I like the smell of Dykem, but a Sharpie is way faster and more practical; which is why I use it 90% of the time. Also don't hesitate using a cheap pair of calipers to make layout lines. Keep the good Mit's aside for making critical measurements. Good episode!
Great video well said and well demonstrated. I will say the spray version works quite well on normally clean aluminum. Use it when i am manual matching aluminum. A little acetone cleans it up fast so long as you were not trying to paint it like an old car door.
I laugh every time I see someone making the comments against calipers as scribes. About the only ever remotely valid argument would be COS induced error from not being perfectly perpendicular and square but hell, we're talking a few 10ths to maybe a thou or two... if your need to be that accurate, you shouldn't be doing scribed hand layouts to begin with. And yeah, just have good pair for machine work and a cheapo pair for layout work.
The Miller Dynasty welds a bit better under certain circumstances, and I like the front panel layout better. The HTP seemed to be a pretty good machine though.
The comments were at 420 and I did t want to ruin it but damn that was cool and thank you for sharing. I even enjoyed ll the subtle humor like hands literally being tied up. 😂
What size of generator are you using to power your mobile shop? Does it produce 3 phase or are you using an inverter or phase converter for your machine tools? Thanks b
Thanks Aaron! I’ve been a machinist since 1984 and I have always used my older worn caliper for layout work. It is just so much faster and more accurate! When the tips get worn, I just lightly grind the angle part until I have a new crisp point for layout work. Cheers! 👍Don
been TIG welding for 25 years, and I generally do grind tungsten at both ends, and if the diameter doesn't get bigger, I turn it around and use the other tip...if not, I grab another tungsten, and add it to the sharpening pile. I don't ever force it through the collet. I usually take a 10 pack, and turn it into 20x 3.5" sticks ground on both ends. 40 tips! admittedly, that is a bit wasteful because they are useless when they are 1" or less, but they last me a long time, so it's worth it to save time if you are getting paid well!
You do top notch work, I think the liquid Dycam had its purposes but the shop I work in makes hundreds of parts and we found the blue spray on aluminum works the best because its and even coat with a consistent color no voids like the brush But were it really shines is when you have to make a precision part and you are using and optical center punch , its a game changer and its all done by laying out the proper lines using nothing more than calipers and a optical center punch ...
Thank you for making this video, I like the simplicity of your design and will use many of these ideas. I had concerns that the enclosure would reduce the versatility of the mill when doing large or long pieces that hang over the edge. A few times a year I need to take off the vise and clamp parts directly to the table or onto an angle plate. I like how each wall panel is held together in the corner using a cross drilled square bar. I would need to have each wall panel removable for pieces that hang over the edge. I plan to put a 90 degree profile "picture frame" around the base for it to screw into at each panel's bottom. I also prefer to use straight cutting oil on my manual machines, I do not want that on the floor, much more easy having a pump compared to the spray bottle I use for drilling. You have done the best job making an enclosure for a knee mill that I have seen.
About the calipers, because it seems to get a lot of panties in a knot.. there are actual scribe calipers which have carbide jaws specifically designed to scribe material with. Second; thanks for sharing these videos. I really like the Q&A narrated style videos. Keep up the good work. Greetings from the Netherlands, Mark
I'd love to know more about your life. How long have you been running (and living in??) a mobile shop? What made you embark on the journey? It's such a cool situation, though not without some compromises compared to "regular" American life.
So many things going on when welding and they all matter. I was wondering if you would like to take a look at welding videos and tell us what were doing wrong? I sometimes go through the whole checklist and I just can't get it right.
