Some non-railroad stuff I've been up to

[nachoman]

With the unemployment and lack of funds, most of my railroad activities went to the back burner. I decided I would be better off developing new skills, especially those I could potentially get paid for or save me money. Plus, many of my railroad projects required supplies that I ran out of, or could be considered wasted time if I wound up having to relocate.

A friend of mine wanted me to weld hardfacing on the auger of his ditch witch. I've done plenty of welding before, but nothing like this. As a result, this was a huge learning experience.

   

I also had a closet full of paint and canvas that I had acquired over the years, but hadn't used any of it since I left college. So, this became my "no expense" hobby the last few months.

   

And then of course, there is the winter garden. Fresh, home-grown vegetables make me happy.

   

I also helped some friends, family, and neighbors with their home repairs. Anything to stay active and social.

[Charlie B]

With that hard facing you should be able to build up points, frogs, and rail joints.
I used to like building up joints, it wasn't really welding, it was like just seeing how much rod you could burn.
Glad you are going back to work too. Good luck
Charlie

[nachoman]

With that hard facing you should be able to build up points, frogs, and rail joints.
I used to like building up joints, it wasn't really welding, it was like just seeing how much rod you could burn.

Yep. The rod I was using is a high chrome for abrasion resistance. As I understand it, they make different rods for metal-to-metal wear. Welding is a very useful and money-saving skill. I haven't figured out why, but the whole rod would glow red if I tried burning the whole thing without stopping. The mild steel rids I am used to don't get that hot.

[Charlie B]

My theory only: When you use the hard rod it has more resistance and you are probably using a higher heat. When I was building up rail ends I used 225 amps and 1/4 inch road. I had "railbuild" rod, but found that 11018 rod worked nicely too for the little traffic we had. I used the 11018 to build up point protectors too, and it really helped.
Charlie

[Dan85]

Painter, welder, farmer, model railroader - you're quite the Renaissance man Kevin!

Occasionally I do a little welding at work, I'm not spectacular but I can usually get two pieces to stick together! It definitely is a very challenging and rewarding skill set.

[ocalicreek]

Fresh, homegrown veg makes you healthy too! Nice looking cukes. What variety are you growing?

Galen

[nachoman]

Fresh, homegrown veg makes you healthy too! Nice looking cukes. What variety are you growing?

Galen

They are a pickling cucumber. The idea was to make pickles and give away as gifts, but the past two weeks the weather has gotten about 10 degrees colder than average, and growth has been slow. The past few nights I have had to protect them from freezing.