Ray McCune's Website
(if this line is straight, and just fills the top, that's the best width for viewing, so I can avoid frames) ******************************************************
This page took a while, as I got sucked into face book for a short spell, but there are too many alternate worlds over there for the likes of me, and I have a lot to do, now that I can get out of the house, so I'm back to my pages for now, sorry about the delay, I'm sure you were worried....NOT!
I really need to get organized. And I have a couple projects that need to be done. Even if I don't want to do them, because they are in the way of a lot of things I do want done. Or so The Farm Wife assures me! The Farm Wife, she came up with that name because she was writing a piece for a local "FREE PRESS" that had a possibility of being recognized and didn't want to offend anyone. O. K. I understand that part, but here? If you are reading this, and don't know who THE Farm Wife is, well I can't understand how that could happen. You know me, you know Chris. Going on 39 years we been a team, occasionally dysfunctional, sometimes not pulling the same direction, exactly, but almost always a team. So I'm blowing her cover. Chris thinks I need to get organized. Now I'm not going to throw that ball back at her yet, but "the pot calling the kettle black" does come to mind. Although she does have a list to explain those issues. Anyway, I have more good ideas, than time to implement them. But I'm going to try. Really, I mean it this time. And Russ has provided me with a number of organizational "systems" that could be a real help, a couple slotted walls that you can hang shelves or drawers on, file drawer type cabinets, base units for desks actually. that are destine to base another table to work on, although each of those I have constructed ends up piled with good stuff i have to keep in case I need it, which is a problem when I need a place to work on something I end up holding it in the left hand and manipulating with the right. But I can't hold much, or manipulate much, anymore. So the projects are getting smaller and smaller. And the piles of good stuff are getting larger. A trend which I guess I'll have to reverse. Just slowing it down is nearly impossible, so reversing it. thus the Space oddity title.
And I would like to apologize to the entire United States for the subtitle three pages back, as I thought I had learned on the New York trip on the Malfunction Junktion pages, you never ask "What else could possibly go wrong?" Because the fates have an unlimited supply of rotten luck to dispense at their whim. Well they must have a freakin' Snow Machine, that I inadvertently called into operation with my question as to the whereabouts of the snow. Point taken and noted. In fact I'm thinking that project I didn't start due to it's not being completed until June might still have a purpose even then, if things keep up. I may have actually made it even worse when I openly surmised with Chris as to how people deal with the snows that are feet deep every year and amount to having paths that are nearly tunnels to traverse from place to place, I may get an answer I didn't really want to have! Or an experience I would rather not add to my resume'. But right now looking out any window that is not covered to limit the thermal loss that is an obvious trademark of Kimro Krap windows. I see only white, like we are in a paint bucket in an apartment, looking for a new inhabitant. I can't even see the Garden Tub on the front porch anymore. The snow has completely consumed it. At last, we have enough water to fill it, well it's not in the proper state to use at this point, but there certainly is enough on hand to finally fill the tub. I expect I will just for kicks. Though I am sort of concerned that it could then freeze and break what is a really nice "used twice" Garden Tub, that someone, with a good supply of water, might benefit from buying from me, at a greatly reduced price. Like 200 bucks complete with the spigots and drain connections already in place and ready to hook up. But I digress.
Back to the organizing thingy, in preparation for the Spring onslaught of things that won't start, or move, or wake up from their winter slumber. I have been running most of my little engines occasionally this winter. The Chain Saw, the Weed Eater, the Lawn mower, start them up every couple weeks for about 10 minutes so they won't be all gummed up in the spring. Of course I am now aware of the crappy gasoline issues from my experience of letting the welder / generator sit for about 4 months without running it. So now everything is going to be on the cycle. Just like on the old FD, " Startem once a week, boys, and they might start when you need em!" It worked there, it can work here. Meanwhile I still have a half dozen lawn mowers to rebuild or refurbish, so I can keep up with whacking pipes and rocks for the summer. Can't wait for the weather to break. It should be great this year. I expect my back to function for almost two weeks before I'm down for repairs, optimistic I know.
I Finally got this thing nailed together, after it sat in a pile for two years, now if I can just get a couple planters to set in it, so it will be decorative but removable if required I'll be satisfied that it's Completed.
Of course things are never as easy as they should be. Remember back on page 38 where the furnace was easy to fix? Well replacing the blower wasn't a big deal, but the darn thing just kept not "firing"! The sensor was my first suspect, even though the pilot came on and stayed on, for hours sometimes, the pressure switches all worked, the heat and high temp sensors seemed to work, as well as I could tell anyway, so I bought another sensor, over $30.00 (even though the guy at the shop told me to" just clean the one I had, with some steel wool", which was nice of him, and good advice. But I didn't want to have to drive back to town if it didn't work. So now I have a spare.) But that wasn't the problem, now I don't even know how to describe the steps I took to discover this one.. but the main valve which is not user serviceable, for obvious reasons, not least of which is because it is a "b|+c+" to disassemble, partly due to safety hardware, which I have NOT the proper tools to work on, (part of their evil plan, but I can destroy them!) And no way to measure .5 pounds of pressure, (somewhat less I can measure, and way more, I can measure pretty well, but .5 pounds is just not on any of my scales). Anyway, I finally discovered that a small steel finger on a circuit board that is part of the main valve had broken off, (really crappy design if you ask me) So now I had to find a way to fix a part that is not to be user serviceable. My previous experience in such things, dealing with barouche crippled phone answerers and parts people, assured me I would never get a part, or any help with this simple little problem.
A small finger broke off a circuit board, another one would cost .000002 cents and take one minute to solder into place to repair the problem rather than disassemble the entire furnace to replace the main gas valve, which being "a part requiring certification" costs an arm and two earlobes to purchase. And if I even could, because a certified installer may be required. Particularly if they can charge a lot of money to do it.. So I picked up a piece of copper wire from the garage floor, plugged in the soldering pencil and using a three pound hammer flattened the wire into copper sheet and used it to reconnect the finger to the circuit board, reassembled the gas valve, applied power and the furnace has been working ever since, no misfires, no hang fires, and no fires outside the areas where they belong in the furnace, for a couple weeks now. So next time I'm in a full service junk yard I'm going to find another valve and for $5.00 get the certified parts to repair it, if it would ever need it again, which I doubt.
Spent the day getting things ready for summer, I originally put a tank under the house to flush the toilets from, thinking it would be good for winter use as well. Didn't consider the fact that the water is brought up from the spring via Lawn Tractor and trailer, plastic drum, and dumped into an outside barrel. Now obviously that can't be out there in the winter time and, well it wasn't practical. So I removed the under house tank, went direct to the barrel, and moved the pump under the rear steps. Seems pretty straight forward, right?
Well, it was doable.
I was also surprised to find that the water supplied from the spring is sufficient to power the pressure washer I bought on Lake Street and couldn't use because the city water supply was so miserable. Of course I fixed that problem , after the house was hit by lightning, and blew the water line in from the street. Of course everyone involved claimed it couldn't happen. The water line was required grounding for every system in the house, from the phone, to the power panel. Ground it to your water line. So of course I did. Then when the lightning hit the TV tower and melted the end off it, and our water stopped I called and reported it to the insurance company the water department and anybody else who would ignore me.. Because that's what happened, not one person would admit it was even possible! So I got my buddy Tommy to bring over his backhoe and we replaced the exploded water line, that wouldn't supply two gallons a minute, with a nice copper one, that supplied over eight gallons a minute. Man I hated living in that town, I will be so glad when I can unload that little house and be completely free of those morons. Gotta love city government.
Today is April 1st so we must be careful what we write, (the royal we of course) and not get too carried away with the grandiose nature of our accomplishments here in the forefront of survivalist existence.
So I have another little project. It's a broken handle for a tractor for a cousin. So here we go. I have no idea how to effectively or control-ably weld aluminum. I tried but it became quickly apparent that if there was to be any part of the original left, somebody with an idea what they were doing should be doing it and not me...So I roped a buddy into it, in trade for an engine project that I can do. So here's where it started...
The top is a good handle, provided as a sample, the bottom is what my buddy did for me, YEAHHHH! Now it wasn't all that easy, you realize everything has complications. The first being the amount of aluminum to be removed. So out came the Tiger Saw...
Then I had a rough shape, so I started roughing it further, on the milling machine.
Of course the handle has a ball shaped top, which is thicker than the rough material allowed. SO, I had to build it up so the ball would not have flats...
The neat thing is, that in watching my buddy Richard weld, I figured out part of what I needed to know to weld aluminum, so I built it up myself, because all I needed was a lump, no finesse or control necessary here! Obviously not much focus either!
Anyway, I thought I had the job about done, when i noticed that in shaping the ribs in the handle I could clearly see the crack where the block was welded to the remaining handle portion, so I had nearly removed all the weld, which Richard had mentioned could be a possibility, and that I should watch for it. COMPLICATION! But not to worry, I was emboldened by my build up of the lump for the handle's ball tip, so, I hit it again, this time with some control...
Yes I learn quickly, ( I think I'll skip the class I tried to take at the JVS, I would have taken it but, it is always filled when I call. I think I will learn fine on my own, with Richard to watch, of course...) or I got lucky, whichever! I then re cut the area that I re welded, and hit it with a wire wheel.
Notice I didn't try to fill weld the edges, I ain't that good yet, But I think it will work for the intended purpose, and if not, we can always shove a pipe over the broken stub.. Done, and only took two months, sorry about the delay Dwight.
Well there is another little issue of some consequence, I bought a goat. It's a buck, whatever you do don't call it a billy goat, or nanny goat for the girls, they are does. I read in a book that some people get testy when these incorrect terms are used, well it was right, but not just some people,everybody who has any connection is pretty quick to correct you if you are citified enough to make this error in nameology. Nobody actually yelled, but it was pretty plain that I was profoundly wrong with that terminology. Now I attribute part of it to 4H, something that I obviously had zero exposure to, but which obviously fights the country bumpkin stereotype, with a requirement that participants be scientifically correct in their areas of endeavor, which appears to me to be nearly every aspect of animal knowledge that can be learned. I am obviously not that dedicated, any 10 year old that grew up on a farm around me knows way more about these critters than I ever will, and the adults, well, I'm obviously a moron compared to their knowledge base. So I have a lot to learn, and unlike welding, may never.
However, getting back to the original point, I have this little goat, it's a "Pygmy-Saanen mix" pretty much no good to anyone because goats are bred for certain characteristics, and this guys mix status makes him a passover meal candidate. So he's a rescue from a religious sacrifice, and being a heathen, that works for me! But the first day I had him, he started getting listless and laying around and refusing to walk. A friend had his sister/sibling/" a doe, ok?" and she was cavorting and running and drinking from a bottle and being all kinds of cute. And my guy, her brother/sibling/"the buck, right?" was laying in a heap and refusing to eat. After a day of that, I got him Sunday afternoon and by 9pm on Monday, he was back to the knowledgeable people, with me asking them if they could tell me what I'd done wrong?
To make a long story ridiculous, it turns out, he may have fallen and hurt his hind legs, like any kid with new playground equipment , see in the background above? And he wanted his mommy "a doe". So basically I guess he didn't care to be alone so much ,( we have no other animals so I'm his herd), or get a bottle of weird nada-milk-mix from some old city feller, even if I am the herd.
So they nursed him back to health, hung him in a sling to get him to stand up again, put him back with his mother, in the foreground above, and he's doing pretty well now. I hope. After a week with me, he is eating grain and grasses, and drinking water. Never has wanted a bottle of fake milk. But, he is getting around ok now, and even" cavorted" a little today and started "butting" me. So after a week, I think he may live for a while. But I'm keeping the 4H kids on speed dial just in case.
One definite negative is, he seems to be uneasy around things with engines, that will have to be adjusted soon, as I live and die by the little engine, as anyone who has ever been around me can testify. Love my little engines!
I had a name for him but It was recognized as being from the recent past, so I've had to change it. So if anybody has a reason" Oscar" won't work, let me know quickly, so I don't get him trained to the wrong name, yet again. Another story for another time. And I'm beginning to wonder if he'll ever come to any name, He sure doesn't react to much of anything, except cars, tractors, and weed eaters, which all send him running for the back forty. But he's sorta cute, and actually started eating multi flora rose this week, so he stays!
The happy Nada Farmer, the herd for an 8 week old goat. Spend a lot of time walking the goat, there must be a better way. Sure seems like a few more feet of fence wire is a good investment, even if it only gets my days back in line, rather than going goat walking... Good Grief, Charlie Brown...
Keep coming back , page Forty One follows......soon .
