Airplanes and Old Cars Mostly

[happiestflying]

Evening all. Jeremy here, in Silverdale WA, by way of Winnipeg MB, Chicago IL, Revelstoke BC, Vancouver BC, Victoria BC and Seattle WA.

I'm the proud owner of a Kitfox IV Speedster aircraft which I did not build but which I modify from time to time. It is of course steel and aluminum and fabric. I fly the snickers out of it when I can, which is about eight months a year around the Pacific Northwest. Decided to fly instead of build, as time's a wastin'

I am, finally, fully engaged in a frame-off hacker's restoration of my 1955 Willys CJ-5, which has caused me to become a dilletante metal pounder. It's a piece of work that sat ignored in a field for years, and under a tent at my home for a few years more, but I have finally made the start on it. There's plenty of rust, crud, gunk and bondo, and plenty of panel work to come, as well as an engine rebuild and more. Not intending a show restoration, just get it back in tolerable condition to leave at our beach town summer home in Oregon.

Then there's my former daily driver, a hot-rod 1951 Willys Pickup, now in need of a new engine and some body work. Again, I did not do the building, just bought it and abused it, and now need to repair it. And of course I have to get started on the sister project, which is a 1951 Willys Wagon, which I hope to turn into a Woodie of sorts. Two other dead or aged vehicles lying around the house are a 1978 Honda Goldwing and a 1964 Ford F-350 dualy flatbed which needs a complete new flatbed built.

So, all of these are requiring skills I currently do not have. I've spent lots of nights on YouTube watching various people selling stuff or making stuff, and am starting to absorb some of it.

Have been acquiring what I consider to be the "starter kit" versions of small metalworking tools to add to my existing inventory. I have a fairly complete woodworking shop formerly known as my wife's garage, so own things like a serious drill press, 14" bandsaw and a dedicated smaller 12" metalworking bandsaw, large belt/disc sander, full complement of air tools, compressors, quite a good MIG welder, oxyacetylene torches, cutoff saw, a steel welding table with reasonably manly vise, wire wheels and grinders, pretty much every portable version of tools you might require. There's also a sandblast cabinet, a pressure-washer sandblaster, a parts washer, and I know I've forgotten things like a table saw or two, etc. I've got tons of clamps, hold-downs, etc. I even own a few things to measure with.

However, I've recently added in the things I wasn't familiar with, in the "starter kit" sizes, such as a bench-top bead roller from Eastwood, a bench-top English wheel from Grizzly, a smaller planishing hammer and stand which, though used, I think was Harbor Freight. I accept that all these are low end choices, but will probably muddle me through the restoration work I need to do.

Last big item missing is a TIG welder, as I think adding a spool gun to my Millermatic 211 MIG is the wrong idea. At the end of this road I think I'd like to have TIG welding skills.

Running off at the mouth. Will stop now. Looking forward to learning a lot here.