• Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.
  • The 2026 Calgary Area Meetup is set for Saturday May 30th at 10am. The signup thread is here! Robinhood has graciously offered to host the meetup again this year. Please note that you MUST RSVP to the notice linked above if you wish to come.

Brent Builds!!

Sorry for the long delay in posts. The fabrication is going along and I am finding problems. The car, at some point, was hit on the driver side. I have made new panels and things didn’t align- drove me nuts! Last couple days were finding the bent frame area and getting it straightened! Mega beatings with a BFH and getting things straight. Big issue was the original “repair”’after what ever accident happened. They didn’t do all of it. Stuff screwed together and no spot welds. Brazing - OMG - gobs and gobs. Thought I was grinding gold !

Here are the pics. Ask any questions if you want:

Bent frame:
IMG_5211.jpeg
Working things:

IMG_5215.jpeg
IMG_5216.jpeg
The repairs:
IMG_5225.jpeg

IMG_5226.jpeg
IMG_5227.jpeg
IMG_5230.jpeg
IMG_5231.jpeg
Two panels overlap at this point. The first repair is actually supposed to be a junction but I made it a single 18 gauge plate to stiffen things. The plate above fixes a place where I carved out a few pounds of braze.

IMG_5232.jpeg

IMG_5233.jpeg
SomI didn’t polish out the welds entirely as I want as much steel there and no worries about reducing original material. Plus it is not going to be visible by any means. I have more plug welds to do tomorrow. The primer is all zinc weld through.

And then we have :

IMG_5221.jpeg
IMG_5222.jpeg
Yeah me!!!
 
Crazy times for the retired guy…. Hahahaha!

So since January the following things all happened- not in any order:

More Opel fabrication and then prep for my Aunts build. Went to Nova Scotia for 2 months and scotch taped a 520 square foot addition on my Aunt’s place including radiant floors, plumbing, electrical, framing, insulation, drywall etc etc. Back home to anniversary, birthdays and then running the sawmill to make “The Grub Shack”. Our outdoor kitchen/bar/hot tub enclosure:
IMG_6604.jpeg
IMG_6477.jpeg
Then there is removing and replacing all the exterior doors in the house, new AC compressor in my truck and my son’s. Things carried on with trenching water lines for folks, more lumber milling, dabbling in vintage stereo repair, flooring and drywall in the basement, replacing all the windows…. And the list went on!

Hopefully posting more …. Crazy times!
 
We have missed you Brent!

I'm contemplating my second retirement move myself. It's been 20 years here on the farm. I'm starting to fade so we are thinking about selling and moving to a 4-season cottage style place up in northern ontario. Someplace that the kids can reach for birthdays and special holidays and where I don't need to be a superman to get all the work done. And someplace the kids want to visit for a roof over their heads and a great vaca for the grandkids. Hopefully they would also help me do the work I can't do myself anymore. If not, I might have to start paying someone to do it......

Life is good though. In fact, it's awesome!
 
Hopefully I can make the time to keep posting. Lots of updates and projects happening!

Making a music room and setting up for some electronic repairs:

IMG_6874.jpeg
Yes, that is a beer pong table behind the kit!

IMG_6875.jpeg
Start of the electronics/hobby bench.

Right now working on adding auxiliary heat to the home furnace. Taking a water feed off the propane hot water tank (it is set up for radiant) and gotta make up a radiator type affair…..
 
Sorry for response delays but ….. well things happen!

Moved my sawmill and lumber stacks and brought in a shipping container- levelled out 16 tons of 3/4 crush and then loaded a great bunch of oak, cedar and poplar. After that we set up a portable shelter and stored the tin boat and a load of birch and some cherry.

My son bought a trailer and that begat a hub refirb for all 4 tires, axle u-bolts and new brake kits. All was proceeding well with various projects like installing power in the carriage house, building a workbench in the garage and lots of clean up and then the bottom dropped out of ‘er ….

My wife’s Dad went into the hospital with a twisted bowel and hernia. Things were very dicey as he is over 90 and Mom has memory issues…. Anyway, Dad is tough and underwent emergency surgery and is on the way to recovery! Projects are sort of sideways now as I am working on getting two homes set for winter and getting Mom set up and into the hospital for visits- never a dull moment on this side of the country! I am hoping to chat with @ShawnR soon and hopefully update my thread on the blacksmith vice (it is sitting on the floor awaiting some TLC).
 
Sorry for response delays but ….. well things happen!

Moved my sawmill and lumber stacks and brought in a shipping container- levelled out 16 tons of 3/4 crush and then loaded a great bunch of oak, cedar and poplar. After that we set up a portable shelter and stored the tin boat and a load of birch and some cherry.

My son bought a trailer and that begat a hub refirb for all 4 tires, axle u-bolts and new brake kits. All was proceeding well with various projects like installing power in the carriage house, building a workbench in the garage and lots of clean up and then the bottom dropped out of ‘er ….

My wife’s Dad went into the hospital with a twisted bowel and hernia. Things were very dicey as he is over 90 and Mom has memory issues…. Anyway, Dad is tough and underwent emergency surgery and is on the way to recovery! Projects are sort of sideways now as I am working on getting two homes set for winter and getting Mom set up and into the hospital for visits- never a dull moment on this side of the country! I am hoping to chat with @ShawnR soon and hopefully update my thread on the blacksmith vice (it is sitting on the floor awaiting some TLC).
Best wishes for the elders. Old people can be tough...and difficult.
 
Sorry for response delays but ….. well things happen!

Moved my sawmill and lumber stacks and brought in a shipping container- levelled out 16 tons of 3/4 crush and then loaded a great bunch of oak, cedar and poplar. After that we set up a portable shelter and stored the tin boat and a load of birch and some cherry.

My son bought a trailer and that begat a hub refirb for all 4 tires, axle u-bolts and new brake kits. All was proceeding well with various projects like installing power in the carriage house, building a workbench in the garage and lots of clean up and then the bottom dropped out of ‘er ….

My wife’s Dad went into the hospital with a twisted bowel and hernia. Things were very dicey as he is over 90 and Mom has memory issues…. Anyway, Dad is tough and underwent emergency surgery and is on the way to recovery! Projects are sort of sideways now as I am working on getting two homes set for winter and getting Mom set up and into the hospital for visits- never a dull moment on this side of the country! I am hoping to chat with @ShawnR soon and hopefully update my thread on the blacksmith vice (it is sitting on the floor awaiting some TLC).

Best wishes, Brent! Also caring for my own 90-year-old over here as well. His memory issues led to a kitchen fire last week and the fire detectors never activated, so I'm dealing with the aftermath of all that. Never dull week indeed!
 
Back
Top