Monday, December 2, 2019
Sunday, January 17, 2016
The Milwaukee and Wisconsin News: A Good use for a broken tape measure might be as a...
Monday, December 30, 2013
The Milwaukee and Wisconsin News: How to Recycle Particle Board and Plastic Bottles ...
The Milwaukee and Wisconsin News: How to Recycle Particle Board and Plastic Bottles ...
Thursday, December 12, 2013
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The Milwaukee and Wisconsin News: American Ingenuity A Hasp is really a....12 12 201...
Thursday, November 7, 2013
The Milwaukee and Wisconsin News: Boot Repair 11 07 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
The Milwaukee and Wisconsin News: The Aluminum Hat A Thomas Paul Murphy Design 10 12...
Saturday, October 12, 2013
The Milwaukee and Wisconsin News: The Aluminum Hat A Thomas Paul Murphy Design 10 12...
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Milwaukee and Wisconsin News: Inventions Needed Solar Electric Furnace 12 20 201...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Milwaukee and Wisconsin News: Electronics designed to fail 02 15 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Monday, August 23, 2010
Window Air Filter 08 23 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Heavy Industrial Quality Hooks for Your Garage, Workshop and Home for Next to Nothing 08 09 2010
Heavy Industrial Quality Hooks for Your Garage, Workshop and Home for Next to Nothing 08 09 2010
How many times have you found the utility wall mounted hooks you buy at the hardware stores inadequate? Sometimes they are mad out of white metal and at inopportune times they unsafely break off.
Here is the solution I found to make my own. I use cold rolled ¼” by 1” or 1 ¼” steel strips and bend them into strong hooks that readily hold an extension cord, rope, tools, etc..
To make them I drill a hole one inch from the end of the strip metal and another about an inch from that to serve as a fixing hole to keep the hook from turning. I use a ¼” or 5/16” diameter lag screws and choose a cobalt drill bit large enough so that the lag screw threads and non-threaded base, the thicker part before the hex head pass through easy. Length is about 1 ¼” or 1 ½”.
Follow the directions of your metal bender.
After the hooks are bent, cut the end with a reciprocating saw with a cobalt 14 tooth blade. Prime and paint and mount where they will be handy.
Be safe when using your bender, make sure that it is securely fixed in place, and wear leather gloves and a face guard when bending as these types of operations tend to jerks and snaps in arm pressure that can be dangerous, as there is a lot of force required to bend.
You will have learned a core blacksmithing skill, something that is becoming a lost art that you will enjoy. And you will have created a product unlike any other on the market shelves at your hardware store.
God Bless Those Who Think
Thomas Paul Murphy
Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy
Portable Kayak Wheels 08 09 2010
Portable Kayaking Wheels 08 09 2010
Or How I Made Detachable Wheels for My New Kayak From Stuff I Had I.e. FREE
After carrying my Kayak over a half mile including a steep ramp on a bluff, I decided there must be an easier way to carry the Kayak from car to water. On a walk one earlier afternoon to Lake Michigan I watched how three men pulled their Kayaks by the front with the rear mounted on a removable wheel base.
Now this challenged my ingenuity as I saw some listed for sale for $80 and did not want to pay that much for it, because I am an American with ingenuity.
So here is what I did, I grabbed a ½ inch in diameter long bolt about 2 feet long and determined what the wheel base would be by looking at the width of the Kayak back a foot from the nose and looking at the width of the wheels that I would use. I added an inch for the retaining nut and cut the rod, that had a bolt head on one end to length using a reciprocating saw with a Cobalt 14 tooth saw blade.
The wheels I used were dismantled off a plastic fertilizer spreader my neighbor two doors down discarded. They were light and had about the same diameter and my steel rod, maybe they were 1/16” larger in diameter.
I took a measurement of the approximate cross section width of the nose and determined the slope of the Kayak hull by folding a piece of paper to the angle of the hull and perpendicular to the surface of the “EARTH”.
I then found a remnant piece of a cedar 2”x 6” in the wood pile and subtracted my wheel width times two plus end nut from the length of the rod. I trimmed one end of the 2”x6” to have a clean and smooth cut measured and cut clean to length from that end.
Along the lower edge of the two by six I planned to drill an axle hole lengthwise for my ½” diameter axle bolt. So I made sure not to cut the wood into the area that would contain the axle hole. An axle of this type needs a bulk of material around it to be durable and safely drilled straight.
Having my measurement for the nose contour I found the center of my two by six. And drew where to cut my “Resting channel” from the other edge inward. I still had the miter saw out so I rough cut part of each of the channel sides. The remainder of the contour form, where the rounded bottom or keel would sit, I would cut out with a portable band saw and wood chisel.
On the upper channel edges I drilled angled pilot holes and mounted two eyelet screws.
On the bottom edge of the cedar support I marked where my holes were to be drilled ¾” inch in from the side and 1 inch in from the edge. I then drilled out the lengthwise hole for the axle using my drill press on each end and then shot through with a 1/2" diameter long drill bit to adjoin the holes for the straight axle shaft.
Engineers of the past used to add features that were not readily useable but where added to make repairs and upgrades easier by the consumer. This concept fell by the wayside probably at the same time as the adoption of the metric system came into being. Somewhat above the axle and centered on each side of my wood I drilled two tapered accessory holes.
I put the ½” rod in the vice and grabbed my electric pipe threader with its ¼” die for pipes and put some threads on the end of the axle bolt.
In the contour formed channel that would support the Kayak I industrial stapled a strip from the same blown out mountain bike tire that I used to cushion my bicycles handlebar grip with.
I used four large nylon washers to eliminate side friction at the wheels. The washers had to be cut to ½” diameter and I did so by using a hammer and a round cutting punch.
A bungee cord, ( I hate them) holds the contoured wheel base to the hull of the kayak by bastioning to the eyelet screws and providing dynamic pressure.
I did also end up using the accessory holes I drilled. Using ½” military surplus strap secured the wheelbase longitudely in place from the front eye of the Kayak to its accessory straps fore of the Kayak seat.
The second time I used my Kayak I was able to put forth more effort to paddling than carrying.
The light wheels rolled over sand and stone and up and down concrete walkways and ramps with ease.
The wheelbase fit inside the nose of my Kayak when I was paddling.
I made this wheelbase in less than one hour and went Kayaking the same day I talked to the three gentlemen Kayakers.
God Bless Those Who Think
Thomas Paul Murphy
Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy
Thursday, August 5, 2010
HOW TO MAKE AN AUTOMOBILE LUMBAR SUPPORT FOR FREE 08 02 2010
For 20 years I got a back ache from driving long distances in a car. One day when shopping in a hardware store, I saw 4 ft. long flotation aids for pools and beaches-actually a child’s toy. They were free after a $2.OO rebate. I thought they would make a good pipe insulator or barbell shoulder pad for squatting. At the very least I saw plenty of potential for material utilization. I purchased 4 of them free after rebate. One of them I cut into a 15 inch segments and used it to hold leader hooks. After some deliberation I cut one of them into 3 segments the width of my car seat. Having 3 equal segments, I went to my roll of green cotton ½ inch wide military surplus strap. I thread the tubes on the strap one after another like threading beads on a string, with excess strap hanging out the end. I folded them at the joint so they were parallel to one another with the cross section being a parallel pattern to one another. I fastened the military cord tightly so the center of the triad foam tubes formed an equilateral triangle. I tied it together with knots on the end and cut the military surplus strap free from its spool. I now have a lumbar support that works far better than any I have seen. After a trial period I made a second for our other car.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
New 1400 pound capacity wheels for a man's Utility Wagon
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Handlebar Cushion From Old Mountain Bike Tire 07 20 2010
The sidewall of my mountain bike blew out two days ago. So I got on my other horse a Trek Mountain bike from the early 1980’s. The problems I had with my old road bike I mostly abated by buying a new rim for the front tire. The old one had a slight bend in it, that always caused an ever so slightly wobbly tire. And I put an extension on the front handlebars that raised it up higher. The seat was replaced by a double pad model to alleviate unnatural pressure on the prostate.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Umbrella Hand Crank 06 26 2010
Umbrella Hand Crank 06 26 2010 American Ingenuity
I made this umbrella crank, some years ago, for my parents that have arthritis. The cranking arm was made extra large so that it would be easier to move. It has a nice distinctive clicking when it is cranked. It has proved to very durable over time.
Parts used to make and origin.
1. Body enclosure: sheet metal from the left front fender of our 2001 Buick Regal. The fender was replaced and this was cut from the discard.
2. Crank Arm: Cut away from an office chair arm, very strong metal and hard to cut with a bimetal cobalt saws all blade.
3. Sprocket: This is the upper timing gear from our 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass that I replaced in the late 1980’s. The car long since sold.
4. Ratcheting Gear tooth: A common door mechanism mounted vertically.
5. Quick Release Knob: A bathroom sink stopper.
6. Main Axle Spool: A patio umbrella pole reinforced with wood inside from a broken shovel handle.
7. Quick Release Extension Piece: A common part inside of a door knob.
8. Red Washers: Cut outs from a laundry detergent bottle.
9. Spool Line: Bought at a hardware or department store. I is tight and densely woven.
Crafted to form by me!
God Bless Those Who Think
Thomas Paul Murphy
Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy
Monday, May 24, 2010
Portable Outdoor Shower
How I made an Outdoor Shower
The benefits from an outdoor shower are tremendous. In hot climates one might save your life from heat stroke. My model is portable; you can place it anywhere in your yard that you see fit. You can carry one around and water your garden with it, the kids can run under it or you can spray them with it.
Those snobby neighbor ladies who like to have contrived conversations with you will turn into Mrs. Dithers watching you clean up.
Parts I used:
The hard part attaching the hose to the shower. The threading standards are different here. I cut the hose and attached it to a nozzle using a hose clamp. That’s its weak point.
Use a ball valve because it turns on and off smooth and fast without limiting variance of choice in terms of flow. You want a ball valve that is “female threaded” on both ends.
Shower Head a cheap one.
Throw a coat of Rustoleum oil based outdoor paint on it for aesthetics and durability. I used John Deer Green.
The bottom you might want to have internally threaded and fitted with a threaded plug so it fits in your stand better.
Put pipe putty on your threads and turn it all together tight with a vise and/or pipe wrench or two.
Throw a coat of Rustoleum oil based outdoor paint on it for aesthetics and durability. I used John Deer Green. I have put a sample of the parts and tools you need to build one of these in this store below, if you are like me you probably alreay have them.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Garden Hose Stand
Garden Hose Stand 05 23 2010
In these pictures you see a stand I made for our garden hose. Let me tell you why this one is better. Like the free spool on your fishing reel the garden hose comes off this stand easy and is easily coiled and replaced. As a matter of fact just grab the end of the hose when you want to wash the car and start walking and the stand tips over and the hose is free.
The base of the stand is made from the brake disc of our 2001 Buick Regal and is heavy thereby providing ballast. There was some blacksmithing involved here, I had to use a metal bender to bend the hook portion to the proportions I desired.
Follow the link to see what a metal bender looks like, you can make letters out of strip steel and heavy duty handles etc, they are fun to use, the one at the link below cost about $100 or so and the skills you are likely to learn you can transform via translation learning to other skills:
http://astore.amazon.com/homeimpro01d-20/detail/B000XMHQ2K
The column of the garden hose stand is made from a discarded weight bench part. If you see these on the curb they often make could strong supports or frameworks for projects of this nature. As always the parts are cleaned and given a coat of paint, in this case Rustoleum John Deer red tractor paint.
From my perspective, I could not buy a better hose stand for money. The parts for this one were free except for the strip of iron that was bent. You can get such iron strips at your local hardware store.
God Bless Those Who Think
Thomas Paul Murphy
Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy
http://thomasmurphyindex.blogspot.com/
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Rolling and height adjustable stool from Frying Pan and Chair Base 05 20 2010
Rolling and height adjustable stool from Frying Pan and Chair Base 05 20 2010
I made this rolling and height adjustable stool from a frying pan (Teflon can’t stand) and a discarded chair wheel base. This stool is very nice for working on cars, doing work around the house, and in the yard, painting etc.. You would pay a considerable sum for something like this from the store, but both the parts are often discarded on the curb.
The wheelbase on this chair had a horizontal mounting plate with holes already in it for mounting the seat of the chair. The hardest part is centering the base to the pan. This is done by marking the center and then scratching a cross on the bottom of the pan with an awl. The cross allows you to align the base visually the pan. ¼” holes are drilled through the pan. To get the holes in correct alignment, after you drill the first hole put a bolt through it and attach a nut, use the base plate of a hole diagonal to it to drill the second, the hole in the plat being the guide. Bolt and nut that one also. Then use the base plate as a guide to drill the other two remaining holes. Make sure all bolts fit and then remove them.
Now take a countersink bit the diameter of a tapered head square ¼” diameter machine screw from McFeely’s and taper the holes on what will be the top of the seat, so that the machine screws sit flush.
Insert bolts and attach nylon lock nuts.
When I finished mine I gave the wheel base a nice coat of Rustoleum John Deer Red Paint.
You may need to use washers or your own American Ingenuity to create your own stool like this, as the parts you find may not be combinable like these. Sometimes plumbing post fittings are usable in situations like this, they look like a doughnut ring, are internally threaded and have four holes in them to mount to a flat surface, and they run about $4. The only cost to you is the hardware, nuts and bolts and paint. And if you are a handyman you should have some around already.
This makes a very nice stool and saves space in the landfill. The items are readily cleanable and do not harbor debris. This stool does move up and down and lock in place via the lever; it actually makes a ringing of a bell noise when the lever is used. I could bend the lever but I like the bell noise.
Also these types of wheels usually have a release lever or some mechanism that when activated properly allows for disassembly cleaning of dental floss and oiling with WD-40 or Super Lube Grease or whatever, it makes a difference.
God bless those who think.
Thomas Paul Murphy
Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy
Garbage Can Tamp 05 20 2010
Garbage Can Tamp 05 20 2010
This tamp allows me to punch down garbage in the bag without getting my hands dirty. This allows for more compact garbage. This means less space in the landfill is used and that I have to change the garbage bag less often. It also means I do not have to get my hands dirty doing this job. This is a must have.
I made this tamp from a defunct plastic broom handle. I cut a piece the appropriate length on the end that had the handle, using a hack saw. Then I drilled a hole through the handle, with a 3/16” or ¼” drill bit for a string so that I could hang it on a screw.
God bless those who think.
Thomas Paul Murphy
Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy
www.thomasmurphyindex.blogspot.com
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Tom's TARDIS
TOM’S TARDIS
This locker was discarded to the curb when someone three blocks away moved. It was cleaned and painted by me to abstractly resemble a Police call box. Doctor who used the façade of a police call box to mask the outside of his TARDIS. “Dr. Who” was a time lord of infinite incarnations in the science fiction series “Dr. Who” He was a remnant of an ancient race of time lords and episode to episode he was tossed through time and space in this craft (TARDIS) to solve problems that occurred in the fabric of time.
“TARDIS” stands for Time And Relative Distance In Space, and acronym, and is what he named his interdimensional spacecraft.
Incidentally, TARDIS is somewhat a neophyte homonym to “Tart Us” and that is exactly what I keep in it, spices that TartUs foods, and meals, as well as other forms of savory spices not as tart.
Abstract thinking question? Is the TARDIS the spice of life? Variety is said to be the spice of life. I know how to TARTUS by how to TARDIS works I could not really say for sure, at least not in this same essay. That essay would be of another dimension of word processing document and written another time, and published throughout time or never at all, the difference of being I am not sure of at the moment.
God Bless,
Thomas Paul Murphy
Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy
These are the instructions I wrote for myself before I painted it. It is good to write instructions for yourself before you do something, even if you don't follow them exactly.
TOM’S TARDIS PAINTING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Make a cardboard stencil and use darker paint and small brush to paint box panels 4 strokes per panel
2. Three horizontal bars on top. third one down should be BLACK
3. Mask around top window and use gray paint in peanut jar and sponge on stencil for windows
4. Also sponge a place for a plackard slightly smaller than panel for second one down in front. Should be gray
5. Just paint bottom of the thing below the door darkish blue
6. Mix up a similar color only a little more darkish blue and pretty much sponge the whole thing
7. Stencil spray TOM’S TARDIS on top with white spray paint
I don't think I used any spray cans. Don't like to, the last time I used a spray can was when I painted the Vinyl tile in the bathroom white with Rustoleum plastic primer, but that is a different story.
The top light is a mason jar painted with stripes and held in place via a round magnet that holds the mason jars lid to the metal top of the locker.
Ineresting enough I saw one of these full size call boxes on 05/06/2010, it is the in the lower picture at the following site and is red: http://wisconsinnaturepictures.blogspot.com/2010/05/todays-picture.html
Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Pool Ball Clock
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Monday, April 19, 2010
Tribute To The 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass
Tribute to the 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
This artistic represents the 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with it 350 cubic inch cylinder displacement 238 horsepower road conquering engine. They are a thing of the past now, collectors’ items. It is unrealistic for me and most people to have a car collection of original scale. But maybe we can keep things like this. Mementos and keepsakes preserve our memory of the past. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst?
What you see in this representation are the hood louvers from our families 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme mounted to a sand textured black gloss background, meant to resemble the pavement or tar of a road or racetrack. I kept the extra set of Louvers; I had on hand, when I sold the car in 1991 for $350.00. That’s $1 a horse I got, for the twenty year old car. The Yellow paint on the outer edge the lines of a road. The Louvers centered in this, abstractly remind me of wings, a further reverence to an original American era. And indeed I believe there was a war plane named Cutlass, but I’ll leave that story to those patient enough for internet research.
I have many stories regarding this car, like how I let a trainee at the service station I worked for drive it to get us lunch and he couldn’t understand how it took off so fast from the stoplight. I had made some secret modifications. As you get older your more concerned with mileage per gallon.
The 1971 Cutlass lives on.
God Bless,
Thomas Paul Murphy
Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy
About Me
- THOMAS
- Welcome to my Blogs. My name is Thomas Murphy and I love the forest and wildlife areas of Wisconsin and would like to share my thoughts and the pictures I have taken of the natural areas of Wisconsin. Come share in my collection of what I feel to some of the finest scenes and images of the forests, lakes, rivers and marshes that Wisconsin has to offer. I like to go to pristine and secluded areas where nature resides quietly and I feel the resulting “lost” images are profoundly unique. I am usually “in the moment” when I take these pictures. When I say in the moment I mean a sense of excitement often precedes what my eye captures through the camera. I never stage these shots but seem to be in the right place and time when I shoot them. And when I transfer them from my camera and view them on my computer screen I realize a sense of surrealism that resonates with me yet again to the time they were taken and exemplify the beauty of nature. Please peruse my sites and experience the beauty of being there as I did. WWW.ThomasMurphy.lifepics.com