October 22, 2022 – In which parts are cleaned mechanically, and a test reassembly is begun.
Having been otherwise occupied in September, I had to let Mr. Gordon sit for a bit. Too bad, since I missed out on a lot of good weather.
October 28 – After thoroughly cleaning the parts with a wire cup mounted to a grinder, I started to reassemble the frame for painting before the weather turned too cold. Note the D&P sitting in the background – it’s a luxury to have a full-size pattern to follow for accurate reassembly.
November 4 – Now to carefully mask bearing surfaces before painting – I used dowels and rolled-up cardboard to mask the interiors of bearings and oiling points.
November 9 – paint the frame
November 12 – Two coats of black later, it’s looking pretty sharp. Weather has turned cold, so progress will necessarily slow down for a while. To compensate, I’ve brought several smaller assemblies home with me to paint in my (somewhat) heated garage (the shop in LaPorte is not heated).
November 13 – I started painting parts at home.
December 9 – Back to LaPorte on a reasonably warm day to test fit the pivot arm assembly. It’s a bit snug, so Don said we’d have to shim the points of connection.
December 16 – catalytic heaters! My friends located some propane catalytic heaters today, so I was able to actually work on some press assembly. It is still just “dry fit” since shimming will be involved to make sure the bearings fit correctly. I’ve also located an experienced sign painter who has agreed to add the gold pin-striping when it’s done.
December 21 – Happy Solstice! The gears are supposedly being cast in Bronze this week, so that will be a great relief. I hadn’t heard from the caster for several months, and he hadn’t returned my messages until last week – after I offered to pick up the parts and have them cast elsewhere. Maybe he just doesn’t cast in bronze that often, but it’s still good customer service to keep your customers in the loop.
Almost time to check in on the treadle, too.
Not much will get done now until after the new year. I have a complicated assembly to finish cleaning and paint, then I will tackle the flywheel, drive axle, and rear pivoting frame. There are still small parts to paint, but I’m still hopeful it will be functional by late spring.