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Welcome to my tool shed

You can never have enough tools. Honeydo jobs are good reasons to buy more tools.

I have a few tractor links stored.

Kid likes shiney pretties. Started looking into rock collection. Seems you need a Rock tumbler. Note that the one that Harbor Freight sells for 29 bucks is a piece of crud. The can pops open real easy and the belt breaks even easier.

Air Distribution

Tripping over air hoses on the ground of the shop gets old fast. I have been thinking of installing an air distribution system in the rafters to get the hoses off the ground. It doesn't take much research to find out that PVC pipe is a bad choice for air line. The problem is not so much its pressure rating so much as what happens when it fails. One very good overview summar can be found at Chris DeLucchi's article. Other choices include aluminum pipe and HDPE plastic pipe. HDPE plastic is an option according to Scott N. Robichaud. More notes can be found here.

I have 99% convinced myself to run black 3/4 inch black pipe. It may be a little harder to install, and you have to be a little more careful to keep the condensation traps drained, but you don't have to worry about Galvanic action and it is by far the most durable.

Electrostatic painting

Everything around here rusts. All the outdoor stuff I buy is cheaply painted. I paid close to a hundred bucks for a wheel around hose reel. The thing is WONDERFUL. I keep 100 ft of 3/4 hose on it. I could probably put more. Just turn the crank with one hand and guide the hose with the other and the hose is on the reel. Not like those hose hangers where you have to fight to get it to semi sit on the hanger which buckles under the weight of that much hose. The bad part, aside from the fact that all the water joints leak and the tires don't hold air is that ALL the finish on it is TERRIBLE. The paint is flaking off. The chrome plated parts aren't any more. Everything is rusting. My options are to replate the chrome bits, strip it down and repaint it, or just hit it with a can of hammerite every year or so. Herein I document my research into powder coating before I pick up the can of hammerite.

Electrostatic painting, aka "powder coating", is supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread. At least the folk at Expert Home Advice.com think so. You can buy a powder coat system for under a hundred bucks. The paint is about 20 bucks a pound, but a pound is supposed to go a long ways. The big challange with powder coat paint seems to be the need for a dedicated oven to bake the finished goods. It is highly recommended that you do not use the same household oven you use to cook your food.

You can buy low cost powder coat systems (gun and power supply) from several people. The bare bones, basic system can be had for under 75 dollars. A basic kit with a starting amount of paint and all the goodies you really need is going to run you a little over 100. Places I have found to buy low cost powder coat systems include