What did you do today?

[ebinmaine 67,628]

We're starting to see some vinyl siding trickle in lately. 

 

Would be handy for people trying to build things. 

[Pullstart 62,912]

Uncle Jim, my FIL swapped things around using the unions 

 

 

[Pullstart 62,912]

Part of the reason the GT14 was here for me to work on it, was the rest of the trailer has a Christmas present, a Polaris Indy 600 Triple.  It wasn’t running great when their dad bought it, so he asked me to take a gander.  #1 cylinder’s exhaust pipe was stone cold while running.  Ok, dead cylinder.  Thumb compression check?  Good.  Spark check?  Good.  Wet plug.  Old gas.  Blew the plugs dry, fired it up with the track elevated, wrapped on the throttle a few times and it came alive!  It’s idling great and very responsive.  Our girls drive their mom’s 440 every winter.  I swear, that Polaris Indy platform is the best, most reliable sled there was, in the carbureted generation of sleds!

[Bill D 1,926]

On 12/14/2020 at 7:34 AM, WHX24 said:

 

Be carful of romex connectors on low voltage wiring & don't over tighten. That insulation on the wires is pretty thin. 

I use a piece of 1/4" fuel hose inside the romex connector to protect low voltage wires.  It holds the wire more securely as well as protecting it from damage. Bill

[8ntruck 7,016]

I tried my hand at making pastys yesterday.  Everything from scratch, including the pastry - my first attempt at it.  

 

 

 

 

Not quite perfect, but pretty darn close.  Will make adjustments in the next batch.

[ebinmaine 67,628]

Looks reasonable. I may have to try some o these.  

[Pullstart 62,912]

12 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

I tried my hand at making pastys yesterday.  Everything from scratch, including the pastry - my first attempt at it.  

 

 

 

 

Not quite perfect, but pretty darn close.  Will make adjustments in the next batch.

Care to share your recipe for the breading?  I want to try to make a cast iron skillet chili pot pie and that would be a perfect crust!

[Stormin 9,981]

 Went over to my mate Dunc's this morning to start work on the accident damage Massey Ferguson.

 

 

 

 

  It had been moved up to the workshop at the weekend, along with the front axle and wheels, with the aid of a neighbouring farmer and his telehandler.

 

 Now here I must apologise for a lack of photo's. Forgot my camera.

 

 Dunc had already removed radiator etc. Next was the tombstone that the axle attaches too. The part in the photo above. One big heavy lump. We used the mini digger as a crane, then attaching slings we removed the 4 bolts and 2 nuts securing it to the engine. Came off with no drama and was placed to one side out of the way.

 The replacement went on nicely as well. Once we sorted the slings positions to lift it level. With everything tightened up it was lunch time.

 

 After lunch we turned our attention to the axle and wheels. The wheels had to be removed, so using the mini digger in crane mode, that was raised and settled on blocks. Wheels then removed. Axle is now in position ready for fitting.

 

 Unfortunately when the accident occurred, when the axle parted company from the tractor, a sleeve for the drive shaft went a.w.o.l. That we couldn't find anywhere. So that's it till a replacement is obtained.

 

 I won't be going over till sometime next week and I promise to take my camera.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,628]

13 minutes ago, Stormin said:

camera

 

 

 

 

Really Norman......?

All the grieeeff you gimme bout colosusususes and you forget a pitchataker??

 

Hhmmmm.......

 

 

[Pullstart 62,912]

My attempt at Chili Pot Pie...

 

Never made pastry dough before, it shows.    I ran out of cold butter, so attempted with frozen butter on my top layer.  Ugh, it didn’t go well.

 

 

[Pullstart 62,912]

The top crust looks almost done... that’s all we’re waiting for is appearance.

 

In the meantime, I wrote my second wedding today.  Most wouldn’t believe, but I’m ordained and have one inlaw’s marriage under my belt, the second coming soon.  It’s challenging to do so.  You want to roast ‘em just a bit, but it’s more about the love.  It’s such an important part of their life, but I only recall one line of my own wedding.  “And thereto I pledge thee my faith.”  I’m happy for my SIL and future BIL.  They have a bright and exciting future ahead!

[8ntruck 7,016]

9 hours ago, pullstart said:

Care to share your recipe for the breading?  I want to try to make a cast iron skillet chili pot pie and that would be a perfect crust!

3 cups all purpose flour

2 sticks butter

3/4 tablespoon salt

1 cup ice cold water

 

Cut butter into flour and salt with pastery cutter until the butter mixes with the flour making bb sized clumps.

 

Mix water into butter/flour mix in small amounts until it looks smooth and is not sticky.  Don't over mix or knead the dough - that will create glutenus that will make the crust tough.

 

Wrap in plastic cling wrap, refrigerate for an hour.

 

Remove from refrigerator, cut into appropriate sizes for your crust, roll out on a lightly floured surface.  I ended up putting wax paper on top to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.

 

Good luck and have fun.

[Pullstart 62,912]

16 minutes ago, 8ntruck said:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 sticks butter

3/4 tablespoon salt

1 cup ice cold water

 

Cut butter into flour and salt with pastery cutter until the butter mixes with the flour making bb sized clumps.

 

Mix water into butter/flour mix in small amounts until it looks smooth and is not sticky.  Don't over mix or knead the dough - that will create glutenus that will make the crust tough.

 

Wrap in plastic cling wrap, refrigerate for an hour.

 

Remove from refrigerator, cut into appropriate sizes for your crust, roll out on a lightly floured surface.  I ended up putting wax paper on top to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.

 

Good luck and have fun.

kind of what I did, but used 1/2 c less flour, 1/4 tsp less salt and I’m not sure on the water.  I forgot to refrigerate it for an hour, the meat was already browning when I started it, so I went from the mixer to the rolling pin.  The crust was flaky, the insides were done.  I was the only one to eat it, the rest of the fam ate pizza 

[8ntruck 7,016]

11 minutes ago, pullstart said:

kind of what I did, but used 1/2 c less flour, 1/4 tsp less salt and I’m not sure on the water.  I forgot to refrigerate it for an hour, the meat was already browning when I started it, so I went from the mixer to the rolling pin.  The crust was flaky, the insides were done.  I was the only one to eat it, the rest of the fam ate pizza 

 

Flakey and done.  That is more than half of the battle.  How did it taste? 

 

The rest of the family didn't trust your cooking?  Call them chickens!

 

I think the salt is not too critical and more to taste than to an accurate measurement.  I used just short of a cup of water.  There again, this is an add water until it looks/feels right item rather than an absolute.

[Pullstart 62,912]

1 minute ago, 8ntruck said:

 

Flakey and done.  That is more than half of the battle.  How did it taste? 

 

The rest of the family didn't trust your cooking?  Call them chickens!

 

I think the salt is not too critical and more to taste than to an accurate measurement.  I used just short of a cup of water.  There again, this is an add water until it looks/feels right item rather than an absolute.

A friend of my wife’s just happened to bring Pizza Hut over on the night I decided to make food.  Win some, lose some.  It tasted great!  

[8ntruck 7,016]

7 minutes ago, pullstart said:

A friend of my wife’s just happened to bring Pizza Hut over on the night I decided to make food.  Win some, lose some.  It tasted great!  

 

I like your idea.  It is getting to be chili season.  Think I'll give it a try in the not too distant future.

[R Scheer 502]

I finished off the current version of my air compressor.  Its been in the family for 60 plus years with different configurations.  The pump itself was off a 1920 White truck, for the air brakes.  Its self lubricated, and used the trucks cooling system to cool the pump. 

 

I remember it first being mounted to a frame mounted on a spare tire.  It still used the original diaphram unloader.

 

My father and I remounted the frame onto legs, and put a small tank under the frame as a reservoir. 

 

Later we switched it over to a propane tank for a reservoir. 

 

About 30 years ago I changed it to a pressure switch/contactor to control the compressor, and added the copper piping to act as a radiator, with gravity circulation.

 

After I retired I started looking qt the compressor a d decided I wasn't as smart as I thought I was 30 years ago and decided that the compressor needed some love for it's 100th birthday.  But I wanted to keep some of the history of the compressor, memories of working with my father.

 

So I added extra cooling pipe, and made the pipe into a belt guard as well.  New wiring, air filter, added circulation pump, put on correct width belt, added an overpressure relief valve, and new high pressure piping, an FLR.  I used black pipe for the water cooling and air side, seemed to respect the age of the pump. 

 

Probably cost me more in parts than a new compressor would have, but whatever.  Actually it turned out to be a nice quiet running compressor, you have to respect those old time engineers, they really built stuff to last.  

 

[ebinmaine 67,628]

4 hours ago, R Scheer said:

extra cooling pipe, and made the pipe into a belt guard

That's impressive. 

 

Neat machine overall!!

[Ed Kennell 38,227]

After 6 hours of seat time in the 520, I needed a walk.   So I broke out the big shoes for a 2 hour trek.

[Stormin 9,981]

24 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

  Tennis anyone??

 

[WHNJ701 4,165]

Took the honda for ride

[oliver2-44 9,761]

What's with all that snow.  

Not regal Red, but at least I can call it painting practice. 

sprayed the final coat of lacquer on 14 drawers and 5 vertical sheet sheet dividers.

The drawers are the last items for my middle sons 2 bathrooms new cabinets.

Drawers sure are a lot of work, there's 14 surfaces to sand between coats.

winter is the best painting time here. After a frost or No bugs and I'm not dripping sweat all over everything

 

[ebinmaine 67,628]

6 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

What's with all that snow

That's funny right there. 

I was thinking what's all the green stuff on the ground....

 

[Pullstart 62,912]

So far, food and coffee and donuts and breeze.

 

No shoes, no shirt, no problems!

 

[slim67 2,735]

17 hours ago, jabelman said:

Took the honda for ride

that's vintage