things i learned today

[dusterbd]

Spent a quality day in the shop. Dern, if that wasn't theraputic. i figured id share some stuff that i learned, relearned, or took for granted that i knew and obviously didnt.
1. measure twice, cut once.
2. when measuring, never trust the first inch on the tape measure.
3. plastic, when cut with a cut off wheel, is hot.
4. hot glue is great stuff.
5. always double check with your girlfriend to see if your asperations for life match before you plan to spend the rest of your life with her.
6. always make sure you have all three types of bvlack spray paint.
7. Check electrical parts before installing them, even if theyre new.
8. wear safety glasses.
9. use the handle that comes with the 4 inch grinder.
10. god almighty, its easy to forget how fun this is.
11. a cell phone, on vibrate, on top of a car, when running air tools is easy not to notice ringing until after the buisness where you are applying is already closed.
12. unemployment sucks.
thanks. figured id share.
michael

[TrashedCharger]

You learned all those lessons in ONE day? I'm assuming that you learned them the same way most do, the hard way. I'm sorry to hear that.

I'm with you on evertything, and yes unemployment sucks, escpecially if you have to take your previous employers or customers to court for an accumulative amount of $2800 worth of work that is actually worth over $13,000...

I don't care what anyone says otherwise, but if you don't have enough money saved up to pay for a paint job up front, let alone when it's completed and getting an un heared of deal, don't even shop around. A paint job is never a life necesity and the painter (myself) can always take back the paint with a $30 gallon can of aircraft finish stripper and a putty knife.

Something I learned long ago in my auto body school days:

Don't make enemies with a bodyman, we know of more stealth ways to destoy a car from the inside out than you know of mopar makes and models.

[dusterbd]

oh, yeah. definately the hard way. again. same way i learned em the last three times. oh well, thats what i get for taking too long a break from wrenching.....
but yeah, id qualify today as productive. ill post the pics of what i built when i can.
michael

[TK]

13) the metalback on the drop light is hot!
14) you can get a sunburn tacking with your eyes closed
15) when your trailer lights quit working, check the fuse first
16) make sure your T shirt is not loose if your rolling around on the creeper
17)dont accidently hit the 1/2 impact with a wobbly on it!


learn how to spell wobbly,(anybody know?)

[ehostler]

You didn't learn that the tip of the hot glue gun and the hot glue itself is hot (hence the name)?? Hot glue can do a good job of burning you...

At least you had the phone with you, so if you got hurt bad, you wouldn't have to drag yourself inside to call for help...

And yes, unemployment really sucks. I've been unemployed for two long spells, in recent years. I've been with my current job for 13 months and still haven't gotten dug out from the debts that I ran up. About another $18K, before I'm back in the black. Of course that takes a while to pay down, when you have monthly expenses...

[jasontlit]

Gotta' re-learn those lessons every so often.

Her's a few:

Don't underestimate how F**cked a project can get if you don't have enough space. Luckily, I learned this in a little woodshop I had. This keeps me from tearing my car apart in my one car garage!

Just becauase you talk about how dangerous something is doesn't make you safe when dealing with it.
Example: my HAND...met with the power of the ole' garage door spring minutes after acknowledging how people get hurt by these puppies and let's not be one of those people.

I was lucky that the bar we were using as a lever (to unload the spring) only put a 1.25" laceration in the back of my hand when the accident happened, but didn't mess up any tendons, etc.

7 industrial strength stitches, $115.00 at Urgent Care, and 4 weeks later there is on little scab left...but, I do have a cool scar to wow the babes with!

[TK]

18) call a doorman to work on your garage door

[dusterbd]

today:
when buffing stainless, it gets hot. it wil eventually burn through the tips of your gloves.

[Jacksdad]

The most important one I learned was never, ever talk about how reliable your car is, or gloat that you haven't had a flat tire in ages. Big believer in the jinx - don't mess with it. Damn, I hope that doesn't also apply when you write it...

[Jacksdad]

"9. use the handle that comes with the 4 inch grinder."

Amen to that one - if you need to apply more pressure to the work piece it works a lot better than pushing your knuckle against the moving disc. The red mist that suddenly appears is kind if cool, but the scar lasts 25 years and counting. And apparently just because you did it once doesn't mean you're so smart you won't do it again twenty minutes later after you've stopped the bleeding.

[moparots]

"from Jacks Dad"
Amen to that one - if you need to apply more pressure to the work piece it works a lot better than pushing your knuckle against the moving disc. The red mist that suddenly appears is kind if cool, but the scar lasts 25 years and counting. And apparently just because you did it once doesn't mean you're so smart you won't do it again twenty minutes later after you've stopped the bleeding

I agree with that!... I just did the same thing last week...cleaning front suspension parts on the 73 Charger, fortunatly it was only a wire wheel on a drill.... BUUUUT..... I set tile for a living and I had to grout tile, the next two days. (grout has a lot of lime in it, and it burns like acid) My punishment was the day after. OOOOWWWWWW!!!!!

[Jacksdad]

Ouch

[cutting torch]

19) If you burn an exhaust manifold part number onto your arm, don't pick at the scab unless you NEVER want to forget that number!

torch

[dusterbd]

thanks. yall are making me feel better about things. its nice to know im not alone in lerninbg obvious things the incredibly hard and painful way.
michael

[Dick]

Don't try to stop a moving vehicle by jumping in it like they do in the movies, especially if it is rolling backwards. The feeling of the open door raking the flesh off your leg as the car rolls over you cannot be described, but will linger for many months.

[TrashedCharger]

Somebody mentioned buffing stainless steel...

I didn't make this mistake, but just know that you should NEVER use the same polishing wheels that you used on your stainless for aluminum, and if you do, you can forget about anodizing the part. It doesn't show until you try to powdercoat or annodize the part, but the tiny particles of stainless carbon will make ugly black spots all over the part. The guy at the metal shop that I buy my polish from told me all about it.

P.S.
Human flesh smells like chicken when you run it through an oxy-acetiline torch and becomes as numb as a heel calus. Always wear leather gloves and a mask when you work with a torch or any kind of welder. I wear a leather welding coat when I'm underneath something and ear muffs to keep slag from bouncing around in my ears.

[toad490]

(20) All ways wear underware. (In case there's any mothers of youg boys out their, if you hear a scream from the bathroom and your son comes out walking funny, don't worry he just learned it.)

[Jacksdad]

I learned two things this weekend - the warning note on the fridge in my motorhome that mentions things like "battery discharge" and "not recommended when the vehicle isn't running" has a certain element of truth to it apparently. The second thing was a little gem passed onto me by the kind soul who jump started me in the middle of nowhere (after leaving the damned fridge on all night) - she pointed out that I should put my three year old son in the cab before we connected the jumper cables as the ground was wet and she didn't want to electrocute him. I live and learn...

[dusterbd]

#?? (iforget what # were on.) Broken hearts suck big time, but good friends and wendys always help.