Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

[glenn kangiser]

Tut tut.....looks like rain...

Got a few sprinkles then later a downpour...



That was pretty much at the end of the day though so I took off a little early.

The  foreman, Dave said I was kicken' butt today.  I weld as fast by myself as two of the other guys working together and he noticed.  They are doing the same thing in a different location...on the bottom plate.  I guess I will have a couple day break as I am completeing my part before the next section is ready.  It should be up next week. 

[MountainDon]

  Innershield NR232 .o72 by the 13 lb spool. 

Serious size wire. How many amps does that take to do a good job on what you're doing?

I'll stick with my .030/.035 and call it good 

[glenn kangiser]

I'm running 125 to 150 inches per minute on .072, Don, so it looks like 225 to 240 amps.  This uses a CV (constant voltage) machine to run it so amps can vary but will be in that range depending on wire feed speed, electrical stickout and various other things.



It is a super fast way to make good welds that meet earthquake standards. Since I bid this by the job it is to my benefit to get done as fast as possible yet still pass the rigid inspections.  It seems I generally weld about twice as fast as the others on the job.  I have passed all inspections so far.  

Had to step back while these guys placed concrete next to me today.. splashing a bit....

[Redoverfarm]

Glenn I have a cousin who just left on a chartered flight to Arizona to the AREVA Nuclear Plant to weld.  They gathered all of the top welders in the area around 30 I think to work 3 -4 weeks.  Good pay considering they can only work in 15 minute intervals but get paid for a 10 hour shift.  Not sure if the money is worth GLOWING IN THE DARK though.

[MountainDon]

That is a lot of inches per minute. 

[glenn kangiser]

I don't know if I'd want that job, John..... I suppose it won't hurt ... for a while.

No kidding on the inches per minute, Don.  Over $50 a roll and I'm using around 3 per day... not to mention that I get a stocking dealer rate...

Finished the second building today... Have to see the inspector in the morning then head north for a quickie job in Modesto.  By the time I finish it they will have the 3rd building ready for me or nearly ready...

Another guy... the rebar guy came up to me yesterday and said, "Man you're kicking b*tt."  Everybody is so happy to see this thing moving.  Dave is all smiles.  Inspectors are happy..... things are looking pretty good right now. 


After I do my stuff they can do their stuff....



That ought to be enough steel and concrete to hold up a single story building I think...




Come to think of it you might like to see this... the foreman mentioned something about wasting the taxpayers money... typical government involved job... but I will take some of the money anyway.... hey.. I'm a taxpayer too... [ouch]

[glenn kangiser]

Still waiting for the other guys to catch up with me... or to get the other building up so I can weld rebar.... 


Foreman says to call him tomorrow but it looks like I will head back for next week soon.  I can start preparing the columns for the welds...




Tehachapi at sunrise... from the work site... now the time change is going to mess me up... losing an hour of daylight ... I don't like it....

I hadn't planned on being home the whole week, but.... getting a few things done... planting the winter garden back inside the fence by the underground complex since the steer is trashing the hugelkultur bed garden... barbwire fences are pretty much invisible to him.  I put a bunch of boards about halfway up the corral fence and that seems to have slowed him down a little.... I think he will go in the freezer next summer if he doesn't straighten up.... 

[MountainDon]

What are the "sticks" on the distant ridge top?


You can find that hour on the other end of the day y'no...   

[glenn kangiser]

Wind Generators, Don... Hundreds (thousands?) of them.......  I will try to get some good pix some day soon.  I rode through them but there was not a good stopping place for the motorcycle to get good ones... maybe I should have got off....

I understand that there are a lot of second ... or more generation wind generators being put up now.  I looked for the old Darius Rotors on top the mountain toward Mojave but looks like they took them down.

The other end of the day... I know... but unfortuantely working hours are limited from 7 to 5:30? at this bureaucratically controlled site..... I suppose soon it will be dark at both ends of the day and no need to complain....

[glenn kangiser]

Every Picture tells a story don't it?  ..... Makes me think of Rod Stewart.....

[glenn kangiser]

Went by the glider port yesterday and today and managed to pick up another photo of the windmills....





as well as the gliders.... this is the place the space shuttle pilots trained to fly gliders.....




Here is one being towed to altitude...





I'm thinking about some glider training while I am here... or maybe just a good ride.... 

[ben2go]

Offer to share gas bill for ride.

[glenn kangiser]

Better wait until I become proficient, Ben.... [ouch]

Things are coming along at the job... got the last of the welds prepped today on the C portion of the project.  The others are not quite ready for me yet... they want to do their welds at ground level before I get above them.. but there are a few I can do....

[Windpower]

Great chance to get a glider rating, Glenn

you will be able to stay aloft as long as you want (almost) -- should save some money on tows

glider rides here in the midwest are pretty short usually due to weak thermals

[glenn kangiser]

Guess I should get started, Windpower.  I used to be able to pick up good updrafts with my 205 even sometimes... a glider should be easy. 

It's just that not having an engine part I need to learn about...

I may have some spare time this week.. not sure.  Depends on when my steel gets here. 

Had time for a motorcycle ride yesterday... caught a train coming up the tracks...



Ahhhhh.... what a wonderful ride....





I love the pictures I can see as I'm riding down the road... makes me have to stop too often though...





Met some great new friends a few blocks from my apartment.... invited over by a retired union worker I met in the store...met his friends, a Jewish Pastor, his wife and friends....spent a few great hours with them had a little food and wonderful discussion, snacks.....and was sent home with cake.... they want me to come over for dinner soon since I'm down here by myself for a while... maybe have to take them up on it. 

[rick91351]

Glenn I noticed on your trip to the Ostrich Ranch on their sign the feature Red Neck Crosses - That opened up a whole can of worms in my little pea brain.      I can understand the blue necks and a blue state like Ca.  But then as with Ca.  if you have blue necks you should have a percentage of red necks plus or minus 30% points from the Ca. Prop. 3323 law.  My word a red neck ostrich........... there should be a law against using red neck and ostrich in the same sentence.     



Is this like Nancy, Barbara, and Dianne out for a 'girly walk' or stroll.......
 

[glenn kangiser]

Rick...please don't slander the ostrich family by calling them such fowl names.....

They have feelings too you know. 

[glenn kangiser]

Got pretty close to the mills the other day...





Kind of mesmerizing ...... like watching a fire.....


I finally got to a billing cycle... should be seeing a paycheck in a few months.... [ouch] 


Good money but ever so slow to get started....


The first footings I welded in are now firmly encased in concrete.... tons and tons of it... appx 4'x4' footings full of steel except for the ones that are bigger... and a few smaller ones...





Boring doing the same thing all of the time? ... not so much really... you play games with yourself... make each one better than the last - try to do them better ... faster... more efficiently....then reset something or something changes or a ground clamp starts going bad and start all over with the efficiency game... because if you miss keeping it down to a decent quality two passes then it becomes three or four sometimes.  If the inspector stands scratching his head for a few seconds before signing it off then things need to be improved....   Most of the time he will tell you what he would like to see better but generally you can figure it out.

These are particularly hard to keep perfect because the angle you need for easy access is blocked by the adjacent rebar in most cases. Always something to work around or you get tired of holding the same position so intensely for the length of the weld.. you need to be a minimum of flush with the side of the bar from the plate up but many times it gets bigger... that increases cost and time. 

Clean rollover can be fixed by welding or grinding, but both take time.  The inspector doesn't want to see it for two reasons.. possibly in-continuity or maybe slag under it.  Either case you try not to leave it or grind it off.  I had to grind one only out of 33 and it was not too bad... 

OH Yes... nothing but excitment on this job...

[rick91351]

Sort of disheartening.  All those beautiful welds that you took time to make perfect, then to be covered by ton and tons and yards and yards of concrete.  OH well there is also pride that your welding is keeping it all standing.     Well I hope it is still standing ....  or at least until you get paid then all bets are off.    

[glenn kangiser]

Yeah... but once I get the last paycheck... I'm outa here....

[glenn kangiser]

Second phase footings got poured in today...



More footings being dug daily...





I am caught up for a day or two then weld a little, then another little break as more footings get poured and steel put up....

See how my 4 welds on each side of the columns are critical for holding this entire hospital together...



Very glad I have an apartment rather than a Hotel... I save $80 per night that way. 

I wonder if they have a deer problem around here?


The view outside my apartment tonight...





The animals at the underground complex were happy to see me last Saturday... I did 497 miles in one day on the motorcycle to pick up the mail and check things out. 





May do it again this weekend but would like to do a bit of a tuneup on the bike first... possibly tomorrow. 

[glenn kangiser]

I am still waiting for the others to catch up at work so I have something more to weld. 

I have been riding the motorcycle a lot since I have been here .... 497 miles last Saturday.  I have been hearing a bit of noise from the top of the engine and thought I should at least check the valves.  Apparently it was just normal noise from the dual overhead cams as I expected to find loose valves.  Instead I only found tight valves... an even worse condition as it can lead to burned valves and power loss would be a minor side effect.... OH YES.. I used to be a mechanic right during and after the end of high school many moons ago.  At 18 years old I was the head mechanic at the Lincoln City, Oregon Dodge Dealer.... I wasn't perfect but I was pretty good.  [ouch]

I still do most of my own maintenance and usually don't mess it up.... most of the time. 




Sure gets dark early now... and I was working under a tarp due to sprinkles starting..... got the valves adjusted... now need to put it all back together.   

Oh yeah... for the freezy windy weather here I got some insulated coveralls... and sent a pair to my son who moved to Illinois... He is welding in 17 degree weather... what was he thinking.... He accused me of working in warm weather because it was 37 here... but has been colder. 




Also got me a table top propane barbecue for the apartment... or work... tired of so many frozen dinners... I do have a kitchen at the apartment but wanted some barbecue too. 

[ben2go]

Diggin the table top grill.Did you check the cam chain and tensioners?Sometimes cam chain slap will cause the top end taps.

[glenn kangiser]

The little grill is great, Ben. 


I didn't know about the tensioners, but did check the chain and it seemed plenty tight to me.  Got the new plugs in and it is running great... at least on the stand.  Ready to go get some rain gear to throw on over my clothes in case it decides to rain when I have to make a trip... probably not pleasant.. I have only ridden in light rain so far.

Also it seems the drive chain is a bit over tight and dry.  They recommend 80 or 90 wt gear lube only due to the "O" rings that keep grease inside and 5/8 to 1 inch vertical play at the center of the chain.  It has a new chain but they recommend supplemental lube on the outside every 600 miles...... or oftener if ridden in rain.... well... I put 497 miles on Saturday so I think its time for some care.  I noted a bit of rust at the links so lube is in order, as well as proper adjustment..... too many long rides now to be lax on the maintenance.  [ouch]

[Rob_O]

They recommend 80 or 90 wt gear lube only due to the "O" rings that keep grease inside and 5/8 to 1 inch vertical play at the center of the chain.  It has a new chain but they recommend supplemental lube on the outside every 600 miles...... or oftener if ridden in rain.... well... I put 497 miles on Saturday so I think its time for some care.  I noted a bit of rust at the links so lube is in order, as well as proper adjustment..... too many long rides now to be lax on the maintenance.  [ouch]

They make a product for that, it's called chain lube. It sticks to the chain, and doesn't make you smell like gear oil... two things gear oil doesn't do very well

If you don't have one already, get a valve adjustment tool. Makes the job much easier