Indian Tadpole

[fasteddy]

Tom, I'll put the chains in places as soon as I get the throttle cable stop built. It will be exposed as well as the clutch arm so I'm trying to work a little period look magic. I just have to figure out what that looks like.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Rick. as I've said before I'm a wood worker. A few thousands of an inch fascinates me that it can make a difference. Thanks to you, Curt and Tom and others who have stopped in to help over the years that I've been doing this it's made it.

On my mothers side of the family we had both wood workers and machinists. My great grandfather, my grandmothers father, was a wooden vat maker. He worked for a vinegar maker and built the largest wooden vat in the world.

Unfortunately I followed the woodworker side of it and not the metal workers. It's interesting that my son followed the metal workers and the closest he gets to wood working is fire wood.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Thought this might be interesting.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Here is what's inside of the 3D Clutch actuator.

Steve.

The bearings that the halves turn on.

The other half of the actuator. The bearings travel in a sloped ramp.

Large ball bearings in each half.


The bearings themselves.

 

[fasteddy]

Rick, I was thinking that you should just order another 3D Clutch. My guess would be that your the former owner of the first one.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Key phrase in one of your recent posts Tom was "tool & die" which I consider as paid dues on your part. My ancient history includes owning a machine shop in Houston and another in my small home town, which I started as a hobby shop & unfortunately grew into a real business, after I retired in 1990. Sold the first business in 1990 & the second last year. Now I work with mostly hand tools at home and love the minimalist approach that I learned as a kid.

My hope is that more of the young guys will pick up on just how little tooling is required to turn out some amazing bikes etc. while understanding that learning the basic necessary skill sets is truly what enables anyone to design & fabricate every project, not just limited to this specific hobby. Imagination, when added to these skill sets, becomes a limitless source of ideas for projects that can fill even a long lifetime with creative projects.

This thread also demonstrates the value of persistence & methodical problem solving involved in fabricating innovative projects.

Hens lay eggs and roosters lay hens....both but both lay low to avoid the hawk and fox!

The Old guy, Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Rick, I was thinking that you should just order another 3D Clutch. My guess would be that your the former owner of the first one.

Steve.

Steve I try not to use the phrase "I used to own" very often as it often results in a feeling of seller's remorse. I'll get my $100. back eventually but now they are double the price. Maybe they'll have another sale. Tom was that a winter or spring sale at 3-D? I don't remember.

 

[fasteddy]

Rick, after 50+ years of wheeling and dealing with antique dealers that would make Texas horse traders wild with envy my thought is that I'd ask whomever is using the clutch if they would replace it since you need one.

The old clutch comes back or a new one does.

Hens lay eggs and roosters lay hens but no one comes out ahead messing with old folks.

Steve.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Tom, I'll put the chains in places as soon as I get the throttle cable stop built. It will be exposed as well as the clutch arm so I'm trying to work a little period look magic. I just have to figure out what that looks like.

Steve.

Steve,
Vintage to a TriCar ? Harley used linkage until 1908, 1909 saw the first internal throttle. Throttle stop? Lever Throttle?

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Steve I try not to use the phrase "I used to own" very often as it often results in a feeling of seller's remorse. I'll get my $100. back eventually but now they are double the price. Maybe they'll have another sale. Tom was that a winter or spring sale at 3-D? I don't remember.

Hey Rick, Looked in my Sportsman Flyer note book.
No receipt there but shipping box is dated 11/29/17.
Tom from Rubicon, WI

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Thought this might be interesting.

Steve.

Thanks for the vid. Steve, them boys were having fun.
Tom from Rubicon

 

[fasteddy]

Hi Rick, sorry I crossed your and Tom's name around in one of the last replies. I've changed it.

Hobby shop. Then someone said in a coffee shop,"Hey I know a guy who can repair that," and you became, The Guy. What spreads faster in any industry than the news that there is,The Guy Who Can Repair Anything. Your fate is sealed.

Something to be proud of. Not many of,The Guy's, left though here in Canada there is a push in colleges to restart their trade programs. Many young people are finding that a degree in computer whatever is not selling but the machinists, mechanics, building trades, welders, gas fitters, plumbers are finding more work than they can possibly handle. Even with the oil fields slowing up and people returning home and filling available jobs there, the local need isn't filled.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Hi Tom,
I'm just trying to come up with a bracket that will line up with the lever I added to the clutch actuator so the outer cable housing has something to rest against as the cable activates the clutch.

They will show since they are below the chain cover and I don't want them to stand out anymore than they will.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Rick, after 50+ years of wheeling and dealing with antique dealers that would make Texas horse traders wild with envy my thought is that I'd ask whomever is using the clutch if they would replace it since you need one.

The old clutch comes back or a new one does.

Hens lay eggs and roosters lay hens but no one comes out ahead messing with old folks.

Steve.

Actually my 'ol Da was a lifelong horse & cattle trader & my Grand Pops himself was more than likely a thief of the same during the late 1800's. This area was known as "outlaw territory" as well as "Indian territory" and for good reason. I've dozens of "true life" family tales of life in the old west, post Civil War period and my own after the so titled police action in Korea. No electricals out in the country until 1954....

I did speak with my young karting enthusiast & he said he'd pull the clutch & return it. No money had actually changed hands so it went well. I forgot ,ahem, to mention that the clutch had increased, doubled, in price. I blame my selective memory lapses to advanced age....

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Hey Rick, Looked in my Sportsman Flyer note book.
No receipt there but shipping box is dated 11/29/17.
Tom from Rubicon, WI

Thanks for looking that upTom. That time frame sounds about right. Winter sale, pre inventory special etc. I'll keep my eye on 3-D for another sale. No real rush since I'll be getting the loaner back.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Hi Rick, sorry I crossed your and Tom's name around in one of the last replies. I've changed it.

Hobby shop. Then someone said in a coffee shop,"Hey I know a guy who can repair that," and you became, The Guy. What spreads faster in any industry than the news that there is,The Guy Who Can Repair Anything. Your fate is sealed.

Something to be proud of. Not many of,The Guy's, left though here in Canada there is a push in colleges to restart their trade programs. Many young people are finding that a degree in computer whatever is not selling but the machinists, mechanics, building trades, welders, gas fitters, plumbers are finding more work than they can possibly handle. Even with the oil fields slowing up and people returning home and filling available jobs there, the local need isn't filled.

Steve.

No harm Steve. We are seeing the same here and already have some awesome college support for trades technicians, some are actually full two year programs, though most are 1 year studies. The need is out there & so are the jobs.
We've been seeing rig count drop here as well, but that's the oil 'bidness, if you're young & adventurous you follow the "play" wherever that is or you practice your trade skills in a different endeavor closer to home at perhaps slower pay than perhaps the heady $120. per hour that competent independent welders can expect in oil co. service work, but still provide well for a family.

I've shown this before in a post, but it is a source of great satisfaction that I'll unabashedly boast of!

The device shown is a Gurley Sun compass circa post civil war U.S. It was the only instrument type that was approved by the U.S. for official geological surveys of the period. As it was free from all mapping aberrations caused by magnetic anomalies. I reconstructed this one to original factory specs using two quite incomplete instruments and machining from brass stock all the missing bits. I was able to procure all the factory prints and literature from the Gurley company which is still a huge player in the manufacturing of survey instruments. With barely 25% of the required parts available from the terribly neglected remains of the two old instruments, I had a lot of work to do.

After several months of research I'd found only 3 examples remaining of these once numerous tools. Two of those reside in the Smithsonian museum, thankfully preserved & treasured. Another in private hands of a wealthy collector.
Rick C.

 

[indian22]

I utilized what I had to fabricate the missing parts, this was somewhat simplified by the redundant use of some of the parts in latter Gurley instruments that were available to me in the large antique collection of the local collector, a retired surveyor himself, and the owner/sponsor of the sun compass donor pieces. These being parts of valuable antique instruments themselves; they could not be scavenged, but could be closely examined and therefore contributed greatly in my work.

More than a year of study and machining went into this project. Now there are four Gurley Sun compass' known to exist and the last being the only one of the four that has been certified as a historically complete instrument & totally accurate for surveying purposes set for that era. Not bad work for an old guy that doesn't know from get about surveying!

The instrument is housed in an original mahogany instrument case and also an original tripod with canvas case, both appear only lightly used. All the brass work was covered in (original) brass black used to prevent glare off the instruments surfaces. Then I carefully buffed the edges and surfaces to show traces of brass, as from use and handling in the field and due to storage. The patina would be very difficult to detect by any other than an expert as I had so many hundred year old instruments with original patina to draw from.

I was so pleased to hand this over to it's proud owner only a few months before his death. I miss them both but in quite different degrees....

Old guy, Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Sun compass

Photos show stages of progress, and bright brass being the latest as "brass black" was applied to some parts but not the latest work. Eventually all new machine work was blackened and aged. The instrument brakes down into two groups (head & swivel/leveling) for storage and transport.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Thanks for looking that upTom. That time frame sounds about right. Winter sale, pre inventory special etc. I'll keep my eye on 3-D for another sale. No real rush since I'll be getting the loaner back.

Rick C.

Hey Rick,
When 3D offered that sale I took it that the clutches were not moving fast enough. I have been mostly ignorant of the Karting scene though I guess I should. Seems all the small engine performance advances should be credited to the Kart racers.
Tom form Rubicon

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

No harm Steve. We are seeing the same here and already have some awesome college support for trades technicians, some are actually full two year programs, though most are 1 year studies. The need is out there & so are the jobs.
We've been seeing rig count drop here as well, but that's the oil 'bidness, if you're young & adventurous you follow the "play" wherever that is or you practice your trade skills in a different endeavor closer to home at perhaps slower pay than perhaps the heady $120. per hour that competent independent welders can expect in oil co. service work, but still provide well for a family.

I've shown this before in a post, but it is a source of great satisfaction that I'll unabashedly boast of!

The device shown is a Gurley Sun compass circa post civil war U.S. It was the only instrument type that was approved by the U.S. for official geological surveys of the period. As it was free from all mapping aberrations caused by magnetic anomalies. I reconstructed this one to original factory specs using two quite incomplete instruments and machining from brass stock all the missing bits. I was able to procure all the factory prints and literature from the Gurley company which is still a huge player in the manufacturing of survey instruments. With barely 25% of the required parts available from the terribly neglected remains of the two old instruments, I had a lot of work to do.

After several months of research I'd found only 3 examples remaining of these once numerous tools. Two of those reside in the Smithsonian museum, thankfully preserved & treasured. Another in private hands of a wealthy collector.
Rick C.

Looked those Gurley Compasses up $10,000 - $20.000
Tom