Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Vacuum Obituary #2

In not-so-loving memory...

Vacuum # 2 lived and worked a mere 2.3% of the time Shop Vac, whose obituary is here, lived and worked. Vacuum # 2 was definitely not faithful or assertive. Gritty, yes, in a timorous sort of way. Alas, it was laid to rest at the bottom of a big dumpster, now covered with paint cans and moldy bunk cushions. So be it.

Kuewa's bottom is sanded to a near perfect finish and was washed with water and scrubber. After the round of rain that is on its way clears out, I will wipe down with acetone and then apply one coat a day of epoxy barrier coat for five days.

The new stainless steel water tank is near completion and yesterday I moved the traveler horse from the welding shop in Alameda to the electro polishers in Oakland. Electro-polishing submerges the part in a liquid bath with an electrical charge which creates an anti-corrosive and more attractive finish on the stainless by removing iron molecules from a thin layer of the surface, leaving behind the chromium and nickle. Pretty slick, and a lot cheaper than having the welding shop polish with compound and electric tool for two days.