27 December 2013

xmas thrash

In typical Perich Brothers & Sister's fashion,
a great idea for a token family gift popped up,
two days before Christmas!
crosses


























The kids and I had a fun time figuring out a couple different cross shapes.
That first evening was spent cutting cardboard templates,
and I'm bummed to not have taken any pictures of the mess.
In very rare fashion,
by the time I brought out the camera,
everything was cleaned up!
Jaxon Perich - drillium machinist - 2013


























The cross templates were laid out to get the most from the aluminum plate.
These took much longer than I expected to cut,
and by the end of our work night we had a pile of rough blanks.
holey chit


























The next day we realized how much time this was going to take.
We had a pile of roughly cut aluminum crosses,
designed with no straight lines or right angles.
Basically the most time consuming designs we could come up with!
I had a couple obligations,
and the boys did an amazing job hand-filing the crosses on the vice.
Really cool to see them take charge like that.
Again I'm bummed to not have a picture or two...
Jakob Perich - engraving machine - 2013


























A huge surprise when I got home.
I was expecting a long evening of filing,
and instead the crosses only needed the lightest cleanup.
The edges were hammered out,
softening up the squared file marks,
and the hard part was about to begin.
perich brothers & sister -child labor- 2013


























At this point we could have done a quick sanding and polishing,
and called it good.
Remember our bout with engraving a couple months ago?
Now it was time for the kids to show their stuff.
An outline was drawn out,
and it's hammertime.
Of course this started just as the sun went down!
Notice the single light bulb...


They really got the swing of things after the first couple,
then their attention span was just strong enough to finish the pile.
They were a metal engraving machine.
perich brothers & sister - hammertime - 2013


























Meanwhile Macey and I hammered out the date stamps and their initials,
and each cross was brushed on the old wire wheel.
Holy Water


























Now for the finishing touches.
A simple paracord loop,
and some HOLY WATER to seal the deal.
Yeah we just happen to have some in our secret stash!
This was passed on from our Auntie Fifi.
blessed cross


























We were able to finish much earlier then expected,
and with enough for our immediate family.
There is still an unfinished pile though!
perich cross 2013


























Happy Holidays from the Perich Family!

TP

23 December 2013

building an heirloom

Rarely do I write a post about something not concerning my immediateness,
however here's a project I was lucky to watch progress.
Folsom Table


























There is a way I can make this selfish though so here goes.
This was a really intricate and drawn out project,
and if you've been a long time reader,
you'll know I've got a thing for detailed step by step pictures.
mocked up


























Maybe Steve wants to keep his work hush hush,
but the 40 or so readers will now know his secrets.
festool domino


























One of them is Festool.
This is the Snap-on of woodworkers.
I've seen the various tools and their boxes lying around,
but never knew the deep addiction they inflicted.
It's bled from Folsom Woodworks to Ryan Industries,
but will stop at the doormat of Perich Brothers & Sisters...
german joint


























The problem with this Festool stuff is they require perfect gaps and measurements.
As a metalworker I find there is a grey area with gaps.
There are times they need to be right on,
and many times when they can be a little slack.
working a Festool Domino Joiner


























Not so with wood,
or at least with unpainted or stained wood.
Very nerve-racking when there is specific grains,
or a limited inventory of aged wood.
clamped


























The new owner basically got everything past this point for free.
Like most contracted craftsmen,
there is that point where the ratio of money per hour dwindles.
There is that pride of perfection or at least noticeable mistakes.
stained


























Unlike an IKEA or PIER ONE table,
notice the convenient space underneath.
This one was built to withstand a mid-level earthquake,
for a family of at least 2 adults and 2 children.
beef




















Here's more of that hidden intricacy.
There are multiple biscuits for alignment and strength.
biscuit


























At this point the table should have been finished.
The lucky owner chosen stain colors and builder critical smoothness.
stripes




















Nope.
An angle iron frame surrounded the tabletop,
and also a hidden beer cooler!
(see top pic)
framed




















I just noticed that there have been no hammers in any of these pics.
Custom S. Folsom Table


























Here's the funny part.
After all this awesomeness,
here's the builder's glam shot!
Guess he was too concerned with gaps.
I knew I should have dropped by more...

TP

17 December 2013

recycler

We've been using the green 40 as the daily driver as much as possible.
As a town car its great for me,
but there are some concessions.
One of them is no real floor...
templates




















There is so much heat coming through its time to start plugging some holes.
I figured to go from the top down,
starting with the steering column.
holey chit


























A quick template was made,
and some scrap aluminum was cut out.
Normally I'd use road signs...
not quite


























I've had this idea simmering for a while,
and it totally changed once the pieces took shape.
Prototype stuff usually comes out better on the fly.
puzzle


























Definitely a temporary-permanent fix here.
Once its covered in carpet it'll be hidden.
I'll do a little more trimming,
and then seal the hole up with some 1/4" rubber hose
cut with a slot lengthwise,
forming a gasket while keeping the column sturdy.
trippy engineering


























Since I was on a roll,
the tranny hump template was cut out of some recycled boxes.
tranny hump




















It sure would be nice to have a machine to make this all into metal...

TP

free

After 2 months I am finally free.
It has taken that long for my fingernail to finally fall off.
perich brothers (and sister): throbber
perich brothers (and sister): mechanic or welder?

The first couple weeks were no problem.
The last week or two is when it starts becoming a hassle.
The nail is like a hook waiting to snag.
zombie nail


























I did have a couple tricks.
The first is not cutting it.
I've made the mistake trimming the loose part of the nail off,
and it just makes it easier to catch on stuff.
I think it also prolongs the time,
as there is no leverage for the nail to loosen its suction.
The most important thing about keeping it whole,
is the last couple days,
as it is possible to tape or bandaid the finger around the nail.
This is crucial.
You may think its easy to just twist or slide off.
I guess I'm a chicken I tried purposely and accidentally.
hand model


























Here's my main tip,
and the kids benefitted from it as well.
We're always on the kids to do their chores,
and washing dishes seems like it takes the most bitching.

They were lucky for a couple weeks,
as instead of barking at them,
I'd just wash the dishes.
It was so peaceful.
The side effect was the nail would get waterlogged,
than super dry,
a couple times a day.
I think this helped weaken the grip.
the gimp




















The nail fell off without much fuss one morning.
ahhh...

TP

12 December 2013

perks

 Here's one of the perks driving a gas guzzling white van.
no turns


























Dropped by my parents house,
and they were doing some major sewer line work.
Only stopped for a couple minutes,
and figured what the heck,
the worst they could say is move the van.
van parking only


























Funny thing is the guy was in the hole,
and he looked at me like I was dropping off a tool,
or maybe their lunch,
and then he just went back to work.
point loma sewer line work


























Just to clarify here,
I had to go down the street to unload something in one of their cars,
not a special trip just to take a couple pictures!
In retrospect,
the bummer here is I didn't go back to scratch my name in the new concrete!
210,000 - 2001 ford e350


























On a special note,
the van recently broke 210,000 miles!
Which reminds me I gotta change the oil...

TP

11 December 2013

jackson truesight w60 review

Yesterday I was tig welding some sheetmetal,
and realized I couldn't see clearly.
It was outside and the sun was behind me,
and it was a weird almost overhead position.
Jackson Truesight w60 welding helmet


























After getting a shade hooked up,
I realized the more obvious problem.
The welding hood lens was toast!
After every dirty job,
I planned on changing it up,
and that was about 4 projects ago.
Time for a tune-up,
and a good opportunity for a review of this awesome beast.
This blog gets alot of hits from people searching this hood.
tune-up kit























I've had this helmet for about a year and a half,
and love it.
perich brothers (and sister): jackson vs miller vs speedglas (vii)
perich brothers (and sister): KC cheerleader
At first I babied the almost $300 tool,
using it for welding only.
This is only half table-welding,
the majority of the stuff is underneath cars, tight spots, outside,
you name it.
One of the reasons I chose this one is the hood is really small,
and will fit in places the larger hoods could never reach. (see old posts!)
I had a concern that the plastic was unusually soft,
but this has been a benefit as it can conform to a wedged location,
not to mention the times its been dropped or the carry bag was on the bottom!

Now it's on for torch cutting and grinding.
This may be the reason the lens gets so wasted,
as it also becomes a protective shield from smoke and flying debris.
Jackson TrueSight w60 welding helmet-inside


























Here is one of the reasons the helmet is so versatile.
The buttons are idiot proof.
Even with light-duty gloves it's possible to push the buttons,
and there are lights that notify which darkness position is on.
I've been trained now to know not to weld if there is a green light visible!
Basically it's possible to switch modes without removing the hood.
So easy.
While others may have more features,
this one is consolidated to what I actually need.
There are 4 sensors,
and the only real issue I've had is adjusting the sensitivity for outside or sunny days.
brains behind the w60


























After over 1-1/2 years of moderate use,
I can't believe these are the original AAA batteries.
There is a battery life gauge and it's about half-down,
but I haven't noticed any significant changes in performance.
jackson truesight wh60 welding helmet


























Last month a friend was searching for a helmet.
Of course I pushed this one,
but we went to the local welding shop to check other models out.
I was surprised they no longer carried this model on display.
It was at their warehouse,
but they pushed the new Lincoln and the old Miller Digital Elite.
The Lincoln had a great large window,
but the controls were designed by office engineers not welders.
Same with the miller.
They also had very intricate headgear that looked like it would last about a month.
Aaron was on the fence until he observed me working on a HD project,
and the amount of changes from grinding to torching to stick welding were seamless,
making the work that much quicker.
I was stoked when he ordered the TrueSight online,
as I wouldn't have to hear any complaints about the other helmet!

The only badly designed aspect of the helmet is the flat front,
which made it too easy to scratch the lens cover.
if you remember I had a quick and simple fix.
perich brothers (and sister): pedicles
I'm not sure why they designed it that way.
The other negative are the special w60 only plastic lenses.
I get them online and its good to have a couple reserves.

Other than that,
if you're in the market for a quality auto-darkening welding hood,
you won't be disappointed.
And no,
I don't get paid or sponsored by these guys!

TP

10 December 2013

blue tarps

I'm a newbie on instagram,
but it hasn't taken long to learn how to play the game.
Last week there was a hot rod photo contest to win some shwag,
and it got me to thinking like a photographer instead of a picture taker.
chief and the blue tarps




















Only a couple days ago I had posted up here one of my top 10 pictures of the pickup.
There was no way to take credit for someone else's shot,
so I figured no problem,
I'll roll down there early and snap a couple quick cellphone pics.
How hard could it be -  I've got an Iphone now!?
1929 ford roadster pickup -
photo by Steve Sexton - 2013



















Here's the shot I was trying to get.
Crisp and bright,
the hot rod absorbs the perfect color out of the surroundings.
I love it.
1929 ford roadster pickup
photo by ummm...me...



























And this is the shot I got.
Granted it was 7:30 on a saturday,
and there was a chance of rain,
but holey chit it's like that 80 year old lady that smears lipstick all over her face,
thinking she's still in the game.
Effing ridiculous.
For all you serious photographers thinking instagram is gonna put you out of business,
don't worry about it.
This washed out photo looked decent on the miniature phone screen,
even with all the blue tarps.
Maybe formatting pictures the same shape as a polaroid was a bit of a hint...

TP

09 December 2013

half mast

This morning I woke up with a decision.
(ok this was sunday!)
Rally to the swap meet or how about a bike ride for a change.
My lungs and heart could definitely use a workout,
and the last thing I needed was more junk to fill our house!
rays


























There was actually very little decision making.
Lying in bed I had already imagined the ride,
and the bike that I'd use.
Smooth like butter...
1973 schroder 12-speed road bike
























Geez how long had it been?
It took about half an hour to clean off all the dust and webs,
fill up the tires and lube up the mechanicals.
Better to spend time now then take the walk of shame home.
fort rosecrans cemetery


























The destination was the Point Loma Lighthouse,
or at least the turnaround spot.
Round trip is barely 9 miles,
not too much flat,
an even mix of up and down hills.
A typical ride time is about 45 minutes,
an hour if I take the long detour.
Remember how I just said I'd imagined the ride?
Holey hellfire!
The first quarter mile is a long hill,
and I realized quick this wasn't going to be about speed.
Right off the bat my legs were burning.
Uh oh...
Keep my head down and revolutions up...
Fort Rosecrans Cemetery


























I had a good clip on the main road,
but was passed by a group of tightshorts.
WTF.
Now I'm the guy that riders try to pass.
On a good note,
they were winded and took a break at the checkpoint,
and I turned around and kept going.
Turtle and the hare my friends...
half mast


























Seeing how the Pearl Harbor date had just passed,
it was fitting coincidence to ride through the cemetery.
A very humbling place.

On to some apple pancakes and more regular rides in the near future!

TP

08 December 2013

the day obecians ruled the earth

Yesterday was one of those almost rainy days,
the type that makes us southern californians drive like crazy,
and use as an excuse to not do any work.
Most of us anyway,
I did put some time into this electrical project,
and stayed off the road.
Perich Brothers at the OB Xmas Parade - 2013


























After the drizzle the boys and I finished up errands,
and made it to the tail end of the OB XMAS Parade.
Obecians were lucky the clouds had parted just in time.
The parade was a bit of a surprise for the kids,
they thought we were going to get some Mexican food.
We parked a bit high on the hill,
and joined the swath of looky-loos funneling down to Newport.


We hung out at the staging area,
but got caught up in this funky marching drum circle,
complete with dancing girls and a hippy truck.
We followed the beat down to the beach.
perich  brothers - what the...


























The kids were probably a bit overwhelmed,
as OB does not host your normal christmas parade.
What other city has stripper poles on a dragon float?
That's what makes it fun.
Not many spectators are sitting in their lawn chairs,
young and old,
many are wearing some kind of xmas cheer,
and most are enjoying a red-nosed buzz.
Sure they might be overwhelmed now,
but let's see what happens in a year or too...
Holey Chit...


I told you we were following this drum beat!
There were enough change-ups so it never got old.
Heck I'm glad to have these videos for later!
f100 float


















t







It was a good time although sadly without our girls.
Very concentrated and very brief.
In the old days this would have marked the time to start partying.
Now its the time to go home, warm up and flip on a movie!

Hay wey!

TP