Production Techniques Part VI.....

admin

Hey guys,Here's another ditty I started on a couple months ago. Has an interesting story. A biker friend, a LARGE biker friend, who is a fishing nut, came to the shop to get an aluminum gas grill welded that had the left shelf brackets break. During the prep/repair, we were discussing fishing & he related that it was such a shame that no more metal fishing tackle were made....only plastic. I told him I couldn't believe that. He said it is true.So, later that evening I went online..........YUP! He was right. There were a couple custom manufacturers that made them, although, EXPENSIVE!!!!!!! Kinda tailored for the serious pro fisherman who had the $$$$$$ & didn't care cost. I did find a few steel & alum. ones on E-Bay that were made in the '60's & got grabbed quick. Hmmmmm.......interesting. Another thing was that there were no "small" lure/fly vest-type metal boxes that had the separators inside, kinda like those small plastic assorted screw/nut boxes that places like HF sell.I told him I would see what it would take to fab one & the time involved to determine a price that would be reasonable. Anyway, I knew I could bulk cut material, do the bends like some of threads I posted, & the issue was the separator. Went down to my buddy Chucks' "tin shop" & he gave me some 21ga leftover aluminum material & I cut them into strips. Now I had to figure out how to make the separators. I needed to be able to adjust the lengths for different size boxes I wanted make.  BINGO!  Got it. It worked nicely.Ok, here's the pics. The pics are kinda self-explanantory, so if you have any questions, I'll explain in detail. These are the vest pocket units. I'll post the large box in another thread when I finish it. I'm gonna need to post (4) groups of pics as there are 20. PLEASE WAIT TILL ALL (4) POSTS ARE ON!!!!!!!Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:2nd Group....Gonna be (2) more, so wait a bit....Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:3rd Group.....One more coming....Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Perfect for TIG parts too.
Reply:Last Group....Hope these will give you all some ideas on "metal manipulation" for some project or difficult application you may encounter. BTW, I've been attaching the separators with a small dab of JB Weld since I didn't want to put any more rivets or weld on the box. JB works good, no mess, & strong.Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Thats pretty cool!! And if I might ask, whats the going rate on one of those boxes?[Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:very nice Yorkie--u ol dog well done ( now for Billy the commercial guru--buy it now for 49.90 and we will include a pocket fisherman) sorry i had to say that  you allways do a good job of explaining and photos  again great jobLast edited by prop-doctor; 10-06-2011 at 06:52 PM.idealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:couldnt you just make a jig to hold the dividers in place while you tig weld the dividers in, then remove the holding jig...   seems like it would save you time and material..tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:Very Nice, thanks for sharing.
Reply:Hey guys,Thanks. I like to show techniques that may come in handy for someone one day.Lanse: I sell these for $65/ea. The first (20) I made were sold in one weekend. I have (45) on order from (7) different sporting goods shops. They want the large ones asap, so I have my work cut out for a couple weeks in between other jobs.Brucer: If you re-read the last post, I indicated I did not want to do any more riveting or welding on the units. Actually, it would take more time to make a fixture, fixture all the pieces in place, & TIG them in than to simply make the 1pc. separator inserts with a dab of JB. Being in production design all my career, I always do an in-depth evaluation & prototypes to find the most cost-effective solution & attempt to keep costs to a minimum or at least reasonable. Price sells. So far, no complaints on price. The other fascinating response I got was that the fellows wanted to have something long-lasting to pass down their children/grandkids & plastic wasn't good enough nor as durable. Interesting, eh?DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:In the Marines, when things got slow in the shop (aircraft sheet metal) they would encourage us to make boxes and such from the scrap bin. Good practice. Back then it was usually boxes to hold our audio cassettes, but the most popular thing to make for others was a tri-fold clipboard holder. Usually for officers and staff ncos who had to walk around with paper in their hands to look busy. The clipboard was in the middle of course, sides were connected with piano hinge and it was all 6061 usually which we took a jitterbug with some scotchbright to.Lincoln Square Wave 175
Reply:Once again Denny nice idea. You seem to have a good knack for coming up with the hot products. My Dad would like something like this. Better get more TIG practice in!! 200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:I'm calling bunkiss because that table is just waaaayyy to clean to have ever been welded on. Welding Supervisor Department of Corrections.
Reply:Originally Posted by yorkiepapHey guys,Lanse: I sell these for $65/ea. The first (20) I made were sold in one weekend. I have (45) on order from (7) different sporting goods shops. They want the large ones asap, so I have my work cut out for a couple weeks in between other jobs.Denny
Reply:Hey guys,Big65mopar:  You cannot imagine the welding done on that table. I keep it CLEAN.....never a grounding issue, surface smooth to avoid misalignment, & keeps all my jigs nice & flat doing a production job. I just like to keep all my equipment clean & shop in order that saves quite a bit of time not hunting "stuff" down. "'Ol school", I guess.....got to be a habit.4sfed:  The pictured ones are 4" X 8" X 1.5"(ID), the larger ones not pictured are 4" X 12" X 1.5". I decided to just make the (2) sizes as they seem to fill the needs of the fishin' guys & fit into their vests with ease. The large tackle box is gonna be the same size as the first prototype toolbox I made & gave to my son. The tackle boxes will have tray separators. The pics of the large box were taken before I had TIG welded the corners & never took any after as my son took the box to Fla. when he left. The large box is 18"L X 10"W X 8"H(ID) & the tray has a small lift handle for removal. I think with the conversion of the tray for separators, I'll add (2) small lift handles on each side so the separators won't have to be modified around a handle in the middle of the tray.BTW, the 4" X 12" units are $75, & I haven't put a price on the large box as I have to make another prototype & record operations/time/material. Oh, & the guys want the polished alum. diamondplate boxes & not plain alum. Picky bunch, eh? I'll start posting the large one as I get started on it in progression of build.DennyAddendum.....I pulled a "senior moment".....forgot the pics.... duuuhhhhh! Attached ImagesLast edited by yorkiepap; 10-09-2011 at 01:04 PM.Complete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Are you planning to go nation wide or is there an opportunity for regional fabrications?Again you hit the money sweet spot Denny.I thiink I'll make a couple of the small one for my taps. I have an old tin tobacco one with two parts that works ok, but no compartments. This will do the trick as now I need both SAE and metric taps. Tractor is metric and so is the lathe so have to keep some around.How did you bend those small boxes?BTW I still have my dad's old metal fishing box. I have a plastic one too but the metal one still gets the use.......Again another great job and thanks for sharing.Glenn.Sign on East Texas payphone: Calls to God 40 cents......it's a local call...