Redneck/SF Engineering

[Bill Harsey]

Originally Posted by Jack Moroney

I have several physical aliments that limit my flexibility which occassionally requires me to use a cane and need help getting some types of footgear on.I have come up with a simple solution.* I have attached a hook to the cane that allows me to pull boots on that have loops (which is why I still wear my old chippewa's).* It also come in handy for stability when I need it and provides me a little more reach to take out the occassion smart ass by either slashing him or hooking on to him as a little come along

I like that.

[Dante]

I was tired of going to the doctors for broken fingers because I have had about 4 so I just use popsicle sticks and med tape as a splint, and tape the broken finger to another one to add more straightness. Last one I had healed in about 2 and a half weeks. Not that clever but I found it to be a relief at the time so my parents didn't have to spend 300+ dollars for something I could do myself.

[Razor]

Broken or merely dislocated? If it was actually broken, you'd better pray you had a good (lucky) set, or you'll be paying for it in the future.

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Razor

Broken or merely dislocated? If it was actually broken, you'd better pray you had a good (lucky) set, or you'll be paying for it in the future.

Amen.

And arthritis is a bitch. Trust me on that.

TR

[Dante]

It was broken but not severely. Probably just a small fracture. Might not be the smartest idea but I don't like having a bunch of money spent on me especially for something I don't need. However a better splint could probably be made out of a piece of aluminum and some squishy foam with the proper tools. Right now I can just bend it enough to the point where I can't make a full fist but almost there. Still quite a bit stiff.

[weasel]

Originally Posted by Bill Harsey

Most folks here know I grew up logging, spent years at it. Any of you guys have to handle cable? Sometimes we need to put an eye in one end to attach to other rigging so we can pull on stuff, this is what cable does, it pulls on stuff. Most wire rope is 6 strands over a core. To do a proper spliced eye takes the right tools and some learned skills. What I'm going to describe takes almost no skills, is fast and will work with anything from 1/8th inch to 2 inch or bigger if you have the personal horsepower to bend it. If you have say 3/4 inch cable, unravel the six strands of cable completely, go back about three feet. Ignore the core. Use a screwdriver or similar tool to pry them apart to get started if you have to. Take three strands to each side. Grab one strand from each side and point them toward each other until they cross about midpoint. Wrap them back together, just like they came apart. Do this with each strand from each side until you've put the cable back together in a loop. It'll look just like it was made that way. Ignore the free ends hanging past this fast eye we call a "Farmers Splice" It's as strong as the entire cable for a little while but it lacks the long term durability of a true spliced eye. I should charge for this, it's that good.

Careful with that one. Men have been cut in half trying that (mainly because when wire goes it normally explodes with shards and stuff, but with that splice it will whip at near supersonic speed, so guys get caught too close whe it fails). We put it in a tensometer and it turns out it is only around 30% as strong as the wire. Wire will have a safety rating 1/6th of its breaking strain. So it works for light loads, but not safe for something heavy. In other words you use it to get something done immediately (say tie up a tanker) but take the extra 10 minutes to make a proper splice and throw that over the bollard asap.

cheers

w

[sofmed]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Amen.

And arthritis is a bitch. Trust me on that.

TR

Amen to the Amen!

I dislocated my L index finger at the second joint, with fracture. Imagine your finger pointing medially from that joint, at the same angle of your thumb with your fingers spread wide. Real pretty.

Needless to say, 22 years later I have a large calcium deposit which mildly reduces my r.o.m. Not enough to affect my off-hand shooting though!

[Bill Harsey]

Originally Posted by weasel

Careful with that one. Men have been cut in half trying that (mainly because when wire goes it normally explodes with shards and stuff, but with that splice it will whip at near supersonic speed, so guys get caught too close whe it fails). We put it in a tensometer and it turns out it is only around 30% as strong as the wire. Wire will have a safety rating 1/6th of its breaking strain. So it works for light loads, but not safe for something heavy. In other words you use it to get something done immediately (say tie up a tanker) but take the extra 10 minutes to make a proper splice and throw that over the bollard asap.

cheers

w

I worked Oregon "old school" highlead and skyline logging sides for just over a decade. We had enough power in the yarder to break new chokers made from 1 and 1/8 inch diameter wire rope (since we are talking wire rope, it was the "good stuff" for logging). I have seen bad accidents with cables resulting in death.

We would never log with that type of splice but it can be very handy for rigging up when the eye will be cut out and/or re-done after something is pulled through the correct block or blocks.
I suppose you wouldn't like tying knots in wire rope either, but it can be done.

The reason I mention the wrapped splice is for temporary rigging when one is in a difficult place without the proper tools to produce a traditional long lasting eye splice.

[sofmed]

Getting back to the main topic...

Long trip in the middle of Texas, having left I37 some time back, and heading south toward Alice on the way to McAllen three years ago in my buddy's car, Crown Vic, as my Ranger was in the shop (what's new there?).

0200 or so in the AM, been on the road for about 9 hours this particular day, and I have a blowout, front right tire running about 70mph. Scary as s**t. Took foot off accelarator pedal immediately and coasted to a stop on the burm.

NOONE around for miles!

I always carry a bag of odds and ends to include at least two head lamps, a couple flashlights, one surefire halogen and a cheaper offbrand LED type for longer lighting needs, extra batteries. Also a copious amount of 550 cord and 100 mile an hour tape, 100 oz. bladder/camelback H2O, space blanket, first aid kit, couple pair of gloves, etc.

This is where it gets fun.

Tire is gone. Running on the rim. Grab the spare. Good to go. (I think at the time) After changing the damn thing and riding for another 20 mins. the spare goes. Again, not my car. Stopped on the side of the road in pitch black middle of nowwhere Texas with a flat spare on the studs and a bent rim in the trunk.

Oh, great, no cell phone signal. S**t!

Take the rim out of the trunk, trade places with the spare, and while I have the car jacked up I take the two wool blankets from the trunk and a helluva lot of duct tape (virtually the whole role) and wrap the rim in the stuff.

Drove 4 miles on that mess at about minus 6 miles per hour. LOL Finally came to an early exit to Alice to some obscure little area where I was able to finally get a cell signal and find a vending machine to grab a snack while I waited on the tow truck.

You should have seen the guy's face when he looked at the frayed tape and blanket hanging off the rim. I wish I would have had a camera, for his look and for proof.

At least I didn't have to listen to the metal on concrete grind the whole way in. The blankets were, of course, a total loss and I wound up having to pay out of pocket, about $130.00 for an aftermarket steel wheel replacement, and about $170 for a Michelin tire to go with it the next morning. Quite an expensive trip.

What did I learn? While PMCSing someone else's vehicle, take the spare tire OUT of the well and inspect it thoroughly, don't just check the air pressure and then hit the road. The tire had good pressure, but underneath some water had settled and rusted the backside of the rim and, voila, add the weight of a car, the heat generated from riding on it, and it fails.

At least I was able to laugh about it...especially after I recouped my near $300 bucks. Pat was good natured about it, after he stopped laughing.

Cheers!

Mick

[4StringSlinger]

Redneck orthodonist:

14 years old, mom divorces stepfather, no money to make scheduled visits to the ortho to adjust/maintain my braces for many months. Finally got fed up and reoved 'em myself, upper, lower, and anchors...with a pair of needle-nose pliers. It was a couple of years before I could afford to go to a dentist and get the glue removed.

Redneck mech:

18 years old, driving a '79 Mustang with built 302. The clutch cable ran close to the headers, and the heat caused it to bind up, which caused the clutch cable tensioner to pull through the firewall...late at night, in a bad part of town [naturally].

I used a vice grip to stabilize and maintain tension on the cable, then wrapped the shit out of it with 100 mpf tape...essentially making a huge knot bigger than the hole...help up for a week until I could afford to replace the cable. Had my dad cut up some aluminum to bolt over the hole in the firewall...and of course wrapped the cable to sheild it from the heat.

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by sofmed

At least I didn't have to listen to the metal on concrete grind the whole way in. The blankets were, of course, a total loss and I wound up having to pay out of pocket, about $130.00 for an aftermarket steel wheel replacement, and about $170 for a Michelin tire to go with it the next morning. Quite an expensive trip.

Sounds like time to call a wrecking yard. Probably get a couple of good rims with decent tires for less than $100.

TR

[weasel]

Originally Posted by Bill Harsey

I suppose you wouldn't like tying knots in wire rope either, but it can be done.

The reason I mention the wrapped splice is for temporary rigging when one is in a difficult place without the proper tools to produce a traditional long lasting eye splice.

You're right, I don't like tying knots in wire and I agree, I've done the same thing (mea culpe) with the wrap splice because I couldn't remember all the twists and turns needed to "tie" a wire rope properly. Whenever something like that happens you haven't slept for 3 days, its pitch black, wet, and too cold (for you and the wire) and needs to be done then and not later

The guy who taught me wires was "Old George", one of the last of the square rigger sailors, so he was probably 92 when I met him. He spliced a 32mm wire rope in front of me with a vice and thats it, no marlin spike. I sh!t you not. I have never met a harder man in my life. Some people say he died, but I'm hesitant to believe it.

Needless to say, I constantly failed him.

So anyway, do what you need to do, but stand well back. I guess it all depends on the type of boat you are on too as to the condition of rigging to expect. e.g. backing up to one of those arab fish traps to pull it up and take a few fish for lunch, you are never quite sure whether the cable is going to snap because of rust or not in the red sea, but I hear they have better rigging on the dows around in the gulf, who knows?


cheers


w

[DA PAM Dan]

On a recent deployment we had to make a rather large concrete LZ. We had been having some issues with our screeds. Primarily getting them to function as they should and maintaining them. After pouring two 20'x120' pads we started on our third, the screed runs out of fuel. We refuel it try to start it, the pull cord breaks. Keep in mind we have alot of wet concrete to screed and it is about 110. With nothing but a some Leathermans a standard issue belt, and the fear of having to jackhammer or pick ax this stuff up a guy busts off the cover to where the pulley is attached to the crank wraps his belt around it and give it a pull it starts and everyone looks at him like he just interrupted the last supper because he saved out butts. Not to mention our backs and sanity. With heat and the thought of backbreaking labor as a motivator alot can be accomplished.

[Diablo Blanco]

After my first contract I took a break and then reentered the Army. We were on a bus heading between sites when it broke down. It overheated as the serpentine belt broke on the engine. I took an equal length of 550 cord and put a knot every 3 - 5 inches and replaced the belt with it. Fired up the bus and it ran fine, even better.

Funny thing is, a more senior Sergeant cut the cord and said it wasn't an authorized repair and we could get in trouble so we should wait. Being the new guy I replied "You're not an authorized repair..."

He didn't know how to respond

[72_Wilderness]

Vaulted ceilings look really nice, that is until you want to hang something and do not have a ladder. So the crawling/standing on furniture begins, which would normally be enough, but this a fourteen foot vaulted ceiling. An old memory struck my mind and I went to work. One broom, one pen cap, opposite end of pen, chocolate wrappers and one dremel wrench later with duct tape holding everything together I was in business. I say it worked, even if the end of the pen is still stuck on the thumb tack, it hasn’t fallen down.

I had an audience that demand to take a picture of the devise.

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I changed the light bulb in the stairwell of the Old Division Tac Shed the same way. One mop, one broom handle, a pencil, a styrofoam cup and a few wraps of duct tape.

72W