Modern Vespa

That blimp hanger looks like it'd almost hold all Voodoo's herd!

Awesome space. I love it!

My house was built in 1911 and was a working farm at the time. The blimp hanger (as it shall forevermore be known) 32x60, was erected some time later, I don't know exactly when and it was a major contributing factor when I bought the house. It was originally used to store farm equipment like tractors and combines.

The city has expanded and now the property is on the edge of town. The farmland was sold to other farmers in the area leaving the house, this building another 18x48 garage and an acre of land.

The garage is double the size of an ordinary two car garage with a three room workshop in back. That is where I do most of my wrenching.

Very cool.
Terrific space.

In action:

Currently.

Perfect riding weather

Heidenau makes 3.5x10 snow tires. Just sayin'

i have them.. but I still can't get the damn 70/130 tires off the new rims so I can put those on!

Looks like your doing an electrical conversion, that’s a nice setup!

Looks like your doing an electrical conversion, that’s a nice setup!

We got our first snow today and lots colder too.
So perfect weather for melting aluminum cans in our amateur garage foundry today.
The snow was just lightly falling as we finished up.


Beer barrel shell burning charcoal briquets with a blower forcing air from below.

The muffin tins are cheap molds for the ingots we will make.

Morrie is pushing in cans, right side up so all steam vents safely. We both use protective eyewear because we don't take chances here.

We added commercial flux from the yellow Nesquik container and stirred well to float up all the slag and junk oxides to be skimmed off.

Did you notice all the recycled Vespa rims and a Super brake drum?

The charcoal furnace melts fast, We cleaned the metal and recharged the charcoal here, about halfway through the total melt.

I guess it's time...

Drying out a wet muffin tin here before I pour.

Come on out of there, you!

My crucible is a stainless steel pot from Goodwill, lasts about 15 heats or so,
but much faster for this than my much more expensive carbide crucible I'm saving for brass and bronze.

We finally got six big aluminum muffins from a couple hundred cans and remnants from last casting session when I managed to cast an elephant.

On Monday I cast this poorly 3D printed & discarded elephant just to test out my furnace & foundry gear after a year away from it.

Not bad, but the sand mold cracked and I got a nice unwelcome FLANGE around the beast's back I still need to grind off.

There's also [url= option[/url]...

Proper video link, plz? I am sadly Chrome impaired.

https://youtu.be/9dVJnWMPgvw

ha yeah. I think the city of New York would be pretty pissed at me for using those! Some day I will! DIY backyard snowcross vespa is on my list of things to do.

I was posting from my phone, and then had to do other stuff for a bit, so thanks for fixing that, berto

ThatScooterThing did an episode on Vespa Ice Racing out on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It looks like fun, for sure.

(Look ma! Proper links! )

huh?...i've haven't been drinking

Oh, hey...in case spikes aren't your thing, this seems like a good idea...

Yup! First Scooter, not my first project. (Now going electric!)

Some fine looking garages.

The lights are so bright it messes with the camera in my phone a little bit. 70,000-ish total lumens will do that, I guess.

I still need to finish wiring them in, but this gives the basic idea. And the walls are all whiteboard, so I can write notes, lists, sketches, or whatever else I want to capture at any time.

good grief CM - just exactly how bright is it in there?

Like it a lot Chandler. Bright is good.

Whiteboard’s a nice touch. I’m always looking for something to write on. My work workbench is covered with scribbles.

What’s the story with the floor?

I hung 8 48" lights, each of them 9,600 lumens, so call it 77,000 lumens total, spread pretty evenly over about 280 ft^2, so on average, 266 lumens/ft^2. That's a little bit high (150lm/ft^2 is the target benchmark for industrial workspaces), but it's working for me and I don't feel like I need sunglasses, just that it's nice and bright, even down at floor level. The whiteboard is super convenient. Acrylic paneling like that is super-cheap, too. I'm also constantly trying to capture measurements, drawings, etc. on whatever random greasy scrap of paper I can find on short notice. This way, I draw what I need, then if I want to preserve it, just take a picture. It lasts longer that way.

The floor is basic industrial vinyl that I bought in a 10' wide roll and a second section that I cut to fit for the rest of the width. If they'd had a lighter color, I'd have gone with that. I was originally looking for something closer to gray epoxy paint, but took what I could get. I put it down with a 3mm pad underneath and it's much more comfortable than cement for working on. I don't love the texture of the raised discs, because they make it harder than I'd like to clean up spills, but they do help with traction.

I second the giant white board! I have large one in the shop, and it is invaluable.

i too enjoy and embrace the whiteboard.

unfortunately my old lady absconded with mine from the shop. therefore she gets love notes and small drawings, maybe a haiku here and there.

okay. okay. it's dicks. i mostly draw dicks on it.

and sometimes whales.

but usually dicks.

because i'm 12.

-g

This is the True purpose of the White Board

Angle your phone so the actual lights are not in the shot. It should fix the image. I have a similar issue with my 12 lights in my 12X16 shop.

You gotta swap out those 3500k tubes for some matching 5600k tubes! Your color balance is gonna be off!

As methods of marking territory goes, drawing dicks is fairly harmless (and odorless).

Speaking of drawing dicks on things, back when "going into the office" was still a thing, I'd have to walk about half a mile through the Loop in downtown Chicago. Idiots would pull across the crosswalks of major intersections and then stop because they had a red light, massively disrupting both pedestrian and vehicle traffic. At some point, I started drawing dicks on the dirty windows of anyone who did it as I walked past their car. I got to the point where I execute that particular tag almost without breaking stride, including a few drops shooting out in case anyone was unclear on the image.

Why dicks? Same reason as you. Because we're all 12 at heart.

Whales...
Shaped like dicks.
It's a thing.

CM - space really came out great.
Like it.
Been hard at work on my own space.
Still not ready for the unveiling tho...
Major declutter.
Good for the sole.

There's something nice about the feeling of potential that comes with walking into a busy-but-not-messy workshop. I don't feel like I should clean something before I get to work, but still have plenty of things to do if I don't have a clear purpose when I head out there.

And, before we leave the topic completely behind, Whale dicks seem like they're probably terrifying if you're not into that sort of thing.

Who needs the Sears catalog.
We have wikipedia

Interestingly I like the mix. Not quite so harsh.

Awesome!

I'm still loving this thread! Its very insightful and inspiring to see everyone elses spaces. Thanks again for sharing everyone1

After catching the bug of inspiration, I spent the last 2 weeks cleaning and organizing alot of the shop space.

Here is a shot of one corner, that has basicly been a junk collecting corner for 7 months since I moved in. It's nice to finally have the drillpress setup, and I'll add some hangers on thewall too; so I can utilize that vertcal space. The signs are part of my collection from over the years. I have more posters and prints, but ran out of wall space. I'll most likely move the press further away from the brick, but it is where it is for now cuz its heavy af.

Very nice GL - I want to build myself a new bench and change things around in my space, but first gotta finish these rebuilds.

I love reading through these threads. Here I thought I was going to see some really creative ways and tips on organizing the garage, and I come back after a couple of days to....whale dicks.... Cracked me up, cause, yes, 12yo at heart

Still waiting for the pics of the wild and crazy CM2's mad scientist lab....

Not sure if it was this thread - or buying a part that I later found I had 3 of - but either way - it was time for a clean out.

Spoiler alert - garage still needs a lot of work.
- Ripped everything out and threw it in the driveway.
- Expanded my shelving system
- Bought what I thought was a steel on these cool stainless steel rolling tool chests at just $200 ea. only to find - I had to build them myself and upgrade the slides... so I did! oh those drawers close nicely with the self close at the end!!
- Converted one of them to a welding cart - always found welding carts ugly. Holds the tanks for two machines in the cabinet - and all welding accoutrement are in the drawers.
- Went through every damn storage bin I have - threw half the shit away - and organized it nicely in clear bins. Wh-o-l-l-y cow. I can find my 1/2" sprinkler nipples quickly.

Editors note - you ALWAYS want to know where your nipples are.

- Every station is on casters. Red, unreasonably large, smooth rolling, urethane coated, swivel locking (from the front with a touch of my toe) casters. Found the source and bought cheap. Can wheel everything around - very nice.
- Working now no a plan for a shed - so I could do a little more finesse.
- Oh! and I sold two bikes and a line trenching machine - netting me way more $ then I spent so far - which felt good!


Of course - documented for your enjoyment.
Warning - this is 1minute of your life you will never be able to get back or un-see.

Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/2AJUzOYO3g4


Before(ish). Actually already done a lot of assembly at this point

Welding cart - one of the $200 self assembly jobs I bought - all my goodies in the drawers. Note the hole cut in top and the custom welded tray holding the red MIG machine so I can turn gas on/off

Grinding/Sand/Drill station.
Have a cunning plan for a new top still in the works. New sander attachment and bench grinder - kinda cool. 15yr old shop vac got new switch and a clean - fixed & works great.

Drill bits! right under the drill! Who knew? Sorted by rough size. (I mic my bits before I ever use them anyway) Easy to put away. Rt hand slot is for those needing sharpening Loving this.

Speaking of drawers - gave em all a them. This is my carb drawer - all the little bits at my finger tips - findable...

And my nuts and bolts drawer

And my electrical connections drawer - you get the idea. (and I am not even gonna post my Dremel drawer - cause that might cause heart palpitations).

and I flipped my bench top after 15 years

And revealed a new bright and shinny top.

& my fixture table - for welding. I will make a jig to hold my motor - this is where I will do my greasy work going forward.

Box of unreasonably large red casters for all the carts and tables

And the new self close slides - oooo. smooth.

Clear boxes - not stacked on top of each other - allowing visibility and access. Each one sorted & culled before being put back up. How many paint rollers should I own?!

CM's Tire Rack™

Working man's garage - still a ways to go - but big improvement.

Shiiiiihs, Charles you set a high bar!

More than a little jelly.

Hot damn!

More than a lot jelly .

Your parts cabinet reminds me of my parts storage chest.. only way bigger and better!

Mine is overstuffed with parts!
https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-storage-organization/parts-storage/toolbox-organizer-with-4-drawers-68238.html