Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Sclass wrote: ↑

Sat May 15, 2021 2:26 pm

I got the pump cup from an antique airgun restoration shop. I think the old guy who owned the place is long gone now.

I remember those! City kid so I was never allowed to have one, but a few neighbors had them.

Lately the inventory from shops like that have been showing up at the swap meet. It is sad to pick through the stuff. Today one of my friends showed up with the contents of an RC car and airplane store gone bust.

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For months I've been watching for a vintage aluminum eyeglass case for my sunglasses. I wanted something crushproof. Today one appeared for $1 but the interior was a crumbling mess. I should have photographed both before and after but only got the after. I removed the interior and sprayed it with Goo Gone to disintegrate the tacky glue. Then I shaped a small piece of leather and glued it in place. When dry I tried to cut it with an xacto knife but it made an ugly cut so I use my German haircutting sheers to finish it off. I smeared the exterior with Mother's and buffed it with my buffing wheel for a while then hit it with 1500 grit sandpaper to give it a little shine. I am happy with how it turned out.

Gilberto de Piento wrote: ↑

Fri May 14, 2021 9:27 pm

yah my frame takes 68mm english threaded so im good to go.

That's a very nice aluminum case! I'll definitely need to look for one to refinish. I've managed to find free ones, that were discarded, but they only ever last a few months with constant use. I think my DW would really like one too. Perhaps gifted as an anniversary gift

Thanks davtheram12. You obviously married well if your DW is happy with a second-hand anniversary gift.

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I have dedicated far too much attention to my suitcase. I am really enjoying hacking it to make the ultimate travel case. Here are two common problems we encounter and my proposed "fix-it" solution.

Problem 1. Budget travelers in shared accommodations frequently arrive at their lodging needing to charge a phone, computer, camera batteries and wireless headphones. We commonly encounter outlets that look something like this where people must leave their expensive devices unattended to charge. Or they leave them in the bathroom plugged into the razor outlet. Probably the biggest theft opportunity in hostels.



Problem 2. Wifi signal strength in budget accommodations can be a real problem. In most of the world buildings are constructed using brick/concrete which blocks the wifi signal. It is common that we get the wifi near the door to the room but it does not penetrate far enough into the room to be useful.

Solutions:

Now that I can safely lock the Zero Halliburton, I might as well make it so that I can run one plug to the shared outlet and use it to charge all of our stuff. My computer (HP Spectre X360 13) comes with a 65 W charger that uses USB C. My goal is to install a USB C plug into the side of the Halliburton and then install a small hub inside the case. I would love to get my hands on the one below. German. More than $130 plus shipping. Out of the question.



Today was a drizzly day at the swap meet. I got nothing but this old stainless bung and cap for $1.



It has a one way air valve on the back side which I will have to hacksaw off. My plan is to hot glue (or other suggestions ?) a USB C female to female into the bung and install it on the side of the Halliburton. I can then power the hub inside the locked case.

For the room wifi problem I am looking at the Ravpower Travel FileHub (or suggestions ?) that I can velcro inside the Halliburton and leave by the door or locked in the hallway to extend the range. I can then route all of our data through the router to our room and encrypt everything through the VPN. They claim it allows the user to avoid wifi login screens as well though I do not understand how. Very much open to suggestions and thoughts.

Nice vintage sunglasses Ego. That leather looks upcycled.

I did some quick fixes today. Replaced rear brake pads on my daily driver. Autozone free lifetime replacement. Got my $24 brakes free…again. Takes half an hour on my Mercedes with cleanup. I felt a little guilty having not worn them down past 50% but I don’t like having to push my brake pedal half way to the floor before I get pressure. Now I can press the pedal 10% of the way down and get a firm stop.

My wife told me as I came in from the garage her sink vanity was clogged. No problem, 1/4” snake time. Now this tool is an investment. $10 that will save hundreds. Pulled the hair ball in thirty seconds. I didn’t even get any pity points it was so easy.

A must have after a plunger. Two great Fixit tools.

Thanks @Sclass. The leather is indeed upcycled.

More adventures in half-assed DIY.

Made a stop at Home Depot today. Bought a 1' piece of wire for 26 cents and $1.56 for a ferrule & stop set. They wanted $14 something for the correct drill bit to make the hole. Pshaw. A few months ago I bought a bucket of used drill bits for two bucks. In the bucket was a large cement bit. Too large for precision. Fortunately I only do things half-assed. I drilled a pilot then slowly made the hole. I stopped every so often to check if it was large enough so that I could screw the threaded stainless steel bung into the softer aluminum.



Amazingly it worked! I cut a hole in the interior liner of the suitcase and screwed the bung down tight leaving a lip protruding outside the case.





Then I installed the wire to keep the cap from getting lost.





Total cost $2.84 for this absurd yet fun project.

One down, one to go. I purchased the one on the left this morning from a craigslister for $30.



Mrs. Ego wants hers to be this color.....



Is it possible to achieve something similar with rattle cans?

i don't think you can spraypaint nicely enough. alternatively... maybe some adhesive film?

Mrs. Ego wants hers to be this color.....

Red anodizing. There are DIY YouTube videos. But it could be way more than you want to do...

If you want to go the rattle can route, go car shopping with Mrs. Ego. Find just the right shade of red, and write down the make/model, and if you can get it, paint code.

Then, if you are lucky, you can order that paint from Krylon, at a parts store, or online. If Krylon doesn't make it, you can get it mixed custom for you at an auto paint supplier, and they can usually load it in rattle cans for you. It's more expensive, but sometimes the right red is worth it..

Rigger, the red anodizing paint is it. Perfect. I think she will be happy with the Dupli-color Metalcast red. I will have to paint it chrome first. Thanks!

@ego

The paint project is going to be a lot of fun! The YouTube channel Paint Society has some great content on how to prep and paint primarily car surfaces. He has a few videos on painting surfaces using rattle cans. I would highly recommend his content. Keep us updated

davtheram12 wrote: ↑

Wed May 19, 2021 8:47 am

The paint project is going to be a lot of fun!

It is! Thanks for the tip on Paint Society.

The case has a few holes that were drilled to install things over the years. I was thinking of using JB Weld tank stick to fix them and then sand it flat before painting. Thoughts?

Seems like the jb weld should work well. Brazing is another way to fill holes and is often used on gas tanks but I'm not sure if that works on aluminum and you'd have to remove all the plastic and fabric.

Does your swap meet have one of those guys selling brazing rods that you apply with a torch to "fix anything?" That was a mainstay at swaps that I used to visit. Kind of fun to watch them slap things together.

@Gilberto, thanks. I often see brazing rods but I know I will do more damage than repair if I were to try that. JB Weld it is. Thanks. $4.08 including tax, delivered to my door. How does Amazon do it?

Left side has been wet sanded, right side not. I hit the hinge with a steel wire brush because it was eating the sandpaper. I plan to leave the aluminum lip around the opening as well as the hinge their natural color and paint the rest.

I also pulled the lock. My goal is to rekey it with the same key as mine.




I ground down the smashed pins on the bottom that are holding on the cam.



I don't own a vice so I used the next best thing, vice grips. I pried off the cam.



Not sure what to do next. It would be easy if I could simply insert my key, grind the pins flat, then reinstall it. I know my locksmith friend would frown. I will take it with me tomorrow and ask him in person as he does not do internet or text.

Spoke with my friend this morning. He said I could insert the key and grind the the entire group of pins down flat but explained that it would compromise security. It may work but it isn't "correct". So I decided to give the correct solution a try.

I removed the cluster of pins



and then removed the Z-clip. I rearranged the pins so that they corresponded as closely as possible to the key. It was helpful to arrange them on the blade of a pair of scissors.



As I was reinstalling the Z-clip I put pressure to get it under the lip and it sprung across the room somewhere. I couldn't figure out which direction it went. I searched every possible place but couldn't find it. That will teach me to attempt anything better than half-assed.

ETA, an amazon reviewer posted this. They achieved this color with rattlecan Dupli-color metal anodized paint by first painting the chrome base then black and then finally the red on top. The paint is transparent. The colors below bleed through depending on how much top coat is applied. I think I will give it a try.

That’s an amazing result from cheap paint cans. I have some of that “chrome” paint in my garage. And some black. I’ll have to try it out on something.

@Ego
I went to a swap meet with my DW yesterday and came across the exact same vintage halliburton suitcase you've retrofitted to your needs. I was extremely tempted to buy it when the seller shouted "$30 it's a greet looking Samsonite" . He obviously didn't know what he had. I opened it and was met with a very brilliant red inner liner in excellent condition. The outside had one small dent (about the size of a quarter) with no other obvious signs of wear. My DW was not as enthusiastic since she was already hungry, sunburned and tired. I ended up leaving it without even bothering to negotiate on the price. Perhaps I'll go back next weekend to purchase it.

Cool beans! They are surprisingly inexpensive considering they are so durable and sell for a small fortune new.

My locksmith friend said he had a bunch of various spring steels at home and said he would make a new one.