Search results

  1. Sidekick

    Need Recommendation For Air Compressor

    YES. Mine isn't bad. I bought one of those quiet California Air Compressors for my woodworking shop several years ago and no real problems yet. Very quiet oiless pump because it's in my basement. Only thing it's kick in is 90 psi and top pressure 125 psi so it wouldn't be good for a...
  2. Sidekick

    Smart guys, SOLAR

    This was my first cart that I built to play with solar that has run the lights in my shop for over a year. Also ran fridge, freezers, internet, and tvs during outages. 5 kw battery and a little sun worked great. This is the trailer I modified for the panels to keep them portable. This is...
  3. Sidekick

    must-have workshop features

    An old fridge to keep things like welding helmets and rods bug free and dry . Nothing like a big old spider crawling around your helmet when trying to weld.
  4. Sidekick

    Smart guys, SOLAR

    Depends on how much power you want, how much you want to spend, and how reliable you want it. I'm playing with 10-550 watt bifacial panels on a trailer, a 12000 watt EG4 inverter and 45 kw of 48 volt batteries now. Started off as a replacement for our 12kw gas generator due to many power...
  5. Sidekick

    What can cause air in home plumbing?

    Most manufacturers ship their water heaters out with anode rods wrapped in magnesium. While magnesium works well with softer water, they aren’t the best option for the harder water that would come with a private or community well system. In locations with high sulfate levels in the water, these...
  6. Sidekick

    Oil prices

    I picked up the Kawasaki 10-30 oil for my zero turn at my Kubota dealer this spring and 30 bucks with tax for 2 quarts. Was 15 bucks the previous year. Kubota has gone nuts with pricing.
  7. Sidekick

    What can cause air in home plumbing?

    That would mean the anode rod had a buildup on it and needed to be replaced. And yes the gases can be pushed back into the cold also. A heat trap does nothing to stop bubbles. Just a shot in the dark. Could be sediment in the bottom a gas or oil fired water heater if not drained often also if...
  8. Sidekick

    What can cause air in home plumbing?

    If mostly in the hot water could be the anode rod in your water heater creating hydrogen bubbles.
  9. Sidekick

    Daily Chuckle

  10. Sidekick

    Laser engraver

    https://lightburnsoftware.com This is the software most use. Plenty of videos about using it and a free trial. Just need to buy the right version.
  11. Sidekick

    What's cookin' boys?

    We just made some airfryer sweet potato fries from our sweet potatoes that are finally cured and really sweet now along with some ham steak and cauliflower.
  12. Sidekick

    Laser engraver

    I can't help you with the fiber lasers but a friend of mine recently bought a ComMarker omni series UV laser and it produces amazing quality on most materials and precious metals really fast. He also has a MOPA by Cloud Ray for metals he is happy with. I never accepted any offers to them for...
  13. Sidekick

    Laser engraver

    The big question is what's the budget and how deep do you want to engrave metals. I have a dozen of the lower cost consumer type lasers. Both blue diode from 5 to 40 watt and 2 Co2 machines. The diode lasers are great for wood, leather, stone and colored acrylic craft projects but anything...
  14. Sidekick

    I need some help here! Metalworking people.

    RWS could black oxide that for you 😬.
  15. Sidekick

    Looking for “Black pipe dope” advice………...

    I read don't use synthetic oil in your compressor if you use pex. The vapors that make it through the pump can destroy pex over time. I worked with a guy that used pvc for his compressor lines and didn't have a problem until trying to sell his house. Banned by code and all had to be removed.
  16. Sidekick

    Looking for “Black pipe dope” advice………...

    For tough to seal black iron threads I will pull a couple strands of lampwick (now it's called quick wick I think) and wrap it in a pipe dope like rector seal then insert and tighten. Here's an example but I think there's a Teflon version now also https://wal-rich.com/product/kwick-wick-spools/
  17. Sidekick

    Hydraulic Top Link Kit

    I open my cab rear window and can reach in to adjust mine through there.
  18. Sidekick

    Build a car piece by piece

    Yes I did and that's basically a production model, not a one off.
  19. Sidekick

    DIY press brake

    Looks great. You could always upgrade to a. Chinesium 120 volt hydraulic pump and some cylinders if you need alot of fast bends. I think slow creates less stress in the metal though. On my northern one in the press when bending thin metal I put a 1 inch thick 3 inch wide strip of spring rubber...
  20. Sidekick

    Baumalight PTO Generator

    Anyone else ditched the noisy generators and switched to solar backup. I replaced my 15k generator with a 12k inverter, couple batteries, and 10 panels. Turned out it has also cut my electricity bill in half by keeping all our critical circuits on it through the transfer switch. Zero noise...