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I've been out of the country for a few weeks and am now just catching up with all the posts. Looks good Sean. Sooner or later I'll be make a rack for my float tubes.
One thing I've been toying with is something I picked up from looking at a friend's old school range rover. Since it was built to be driven in africa with no air conditioning, it has a double layer roof. Basically, the roof has a second skin of sheetmetal that allows air to free flow underneath it, thus keeping it cooler inside. Since I live in Arizona, I'm thinking I could do the same with my roof rack, so instead of using expanded metal, I'd use a thin sheet of aluminum.
On a side note, Mike, I didn't know you fly fished!
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I'll have to look into that. Having a dark colored truck in the desert is pretty stupid... Maybe a sheet in the .090" range? I would never put a heavy point load, just chairs and such.
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Yep, I love it. Used to do a lot of tubing but like river and stream fishing the most. I had a buddy that used to own a shop so I was always outfitted. He's got a cool trailer he uses offroad that holds two float tubes inflated on the top. He's in Colorado with it right now and two weeks ago in Wyoming. Needless to say I'm jealous. I'll do a write up on my trip to Oregon we have in a few weeks. Wheeling, fishing and tractor driving.
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Got started today!
First bend!:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2808/9...b8a296d1_c.jpg
But I screwed it up! bent on the wrong side of the line, whoops! I will still use the piece elsewhere.
Front half of the bottom:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/9...129081f0_c.jpg
Bottom completed:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3695/9...8edb63fc_c.jpg
Second mistake, I didn't have enough foot pressure on the bender and I kinked the tube. This was the second bend in the tube to make the U shape for the top. I used the good bend in this piece to make half of the light hoop.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5447/9...e13afaf3_c.jpg
Bend for the light hoop:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5465/9...899219a3_c.jpg
I still have 2 more bends to do, but it got way too hot and humid outside for me to work, and my shade went away. Maybe tonight I can finish that up. I also need a couple of more sticks of conduit. I am thinking of using 3/4" rigid metallic tubing (nearly the same OD as the 1" emt) for the load bearing cross bars. they are approximately .100" wall.
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Went and picked up the rest of the pieces I need. I will have a little extra left over I might use to do some braces or something.
It's kinda like training your replacement and then getting laid off or fired...
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/9...5fff7a28_c.jpg
Primer and paint:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/9...c9d74947_c.jpg
Galvanized metal is a pain to paint over. Hopefully this primer works out well, seems like I have used it before on another project, but I can't for the life of me remember what!
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That's the same paint I use for my sliders, racks and skid plates. It will stick to anything. A couple of things about it. It's actually dark gray and not black. Stir the heck out of it. Cut it with a bit of thinner because it's like a thin tar. Use the 99 cent brushes as this paint does not wash out.
I used it on the galzanized pieces on my recent bike rack build. Went on with no problem. I would let the rack sit for a day or two in between coats as it takes a long time to cure. Gloves are also a must because it sticks to the skin like no other. See my slider paint post and my first birthing a baby post.
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Yep, it is the black version of what I use on my bumpers and sliders. I've used the black before in a spray, wonder if it is thicker than the silver on a quart?
Woke up late today, we'll see what actually gets done.
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I've used the spray and the brush on in that color. I like the brush on because you can put it on thick but the texture/finish isn't always as consistent as the spray. For my sliders I brush the bottoms and side but spray the tops. It gives it a better look yet still protects.
I've seen your silver and I'd venture to say the black is thicker/stickier. If you thin it I'd start with just a little and go from there. Having it too thick will require more curing time. Plus if the rack does get whacked the paint will want to chip more than it would want to be scratched. This layers mean you'll have a bigger chip.
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I'll probably thin it with a few drops, since it will be hot when I paint. We'll see how it does. I usually do a good base coat to seal everything up, and then a top coat for appearance. In reality, I won't be painting for at least a week.
I'm going out to work on it in a minute. It is damn hot and all my shade is gone. Why do I choose to do fab stuff in the summer?!
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Today was one of those days...
Started out by truing the lower hoops. Now they match! I also cut one down to make the overall dimension 7' or 84". Easy enough.
I set up my zinc stripper solution. 1 part muriatic acid, 1 part water. Ends of the tubs went in the water to produce bare metal surfaces to weld on. Welding zinc can cause significant amounts of harmful fumes, and is best avoided.
Ohhhhh, bubbles!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9...a3f0561b_c.jpg
In an accompanying bucket, I put a higher level of water and some baking soda to neutralize the acid when it was done. After that, parts got rinsed with the hose.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2839/9...ca3d992b_c.jpg
The acid did a GREAT job at removing all of the galvanizing on the tube.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7395/9...6d88cc15_c.jpg
I went to notch parts and that was a disaster. For some reason, my drill press will not hold the tapered chuck. Since it was dropping the hole saw on a regular basis, it ripped a couple of teeth off. I'm done with it.
I tried to use a bench grinder, but it only has a fine grinding stone, so on to plan C.
Corax (Keith) recommended this website: http://www.metalgeek.com/static/cope.pcgi
I will use that to create my template for the cuts I need to make. Less than ideal, but I'm trying to work with what I have.
I also spent Saturday getting the welder wired up to the house, so no more 18hp V twin whirling away next to me while I weld!
Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive.
