Velvet Oven

Operation Light Tent

2011-10-24T12:32:00.000-05:00

I decided this weekend I needed to get a bit more serious when it comes to taking pictures of projects, and looking around it seems that decent macro pictures require better lighting, aka.. A Light Tent. So I threw one together and without even trying very hard, got some decent pics.

Wish I'd done this sooner as it was pretty easy and a great return on the investment, some 1/2" PVC, a few fittings, some white stiff cloth and some shop lights are really all it took.. I still need to play around with different full-spectrum "daylight" bulbs, but I'm 90% there already.

It's clear that this sort of photography requires LOTS of light and 3-75watt bulbs aren't quite enough, but that's easy to fix and with a digital SLR camera, software and a bit of patience, I should be able to get 100% better photographs!

OPERATION LIGHT TENT: SUCCESS

Custom Wedding Rings

2011-09-20T14:35:00.003-05:00

My wife and I aren't wealthy, shoot not even close, but we both have high standards and getting married in Switzerland this year really cost a bundle.. So what to do about wedding rings?

Solution: Make them myself!

My normal M.O. is to research extensively, design and then prototype and only then make the final product, well this time was no different, sure I'd made jewelry in the past but this was a huge step up, I mean I'm working with materials I can't afford to replace if I mess up!

An added complication was I had a fairly tight time frame plus the fact that I needed to school myself on some techniques I'd never used before, namely inlaying precious metal and setting gems. Needless to say, it was nervous work. I spent a month or so coming up with designs and honing them down to something do-able, then buying Ballas diamonds, Mokume Gane and Titanium, not to mention a few special tools.

Then I got to work cutting the ring blanks:

Cutting the main features on a CNC mill:

Fitting the Mokume-Gane inlays:

Assembled components:

After all that, I finished them off with lots of sanding, acid etching and polishing. It was something close to 40hrs of cutting and finishing, which really gives me a new appreciation for custom made jewelry, I thought Mokune-Gane rings seemed over priced before but now they seem like a bargain!

Link to more photos and video--> OUR CUSTOM RINGS

Cushman Head

2011-08-19T01:27:00.000-05:00

I just finished machined aluminum Cushman cylinder head for Groff Machine.

Made from Mic6 cast tooling plate for it's dimensional stability and low inherent stresses, it also has a relocated spark plug position, 14mmx1.25 plug threads, increased cooling fin area and a revised combustion chamber shape to accommodate larger valves and cylinder bore.

I used a long .125"dia. ball-end mill with a lot of patience to get the fins cut, run time on the fin side was at least 6hrs. Despite the blocky appearance, there is a whole lot of free-form machining but it turned out well, cant wait to see it at home on an engine now. Just for kicks, I made an RP 1:3rd scale model for posterity using and Objet Eden 260v.

More Projects Coming!

Slow and steady progress

2011-05-07T17:16:00.002-05:00

I've been working on what seems like 10 concurrent projects the last few months, trying not to neglect any one project, consequently I've only gone so far with each but whatev.. It's progress!

As far as the Jackhammer Scooter goes, I finally bought the front fork tubing and had it bent, I gotta' say there is a HUGE difference in price between .062" wall welded SS tube and .083" wall Seamless tube, Yowza.
I bought replacements for wrecked parts like a tire, wheel, bearings, ect. so I'm hoping to have a rolling chassis again fairly soon

Made a few bits for Speed Shop Design, which pretty damn cool to do I must say, And totally gratifying knowing that someone else with real skills trusts me enough to make something.

I really like my day job too, I just can't talk about it or show cool pics of parts or I'll be fired, jailed or worse hehe.. But here is a Sketchup version of my work environment: Something I just recently started playing around with and like A LOT.

I've recently committed myself to designing a high-flow, super$$$ race fuel petcock for the Vespa P. Silly I know, But I NEED it. No more leaning-out at WOT. All other mitigating solutions are null and void now(I'm looking at you "float bowl spacer" and SIP fuel valve!)

And lastly, work continues on the supercharger as well as my plan to redo the P.

Super Scooter

2010-11-28T21:54:00.001-06:00

So I finally got around to taking apart the so-called "Jackhammer", It's been on the back burner for way too long now. About April 08' I wrecked it and it's been non-functional since. I never really finished this scoot, I got it running for a rally and kept on riding it, after all, why take apart a decent runner? But every time I looked at the thing, I'd think about how much more I'd like to do to it. Well, now's the time.

Fortunately, I started rehabbing some of the front-end parts well before the move to Seattle. So the rebuild will mainly consist of:

1. Making composite bodywork

2. Minor Frame repair and powder coating

3. Remaking the front fork tubes, rear hub, handlebars, ect..

4. Buying any needed parts

5. Reassembly

So, Here it is torn down to the frame, first time since April 05'

So, First order of business is to start mocking up the bodywork and seating, stay tuned!

_More pictures here_

Vespa Learnin'

2010-06-23T20:57:00.002-05:00

It was about that time, time to do something about that nagging problem of slipping out of gear. Anyone owning an older Vespa knows what I'm talkin' about... The shift-cross syndrome! Many a vintage owner has had to endure the gradually increasing frequency of sloppy and erratic gear changes up until the point that the bike is darn near unrideable, then and only then, biting the bullet to change out that small but oh-so-important piece of metal.

And this is an image of the "depth of disassembly" usually required to rectify that nagging little problem.
Really though, it's not that big of a deal except for the fact that you are certain to find all manner of other little things that need fixing, little things that make you wonder how this scooter lasted as long as it did... Furthermore, my penchant for "over doing it" had me improving and tweaking every last little detail as it were, turning a weekend project into a 2 week ordeal.

So here's some of the things I've done:
custom grind output shaft spacers, lapped head and cylinder mating surfaces, port matched carb and case, replace all "tiny bits", cleaned EVERYTHING, lightened flywheel, new points and condenser, all new gaskets, replaced cables. Also replaced tank cap gasket, front shock bolt, tightened seat spring, installed step-thru channel rubber mat, custom made front suspension cover, blah, blah, blah.. I'm leaving so much out here.
And after all that, getting this bike in good running condition, standing back and feeling very smug about it all, I decided to take it off the stand and guess what? The front tire slips off the ramp and bonks the front fender! Ugh, nothing is ever PERFECT.

btw, thanks Scooterworks for having everything I needed in stock. You care for my needs.

Another (new) workspace

2010-05-17T02:08:00.001-05:00

Lately I've been putting off the supercharger to attend to more immediate needs, namely my work space.
I spent a lot of time just getting rid of junk in the garage and basement to make room for my stuff.
Finally, I've arranged everything in the garage to be functional and efficient as well as repairing my lathe and building a scooter work stand.
The stand was a "weekend project" that ended up taking 40hrs and a couple hundred bucks, but it's so worth it not having to crawl around on the floor while working on the scooters. And as usual, I went way overkill on the construction, casters, height levelers, forged eye bolts, grip tape, aluminum machined parts, ect..
Now that the work space is in order, It's time to get back to making scooter parts, The best damn scooter parts I can make.

Really small superchargers

2010-02-20T19:42:00.010-06:00

So I'm back from chilly, snowbound and slushy Indianapolis!
I went with high hopes and returned with:

Sore feet

A lighter wallet

Better camera skills

Awesome industry contacts

And a whole lot of hope for the future.

As per 2009, I took along a prototype of a new product idea, It's a supercharger for under 250cc 4 stroke scooters and small motorcycles, specifically the Madass125. But because of the nature of the design, it should be easy to adapt to other vehicles also.

To give you a sense of scale, the impeller is 2" in diameter and the inlet to the compressor housing is a diminutive 1.1"

If time allows, I'll have a fully functional prototype in a month.

Indy Dealer Expo 10'

2010-02-04T10:21:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again, time to hoof it around the Indy Dealer Expo and check out all the new and interesting products. As usual, I'll be helping Steve at The Scooter Scoop by manning the camera. This will be the third year I've gone and I'm just as excited to go this year as the first year. Last year I tried to throw together a last-minute prototype of a part I was thinking about producing but didn't get much interest but that's ok because it was a total learning experience. This year will be much the same, I'm going to try and take some time off from my busy schedule of making stuff for other people to throw together a prototype of an idea I've had in my head for a very long time.. and hopefully show it around and get some feedback from people in the industry.

BST Blackstone's Carbon fiber 12" wheel

Getting comfortable..

2009-12-09T13:25:00.002-06:00

Recently I was going through some photos from about 2 years ago
and I came up with this,

It's a tachometer mount I made for a vintage Sun tach
meant to mount to the steering column of a Model-A.

The car(and tach mount) belong to Ryan Cochran
from the famed Jalopy Journal and the HAMB.

Making cool parts for guys who are REALLY passionate
about their equipment is one of the things I really miss about Texas.

New Job

2009-10-25T21:04:00.000-05:00

I started a new job(3rd one this year) at A&M Precision Measuring last week.
Liking it so far and it looks as though I'll have the leeway to work on the Flying Jackhammer after hours.
I'm happy to have a little more stability in my life after the big move to Seattle, I pretty much moved up here blind with no job and only knowing a handful of people.
But I have to say that a lot of good things have happened since we've arrived.

Settled in Seattle

2009-10-10T17:23:00.001-05:00

After a 2300 mile drive and two days of unpacking and

storing our stuff, We've finally settled in.

Now my main goal in to find a nice steady and

hopefully interesting job here.

Monday I'm going to take a little time to stop by and

see all the shops I'vebeen reading about lately.

CNC work

2009-09-26T11:46:00.001-05:00

Lately I've been really been putting the Haas VF-2 to work making and modifying all sorts of things.

JSF parts for work.......and......Scooter triple trees.

Designing and making parts for high-performance vehicles

is what I love doing.

Makin' the donuts

2009-09-07T21:50:00.003-05:00

Just your average everyday run of the mill jet fighter fuel pump..

Engineering eye candy

2009-09-02T12:57:00.005-05:00

This past week I took off for a short vacation and along the way we visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in DC. I spent four and a half hours skimming over everything and I tried to take pictures of everything worth studying later. The design and construction of this type of machinery produces a form of unintentional art in my opinion.

ASM Gallery

Progress

2009-08-21T19:08:00.003-05:00

Cleaned up the titanium swing arms and the wheel spider today. I'm really happy with the finish that garnet blasting leaves.

The Flying Jackhammer

2009-08-19T09:35:00.008-05:00

The custom scooter rebuild is getting more attention this week with the remaking and repairing of the front suspension. I've managed to straighten the slightly tweaked titanium wheel center, lighten the Ti swing arms and clean up the aluminum wheel hub pieces. Also remade the stainless swing-arm pivot axle while I was at it. Still have a few more parts to rehab but not many.

I thought I'd model the front end as solids in the process of rebuilding everything, That way I can brush up on SW a bit.

Moving again

2009-07-25T23:44:00.006-05:00

Well, Em and I are moving to Seattle and possibly Portland in the next 2 months. I'm pretty excited and looking forward to living somewhere else besides Texas for awhile. The PNW it seems, has a lot going on as far as advanced vehicle development and I'm hoping to be a part of it somehow. DP Cars and MotoCzysz are developing interesting high performance vehicles for sure and there seems to be a wealth of experience in the region working with composites as well as machining. I suppose Boeing can take credit for that.
Last week I started disassembling the front end of my wrecked scooter. The front end is pretty much the only thing preventing it from being rideable again and in the process I've redesigned it to accept a 12" wheel and tire as well as a much lighter monoshock. USM has graciously allowed me to remake the parts as needed and I'll have this project up and running before the move if everything goes well.
I can't wait to get moved and settled in so I can start getting back down to doing what I like.

Change of Address

2009-05-02T15:12:00.002-05:00

About a month ago I was laid off from my position as a model maker at VisualCNC in Austin due to a serious slow-down in work, Which I personally believe could have been avoided by a little preemptive marketing.. But no matter, I was lucky enough to get laid off right before USM needed a replacement model maker in Houston.
So, USM is a great opportunity for me to expand my horizons a bit. I'll be in a similar situation as I was at Flyrite, They need someone that can set up and run a cnc operation from the ground up. Granted, They do have a couple of top rate manual machinist with some cnc experience but I'll be the master of my domain(er, corner). USM is just the kind of shop I like best, Varied. They have the facilities for cnc, welding, model making, painting, fdm rapid prototyping and engineering. They lack in the cad/cam and cnc arena but thats why its a good situation for me. I can help.
I've also had to move to Houston for this new job which has me leaving behind my home shop for awhile until I can find better facilities to conduct my research into composites.. And Em and I are taking a 2 week trip to Europe in the middle of May so I have little time for side projects at least for the time being. I will however be visiting as many automotive and scooter related operations as the itinerary will allow... pictures and posts pending.

Baby steps

2009-03-27T09:41:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been busy taking care of other things and putting the carbon fiber parts on the back burner so to speak but I've not stopped thinking about new methods and materials I'd like to try out.
creation of a decent mold has been a challenge but I think I've got a decent grasp on it.. essentially I tried treating the mold creation as the same as the part layup and well, it kinda' works but the mold seems to need a few tweaks to get a decent surface finish, which is pretty hard to achieve when dealing with the wet lay-up method.

One interesting product thats come up lately is Oxeon's line of reinforcements. These are really just a different type of weave it seems, They differ in that they are woven in a much larger tow or "ribbon" if you will. The appearance is more like a checkered flag look rather than a fabric. The idea is to create a clothe with more fibers running straight instead of curving in and out of one another. Seems like a good idea. I would like to try weaving some 1\2 inch wide carbon uni-tape into a cloth and try it in a layup.

It's becoming clear that 29 inches of vacuum is not ideal for bagging parts, I need more pressure than what atmospheric pressure can apply so I'm looking at creating a small pressure chamber that I can at least double the pressure in, say 30psi would be a nice improvement and I would'nt need to make it out of steel, though that would be nice. I think also it might leave the part with smaller voids do to the compressing nature of positive pressure as opposed to vacuum.
So, I think I'll try one more time to create a better mold and layup some parts using a positive pressure environment.

Time and money allowing, I'll be making great progress.

2nd step

2009-02-22T22:53:00.014-06:00

The Indy Dealer Expo turned out to be very fruitful for myself, I fulfilled all my expectations and then some this year. If last year was an opportunity to experience and learn what this event is all about then this year was my opportunity to act on what I'd learned last year and of course learn more. As always, My main purpose was to be a second set of eyes and ears for Steve and The Scooter Scoop, A duty I feel fortunate to be able to perform.
As for my carbon fiber parts, I was able to produce a mold and a prototype part that I took with me and showed to a few people that seemed interested. I got back some interesting and useful criticisms, some of which I found very useful. Some new ideas were spawned during this trip as well.
In the mad rush to make something I could take with me to the show, I learned a lot about working with composites. I made a few mistakes that caused me to think harder about what this process needs to be successful and this week I'm committed to remaking a higher quality set of molds than what I had. I also learned about a neat little trick to achieve a better surface finish with epoxy. All in all, making these parts is going to be a lot more work than what I had imagined but I believe in making nothing but the best parts I can possibly produce otherwise I just don't want to do it. time will tell if I can support myself doing this but till then I am giving it my best shot.

After getting back to Austin I stopped by a friend's house and installed this prototype on his scooter for long term testing. The fit was excellent and the weight reduction from the stock part is amazing. I'll be making a few more for testing this week and start putting together my game plan for a legal business. I can't wait to make replacements of larger parts on the Vespa P-range to see how far I can push the envelope of weight reduction. The notion of making a full carbon fiber P frame is very attractive.

At the Expo

2009-02-15T08:16:00.003-06:00

Well, I'm here at the expo and thoroughly enjoying myself. I've seen quite a few new products that are very interesting like a 12" carbon fiber wheel by BST Blackstone that isn't currently imported to the U.S. Of course it's hard to get more info from the guy manning the both on account that he is being mobbed by tens of gawkers buggin' out on the GP wheels but I did managed to get from him that they are something made for the mini-Gp bikes that are raced in Japan like NSR50's and the like... Very interesting indeed, I can easily see these being adapted to any number of scooters, you know, if someone just happens to have the cash to $pend on these items.
I've been very fortuneate this year to have Steve from The Scooter Scoop introducing me to people in the scooter industry and letting me tag along to after parties and what-not, I'm doing my best to listen and learn from what these people have to say. It's entertaining to listen to stories of drunken scooter rally debauchery as well!
All in all this has been totally worth the time,money and trouble. I'm getting all that I hoped and more out of this trip.

DOH!

2009-01-28T23:53:00.003-06:00

Ok, well I have deduced that catalyzed urethane clear and 2 part urethane molding material definitely do not mix!
I was thinking it would be convenient to make the mold from D-shore urethane over the plug but the heat generated by the curing was damaging to the clear coat on the plug... (sigh). So, time to refinish the plug and try making a mold from standard epoxy and fiberglass.....Like I should have from the start! Live and learn. I suppose I have it pretty good though, There is a plethora of information on these sorts of processes on the internet so who am I to complain.

Plug making

2009-01-19T12:03:00.003-06:00

Well, the carbon fiber and resin arrived on time from AVT and I'm about half done with making the plug so I need to get that done STAT! Tonight I'll be doing that and making test coupons of various combinations of fiber reinforcements.
Speaking of AVT, My first order from them went very well, they are helpful, well mannered and do what they say.. Also very knowledgeable about composites. I was apprehensive about ordering from a smaller shop but they have given me no reason to complain. It's half way across the country but worth it to get good service.
Last night I got to talking with a friend of mine in the scooter industry and we were throwing around different ideas and boy, I'm really excited about the possibilities I have in front of me! so many ideas, so little time....
I heard a quote last night that I'm fond of, "If you are working for a living, then why kill yourself working". True enough, but to me there might be a deeper meaning, as in "If you're working towards happiness, Then why not work at doing what makes you happy?"

Step 1

2009-01-12T10:42:00.002-06:00

The Carbon fiber and resin are on the way, should be here by the end of the week. I ordered some of the best quality resins and reinforcements I could find that are commonly available to mere mortals... TETA catalyst is something that ships ground only due to it's hazardous nature but you know what they say right? "good things come to those who wait" heh.
In addition to carbon fiber, I am going to make a few parts using a relatively new material to this industry but certainly not new to any self-respecting Geologist, Basalt! Basalt fibers woven into an interesting textile to be exact. claimed properties are to exceed that of aerospace s-glass at a lower cost with much higher heat tolerance. The appearance is quite interesting as well, imagine "woven magnesium" if there were such a thing.
I'll be adding a few pictures to these posts soon as well.

Carbon Fiber and the Indy Dealer Expo

2009-01-07T14:45:00.004-06:00

So I've been given the opportunity to once again attend the Indy Dealer Expo. If that doesn't sound familiar, don't feel bad. It's a convention for the manufacturers, dealers and retailers of all things scooter,motorcycle and "power sports" related. Last year I went to help my friend Steve scout products for his blog The Scooter Scoop. I'll be going again for the same reason this year but I've decided it's an excellent opportunity to put some of my product ideas in front of the heavy-hitters in the scooter industry. So to that end, I've chosen to focus on carbon fiber parts for Vespa P-series scooters, initially a light weight replacement for the shifter box cover. My task entails ordering the materials, making a mold and producing a small number of samples before the show which is in(gulp) FIVE WEEKS!.. Fine if you have a full time gig making these kinds of parts but I don't have that luxury, I'll really have to bust my but to get some made and I'll have to do it at night after work but I'm committed to this so here we go...
The engineering on these parts is non-existent since it's just a cover and a non-critical component. Making a mold should be fairly straight forward and I already have the tools for vacuum bagging parts. Now all I need is to order the carbon, s-glass and the resins, start making the mold while waiting for the materials and start thinking about flight and hotels. If anything, the critical feature of these parts is that they look really good.
I sat down the other day and did a cost analysis on a small run of parts and even at 40 pcs. I'll be doing well so that's a nice little bonus there..If I happen to sell them of course! And there is already a company in Germany selling the same thing so there is an established demand for such things. My main advantage in this market is that I can make a much better quality part, cheaper and the customer won't have to order them from Germany.
I'm excited about this, It will be my first attempt at conquering the whole enchilada on my own, concept, prototype, production and marketing..

blogger

2009-01-05T18:38:00.000-06:00

First order of business today: Create a blog space...
check