature Gauge, I was able to heat the Unit more evenly, without overdoing some areas. By doing so, also helped me stay Healthier, because all that heat tends to affect a body’s natural functions.

This was a Single Flight, Single Zone, Feedscrew, so once it was going it was easy to calculate exactly how long each Pass would take. (I was out by Four Seconds.) When I spoke with Kathy at lunchtime, I mentioned working late to finish the Job. She understands the workings of a small business and the importance of getting it done. She also mentioned that it was Sxxwing outside.

Running the Second Pass was easier than the First because all the Lead-In Values had been refined. I was told the CNC Mill and the PTA Welder should use the same numbers, but it doesn’t work that way. Using the same numbers has the Plasma Transfer Arc making unexpected turns that are not on the Blueprints.

Once the welding was finished, I set about recovering the Powder, from the Bin while I post-heated the Screw, then moved it to the Sandbox for the night. There was less than Two Hundred PSI of Argon left at the end of the day. It was 5:20 when I punched out. The Digital Gauge saved a lot of time, by eliminating a lot of guesswork.

Coming out of the Plant, there was no White Stuff, just a lot of Wind and Rain. A lot of the County Ditches were full on the route I took. I waited until I was nearly home to call Kathy. That put her at ease.

Inside the Apartment after quickly washing up I thin sliced the Potatoes that Kathy used to make our supper. We had Grilled Salmon, Grilled Potatoes and Coleslaw, along with Homemade Banana Pudding for dessert.

The forecast for this week looks like a Roller Coaster but appears that we will have a nice weekend.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

What do sea monsters eat for lunch?

Fish and ships.

Doing It For Me.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Last night if you noticed I barely published the Blog before Midnight. That was because I got interested in watching a Documentary that would finish just before Midnight itself. Even though I had not Planned, I hoped to get to the Gym this morning. With my getting to bed late, I simply reset my Alarm by One Hour later.

It seemed to work as I felt fine when it went off. After a Lite Snack I was out the door. I made a brief stop at the Truck to grab the Container that was purchased on Friday. Using the Car has its benefits, such as better Fuel Mileage and easier to maneuver.

I was surprised at walking into Planet Fitness at 7:00 to find only Two People exercising. Since I had to just returned last week after an absence, even today I only accomplished Two Full Sets of my routine. By the time I was leaving there were well over Thirty People exercising. I hope to continue making this at least a Weekly Habit.

I swung by the Smaller Storage Unit at Guardian Storage, and quickly compared, then exchanged the Storage Containers before me. I chose the smaller of the Two to bring to work as a way of protecting my Personal Tools from those that don’t respect other’s properties.

Back at the Apartment Kathy was already on her Computer when I walked in. With Coffee for us both I joined her. I simply picked up where I left off yesterday catching up on my Blog reading.

For lunch we appreciated having Split Pea Soup with Ham, along with Cheese on Crackers as a side and Strawberries for dessert.

Later in the afternoon my Eyes decided they needed a rest. After that I set about chopping up Vegetables that I would Stir-Fry and serve as Veggie Wraps. Dessert was more Strawberries and a slice of Chocolate Cake.

As I was busy writing this Post, I found out the Documentary that I watched last night had a Part Two that played past 11:00 tonight. I think I might be dragging at work tomorrow.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

You've ever been arrested for shirtless loitering.

Doing What It Takes.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Having Planned to just sleep in to recharge after another demanding week didn’t happen. I found myself looking at the ceiling minutes after 7:00 this morning. 

I had barely made it to the Livingroom when Kathy came out of the Bedroom concerned with the change of the Outside Landscape. It is Winter so having a White Landscape is not unusual.

Carrying on with my tradition, I made Over-Easy Eggs on Toast for breakfast as a way of giving us a break from the weekly regulars. This also gave us the time to sit and talk not only about our thoughts for the day, but our pasts and what is happening all around us now.

We took our Hot Chocolates to our Computers. Even though I continually read the Blogs on our Sidebar, occasionally I fall behind, so most of the time I spend on reading on the weekends, I am catching up. Occasionally I even get a chance to Comment.

By lunch the Clouds seemed to be thinning and the asphalt was starting to clear off, which was a good thing because we wanted to go out later today. We kept lunch lite with Italian Wedding Soup with Cheese on Crackers, along with Mandarin Oranges for dessert.

We waited before heading out. By then there was hardly any sign of the White Stuff having been here.

We simply went to the Zehr’s grocery store to pick up the few food stocks that we were running low on. It was surprising that there were only Three Cashiers open. Too many stores are Laying-Off Employees and expecting us to scan our own purchases. It took Twenty Minutes to have the cashier Two Minutes to process.

Even though it was early we stopped at Wendy’s, where we used a Coupon to save on our supper. We have learned how to adjust our orders to better meet our dietary needs. We also had the chance to do more People Watching. It can bring a lot of chuckles watching how people deal with life.

We used the Folding Shopping Cart to bring everything up to the Apartment. We were also happy to see all evidence of the Sxxw had disappeared.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Know You're Over The Hill When You start videotaping daytime game shows.

Stretching It.

 Our Location today is Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

I was quite surprised that the Power was still out just outside the city limits this morning. The Traffic Light at the Parkway and County Road 42 was still out along with the Street Lights at the corners of the Concessions.

In yesterday’s Blog I mentioned, staying over to finish building up a Feedscrew to the necessary height, making it in excess of Five Inches in Diameter. When I again used the Micrometer this morning the Contraction of the metal had brought it down to 4.9 Inches in Diameter. Now don’t forget that Mile the Owner, still believes that metal does not Shrink.

It would take another Three and a Half Hours to weld the Main Fight, then another Forty-Five Minutes to weld the Secondary Flight. That sounds simple enough, set the Machine to weld, monitor and adjust its movements so the job would be done right, all while starting with an Argon Tank Gauge that showed it was Empty before you started. That’s right the Supplier did not make his deliveries, while blaming it all on the Ice Storm.

After burying the finished Unit in the Sandbox, I even had time to mount the next Feedscrew that needs to be welded in the Plasma Transfer Arc along with emptying the Hard Surfacing Powder out of the Bin since the Heater is not keeping it warm. With the Powder being stored in our heating unit it will be warm and ready to use on Monday Morning. Now we just need some Argon Gas to get the show on the road.

The other day when Pat the Consultant came in while I was operating the PTA. Without asking he grabbed my Automatic Welding Shield so he could watch the weld from a different angle. When he was done he tossed it onto the Desk and walked away not caring that it rolled to the Floor. I treat people like I want to be treated and the same goes if I need to borrow a Tool. All the Employees (which he is not), respect the others and their personal properties. At Two Hundred Dollars you don’t want a valuable Tool like that getting destroyed by an Idiot.

When I spoke to Kathy at lunchtime while I was working, I mentioned about getting another Storage Box at Princess Auto so that I can safely store all my Tools in one place.

When I left the Plant at 3:36, Rush Hour was in full swing and traffic was at a crawl. After getting the Storage Box I drove back a block and took the on-ramp to the 401 Highway. The reason I did that was to make the Truck go into Regen Mode, in which it cleans the Diesel Particulate Filter. The modern Diesel Engines need to be run on the Highways in order for that to happen, otherwise you make a lot of people upset when you leave them in a Blue Cloud.

On the return I stopped at the Pioneer gas station where the price of Diesel was surprisingly down to $1.563/Litre ($5.916/US Gallon). It has been a long time since we have seen it that low.

Up the road I stopped at Arby’s where I picked up their Breaded Fish Sandwiches for supper. When I got home Kathy was happy she didn’t need to cook. She out doing our banking today, as well as collecting our Mail.

Now we are looking forward to spending the weekend together.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment, unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion, or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.

Bill Bradley, former professional basketball player and U.S. Senator