Author: Joe Hohenfels

Electrolysis – Power to the process!

I have been using electrolysis for a while now to remove rust from all my iron Shopsmith parts. I received my original inspiration here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Electrolytic-Rust-Removal-aka-Magic/. Here is what I do to make it work:
Lets start with how I am going to get DC current to the processes. I started by doing some research with the all knowing Google and came up with these sites:
I did not like the idea of leaving the power supply together and I had a nice box to put it in. I put in a GFCI plug I had laying around and added the mounting hardware for the power supply board:
I then took the Power Supply apart and wired it up as the websites above describe. Well…almost the same….
I then mounted it in the box. I kept some extra wires for future testing, and I jumper-ed all the grounds off the single ground wire:
Here is the outside:
Here is an outside shot with both power supplies:

Next I will show some vats I made and the to the electrolyte.

Brewed up a mead..

Brewed up a mead little over a week ago, 10 pounds of Honey, 3 jars of Molasses, and 1 bag of alcohol boost from Austin home brew.

Made 6 gal, I am guessing 1.08? was my OG, my hydrometer does not go that high. Now it is about 1.070

At least I can read it now. But no or very little activity. I am going to get another vial of champagne yeast and create a starter using some of what I have in there now and re-pitch. Hope it lights it off again

Re-Stacking and Re-Sticking

While I was flipping the lumber to prevent sticker stain I decided to move the pile to the shop. I have this fear of it drying to fast. In the shop there is plenty of air flow, it is protected from the extreme heat and I can monitor the humidity. And it makes me feel better.
You can faintly see the sticker lines in the photo below.
 Went ahead and strapped it back down. When I re-stack in another 30 days, I will put the straps under the 4×4’s
Here is one of my fears of it drying to fast, I would rather be safe than sorry.

A Quick Cover

With the threat of rain, I wanted to make a quick cover to protect the lumber from a potential soaking. The cover sits on top of the scraps shown in the other posts. It is a 4×8 sheet of 1/2-ish (I just got the cheap stuff) plywood. I screwed in 2×4 on all 4 sides to keep it fairly flat. It is not the prettiest, it started raining when I was putting it together.

I then got that stuff that you put down in rock beds. It lets the air flow and blocks some of the bad stuff and will stop heavy moisture coming in from the sides and still allow the milled lumber to breath and dry. I then covered it with tin roofing I had laying around.

This weekend I will try to weigh down the bottom. but for now it is working fine.

Stacking and Sticking

Now that I have the cut lumber back I need to stack and stick it. I used 3/4 inch wide by 1 1/2 inch tall  stickers that I cut my self using every piece of wood I could find. There is a 1 1/2 inch gap between boards. I was originally go to set them 16 inches apart, but Brandon recommended 8 inches. He has done a lot more stacking than I so they are now 8 inches apart. Best wood on the bottom as it will have the most pressure helping it stay straight.

I went about as wide as the cinder blocks and I tried to keep everything even as I moved up. I then used ratchet straps to keep everything tight. I can also check the straps from time to time and adjust them to keep them tight.

Pecan is subject to sticker stain, so in about a month I am going to re-stack and move the stickers. I think I am also going to add 2 more 4 x 4 to the base, sliding them to the edges and centering the 2 new ones.

Next making a cover….

Shop Smith 10E(R) 12103 Restore – Part I – In the Begining

Well a couple years ago I was picking up the good old ShopSmith 10E(R) for anywhere from $50 to $150 rebuilding and selling them. I kept 2 of the oldest for myself; 10E Serial Number 12103 from early 1949 I use as my horizontal machine, primarily lathe. And 16061 from mid-1949 which will be used as my permanent drill press. I will be showing some of what I did to those here.
If you are lucky enough to have one of these great pieces of American history this Yahoo! Group is a great source of information, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shopsmith10ERusers/  They also manage a spreadsheet that has year manufacture by serial numbers.
If you are looking at restoring yours, here is another great site with a wealth of information: http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthread.htm?t=3503
If you need new parts here is Skips site http://www.mkctools.com/10erparts.htm
Here is a shot of the data plate on 12103, the horizontal machine.
And here are a few shots of what I had to start with:

Time to get it milled

Time to get it milled, I did some calling around, some lurking the message boards and I found Berdoll Saw Mill & Furniture Co. What an outstanding decision that was! Brandon and crew are excellent, VERY reasonably priced. As a matter of fact they are the cheapest, I mean least expensive. All though my log was a “Yard” log that many other places would not touch, he took the time to work with me to get the most out of this log. He would go over it with the metal detector and position it on his mill to get the best cut. He would ask me every time if it was OK and he would patiently explain what he was doing and what he thought to me.  He took the time and answered every question I asked about drying, sealing the ends, sticking, everything. When I went to pay we went to a second large building, OMG! When I go back I will take some pictures, lumber heaven! Black walnut, Mesquite sizes I have never seen before, one stump had to be at least 36 inches across, Walnut and Oak. Very much worth the trip to go and check them out. Here is a shot of the small mill they used for my log.

 They also coated all the boards with Bora-Care as soon as they left the saw. Here is what I took back home:
Next up Stacking and Sticking!

This Cyclone Sucks! — Really

I wanted to build a cyclone for my newly installed Harbor Freight 2 Horse Power Dust Collector. After much research I decided to go with Phil Thiens Cyclone Separator Lid I am very happy with my decision. If you decide to make your own, head over to his site. The instructions are great.

Here is a shot of my lid upside down. I wanted to show the cutout and the elbow.

Here is a shot in between the lid and the baffle,  All my plumbing is 4 inch.
 Here is the completed product filling the void of my HF dust collector modification. The hose between the impeller and lid is 5 inch, I cut another piece of the hose that came with the Harbor Freight Dust Collector. It is a 5 to 4 inch reducer stuffed in the lid and there are clamps holding it in place, they are just not shown.

Again, I am pretty happy with the results.

Preparing the Drying area

Alright! Now that the log is ready, I need to get started on a place to stack and dry. It needs to be straight and flat. If it is not straight, your fresh lumber wont be straight. I just happen to have a cement slab and cinder blocks I can use. I laid the cinder blocks with a 8 inch gap between them and made it 32 inches long. 2 1/2 cinder blocks in each of 6 rows.

Pecan Drying base
Pecan Drying base

The big deal here is, your lumber will be as flat as your drying area. The rule of thumb for air drying lumber is 1 year time for every inch of thickness. So you also need to choose a spot that can be occupied for at least a year, most likely longer. It will also need to be protected from the weather in your area.

Next Step, Getting it milled….

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