Hi, Power Project

I found this lonely, old drill crying to itself on a Goodwill shelf. I hadn't worked on one before, so I gave the clerk two bucks and took the drill home.

Vintage aluminiumn tools always catch my attention. Plus, it looks like something from Star Trek.

You can't see it from this angle, but the drill's chuck is frozen in place and there is a broken drill bit stuck inside.

An attached, metal model number plate is so much cooler than a company logo on a sticker.

A decayed power cord isn't safe to use.

So, at the next Goodwill I bought a loose power cord that was also two dollars. I hope to be able to cut off the female end and attach the exposed wires to the drill.

The first step was to see if I could get the chuck to open and release the broken drill bit. While researching "Hi-Power" drills, I across the "Progress is Fine, But It's Gone On Too Long" blog. The author has the same drill as I do, but with a different name plate. In the comments section, one commentor stated they had the same problem that I did, and another commentor had the solution.

I sprayed penetrating oil into the chuck a couple of times, and then let it sit. I tapped on the chuck's jaws the next day, and they popped back into place and the broken bit was released. Thanks, Duke! I used my grinder's wire brush to remove its rust, and then polished the chuck with a buffing wheel. 

The temp in the garage was only 20 degrees at the time. It is surprising how much air is moved by a buffing wheel. It doesn't take very long for your bare hands to feel like they are beginning to freeze. I had to stop twice to go inside the house and warm up my hands. When the chuck was mostly polished, I stopped. I was making progress, but I wasn't having fun. 

3/23:

I moved forward on the Hi-Power project a bit. I polished the chrome front and then disassembled the drill.

I made an initial cleaning of the parts and then packed the gears with the grease that I had on hand. I reassembled the drill to see if it would still function, and it does - somewhat. The drill spins much faster than before, but sometimes it needs to be started by hand to operate. A slight turn on the wheel that secures the chuck in place will get the drill moving. That's not going to cut it.

I'm going to break it down again and try cleaning the motor's brushes. I might try some other type of grease, too. We'll see how it goes.

Well, That's a Switch

Last year I took home this grinder that was standing by the curb on spring clean-up day. The owner's manual is from 1953, so I can only assume the handmade wooden stand was constructed and the motor and grinder were installed about that time.

The components cleaned up well, and I added polishing wheels. I really enjoy using the buffer, but I have to plug and unplug the cord to turn it on and off. There's no power switch.

This rusty bracket is a leftover from the bench that I made for Daphne. It may look bad, but it is solid.

I removed the rust by using the grinder's wire brush and a bath of Evapo-Rust.

I've been trying to think of a way to use the bracket since July. An idea hit me yesterday while I was walking out of the dentist's office. I know... I have a vintage toggle switch that I have been wanting to use with the buffer. Could I modify that bracket and use it to mount the switch?

In a word, yes.

I drilled out the bracket's existing middle hole to accommodate the toggle. Then I used the switch to mark the spots to drill the holes for the screws.

I drilled a hole in the table so I could route the power cord underneath.

One side of the power cord was cut and connected to the switch. I used two wood screws to attach the bracket to the table.

I drilled another hole to run the cord out the back. I fastened the safety clip that was inside the motor to the cord on the inside of the hole.

I decided to mount the bracket so I could see some metal. Why hide it? The switch works well. The "thunk" you feel when the switch is engaged is an added bonus. 

The bracket's bare metal will begin to rust again, so I need to take this apart and spray paint the bracket with Rust-Oleum. I think I'll use clear. I like the metal's weathered surface; it looks appropriate for a tool that's over 60 years old.

I said to myself, You know what? I bet somebody else would think that this switch has always been here. It looks just like something some old dude back in the day would come up with.

Then it hit me. I am that old dude.

Crap.

Spring Clean Up

Most of our local communities have a spring clean-up day. You can leave items that are too big for your garbage container near the curb in front of your house. The Metro Waste Authority will come and take the items away.

Many people place their items on their boulevard's grass the day before the Metro trucks arrive. This gives pickers a chance to take what they want. Honestly, wouldn't you rather have a person take your stuff home and use it, as opposed to seeing your stuff go to the dump?

I hope you feel this way because I became a picker last week.

I have this setup in my garage.

On eBay, it is called a "Vintage Belt Driven Bench Arbor w/ a 1/3 HP Motor." For my purposes, I'm gonna say it's a "grinder" for short. 

I use the wire brush and the stone wheel all the time. I'd really like to use this for polishing metal, too, but it would be a pain to switch back and forth between the brush/stone wheels and the two polishing wheels.

That's not a problem anymore. All my stars aligned last week when Urbandale had a spring clean-up day.

Daphne needed to go Charlotte's building on Tuesday morning, so she took Charlotte to school for the first time in months. I was able to leave for work at the same time, but I drove straight to the high school - a route I don't normally take. While driving along a street dotted with stacks of items for the clean-up, I had the thought that I should look for an old cart that I could put a second grinder on. As I was thinking that, I spotted a grinder standing near the curb waiting for the Metro truck.

No way! I was just thinking about one of those!

Yes, way.

I checked my watch. For the first time in 2018, I had 15 minutes to spare. I turned the car around. There stood a handmade wooden stand with a grinder and a motor attached. The owners had even left some accessories to go along with it. I couldn't believe my luck. Trying hard to not get dirty, I awkwardly "walked" it off the curb and into the back of the RAV.

Here it is in our garage. The stand's small footprint is perfect for the space.

This might look really dirty and greasy to some people, but that layer of gunk does a great job of preserving the surface underneath. I had faith that this would clean up very nicely.

I was trying to decide how deep I wanted to clean this. The fact that someone saved the owners' manual from October 1953 and left it for the next person (me), tipped the scales. I have this idea that the previous owner was someone's grandpa, and he was proud to own this Grinder-Hone. I felt it was my duty to do my best to bring this back to its former glory.

The stand was very wobbly. Luckily, it was constructed with screws that could be tightened.

I use a drill's screwdriver power bit in a small vise-grip to tackle old screws like these. The extra leverage goes a long way. The stand is now stable.



Safety first. This power cord is too cracked to be used.

It's not as thick as the original power cord, but an extension cord from the dollar store will work for now. I keep a few of these cords in the garage for this exact purpose. You cut off the female connector, and you have a new power cord.

I used the original cord's loop connectors. The tape covers how poor my soldering skills are.

The old power cord had this metal clip on it. I suspect the clip was to keep the connectors from being pulled out of the motor case if someone tripped over the cord.

The wires inside the original cord are white and black. My new cord doesn't have that color distinction, but I can still connect the wires to the right location. According to circuitdetective.com, "If the fixture's two non-ground wires are not black and white but one of them is smooth and the other has a "ribbed" texture, the ribbed is to connect to the white of the box and the smooth to the other."

The wires are connected with the ribbed wire on top where the white wire was. The clip is in place.

I like using Mean Green, an old toothbrush, and paper towels when it comes to removing grease. It is a cheap combination that works well.

The model number plate looks much better after one application of the Mean Green.

Except for a new power cord, fresh gear oil, and three wood screws, all of the original components were retained.  I removed the grinder and the motor so I could clean the stand with our pressure washer. I found a few more screws to tighten. They were hiding underneath the grime.

I'll take the history and heft of a 65-year-old tool made in America over a new tool manufactured overseas any day.

The adapter and square head bolts spent the night in my vibration tumbler. 

Here's the grinder in action. It's not an exciting video, and that's a good thing. It should be quiet and boring.

The previous owner also provided a couple of cloth polishing wheels. One was still unused. I hesitate to call it new. Check out the art deco logo for Dico. (Say that five times fast.)

The Divine Dico Manual for Buffing with Cloth Wheels is actually very informative. There's even a math formula to help you determine Surface Feet Per Minute.

Let's talk about buff, Bay-bee.

Check out tip #9. It's interesting to think that there was a time when this was necessary advice.

I removed the top oil stone and put it in storage. I don't want the stone covered in the polishing compound. I'll break it out when I need to sharpen the lawnmower blade.

My next step was to remove the wheel guard on the right side and install a second polishing wheel in place of the grinding stone.

Done.

I kept my word. The grinder is looking better than it has in years, and it is back in service. Grandpa's grinder is getting the respect it deserves, and I'm proud to own it.

Thrift Store Show and Tell: Blitzkrieg Edition

While Charlotte and Daphne were in Coralville learning how to make Grandma Ruth's buttermilk biscuits, I had Des Moines to myself. I decided to blitzkrieg the local thrift stores! In five hours I hit three Goodwill stores, two thrift stores, and two flea markets.
Let's review the booty!

$2.39 - You might not believe this, but Wolverine will be a fun "date night" movie with Daphne. She's a closet superhero fan.

$2.79 - Lords of Dogtown: Music from the Motion Picture is a great fuzz-rock mix tape from the 70's. The only missteps are the modern songs. Rise Against pales in comparison to the other bands on this.

$1.59 - This Abercrombie and Fitch belt looks a little beat up, but I think that's the point.

$5.00 - Seriously, five bucks for an Atari? Okay! I don't care if it's filthy, it's supposed to snow 6 inches tonight. I'll have a lot of cleaning time tomorrow.

$2.00 - An extra pair of Atari paddles are pretty handy if you're in a spirited game of Warlords.

It's a sickness; I know. I can't turn down a $1 Walkman... you just never know when you need one.

50 cents - The Marvelous Magical Burger King can turn onions into rings, the rings into a chain, and then make the chain do stuff? I better drink out of his glass!

$1.99  - I am a firm believer that a vintage Snap-on screwdriver works better than any other screwdriver on earth.

75 cents - Winter Break Reading:

In my rush, I'm not sure I should have picked up this copy of The Mind Brothers. That discoloration on the cover looks like mold, and the whole book is lousy with it. If you put a moldy book on your book shelf, then you'll infect your whole collection as the mold jumps from book to book. It's a small waste of money, but it's best to give the moldy book the boot.

This ex-library book by Richard Laymon isn't a waste, though. Laymon's a badass.