Down And Dirty Under The Old Truck

 Drive an old vehicle and you will have to deal with brake repairs. A brake line was dripping on the old pickup and another adjacent line was nearly rusted through. After removing both of those lines, the entire brake system was full of air, so after replacing the lines we began bleeding at the far end of the system and worked our way back. A patient assistant is a must, and you must get out from under after several pumps to replenish the brake fluid in the master cylinder. You may have to touch up the bleeding after you have made the full round, but you can do this. The old beater is back on the road today! Replace the protectors on your bleeders to keep them from clogging with road grime. (PS, This is the easy part after removing rusty brake line fittings and assembling new line into your system!) (PPS, Do NOT use incandescent trouble lights under your vehicle while working with brake fluid! That stuff will light up your garage. The Studebaker garage in Swedesburg, Iowa caught fire many years ago when a light bulb broke. The mechanic was under a car and barely escaped.)

Tuesday Torque II: Portland, Indiana

 Here's a quick visit to the Tri State Gas Engine and Tractor Show, by Engineering Johnson.  Many Thanks, Zeke!

Tuesday Torque: 1916 Emerson Brantingham Model L

 At Greenville, IL, by Someplace or Another. Thank You, Merle for the link!  It took a while for people to figure out what a tractor should look like!

BTU Obsession!

 

                                     Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: Achensee, Austria

 

Note the cog that is visible under the belly of the engine. This loco is meant for hitching to a rack and pulling a steep grade.  Many Thanks, Merle!

Achensee, Austria link

Anatomy Of A Chainsaw Accident, How To Avoid Becoming Newsworthy

Note that Timber Kutter eliminated most of the hinge when he cut out the center. Taking out the center is a useful tool, but you must leave enough hinge for safety. The yellow-poplar hung up and then rolled when one end of the hinge let go.  Timber Kutter remained by the stump and when the tree rolled off the stump it landed on his saw. An adequate hinge, or making his escape from the stump would have prevented this accident. There is a list of 25 chainsaw safety rules on the left side of this blog. It is good to review them once in a while. Many of them carry the death penalty if you ignore them! I made the video below to review your falling plan. Every step is important.

Poetry In Motion...

 Steamboatin'!

Thanks, Merle!

Light Show

Susan and I stayed up late last night to see the eclipse. The sky was clear and the stars were bright, magical! The 90% eclipse was spectacular, with the un-eclipsed portion of the moon looking like an ice cap.  Early this morning before the full moon set, it was showing through alto cumulus clouds, and making a subtle red ring around itself. Really nice!  I had a little conversation with our barred owls as a bonus.

What's Inside A Knobby Log?

Wednesday Windage: Shot 15 Times, Shot Back, Survived!