The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby KCStudly » Thu Apr 19, 2018 9:17 pm

Thanks Brotherman Michael! I have a little more progress on the fridge lid "in the can" (pics in camera) from last weekend, but haven't downloaded them yet.

Pool team took 12 to 3 points last night from 6 pts out of the lead, so we could possibly be in front now! I made a little half tube shaper out of some thin wall tubing about the same diameter as a dime and reshaped the new tip to a tighter radius than my stone shaper could get. That made it easier to get more consistent english on the cue ball with only slightly more risk of miscuing. Swept my match for 3 pts (a big relief after losing the last 2 matches outright).

Glad to hear that you are getting stuff done on your build (... cuz that implies that you are in good health, getting stronger, and progress is always a good thing). Quality time with friends and family is always a blessing. :D :thumbsup: :applause:

I'm still having trouble getting the ball rolling again like it used to be, so all encouragement is very welcome.
KC
My Build: The Poet Creek Express Hybrid Foamie

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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby KCStudly » Thu Apr 19, 2018 11:56 pm

Motivated by Michael's post, I dumped the camera and stayed up late to update.

Made a little more progress on the fridge lid last Saturday. (First I made a half round inside tubular file for shaping my cue stick tip to a dime radius.)

Started by pulling the temporary dams off of the underside of the lid blank.
Image

I started to hand sand the excess back, but after a full week (or more?) curing the glass was good and hard; so I ended up clamping the panel on edge to my small scaffolding (bench like, but with no top overhang) and using the powered hand belt sander.
Image

The underside where the temporary dam was located had a bit of shine to it and some very minor epoxy wicking that was not flush, so I scuffed that up, too. The screw holes from the temporary dam will have to be filled before glassing, but you can see that this method keeps a nice crisp edge to laminate to with no concern about exposing raw wood when sanding back or finishing the corner.
Image

Next I used the same chamfering setup on the router table to cut the chamfer around the rear sides and top rear edge of the lid where it wants to be crisp to the control panel and vent grill aft of the lid hinge on the fridge, shown here with the temporary dam already installed (I had to fire up the table saw to rip a clean edge to proper width for the dam).
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I picked up a second set of epoxy pumps so that I could set up the ‘fast’ hardener without having to clean and swap pumps from the 'slow'. Now I can pick or choose which to use based on the weather and/or scale of job with less hassle.

For the small batch in relatively warm weather I figured I could get away with the ‘fast’. The hardener came out very dark red, but I had already researched enough to know that West System attributes this to long term storage conditions in the can, and does not consider it to be a quality concern for use.

I used a two pump batch plus filler, which turned out to be way too much. I am well out of practice, but got the chamfer filled none the less.
Image

The 1/2 inch or so of fast thick leftover in the cup started to get pretty hot, to where I couldn't hold the bottom for very long, so I placed it out on a metal surface away from the barn (didn't want to burn my s**t or Karl's business to the ground).

Doesn’t seem like much progress, but made a stink and I was itching to try my new cue tip shape, so I knocked off after just about 3-1/2 hrs work (very slow by my previous standard, I know).
KC
My Build: The Poet Creek Express Hybrid Foamie

Poet Creek Or Bust
Engineering the TLAR way - "That Looks About Right"
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby DaddyJeep » Fri Apr 20, 2018 1:41 pm

KCStudly wrote:Pool team took 12 to 3 points last night from 6 pts out of the lead, so we could possibly be in front now! I made a little half tube shaper out of some thin wall tubing about the same diameter as a dime and reshaped the new tip to a tighter radius than my stone shaper could get. That made it easier to get more consistent english on the cue ball with only slightly more risk of miscuing. Swept my match for 3 pts (a big relief after losing the last 2 matches outright)..


I shot terrible pool myself this week. I am heading to Ohio tonight for regional playoffs in my TAP league so I really need to turn things around.
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby KCStudly » Fri Apr 20, 2018 3:27 pm

Good luck in the playoffs DJ!

I think shaping the new tip did more for my game because I have gotten good enough to take advantage of it. I always used to like the center of my tip to be a little flatter because it was more forgiving of miscues on big power breaks, but now that I have a dedicated break cue I can keep that one with less dome (rhino hide) and round the water buffalo on my playing stick over a bit more.

Either that or I just managed to not let myself get so psyched out. :? I have learned to look for signs of nervousness and/or frustration in my opponent. It boosts my confidence level and calms me down to know they are just as nervous as I am. I try all the time to help settle my teammates down when they are showing anger or frustration. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy, making something happen in a negative way because we are being negative. Try to be positively confident, and don't let your opponent catch any whiff of nerves or frustration; it can only hurt you and help them.
Last edited by KCStudly on Wed Aug 19, 2020 7:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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My Build: The Poet Creek Express Hybrid Foamie

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Engineering the TLAR way - "That Looks About Right"
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby KCStudly » Sun Apr 22, 2018 9:03 am

I didn’t take very many pics today, so I will try to narrate as best that I can.

Started early than lately, but still didn’t get to the shop until noon or so. Had a quick chat with Karl and then got right to it. Weather was nice, cool and dry.

Started by unscrewing the temporary dam from the back edge of the fridge lid, and prized it away using the straight edged steak knife.

Felt ambitious enough to hand sand all of the high stuff down using the small hand block with 60 grit.

Next I traced around the lid onto some of the rosin paper to make a pattern. I figured that would enable me to get the glass cloth prepped while I was waiting for the 3-min epoxy filler for the screw holes to cure.

Then I mixed up a small batch (about 1-1/4 inch long squirts) of 3-min epoxy out of tubes, and thickened it slightly with the 410 West fairing filler.

Used that to fill all of the screw holes from the temporary flock dams… except, apparently one, that I missed.

While that was curing I pulled out my scraps of 6oz glass weave cut offs and found a piece large enough to cover the top and sides of the lid. There were a couple of triangular cut offs that were large enough to get a second ply, but I would have to be careful to not end up with a bulge at the diagonal seam.

Once the 3-min had cured I sanded that back and found that I had either missed a screw hole (most likely) or had not filled it well enough and it popped out when sanding (didn’t seem likely based on the lack of epoxy in the general area).

I shaved down a bamboo skewer using the utility knife to fit tight into the screw hole, and used the 1/4 wide chisel to trim the skewer almost flush. Then a little light sanding with the small hard block. I think that method was even easier than the 3-min epoxy!

I found a cardboard box the right size to hold the fridge lid up off of the bench so that I could drape the cloth over.

Then I taped the rosin paper pattern onto the bench.
Image

Next I taped some of the 6 mil plastic sheet over that (no pic), and traced out the top edge of the lid on that using black sharpie to help me get the glass lined up on the lid during the transfer (no pic).

The glass cloth I had prepped ran right to the edge of the plastic, so I figured I would just wet the cloth out a bit farther than the rosin paper and not run off the edge of the plastic; it was a bit tighter than I have done in the past, but I was not interested in wasting material for perfection on this crude of a fridge.

Calculated the area of cloth vs. expected qty of resin (about 19 x 22 inches, by 2 layers of 6 oz cloth; times about 1.5 rich; 1x rich for the cloth and 1/2x for wetting out the wood and foam, divide by 36 twice for square yards, times 12oz for the weight of two plies and I got about a 5.8oz batch size). Six pumps each of resin and slow hardener is about 5.4 oz, so that is what I shot for.

I had arranged the cloth with the single full piece ply down on the poly so that it would be the homogeneous top ply when applied. Taped it down to the plastic, then placed the two triangular pieces down on top of that and taped them down. At first I forgot, but then remembered to fold the ends of the tape back on themselves to make it easier to pull them up while wearing disposable rubber gloves, while not disturbing the strands of glass. The tape helps keep the glass cloth from pulling out of skew while you are squeegeeing the initial epoxy down, but once most of it has been saturated it gets stable enough to pull the tape and wet out the rest of the corners where the tape had been. I was happy that it worked very well and the diagonal seam stayed nice and flat without pulling apart (no pic).

Next I mixed the epoxy, dumped it onto the glass and used a faux credit card to squeegee it into the cloth. Patience works here. Let it soak in. I ended up having to scrape some of the excess up back into the cup, but that would be put forward into wetting out the panel before transferring the glass. I used a cheap chip brush to paint the excess epoxy onto the panel, but didn’t quite have enough to get all the way around all of the edges; so I mixed up another one pump batch right in the same cup (which is ill advised, but I felt comfortable doing so in the cool weather using the ‘slow’). Turned out that this was more than enough.

From there I lifted the plastic “poor mans pre-preg” (glass laid up on plastic) off of the bench and positioned it onto the lid using the sharpie lines to help line it up (no pic). Squeegeed the top flat surface thru the plastic and then peeled the plastic off carefully.

Went back over the top with the squeegee drawing excess epoxy over the edges and sticking the sides down. Trimmed the rear crisp edge close using my swap meet scissors so that the weight of the excess glass would not “pucker” the edge.
Image

Around the front rounded corners I had to trim the excess glass close to the bottom edge so that it could warp nicely and not lift. Along the long side edges the excess glass helped pull straight down to stay tight and keep the top radius edge from lifting.

I went over it all again pulling any excess epoxy out (so that no strands would float) and used the chip brush (with bristles trimmed short) to poke around all of the edges until I was sure that they were all poked down and would not lift. Poked a few small bubbles off of the surface and cleaned up all of my tools with acetone.

With the little bit of resin I had left (about 3/4 of a squirt) I sucked up some into a syringe and squirted it into the bubble that I had prepped on the street side wall of the cabin. Palpitated the bubble to try and burp all of the air out and left a big puddle over each vent hole to see if it would seep in while a finished cleaning up. There was still a lot of resin floating around there, so I spooned a bit of fairing filler right onto the side (remember that my cabin is still laying on its curb side), stirred it around and squeegeed it around right into the two holes. What was left as excess I dragged onto some of the areas on the side wall that still needed to be faired better.

Here is the lid with the 2 plies applied. Note how the weave is well saturated (clear not white) and yet still clearly visible (not floating wet). That is the correct ‘lean’ application to get the maximum strength with minimum weight. Yeah, it doesn’t really matter for a refrigerator lid, but every opportunity to refine our skill is an opportunity to do better next time, so we strive to do so. (I have been watching Alec Steele’s blacksmithing videos on youtube and he inspires a very positive attitude about trial and error to learn to be better).
Image

The front rounded corner with the filled epoxy patch (router bite) didn’t seem to lay down and saturate as easily, but I think it was just the fact that the patch was white in color and it was harder to tell that it had wet out nicely.
Image

I was a little concerned because it had been a long time since I had laid up any glass, but I was thrilled at how well this seemed to go, with a nice lean look and no apparent lifting, fish eyes, or bubbles.

Next, after the cure, I will trim the bottom edge and glass the under side. Then I will decide if I need to add a thin registration profile (bump in) to the underside to help keep the lid aligned on the fridge. Might have to wait and do the hinges first to see how it behaves with just a flat bottom.

Still not sure this is worth all of the effort vs. the $150 cost of a replacement lid, but it is an experience.

Peace out.
Last edited by KCStudly on Mon Apr 23, 2018 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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My Build: The Poet Creek Express Hybrid Foamie

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Engineering the TLAR way - "That Looks About Right"
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby GPW » Mon Apr 23, 2018 6:17 am

KC, all your exemplary efforts only mean that you are really Enjoying yourself … Which this is really all about anyway … :thumbsup:


Ps. we enjoy it too … ;)
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby Atomic77 » Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:57 am

That lid will be way better than the old one! I'm almost jealous that all my glassing is done and I have nothing to lay up anymore! Hard to believe I was laying up carbon fiber almost daily and now I almost forget what it smells like. Almost. The racing days are over for now... I doubt I'll ever be able to put my body through that kind of intensive lifestyle ever again. But... I'm alive. Getting stronger. And building stuff again. I'll post on the Astroliner soon, but I'll be honest; a couple days building, then 4 days recovering and no energy to post. Frustraiting. But keep chipping away Brotherman! As always your quality and craftsmanship is impeccable.
Michael

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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby KCStudly » Thu Apr 26, 2018 3:56 pm

As ever, thanks for the encouragement!

Keep on keeping on!
KC
My Build: The Poet Creek Express Hybrid Foamie

Poet Creek Or Bust
Engineering the TLAR way - "That Looks About Right"
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby KCStudly » Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:48 am

The forsythia has bloomed, the trees are budding out... and my hay fever has kicked into overdrive. No respirator work for me on this beautiful Saturday. :NC :thumbdown:

The realities of working with FG and epoxy.
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My Build: The Poet Creek Express Hybrid Foamie

Poet Creek Or Bust
Engineering the TLAR way - "That Looks About Right"
TnTTT ORIGINAL 200A LANTERN CLUB = "The 200A Gang"
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby Sheddie » Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:54 am

Hi KC, I have just been having a big catch up on everyone's builds. It's good to see that you are getting back in to it again. But like me it looks like you have had too many other projects and distractions.
KCStudly wrote:I have an acquaintance, a friend, that has never been to the nitro drags, and it has been a long time since I have been myself, so I have been trying to organize a trip for a few of us to Epping NH this July; just after the 4th. {Unfortunately historic Englishtown NJ is no longer on the schedule, perhaps due to the shut down area being too short(?).}

Anyway, Karl kind of threw this down as a challenge to get the camper done ("Are you planning on taking the camper?")... even tho I can't imagine it being done by then... it would certainly be a nice goal, and fits within the parameters for why I am building a camper in the first place. Obviously the main goal still remains Poet Creek, but this was a smooth ploy to motivate me and I will be taking it seriously. If not as a realistic goal, then as a carrot to keep things moving along.

Hmm, done in 4 months? Conceivable, not impossible, but would take a very concerted effort. Let's see how things ramp back up and whether it comes to fruition.

When I saw this I thought, "yes I am with Karl on this one". I know for me when I built our TD, if it wasn't for having a date booked for the Cook Straight Ferry Crossing, to attend a car rally in the south Island, our build would have gotten strung out for ages. We have had the same with car restorations, finishing working on them at midnight the day before leaving for a rally. When I haven't had that pressure I have let things drift along.
Anyway keep up the good work and above all enjoy doing it. :applause:
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby KCStudly » Sun Apr 29, 2018 2:57 pm

I know what you mean, Sheddie. I'm not doing very well getting back into the full swing of things, so maybe I can use your encouragement as a pry bar to get this lump moving again!

Speaking of distractions, I had an opportunity to get some awesome scallops "fresh off the boat". Did a little cast iron cooking.

Started by loading up the 12 inch skillet with 1/2 lb of thick cut bacon, cooked in the oven at 400 deg F until crispy. Meanwhile I cubed and boiled about 5 large red potatoes, mashed them with milk and sour cream. To that I added 1/2 a stick of butter that I had used to sauteed about 4 cloves of coarsely chopped garlic and the whites of about 4 scallions. At the last minute I folded in the chopped greens of the scallions and the bacon. Bacon, garlic mashed potatoes.

In the same skillet with the bacon drippings (most of the grease poured off) I added the other 1/2 stick of butter, dried the scallops, seasoned with a little black pepper and seared for about 1-1/2 min each side, just until the flesh tone was barely gone (they carry over a bit, so don't over do it). They came out melt in your mouth tender.

Big bowl of bacon mashed surrounded by buttery fresh scallops.
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Today for lunch I coarsely chopped a few leftover scallops, tossed in a stout honey mustard/mayo sauce that I had made earlier, added a little bit of diced scallion, served on multi-grain toast with more honey mustard and arugula with a Yuengling porter.
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Engineering the TLAR way - "That Looks About Right"
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby Sheddie » Sun Apr 29, 2018 7:15 pm

Here I am, sitting in my truck having lunch, SANDWICHES! And you post that!!! Bxxtxxd :shock:
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby pchast » Sun Apr 29, 2018 8:13 pm

Yup! KC can cook for us any time! :D
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby KCStudly » Mon Apr 30, 2018 6:03 am

:D Thanks guys.

Sheddie, What kind of sandwiches? :lol: :D (Yes, I am a cheeky monkey!)
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My Build: The Poet Creek Express Hybrid Foamie

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Engineering the TLAR way - "That Looks About Right"
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Re: The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

Postby Sheddie » Mon Apr 30, 2018 2:24 pm

Cheese and marmite, peanut butter and apricot jam. :R :picnic: washed down with pure rain water :D
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