That’s a nice bonus!
Always been an issue with me on 1st cutting hay. I always have wild animals (mostly young deer, turkeys and assorted fowl bedded own in the hay and it’s impossible to see and stop the discbine in time because I typically cut at 3-5 mph ground speed as you want to keep the machine running at full capacity as much as possible), so I gobblle them up in the machine (which sounds horrible I know and I realize it but I’d say death is real quick and it something I cannot control. Anyway, it’ ‘eats’ them and spits them out and anymore I just leave them lay in the hayfields and interestingly, when I come back the next day or the day after to rake the Super Spread windrows, they are always gone, everything, so I assume the coyotes are having a free fresh kuill meal. We have an overload of them here. In fact, up here in Michigan, it’s kill on sight, no permit required. I carry a my mini 14 .223 ranch rifle in the tractor and if I see them in a field, I’ll drop them on the spot and at the farm, I use a Savage 22-250 with an night vison thermal imaging scope that I can range and see them in total darkness. They are elusive night predators but with the proper equipment you can bag them. Pelts used to be worth a bit, but not anymore so now they go in the pit with the deceased steers on the place next to me. He owns a state approved pit for reducing steer carcasses. Michigan allows that under strict oversight. Has to be concrete lined and walled and X number of feet from any flowing waterway. and X number of feet from any drinking water well and a whole other raft of regulations. Takes about 2 months to totally reduce an average cull to fertilizer. it consumes everything including hip bomes and skulls as well and decomposes them to N rich fertilizer.
Just another aspect of animal husbandry that consumers don’t need to know about, and don’t want to either. People go to the grocery store and buy packaged food but really have no idea how it go there or what it entails. They think it just ‘appears’ there. It don’t and I’ll leave it at that.
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One thing I do (and I don’t really talk about it on any forum, ag related or otherwise is, I add ‘Nano Borate’ to all my engines, diesel or gasoline because modern lubricants tend to varnish on heated internal surfaces like piston skirts and head decks and valve stems and Nano Borate keeps everything very clean inside any engine or reciprocating compressor, where the heat of operation is present, plus it is a friction modifier so it helps everything rotate more smoothly.
I use Archoil Nano Borate additive. It comes in gallons or pints and it’s suspended in a mineral oil base and it’s not cheap either but I’ve been using it for years and it works. I had a top end rebuild on one of my hay tractors last fall (at the dealer) and I was there when the tech pulled the valve cover off and was working on pulling the head (needed a head gasket replacement) and both he and me were amazed at just how clean the overhead was at 6,000 hours, There was zero deposits or varnish on the overhead or on the head deck, even though he had to scrape off the old valve cover gasket from heat degradation. We were totally amazed at how clean everything was and I ‘seem’ to get less gallons of diesel consumed when working the tractors as well, Never documented it but with fuel costs what they are today, every little but helps the bottom line. I run Shell Rotella 5-40 T6 in all my equipment except the compressors and they get Rarus non detergent compressor oil and the Nano Borate as well. MSC sells Rarus btw. I think it’s VG32 but I’ve never paid any attention to specific weight.
Been told by more than one appliance service man that the ‘average’ fridge today lasts maybe 10 years and that is it. I have an ancient Kelvinator in the shop that is older than I am (74) it keeps trucking along. It’s one of those with the condenser mounted on the top of the box. Probably not energy efficient but I don’t care. Have an ancient Maytag wringer washer machine I was my shop towels in as well and it keeps on trucking too and interestingly, you can still buy all the parts aftermarket for it. Just bought a new agitator, the original one cracked. Flea-Bay is my friend on that machine. Being 73, close to 74, I appreciate old school stuff, 'cause I’m old as well. 
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Well now 10 might be pushing it, everything built nowadays is junk. The next big problem we will have is landfills.
We have a chest freezer that is from the 70’s and it just keeps going. Buy a new one and see how that works. If it even works when you get it. 
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Have 2 in the garage next to the shop. Both are at least 15 years old and both pretty full of deer, bear, elk and domestic stuff too. 10 years on fridges here and about the same on washers and dryers.
Blackstone Labs in Fort Wayne, Indiana does all my oil testing. They offer free sample bottles too. Good outfit. I track my lubricants for the farm tractors all the time.
I think this thread is going to be quiet for a while, I’ll update it when I make upgrades to the system like a water separator or muffler but that might be a few days or a few weeks I’m not sure.
In other news my powder coat system just shit the bed so I’ve ordered a new professional system which cost me nearly the same as the compressor. Not what I had in mind for my next shop upgrade but it will be nice to be able to lay down smooth professional quality powder. I had a Columbia Coatings Hyper Smooth 03 LED which is basically the last stop before you get to professional grade. It was an okay system for the most part, their QC and customer service was trash but the gun was satisfactory for basic powders and surfaces. The new unit is an Electron E-Coat Master box feed system, it’s basically a Turkish GEMA knockoff that’s proven to be very good over the past couple of years on the market. I’d be really happy if my shop stopped getting in the way and started rowing in the same direction as me again. I was hoping to get a nice CO2 laser for cutting and engraving acrylic, glass and wood but that will have to wait until next summer now.
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@GaltsGarage is there any salvageable parts on your hyper smooth you may want to sell? What happen to your machine
I’m not even sure what’s wrong with it, it still sprays and everything I’m just not getting consistent coverage. It will still get a good coat on it just takes longer to make sure you have a thick enough coat laid down for a single coat. I’d probably be willing to sell everything I have from Columbia (minus the powder) for $400. I have maybe ten 1 pound hoppers, 5 with the Columbia Coatings hardware and hoses and at least 5 with the aftermarket hardware that lets you plug the hopper right into the gun with no hose. I have all the nozzles and 2 electrodes (wide mouth, fan and about 6-8 of the cone nozzles). I don’t want to sell it before I get the Electron system setup and know it’s working so probably 2 weeks. If you’re spraying flat stuff like signs you will be able to powder coat without too much trouble but if you’re doing something with farraday areas you’re gonna have to fuss with it a bit to get those tight areas coated. Like I said I’m not exactly sure what’s wrong with it, I just know I want something that I know I don’t have to worry about.
I have the same set up as you just the older powder cans. I am in the process of designing a new can system. May hit one of the guys with a 3d pinter to hook me up.
My system works great lays good coats. When the powder in the can gets low it doesn’t like the faradays. I spray 2 to 3 pounds of powder during one session is the reason I am looking a new can design.
Here is a not great picture of what I paint the most of.
Anyway I am extremely interested in it. I am looking more into parts than anything. Hit me up when you want to let it go … Consider it sold unless you decide to keep it. Would be no hard feeling if you change your mind.
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Been tagging along on your YT video’s and I added you to my ‘favorites’ index as well. You aren’t aa bad creator but having said that you still need a tad bit of improvement…lol
Many years ago I supervised a production e-coat and powder coat line for a large electronics cabinet manufacturer in Ohio (Randsburg / Devilbiss) equipment and I spent most of my time working on it. Was very tempermental. They had a nice natural gas curing oven as well. I remember not so fondly, one time I forgot to de-energize the high voltage and got knocked on my butt when I got a little too close to one of the energized guns. It hurt to say the least. Had a sore arm for about a week afterwards. 3 sets of 6 applicators each exhausting into a downdraft water wash enclosure. Back then recycling of material was an after thought unlike today.
How is the compressor working out? Did you get that sorted?
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My videos are pretty raw, there is a ton of editing (it’s not unusual for one of my videos to be hundreds of edited clips plus adding music, removing any music I have playing in my shop for “copyright” etc.) but I’m trying to balance the amount of time I take to shoot and edit with the time it takes to get projects done. I’m only able to get as much recorded as I do because everything in my shop is a side project and not under the time constraints of a business. That will change somewhat in 2024 but hopefully not too much.
I’ve been lucky so far in that I haven’t zapped myself yet but I have roached 2 pretty expensive LED lights for the booth. I hang the gun on the metal frame of the booth so it can bleed off static when not in use.
The compressor is still working so far, it still runs high pressure on startup but I run it in continuous mode so it only starts up once. Makes tons of air, outpaces my blast cabinet with ease. Still need to setup a proper dryer and distribution but for the time being it will do.
On a side not my new powder coating unit cleared customs and should be here in the next couple of days.
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only time I have ever got bit was when I forgot to hook up the ground. I did not think it was that bad way less then a coil on a lawn mower or old car
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Good deal. I suggest an IR dryer from compressors direct, they seem to have the best prices and will give you a 2% discount if you pay by check instead of CC.
I made a fatal mistake and bought a non cycling air dryer from HF because it was cheap and I’ve had to rework it because of bad Chinese components. Even had to replace the start and run capacitors in the refrigerant pump. It works okay now but has been a PITA. I really don’t like rebuilding anything new because of poor workmanship.
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You have never been on the receiving end of a powder coat / e coat automated system. The transformer itself is about the size of 3 clothes hampers and is filled with di-electric coolant and the HT leads are heavily insulated. Only thing that saved my butt was the automatic breakers that shut down the system and set off the very loud alarm that all my employees heard…and of course laughed as I was laying on the ground wondering what happened myself and having my arm quiver. Kind of like 10,000 spark plugs all going off at once. I didn’t get all that close either but I must have been grounded really well because the machine decided I needed to be zapped. I had to do a ton of paperwork afterwards too. All that OSHA stuff and accident reporting and I was the accident. Of course the line kept right on going so a number of sub assemblies had to be rehung and recoated. I didn’t make upper management all that happy either but stuff happens. Just glad it wasn’t another employee especially an older one. Great way to have a heart attack.
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I didn’t realize those systems were that potent. I don’t need any of that
Understand, this was an entirely an industrial installation. It took Randsburg, Devilbiss and the contractor, 6 months to install the entire system. They even installed an on roof pre dry down system to pre set the e-coat system. That in itself was interesting. It used 3 large holding tanks, first one was a solvent bath to remove any and all oil or grime that was on the parts via air agitation, then into a second tank of purified, de-ionized water agitated again to make sure there was nothing on the parts where the 3rd tank filled with treated water and the e-coat emulsion was applied to the parts using a positive charge that 'plated the emulsion on the steel at a controlled rate in ‘mils’ that was constantly monitored by a computer. Then, they tracked to the main line where they went into the curing oven (in the back of the shop, same oven that cured the parts that were electrostatic painted by the gun array that I got zapped by and then removed by hand and off to the assembly area and they could switch with the line in motion from e-coat to electrostatic spray continuously, without interruption and the main curing oven could adjust it’s temperature automatically, depending on specified cure time. It was quite an impressive line even back that (and what I remember about it as that was over 50 years ago. If I remember correctly, even back then it cost the company over 3/4 million bucks to install and that was back when a dollar was worth a dollar.
Additionally, if I walked by the main voltage increasing transformer that powered the Devilbiss-Randsburg automated application line (that zapped me), If I got in close proximity to it, it would cause the hairs on my arms to stand up from the HV leakage from the supply cables, even though they were heavily insulated. Remember it was increasing the voltage from 480-3 (industrial power) to over 75K volts.
Interestingly, I quit that job and went to work as a Longshoreman and worked on the Lakes boats out of Cleveland Cliffs steamship company for a couple years. It paid much better (not that I wasn’t making good money back then because I was), but money is money and back then I had a very large ‘toy’ budget unlike today plus my ex-wife back then was making good jack so we lived for the day, which looking back was good for the moment.
So here I am, retired and still financially secure. Got married again to a wonderful lady (got lucky, must have been my good looks or the fact that I always drove a loaded pickup truck, gainfully retired, own a large farm, own a machine and heavy fabrication shop, got my Journeyman’s Tool and Die card along the way (lots of experience on the lakes boats, I was a machinist mate and worked in the machine shop, repairing, replacing parts on the boats and did a lot of welding, got my AWS cert in TIG welding which I’ve kept even today. I have to retest yearly however, but it’s earned me a lot of money over the years as TIG welding in exotic metals is in high demand today and why soon, I’m going to purchase a Langmuir 4x8 pro table because I’m having my customer sub assemblies cut at a local sub contractor who’s lead times are always extended and they have a bad habit of running of spec parts and putting them on the middle or bottom of a skid when I pick them up. I need to eliminate that lead time and bad parts, which I can do when I can cut them here.
My issue is, I will have to add on to the existing shop to accomodate the machine as I’m basically out of room presently. The existing machinery and welding tables take up a ton of room and I have 2 full time employees as well and I may purchase a Shop-Saber instead. I’m researching all the tables, the after sale support and the overall cost of install and run up but it will be a full sized table with full sheet capabilities and I’ll have to install another overhead crane to load the machine and indoor storage for the material as well. Right now, I keep metal sheets (I run not only aluminum but hot rolled and cold rolled sheets as well as titanium 1/2 sheets in the big barn with the farming equipment and that is a PITA to deal with. I have to move the material from the big barn with a hi-lo and then weld them up and then ship them to my customers. Least I don’t have to coat them with anything. They all go into other assemblies with the end user. I do all the TIG welding myself and the MIG stuff, my employees do plus run the machines and produce finished parts. We primarily run short prototype machining and sub assemblies for the automotive sector, usually 2nd and third tier suppliers like Lear corporation and Mobis (Stellantis). I always need a sharp pencil as it’s very competitive. TIG has to be certified, MIG, not so much and I do all the heavy fabrication myself as well. I have a nice customer base concerning fabrication as well. I repair a lot of arborist machinery, big front end loader buckets and associated parts and sharpen commercial wood chipper knives as well. I got into sharpening wood chipper knives on a lark probably because I own a large automated surface grinder with a large table so I fabbed up an angle jig and started running knives and anvils because no one around here does them and new knives are very expensive and they can be sharpened numerous times, a lot cheaper than buying new ones. Should have done all this years go instead of starting out middle aged and now ancient, but I still have my mind (unlike Biden) so I’m good to go for now, at least. The rest of me, not so much but I’ve slowed down my work load accordingly. Age has it’s detractions. Might have to hire an additional employee sooner or later. I don’t really like having employees simply because I’m a terrible boss and I dislike all the government required paperwork as well as the additional insurance but I have too much work to do it myself. I cold make a ton more money without them but I believe in supporting the economy anyway…
Me in a nutshell. Actually time to get dressed and get busy. My help is already out there ding their thing (and having coffee, I’m sure). Always a full pot of Blackout Coffee hot.
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Doesn’t this always seems to be the case? No matter the size, it is eventually too small.
I smiled when I watched a recent video by Adam Savage (from the TV show “Myth Busters”). As he was cutting a small piece of plywood on a full size table saw, he was also pushing a small cart out of his way to be able to get closer to the table. Adam has got to be a millionaire and can build/buy whatever he wants. He has outgrown his space.
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I won’t live long enough to be that rich but we live quite comfortably and due bills are never an issue either. I pay all the CC’s on time and in full always. I don’t like paying interest, never have. Farm is paid off as is everything in the shop and the new plasma table will be the same deal as well as the addition. I only have a mortgage on one rental property and that is almost paid for. I own 3 nice rentals, all brick ranches on 1.5 acre lots and I have good renters as well. I check them out carefully. Don’t work on them either, I sub contract all of that out.
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