Sunday, August 27, 2017

Betsy : Part II

Betsy the trike is now fully ride-able, but I need to get a new chain on her, a front fender if I can find one, and then we need to weld back her trunk to her tube frame. I believe she dates back to 1952, so she is a stalwart old lass, and we're gearing up for a new generation to start riding her.

Betsy the tricycle.
Items that deserve mention:
( ) Tire size is 14x 1 3/8 (37-288) Tires can be sourced from eBay from European sellers.
( ) Wheels also available. I'm considering an Aluminum wheel upgrade.
( ) Betsy uses a single front wheel mounted, rod brake which pulls up against the rim surface from below. The brake shoes ride inside guides which bar-clamp to either side of the fork.
( ) 6 x 11/32 Bolts (3 per side) connect the two rear fenders to the trunk.

Dec 2018 Project Updates:
( ) Betsy is in need of a new chain, her current one rubbing on the bottom inside of the classic looking chain guard. I've ordered 1/2" (pin spacing) by 1/8" (cog width) chain, but it remains to be seen if
( ) Existing Chain dimensions. 0.50" Pitch * 56 links = 28" total length.
( ) Existing Chain Maker: Perry England.

Chain of 56 links by Perry Co. Ltd (England, now defunct)

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Drakes Bay Race 2017 (OYRA)

  I sailed the OYRA Drakes Bay race this weekend. Day 1 commenced Saturday at 940AM and finished that evening at whatever time boats were able to reach Drakes Bay. The start was well executed from Corinthian Yacht Club on Racoon Straits, and we headed across the bay and out the Golden Gate. We turned right and beat to windward for seven hours to reach Drakes. The ocean swell was considerable and some, including myself, were sea-sick. Arriving at dusk it was as though we were on another world without any development and without too many human sources of light besides anchor lights. We had excellent views of the Milky Way, and a Perseid Meteor Shower. The night was windy and our vessel danced about our long anchor line denying sleep to some. Three or four boats came in later that night and we heard radio check-ins until about 10PM.
  On Sunday, Day 2, we woke up, rigged for spinnaker and made our way to the foggy start line which was challenging to spot at first. We sailed out to sea on a long right-hand gibe, but we saw diminishing winds and witnessed a prudent boat take the turn left back to the coast for better wind. We didn't follow that boat to the detriment to our race. The wind diminished even further and we saw the shore boats take an ever bigger lead, eventually disappearing from sight. When we finally did make our way to shore, the wind built steadily to 20 kts and the direction was perfect for laying Point Bonita in a single go. We made a gibe near the rocky shore and sailed parallel to the coast 10 miles before making a lefthand turn at Bonita. The boat held the spinnaker well and we were able to keep it powered up as we entered the bay alongside an Express 27.
  We finished the race around 245PM Sunday and continued to fly the 12-year old spinnaker before it eventually exploded on an overpowered beam reach right by the lee of Angel Island. We hauled in sail cloth and by the time we reached Alameda, de-rigged and prepared to go home it was around 545PM. The event was extremely enjoyable, especially the Spinnaker reach back through the Golden Gate!

Day 1: Crossed Finish Line at around 6PM, just in time for perfectly back-lit Drake's Bay Cliffs.
Day 1: Very windy upon docking (15 kts +) and overnight.


West side of Drakes bay with abandoned pier.

Day 2: Making the turn at Point Bonita. On the way home.


Day 2: Great to return to the bay after the 2 day adventure


Results


Image of Point Bonita Chart taken from this excellent webpage:
https://coastsidefishingclub.com/grey-beard-articles/the-san-francisco-bar/

Monday, August 7, 2017

Revere 85 8mm Projector - Filming the screen.

Last weekend, I broke out Grandpa's old 8mm projector in an effort to digitize some of the many reels that we have in the family archive. It was a thoroughly enjoyable process and I was quite impressed by the result. 

My first trial was to take my iPhone and simply film the screen, and this works pretty well. The reel filled about 15 mins which I split into 3 segments to allow me breaks to stretch -- I was stagnant holding the camera for the entire time! Next I will get a tripod to hold the iPhone so that I can film the entire reel in one sitting. There are a few childhood favorites coming up including Wacky Weed and The Snookum Bears. All of these of course are without sound, which has a kind of appeal really. I used iMovie to add text to identify the clips. It worked reasonably well.


Revere 85 - 8mm Projector
Feeding film into the projector taking care to align teeth and flick appropriate tensioners into place.
Three places to lock the film into place. Top, Projector proper and bottom. Thread the bottom reel as shown.
Order of turning on projector is: Motor, Clutch, and then bulb.
(Don't wait too long with the bulb on before you engage the clutch.)

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Garage Wall Corner Bumpers (Cardboard has great spring-back!)

Inspired by the Cardboard Cathedral by Shigeru Ban and reluctant to throw anything away, I embarked on a quick wall corner bumper project using waste cardboard. See the details below.

 I took some cardboard pieces my new Kenmore Washer and Dryer and applied these to cover the corners of my garage wall. This is just a short-term concept, but they turned out rather well. I decided to paint them for a little panache.


Corner Covers. One in place on the right size before painting.
They can be easily tacked in place with 2-4 long brads into the wall-board.

Originally from a washer and dryer box, these cardboard end pieces have considerable spring back.
Painted with interior latex paint to set off the white walls. Still experimenting.

Friday, August 4, 2017

Bezel for Casio G-SHOCK DW-5600C (691)

Casio G-Shock DW-5600 sans Bezel. (Attempted Superglue Fix 2 times -- eventually yielded.) Note 1 screw sheared on the top left. I believe that this is a M1.0x0.25 Stainless Shoulder Screw with "+" head and deeper "-" Flat head combined.
[Update 8/2017] - I received my aftermarket bezel. The quality was relatively low as expected. But the watch is covered up now!

This particular G-Shock version (DW-5600 (691) Japan-H Export Model) dates from the late 1980s. My father had a similar one when he was in the military and wore it reversed on his inside wrist to avoid letting the M-16 kickback and break the crystal. Not sure if he arrived at this configuration after breaking another watch, but the anecdote stuck with me! The watch has a machined stainless housing which seems bulletproof.

I've changed out the battery and rubber O-Ring which can be found easily online at specialty watch retailers or eBay. I'm struggling to find the exact Rubber Enclosure for the watch as this has broken on mine. Will post photos when I'm closer to a solution.

Tasks Completed:
-> Replaced band retainer (piece that keeps band end tight against rest of the band)
-> Changed Battery CR2023
-> Replaced rear O-Ring
-> Replaced old Sping Bars/Pins

Pending Tasks:
-> Source New Resin Bezel (Tricky to do.)
-> Source Qty 4-M1.0x0.25mm Shoulder Screws
--> Screw Dimensions (My Measurements - use at your own risk):
---> Head Diameter:  2.275mm
---> Head Height:      1.0mm
---> Shoulder Diameter: 1.50mm
---> Shoulder Height: 1.6mm
---> Threaded Length: 2.0mm

---> Recess: Philips with Deeper "-" Section to accommodate flat head also

The watch is functioning well, but I just need to source the rubber cover for the stainless steel case.
Apparently this is called the "Bezel" 日本語でベゼル

References for DW-5600 (691)
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f17/original-dw-5600-691-japan-h-3323586.html

Great thread on how to restore 5600C G-Shock. This person found a New Old Stock Resin Bezel on Yahoo Japan Auctions. ベゼル
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f17/grandpas-dw-5600c-restoration-thread-1039774.html#post7915167

Sanding the Crystal with 320 Grit (deep scratches) to 100,000 Grit (mirror polish). I don't have that particular problem on my watch. Took the gentlemen 6 hours progressing from 320-400-1000-2000-Sandpapers to 100000 Grit Diamond Paste.
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f17/grandpas-dw-5600c-restoration-thread-1039774-3.html#post7943147

Cut to the chase of seeing a New-Old-Specification Resin Bezel ordered through Japan - Yahoo Aution: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f17/grandpas-dw-5600c-restoration-thread-1039774-7.html

http://anton-c.blogspot.com/2008/10/dw5600c-classic-g-shock.html

Source the O-Ring, Battery and the easier to find parts here. Band is also available.
http://www.pacparts.com/model.cfm

Japanese site. 日本語精通の方へ:
http://xn--kckb0b8923bek2a25k.biz/g%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%83%BB5600%E7%B3%BB%EF%BC%88%E3%82%B9%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89%E3%83%A2%E3%83%87%E3%83%AB%EF%BC%89%E5%90%84%E3%83%A2%E3%83%87%E3%83%AB%E3%81%AE%E6%AF%94/

Checking Yahoo Auctions, a similar watch for sale including the original (purportedly) resin bezel is over $300.
$334 for a new "old" 5600C Japan H Export G-SHOCK. Pricey!
Somewhat more reasonable $180 model for sale. 
Pays to shop around for these!
Back to USA-eBay. Pricy ($250) for nice condition 5600C.

Link to Brazilian Company that makes replica Bezels for the 5600C. $29 shipped including a new band.
But of course, it would be better to have the original Bezel -- you can tell the difference in the lettering...
Nostalgia trumps all -- $360 for just the "Speed" Keanu Reeves Bezel and Band!