I've been watching videos on Youtube for months on how to run a lathe or mill. Tubalcain (aka MrPete) has the best channel out there. He does such great work. Well, the other day he launched a new website to sell more advanced videos on running a lathe. I went to check out the site and decided to send him a note. I included a request to check out my website. He responded the very next day. Said he thought the site was awesome!! Wow. I'm glad he liked it. It would be great to get some advice on making a part sometime. Ha.
Thanks MrPete.
Well, not really, but I do expect it to take 16 layers to make the curved portion of the diaphragm and I have 8 applied. But there will be much more work to go to complete the part. I have to make and join the straight portion of the diaphragm to the curved portion and taper it. So, I'm not really halfway through.
Recently, I talked to a fellow member of Lockheed Martin that is involved in the Legacy Committee. The committee tries to collect and archive Lockheed historical information. When I talked to him he was very interested in my project and offered to check with LM corporate to see if they would be interested in supporting the project. Unfortunately, they said they didn't have funding for it. Oh Well.
If any readers out there can put me in contact with someone that has corporate marketing experience I would greatly appreciate it. I need to ask some basic marketing questions before I pursue asking a company if they would be interested in supporting the project in return for advertising. I don't know how to value/price advertising. Help please. Thanks.
Pete came into the shop to help Saturday. We put another layer on diaphragm number 6. It was fun working with him. I ordered a vacuum press kit last week and then this weekend I ordered extra parts in order to modify the kit to allow the addition of a "extra large" reservoir for when I need to pull down a huge bag for the fuselage shells. Once that comes in, Pete wants to build it. That should be fun.
I created a Facebook page last week so that people can follow the project in a different way. Its somewhat easier to get automatic updates for some people. It's been fun to set up. I plan to post a comment or pict every day just to try to keep up the interest. So, search for The Sirius Project in FB and click "like" for auto updates. By the way, there are two pages with that name... look for my logo as the cover photo.
It's been a hockey filled week so I didn't get into the shop this week. Ugh.
One of my first sponsors, Chris Porter, came to visit the shop and brought three of his kids, Christopher, Annabelle, and Andrew. We had a good time showing the kids the tools and answering questions. I glued up another layer after they left with Sam's help.
Hello, Pete and I got back in the shop today after a week or so with too much to do. I took Sam to the Chicago for a hockey tournament which took last weekend completely away. We spent today putting on the third layer on #6 and gluing up another strip.
I've spent a fair amount of time on Craig's List looking for a mill and lathe. I want to get those and practice with them before I need a part.
Hello all, I finally have returned to the shop after a long delay. I spent a month from Thanksgiving to Christmas in Ohio taking care of things, arranging my dad's funeral and then packing up his house and putting it on the market. Growing up, my dad would always help me with my projects. When building a deck, he'd hold the other end of the board or grab the nails. He was so good at letting me think I was doing it all, but when I was about to make a mistake he'd chime in with a quick suggestion and keep me on course. I could bounce my ideas off of him and really work the construction through in my mind. He would have been a great help on this, my biggest project ever.
I began by finishing the jig for #6 this past weekend and beginning the construction of the strips to make it.
Today, I met with Jon Youngblut to discuss the making of a short promotional video that could be used to tell the story of my project and hopefully invite some support for it. I enjoyed the conversation and think we came up with some very good ideas for the project.
Hello all, I wanted to check in as it has been a bit since I last blogged. I spent the day two Sundays ago building the jig for diaphragm number 6. Since it is thicker than the others I've built, the jig needs to be two layers instead of one. I had to draw out and then sand both together to the line in order to have them be exactly the same. This worked well, but I didn't get it all finished that day due to hockey commitments with the boys. On Monday the 22nd I got a call from my brother about my dad and his declining health. With my brother's wife not doing well either, it comes to me to go to Ohio and take care of my dad, his cat, and make arrangements for his house. So, with that I'm off on Thanksgiving day to fly to Ohio. I will not be able to work on the jig or the next part for a few weeks. I did get a few emails from Allan Lockheed Jr this week and its good to see the conversation is still going on with him and the AAAC. We talked about plans for making a short video to promote the project. I look forward to work on that and make some progress while I'm away from the shop. Thanks for following this project. I really wanted to take my dad for a ride in the Sirius.
The last two layers are on the layup tonight. It will come off the jig either Friday or sat. Then!! I build the jig for number 4. That will be a different jig as it will have two layers in order to support the much wider strips that will be used. It should take a couple of hrs to get it complete.
Hi
This weekend I pulled number 3 out of the jig. I sanded it down to the 1 inch thickness. Then I put the first five layers on number 2.5. It is only the bottom third of an oval. So, I can on multiple layers at a time. So, pretty good progress this weekend.
I had to wait a while for my next batch of wood to come in. I got back in the shop yesterday for an hour and got another layer on number 3. I now have enough wood to complete number 3, number 2.5, and number 6. I should be able make some good progress for a bit now.
Hi folks. I attended a monthly Antique Aircraft Association meeting. I had a great time. I met and had dinner with Allan Lockheed Jr., the son of the man who built the original Sirius. Very cool. He had a number of ideas about to promote my project. I hope we can get the word out. The folks in the club were very interested in the project. I hope that this visit generates some interest.
Hi. I thought I would update my readers with what's going on this week. I'm on travel for work. I've not been able to get to the shop for over a week. Plus I ran out of wood about 6 feet short of completing diaphragm #3. So I had to order some more before I can proceed. I have wood to start #6, but I could only start that if I completed #3 (I'll be cutting down the #3 jig for #6.). Ugh.. so a bit of a delay. I expect to get an email notifying me of shipment soon. I plan to clean some in the shop while I wait and I want to order a vacuum press kit soon as well. That way I can start to build the floorboard supports that go inside of diaphragms 4 through 7 I believe, maybe 8 (I'm not looking at the plans right now). These supports are made of 1" thick plywood that I will have to make from veneers and pressed with the vacuum press. That should make for some interesting videos. I haven't been making videos lately because the steps I'm doing are so repetitive that I didn't want to bore you. I don't think anyone could tell the difference from one diaphragm to the next. I'll video the assembly of the vacuum press too.
Now, #4 and #6 will be way different. I'll be sure to video those.
Thanks for reading and give me a "like" so I can tell that someone reads this... :)
I had the good fortune of meeting a new friend that is a member of the Antique Aircraft Association, Ted. After talking to him a bit, he shared my website with some other members of AAA and BOOM my website hit numbers went through the roof. It was great. I hope they keep coming back and continue to follow the project.
Ted and his wife, Donna came by to visit the shop yesterday. We had a great time talking. I should have a taken a picture of them for the site. I'll get them next time.
Last weekend I spent some time on both sat and sun building the jig for number 3 and then putting on the first layer. I had to travel all week for work so I'll make some more progress this weekend. I'll post picts in the builders log.
Hello all. Last Friday I got the opportunity to speak at the monthly Daedalions luncheon on my project. It was fun. I fielded a number of questions and met the CEO of the Wings Over the Rockies museum, Greg Anderson. It was a great time. We video taped it. I'll get that on the site soon.
Woo hoo. This weekend I put the last 6 feet of strip on the diaphragm. Then today I ran it through the sander to finish the surfaces. It turned out great. Even better than number 5. I also trimmed up the new batch of wood and broke down the jib for 7 and set up for #3.
HI.. I've been working on a logo for my project and I had it embroidered on some shirts and hats. They came in while I was on travel for work this week. I got home today and got to check 'em out. Very cool. I feel more and more official every day. I've put a few layers on #7 over the past two weeks, but the going is slow when you go on travel. I'm about 2 layers from the end of #7. Also, I ordered some wood last Sunday thinking it would take a month to get it like last time. Well, it shipped on Tuesday!! So, I should have my new wood just when I finish the diaphragm I'm on. Cool. I also opened a separate checking account to keep the donations separate from my personal funds today. All and all, pretty productive. I'll post a pick of Pete and I with our shirts and hats this weekend.
After a week vacation away all last week, a pilgrimage of sorts, I got back in the shop tonight for another layer on #7. For my trip I took my family out to DC where we went to see the traditional sites of monuments and Smithsonians. Of course, we all went to see the original Sirius. It was the first time my boys and Aimee had seen it. We took a bunch of picts (soon to be posted in the gallery) and I read a bit more at the display. I found a depiction of the route the Lindberghs took on their second trip to Europe in the Sirius and I think I might have found out their intended return route from China they had planned before the capsize in the Yangtze river. I'll check on that with NASM when I get a chance. Keep an eye out for the updated picts in the gallery!!
I had to take a week off from aircraft building as I was on business travel out east. I talked to many folks about my project including a 13 yr old girl on the plane out there. She seemed definitely interested. She was on a trip to visit the nations capital as part of a middle school group. Surprisingly, she was on my plane back to Denver too.
Anyway, Pete and I put another layer on #7 today, Father's Day, prior to heading out for a movie with the whole family. We saw Star Trek, Into Darkness.