Stuff You Made

[killgar]

I don’t ‘make’ anything specific, rather I’ll make almost anything. Whether by necessity, curiosity, or just because. I’m a designer/artist by trade, so it’s just part of my nature. If I dug through my photo files, I could come up with all sorts of stuff, but here is just a smattering....

Old Estwing framing axe I found cleaning out a relatives house and decided to make ‘tacticool’. Cleaned it up with a wire wheel, sprayed on a few coats of primer and flat black, and wrapped the handle with about 50’ of cord.

The stock license plate assembly on my bike was a big, honking eyesore (like most bikes), so I made my own swingarm mount for it. Removal of the bracket also forced me to make new rear turn signal brackets, so I replaced the big, ugly, 4” round lights with some micro, 1” arrowhead lights. Of course, I then had to make the fronts mach

I cut the plate bracket out of 16g steel I bought at Home Depot, then painted it and bolted it together (eventually I’ll weld it, but it’s held for over 10 years so far...)

Had to do a bit of rewiring, as originally, the plate ligh came right off the harness for the brake light. It’s hidden pretty well, but if you look, you can see it peeking out from the bottom of the shock

Overall, the micro-turns, and the relocated plate really clean up the tail end

Of course, the fronts had to match, so I took some scrap from making the rear mounts and made front brackets

All tucked in and tidy, nice and matchy-matchy with the rear

And just because I can’t resist a glamour shot . Lots of things done to her that you wouldn’t really notice unless you parked a bone stock one next to it. Including the plate and turn signals, all reflectors and helmet locks have been shaved off, stock air intake removed and replaced, performance 3” pipes, and all sorts of other other mods. But the biggest difference is the 3” drop on the rear shocks which is really noticeable when parked next to almost any other bike!

Lately, I’ve been making things out of cigar boxes. Right now I’m making some watch cases for my growing collection, but I started off by making a presentation box for my father’s Colt Gold Cup as a Christmas gift. My Taurus isn’t as pretty of a 1911, but made a good stand in for mock-up

After cutting the foam insert, I grabbed some nice red velvet from the fabric store to really give it a pop of color.

And just to make the whole post knife related...

Nice work Jaseman (I have an affection for home-made motorcycle parts ).

 

[David Mary]

Etching machine. I followed an online tutorial and I had help from an electrician friend with some of the necessary tools and knowledge. But after a learning curve, it works perfectly. Pardon the dust!

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Not very practical, but I have a lot of fun making slingshots. Here's some from the last few weeks.

 

[David Mary]

Practical, schmactical, those are fantastical!

 

[eveled]

My rolling anvil stand. When you turn the bolt on the front leg it adjusts the table on the bottom. Engaging the casters under the table and lifting the legs off the floor.

The rail road spikes are cut off with bolts welded on to attach the anvil to the base.

 

[killgar]

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My rolling anvil stand. When you turn the bolt on the front leg it adjusts the table on the bottom. Engaging the casters under the table and lifting the legs off the floor.

The rail road spikes are cut off with bolts welded on to attach the anvil to the base.

Nice!

 

[killgar]

Some more of mine (all motorcycle stuff)-

I carry a tire repair kit in each of my bikes, including a CO2 inflator and cartridges. But I couldn't find an inflator with a quick-release valve connector. I didn't want screw-on (been there, done that), and I don't like the push-on type that you have to hold in place. So I made my own quick-release adapters. It's a quick-release clamp on one end, and two schrader valves on the other- one for the actual CO2 inflator to screw onto, and one so I can check the tire pressure with a gauge without having to unclamp the adapter from the tire. The adapter measures 5" from end to end.

Being a biker, and living ones life on a motorcycle with no 4-wheeled vehicle, poses certain challenges. Like for example- how do you bring a gallon of milk home from the grocery store (or orange juice, etc)?

There are a few options (like a backpack), but it's like transporting a bowling ball. So I made this contraption. It consists of an aluminum basket, and a bungee tie-down with a steel ring at the center. The bottom of the basket has a piece of diamond plate rubber and the tread on that "locks" into the tread on the cargo rack. The whole thing fits in either of the two square leather bags attached to my bike (opening post) for the ride to the store. This item has served me well for many years.

Here's another of the cargo racks I've made (I currently have 5 I've made for different situations). This rack measures 24" long by 10" wide. The top is covered by diamond plate vinyl. The 6 upright/diagonal supports are made from steel I recycled from an old sofa bed frame. This rack has served me well and has seen a lot of use (particularly in my last move).

It's a heavy-duty rack that easily supports my 200+pound self. But it's designed with quick-release attachments so all it takes to install or remove is to loosen 6 bolts and lift. I only install it when I plan on using it.

Speaking of cargo racks, this is what I call my "flat bed". It's a BIG, EXTRA HEAVY-DUTY cargo rack. For really BIG, HEAVY stuff. The top measures 24" X 24", all steel framework and supports. I did take a short cut and use store-bought L-brackets.

It's a bit more work to install it than the previous rack. I took these pics after returning home from a shop where I had a new tire mounted on a wheel. When I left home the new tire was strapped on top of the old tire (still mounted on the wheel). I got some looks on the freeway when I used this (shop was 10 miles away by freeway). Now, as chance would have it, I live right next door to a shop, so I don't have to use the rack for that purpose these days.

The steel framework/supports have since been painted black.

I made mini turn signals (front and back) for my main bike. I have since replaced the lenses with smooth ones for easier cleaning. A quarter for size reference.

I posted this in the "Man Bag" thread, but what the hell. It's a leather backpack I made.

When I sold my house and downsized to an apartment one absolute requirement I had was that it had to come with a private garage, with electricity, that I could use as a shop. Because if I can't make stuff, I might as well be dead .

 

[WValtakis]

Because if I can't make stuff, I might as well be dead

Word (Nice work too)

 

[killgar]

Word (Nice work too)

Thanks WV.