The Side Hustle Thread (split from Bees with AZD)

September 16th, 2015 at 12:48:37 PM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
Quote: Evenbob
I know a guy who goes to scrap yards and auctions
and buy old metal parts from cars and whatever,
and makes yard sculptures out of them. Lots of
welding and cutting torch stuff, he gets hundreds
for them. Been doing it for 20 years. Looks a lot
like these.


I love that stuff. A customer on my route has a number in his yard.

I kind of have it on the back burner of my mind. Between money and not wanting junk in my yard / garage, I haven't moved on it. But I think racing is going to open that door. I see there coming a time when I have a "parts car", and said car will only serve the race car to a point. That's gonna leave a whole bunch of "garbage" that I don't need and don't know how to get rid of. This is a way to get rid of it, and maybe even turn it into extra cash.

Love how he incorporated musical intruments =)
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
September 16th, 2015 at 12:58:34 PM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
Some ideas: apolgies for my keyboard.

Teardrop trailer... one man in Idaho or Nebraska or somewhere like that builds one each winter. His barn is warm and he sure ain't gonna trek nowhere with ten feet of snow on the ground. So he builds one and people send him emails telling him how they will use it and he then selects the lucky purchaser. I think its about a grand and he offers options sometimes since each year a convention held in California displays all the nifty "must haves" that other people have selected for themselves such as privacy dressing room/showers, sheltered kitchen area, longer sliding pull forward bed, one-piece wall-to-wall carpeting for four dollars, etc.

garden/yard bench that is also a storage box for hoses, spades, etc. and basic fire fighting equipment.

bbq setup such as might be seen at a large event rather than just someone's back yard setup. The National Guard often rents these large pancake and ribs units to major charity events, but you could probably build one cheaper than even one event's rental price.

refurbish golf carts? repair those plastic-wire thingies that are supposed to cut grass, some are gas operated, others battery.

and remember the local Sheriff ... the Sheriff's Search and Rescue Posse needs pick up trucks, station wagons and ATVs/Quad bikes to be maintained in top notch condition for insurance purposes. Sometimes its just a windshield wash and a battery charge and tire pressure test that is needed and that is pretty simple for five bucks an hour.
September 16th, 2015 at 1:13:43 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Quote: Face


Love how he incorporated musical intruments =)


Those aren't his, but he does use instruments.
He uses a lot of old garden tools, like rakes
and hoe's and scythes, and lots of old bicycle
parts too. He mostly makes really odd looking metal
people and animals in ingenious ways.











If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
September 16th, 2015 at 1:39:59 PM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Face
Is there something that makes it difficult? I had to do the same thing, and I was super glad I did it. It was a right PITA working with the thick 12-2 line, don't get me wrong. But it was another in a long line of projects that left me with a huge feeling of accomplishment. And other than the difficulties of threading that thick line, it was otherwise a piece of cake and I now have a legit 220 plug in my garage for welder, air comp, whatever the hell I want.


A few things. One is getting my brother to help where needed. Second is even after we put in a new service the whole thing is a mess I am getting tired of dealing with. I am already thinking in terms of "next house." I will wait until my real estate empire gets a little built, but maybe get 1/2-1 acre where I can build a smaller place, rental unit on site, huge bee/garden area, and several garages for cars and shop. Big thing is I want to be near town but not have a yard to maintain to HOA-type standards. Maybe the kind of place on a busy road to allow me to market goods and services. But I ramble.

Quote:
Can I ask why? Maybe I'll learn something.


Yes you can ask. No, you will not learn something. His logic, and this is a quote, was "water and electricity do not mix!" I quenched in the class who knows how many times. We both know the water will just boil off, we both know that our welding gloves and the handle holding the stick insulate the circuit and we both know the statement is crazy. But as I have said, when we work together it is "American Chopper" in no time and I was just practice welding scrap so I let it go.


Quote:
Know your customer. When I made mine, I displayed it with a bunch of empty BBQ sauce flasks I had. I love that stuff, so seeing that appealed to me more than the "pretty" wine bottles. Grandma, she'd want the bright colors of the pics I've linked. Rough drunks in B-lo? JD might be just the ticket to score an order ;)


I doubt it will sell, but some kid just said he would buy a box made of lathe from me. I was out cutting the stuff to make some small planter boxes to hopefully sell. Kids see me using a chop saw and come back when I was cleaning up. Asked if I was an "inventor." Told them what I was building. Kids in awe. Never hurts to get some manly-cred with the street kids.
The President is a fink.
September 16th, 2015 at 1:42:18 PM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Evenbob
Those aren't his, but he does use instruments.
He uses a lot of old garden tools, like rakes
and hoe's and scythes, and lots of old bicycle
parts too. He mostly makes really odd looking metal
people and animals in ingenious ways.






Maybe Face has seen it, but there used to be a place on the NYS Thruway that had a yardfull of stuff like this. The state even put "NO STOPPING" signs out to keep people from checking it out. Was near Syracuse.
The President is a fink.
September 16th, 2015 at 2:09:47 PM permalink
petroglyph
Member since: Aug 3, 2014
Threads: 25
Posts: 6227
Quote: Face
Is there something that makes it difficult? I had to do the same thing, and I was super glad I did it. It was a right PITA working with the thick 12-2 line, don't get me wrong. But it was another in a long line of projects that left me with a huge feeling of accomplishment. And other than the difficulties of threading that thick line, it was otherwise a piece of cake and I now have a legit 220 plug in my garage for welder, air comp, whatever the hell I want.
If you actually installed #12 conductor, it is too small. Is that a 30 or 50 amp plug for the welder? It also is most likely 3 wire or 4 wire, if you used 12-2, what did you leave out?

AZD, I made a 75 foot extension cord for my welder, and mounted my 220amp lincoln on a repurposed lawn mower cart. Tray for chipping hammer, rod, brush, gloves, etc. It has arms to wind up the heavy cord, and sits neatly waiting for the next use. Works great. So now, I can roll the welder about 90 ft. from the wall plug. If you only have the wall plug, you can only reach the length of the plug in cord, maybe 15ft. from your source. So if I want it outside for a trailer or rig that won't fit in the shop, I just roll the welder out. If I had been doing more cutting with a torch, I would have added mounts for oxy/acet. bottles. I scavenge old lawn mower body's for the wheels.

For planter boxes in my homemade green house, we used some wrecked ice chest coolers. They are insulated, have a drain, sturdy handles, and water proof. My friends dad built a little train out of scavenged mower body's, he would have about 5 planter boxes hooked together and roll his tomatoes, in and out in the spring.

As far as dunking hot steel in water/oil, check out annealing metal. Some you want hardened. I think the only time slow cool matters is if you need a certified weld.


Face, on the trailers? You may not care but there is such a thing as "product liability". I think it lasts at least twenty years. I know it probably don't matter, but, what we like to do is scavenge yucky old travel trailers, and throw the top part away. They come with breaks and wiring. One of the best buys we came up with was those pop up trailers that sit in peoples back yards and rot. Great little trailer underneath with high speed axels, breaks lights, and pretty cheap. Sometimes a hundred bucks. That is value that needs a deck, the liability is on the manufacture. They also come with title.


Quote:
Know your customer.
I was thinking the NRA might want to order 50 bottle trees at a time, for practice? : )
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW
September 16th, 2015 at 2:37:43 PM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
Quote: petroglyph
If you actually installed #12 conductor, it is too small. Is that a 30 or 50 amp plug for the welder? It also is most likely 3 wire or 4 wire, if you used 12-2, what did you leave out?


Hell, man, we're way out of my expertise. I'm garbage with electricity, I just went off advice from those who supposedly know. It's a 50a plug, and there was nothing apparent that I left out. One hot, one cold, one ground. I dunno. It works, doesn't get hot, doesn't trip the breaker. Where I come from, that's a job well done and damn the inspector ;)

Quote: petro

Face, on the trailers? You may not care but there is such a thing as "product liability". I think it lasts at least twenty years. I know it probably don't matter, but, what we like to do is scavenge yucky old travel trailers, and throw the top part away. They come with breaks and wiring. One of the best buys we came up with was those pop up trailers that sit in peoples back yards and rot. Great little trailer underneath with high speed axels, breaks lights, and pretty cheap. Sometimes a hundred bucks. That is value that needs a deck, the liability is on the manufacture. They also come with title.


Liability crossed my mind, though I don't have much concern of building a bunk product. I figured that was something I could look into when I was in the position of being able to do the project.

And I do have old trailers in my head. I almost built one long ago, figuring I could just trash a pop-up and put some plate down for an easy build. I've just never seen one for $100 or thereabouts.


Quote: petro
I was thinking the NRA might want to order 50 bottle trees at a time, for practice? : )


Doubt it. Half the guns I own would destroy the tree itself, should it happen to soak a round. Maybe .22's and .17's and the like, but my Mosin punches holes in 1/2" plate.
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
September 16th, 2015 at 2:55:09 PM permalink
petroglyph
Member since: Aug 3, 2014
Threads: 25
Posts: 6227
Quote: Face
Doubt it. Half the guns I own would destroy the tree itself, should it happen to soak a round. Maybe .22's and .17's and the like, but my Mosin punches holes in 1/2" plate.
I believe this is the one from a hunter who punched a whole in the Alaska Pipeline, with one round from his .338. A very popular round up there.

This photo also reinforces why I think a lot of the tair rist threat is bunk. For less than a hundred dollars and transportation, the pipline, and the elec. grid could be shut down. If bad guys "were" intent on doing us severe harm, it is just too easy. And now we invite them by the tens of thousands?

That is 5/8 hardened steel and a 4ft. pipe. I have heard it said that. If during the cold of winter the flow is stopped and that crude is allowed to congeal in the pipe, the oil will never flow through it again. It sludges up like Jello and won't flow. That pipe is 800 miles long and secluded for most of it.

correction: Thickness of the pipeline wall: .462 inches (466 miles) & .562 inches (334 miles)
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW
September 16th, 2015 at 3:33:36 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Quote: Face
Hell, man, we're way out of my expertise. I'm garbage with electricity, I just went off advice from those who supposedly know.
.


My brother in law is an electrical engineer
and he says the best advice is never do
anything with both hands when dealing with
live wires. Never give the juice a chance
to pass thru your chest cavity. Always
wear rubber soled shoes.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
September 16th, 2015 at 4:00:33 PM permalink
petroglyph
Member since: Aug 3, 2014
Threads: 25
Posts: 6227
Quote: Evenbob
My brother in law is an electrical engineer
and he says the best advice is never do
anything with both hands when dealing with
live wires. Never give the juice a chance
to pass thru your chest cavity. Always
wear rubber soled shoes.


If that doesn't work, consider turning off the juice and grounding it. Like the sign says, "if it isn't grounded, isn't dead".

I can't think of anything that actually has to be worked hot. But if it is a matter of money, or convenience, their are people willing to do it energized.

"Work with one hand", that was a joke the union guys used to tell, "one hand for the company, and one hand for yourself" lol

Another one the old journeyman would tell the new guys when up hundreds of feet and having to urinate out from a tower, " don't lean back, your not hanging on to much", : ) warning, small pecker joke
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW