It’s nice having two torches.
Quick swap and you can hand cut drops and whatnot.
Then I am the guy with 2 plasma cutters and 4 torches.
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This is a memorial sign for my 18yo nephew who was a competitive arm wrestler. He took his own life two weeks ago. He was an incredible human who had so much more to give to the world. That’s how he approached life: “what can I do for others?”.
If you are not familiar with “sextortion” originating in Nigeria with American female accomplices, and you have teenage boys, please read up on it. It has driven about 25 to commit suicide so far this year.
I am making a sign for his team to hang on the wall of their practice dojo. It’s off to the vinegar bath. I’m gonna get his dad to pick the colors.
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Oh Bret, I am so sorry for your family’s loss. This sort of thing is so painful.
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Sorry for your loss! It really is an epidemic My nephew took his own life two weeks before last Christmas. He was 14. The chaplain for the sheriffs office said he was the 9th one that week. Such a tragedy, and such a hard thing for you and your family to go through. From my family to yours we are thinking and praying for you
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I’m the father of 3 boys (& a girl) and that was one of the major keep me up at nights things. Now the oldest is 35 and I still worry. I can’t imagine how any parent handles the aftermath.
I don’t remember this ever being something that happened when I was growing up. I think our parents were worried about us getting in a car accident.
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The sexortion stuff will only get worse. You literally need to talk about it with teens and control phone access. There are tons of cases like that, I’ve handled several (that did not result in suicide thankfully). Not just teens too, but adults. Many even pay the money that’s being asked, and when asked for more they decline and decide to call police. It’s rare for the actual images to get released but the fear is real. Scams in general are out of control. Not save to answer any unknown texts or messages anymore.
Don’t even get me started on all the money the elderly are losing to scams.
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It really ramped up with everyone having a camera they carry around everywhere because it is also a phone. My daughter is 35 and she did not get a phone until she was in high school and it did not have a camera. The primary reason she got it was because she traveled with the high school tennis and swim teams to compete. When the bus was returning, she would call us when she was 15 minutes away so we could meet the bus. It really helped to stream line our lives.
Now kids are getting phones when they are in grade school and it is part of their entertainment and continuous contact with their friends and family. Sending texts (text and images) has become rampant.
And kids come up with all types of challenges. Awful ideas like the Tide pod challenge. In a small community here (Forks, Washington) where the book series Twilight supposedly took place, a group of girls in high school made a pact that they would all get pregnant before the year was up. I am not sure of actual number but it was the same year my daughter was born, 1989. While my wife was giving birth at 31 years of age the nurse informed her that she had increased the average age of the mothers in the maternity wing for the week to 18 years old. Information of this pact came out in the newspaper.
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Thank you and others for the condolences.
I am hoping the local FBI office will pursue this case. It has a better than average chance of resulting in serious charges because at the time of his death there was a police officer there talking to him and his father about the situation. In other words, direct cause can be known. I also read that on the day this occurred the Nigerian government had announced it would cooperate/pursue a crackdown. They have an extradition agreement with the US. Many countries were these scams originate have no such agreement.
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I watched your video on YouTube of the production for theses. Your table is getting after it!
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Thanks!
That was actually my first “real” video where I did some noob editing 
I’m not a youtuber, don’t have the personality for it, but people have always told me I’m great at explaining stuff.
Buyers would tell me they thought the pics were cool so I decided to make the video for kicks.
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I didn’t see it!!! I want to see it. Could you add your YouTube page to your profile of this forum?
(Ask my wife and daughter, I need lots of help knowing how to explain things to people.)
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It’s barely a channel lol here’s the video
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I just didn’t include a video of cutting out the entire set; it takes just over 24 minutes as I have 3 sets nested on a 4’ x 2’ piece. That and I had already just cut them out before I decided “why not make a video?”
Which is the reason why I run a wire wheel on it. I don’t get dross if I cut a few parts out, but a 24 minute run applies a lot of heat to the whole thing.
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Good job Nelson and nice tip on the self-centering bolts!
You need a vinegar tank to soak the parts before shipping. I just use a Walmart plastic storage tub with snap fit lid. I buy the 45% vinegar off Amazon and cut it about 30% vinegar and 70% water. After 18 hours or so all the mill scale just brushes off with a paint brush. Your buyers will thank you for it!
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Thanks, will have to try that.
Having worked in fab shops, I’m used to hot rolled so it’s all I ever mess with as far as steel goes.
All my 16 gauge is cold rolled though, but I’ve never liked how easily it scratches.
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I am going to try this mix and see how it works.
Also not sure if you wash the oily film off your stuff before putting in to vinegar or not. I just started doing that and the vinegar mix stays so much cleaner.
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Or just avoid rust altogether
When I’m not being lazy I do… so, right now mine is black.