Wade Patton Velo

[WadePatton]

cha-ching...quarter rolls into empty box.

So just a day or two ago I was given some 1" (25.4mm) square steel tubing and then later that day my backwoods fab friend (he makes firewood splitters these days) comes in with a tiny little stick "welder" and a handful of 1/16" welding rod (so effing cute). The thing has two settings: low and high with "high" being 70 amps, that's it. I say, "That must be a switcher" and he doesn't get, but I don't attempt to explain (he's 70-ish and learned his wiring back then). But I have plenty of experience with "switching" power supplies in the radio field, to wit: they're small cheap light and VERY VERY RF noisy. A horrible bad thing for radio. But it _is_ the current rage and how you get a ton of DC amps w/o a big heavy transformer. (pun effing intended)

He plugs the shrunken "welder" in, attempts to strike an arc and it goes something like this: Sput SPutter fiZZ sTick sputTLE, pause, CUSS FUSS mumble spit grumble. SO seeing my chance and noting that it runs offa 110 (as I happen to have some new steel to play with) I say "Yo, let me go try it out."

And he quickly agrees, glad to be shed of it.

Today as the blustery chill of morning kept me from roaming far, I burned about half the rod supply that came with the little tiny welder - with two whole settings. IF the metal is very clean and you keep nipping the end of the rod and you damn near keep the tip buried in the puddle and a gnat doesn't fart too close to the arc, THEN it'll work somewhat. Forget low power, almost impossible to start and no penetration 'tall. It could be an old/contaminated rod thing, but it absolutely will not never, ever, nohow re-strike on a rod without nipping the end. No id on the rod, but that was the most impossible to run combination I've ever laid hands on.

I made my project (no you can't see it), but could have brazed it faster--or gas welded it with coat-hanger for cripes sake! Hoping to get more of the free metal, but don't want to run my gases low before next bike or two.

Forgot how nasty stick welding is...shop needs a clean up anyway.

So if'n you see a pocket-sized welder and think "Wow, that's cheap and cute and I always wanted to learn to weld"...fugget about it--really, I can't imagine how frustrating that thing would be to a noob. If you don't think I know what I'm laying down here, try to find one at a yard-sale or CL. That part should be very easy. MOF, I feel confident that Bobby will sell you this one for 50 bucks plus shipping.

cheers

WP

In hindsight, I should have tried some fresher, albeit "oversized" rod with it. meh...

[bellman]

Hey Buddy, Iff'n the welders been sitting around for awhile just turn it on and leave it run for a couple days. Meanwhile, put your rod on a tray in the house oven at 250 for a half day or so, or more if its really old. Then try again, you'll be surprised.
later,
jake

[WadePatton]

Thanks Jake. Yes on the rod, but it was too hot for a fire, and I'll skip on spinning the meter (no job) for a few old rods (note to self--use heat from smoker to do same thing next smoke). And really, I'll just pop in a 220 plug and run my old (conventional) stick machine next time I want to make a mess. The little outfit did get hot with me running those great long 25.4 mm beads. I may try it again back at Bobby's shop with different (albeit "full--sized") --where welding/grinding grime are par ftc.

See--he'll never get it. I think he's completely self-taught on welding-his rods aren't protected and if he welds through paint scale and rust on a regular basis...

[WadePatton]

the general topography of my trails site-just before greenup.



BBQ 1.0



BBQ 2.0 note the fruit/veggies!



a shed i dismantled, much of which will rise again as a mini shed.



my fatarse out in the woods, clearing cabin site.

[WadePatton]

SORRY FOR THE LAPSE!

But, WPV is an enterprise in its infancy and the little feller has had to go into survival mode, no production-not much cycling to talk about.

CURRENTLY logging the woods shown in above pic, when dry enough. This is providing a little flow for WPV to utilize.

and then i went fishing the other day (oct).

[e-RICHIE]

sorry for the lapse!

- wfra -

[WadePatton]

i wasn't done editing mr. forum administrator. takes a while what with juggling emails and shit. dayum i just wasted a lot of time rounding out that post.

_not_ directed at you RS or Toots directly...just some crap that changed in my absence.


i explain further: i had added comments to each pic, had added text at the top and just tweaking things and all that work got slapped out of my hands by a 10-minute edit rule. pissed me off. i hope i get this edit in on time...but i'll copy it first so i don't lose it altogether. geez

made it. i don't bitch much, but when i do

[WayneJ]

Nice Ash

[WadePatton]

Nice Ash

Thanks but no. Although we've cut a couple of Ash, them ain't. I wish they were-Ash is twice the $. That is Yellow/Tulip Poplar 95%. My right foot is on a Sassafras in saw shot. Dog's hind feet on same log. Poplar, Cherry, Ash, Sassafras, Elm have been cut. Well do more of the same plus some Sugar Maple and maybe one or two Walnuts before this harvest is over.

[steve garro]

Nice fish!
are they...........
#1: Drum?
#2 pompano or some kind of jack?
#3 with the sharp points inbetween the dorsal & the tail in Mexico are "Sierra" = "Saw"
Way to rip some lip! - Garro.

[WadePatton]

Nice fish!
are they...........
#1: Drum?
#2 pompano or some kind of jack?
#3 with the sharp points inbetween the dorsal & the tail in Mexico are "Sierra" = "Saw"
Way to rip some lip! - Garro.

Yeah, i was posting info like that when the time bell rang...

36" Bull red off the beach.
44" King Mackerel
21 Spanish up to 24" in the box.

estimated 200# whole, we brought home ~50# each. more details later. biggest haul, shortest trip thanks!

[WadePatton]

Hey i need a roomie or two for NAHBS. My TX crew ain't a goin' this year. I'm not exhibiting, but plan to be there as usual. I often work with an exhibitor (Daltex, Shamrock, Southwest Frameworks), but can share a room with a non-exhibitor. I _like_ to show up on Thursday and Leave on Monday. I generally help with setup/takedown and daily operations, but don't have to. Holler via PM or EM or FB.

I don't snore, but then I don't sleep much during NAHBS--who does?

[WadePatton]

Me and some other FB are going to be attending the show with no attachments this time. See, I can't even mention his name cuz he won't pay the fee.

I'm getting my motor running. Gonna get out on the highway...get dropped off at BNA.

whoops, that funks up the song eh?

[WadePatton]

in a minute. (still have some timber to harvest and wood to cut/mill, mof that probably will be my dayjob of 2012)

it starts this year with a set of training wheels "forced" upon me. they got the gizmo hub yo. NOW i can see just how pathetic my training efforts are. That should save me the time and hassle of paying money to circulate a race course. But then, that's my second favorite source for t-shirts. my first of course being

NAHBS!

This will be my 5th Big Show. Someday when I get things in order I intend to become one of the folks who busts his/her butt for a few weeks each year, just to be an exhibitor in Don's House-plus recovery time.

It's my one chance per year to put see the folks (and other folks too) that I e-socialize with here and elsewhere all year long. I always learn, and I never want to stop learning/improving. It has become a ritual. Getting excited. Been away too long, but sometimes one needs a little break.

Beers

[WadePatton]

Posted the video of our fishing trip on my personal FB. it's quite short, hear the rednecks tawk. can't wait to go back...October yo!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php...63&ref=tn_tnmn

[WadePatton]

I should be in Sacramento around 5 on Wednesday. Looking for thangs ta do yo.

(it's not me, the TITLE box won't allow all caps)

[WadePatton]

A couple of bike jobs came up. SO i had to clean up the chainsaw and longrifle operating table. I applied a newly learned trick. Marked off the 4 square feet (.66m2) immediately surrounding my vise. That's "work central" and analogous to the sink in a kitchen. Then i cleaned the clutter down to the metal, took vise apart and re-lubed it. Scrubbed the table and re-waxed it. Now i have a "shiny vise" and will strive to maintain that 4 square feet...

then there's these other 20 square feet of table...baby steps here.

New motivation brings next three projects to the forefront. Need a fork for Baller's and need a CX for Baller's. Been wanting a CX for a while, this will be fun. Going to do that frame-guy-salon ride with Toots and Richie and 'em.

Looks brutal, but eh-

what's a bike for?

[WadePatton]

[finally got around to writing up the fishing trip last fall-also in "river" thread pardon "double post"]
[post #155 for vid]

now back to the fishin' that vidyea up there is from the second time out in a boat since we learned to catch plenty good fish from shore. October 2011. and, as a said, my first time in forever-kenny's treat.

water was just thick with spanish (at the tide-line just outside the mouth of Mobile Bay) as soon as we left the dock/ferry landing at Ft. Morgan (damn the torpedoes) Alabama. started trolling and hooking up, but i'm not much for trolling just kept casting into fish-hell-there they are!. if it weren't for getting cut off (even with long and black leaders) we'd boated twice as many fish. we quickly run out of pre-tied rigs and stingers, i finally grab a spiderwire loaded rod, ladyfish, redfish, bonita, spanish, just solid fish in the water. we get about 1/2 that big cooler loaded and head out to the natural gas rig (that's the fog horn you hear in the vid--very obnoxious esp on a clear day) and start hooking up with 40-inch class Kings and Spanish over 20"! and a few red snapper. There were choppers coming/going from the rig and we didn't get it on video, but there was a Bell Huey variant taking off right above us as i was fighting my second big king...it was un-effing real immersion in sound and sensation with that fish on, the pounding of the chopper right over us-over water, and the flashbacks to all the shark movies (and 'nam movies) with choppers--and us on a 20-footer!

We were using jigs/whatever back at the tideline frenzy--it really didn't matter. Out here we were dropping 6" live minnows-with or without weight, didn't matter you'd catch or get cut off. and lost a few bigger (of course) ones. And we're less than 2 miles out-see shoreline in video? That's where the girls were. We limit our Kings, head back toward the tideline frenzy area, swing by the beach and wave to the kids (they thought that was grand), then went to drop chum for a shark...As Capt. was starting to cut bait on one side of the boat I cast out the other side and hook up with the shark in the video...and was going to boat that bad boy, but it needed another few inches to make the regs for that particular species. Then our four hours were up.

Of the dozen or so times I've fished salty waters, that was the most outrageous bunch of fish catchin' i've yet to be a part of. While all of the catching was going on, Capt Robert Hooker got himself cut on the leg, bit on the thumb, stopped to pull a treble from the forearm of his buddy captain who had 4 guys in one little boat, and spent the rest of his time trying to keep us supplied in stinger rigs for the retying.

If it was always like that, it'd be called "catchin" not "fishin" and i'd pay double price for a trip.

And of course this is in that gulf where there was a spill or something a little while back. my bro showed me one "tar ball" and it was hard to find (there were also small clusters of white-clad tarballbusters milling around and not finding much neither). The fishery appears to have recovered. And I eat about 2/3 of my fish (from salty waters) uncooked, so I'd notice any "off flavors".

next time i take more of my own tackle (casting reels yo), but don't think i'm hitting south alabam again w/o calling Captain Hooker. And there again--we caught a few from the beach, best being a 36" redfish.

now i'm thinking about rinsing some rice...

[WadePatton]

ohmygosh have i had a load of sushi since that last post.

NOW i'm finally getting the shop and logging in synch enough to build a bike again. Started sorting and cleaning and checking and marking tubes today...talk about "apprentice work"!

Apologies to the folks from whom i buy supplies as I'm a bit under-the-gun (how i work best) to make a bike for the 'cross race at Ballers Ride. Plus I gotsta make a fork for my roadie. My stem/fork became discombobulated on my last road ride (some 2-3 weeks ago) and I went down and now I refuse to ride quill. Time to move on.

So I have some wooden bending radii on order, some more tubes and braze-ons and sundries, plus i have to buy some headsets and other "make my bike complete" things.

Paint? I'm scared to call my painter. But I will-and I like my color scheme, but may tweak it a little. But paint the lugs and powder the fillet i says.

If i get the frame together and all the parts to hang on it _and paint_, then i'll have new (my first) cx bike for Ballers. otherwise i'll have to race my atb...hmm i do have some old semi-slicks.

Oh what details? howsthis: Columbus OS Tubes, Richie Lugs, Dazza fork ends, Vulture swingers (prototype from 2011 Big Show), Paul brakes, crank/wheels TBD.

It just feels good to focus on a frame again.

[WadePatton]

aha! found the other set of Spirit blades and steerer! shop is clearing out nicely. there'll be some pics if i ever bring the camera back to the house.

back to the bikecave!