Re: Great Dane excavating co.
 

I think you guys should all rent a bus and a huge cargo trailer, then cross the boarder into Canada. I need to figure out something special enough for all of you to want to come out west though. Hmmmm....

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or you could head east in auguest!!

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Yeah I guess I already have a cargo trailer and a truck and camper. Maybe I can put up a "go fund me page" to raise the gas money.:lol:

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Hey a kick starter project, " fund my fun, and some new machines to build machines". Lol!!!

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Booked my vacation time today ! This sounds like it's going to be more fun than a train show ! Mike

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stirring up the cr@p
https://youtu.be/tiug2AOljNs

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Your train wreck mad me mad!!!!
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psibofbrep.png

HAHAHAHAH

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Ok back to tires,,,

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psrdsifgz7.jpg

I have the four pieces printed, still have to glue them together, sand, fill, do whatever to make them mold ready. I did find alumalite resins and mold making supply. I'm not completely sure what products to use but an email to them and hopefull they will help me out. I know why custom tires are expensive. Any of the materials use to make tires this size are not too bad for small parts but I'm gonna need the gallon size and it like 100$ so I could easily see something like this (each tire) costing 40-50$ by the time mold is made, work in making it, the actual material for the pour, ect,, as the saying go " ya gotta pay to play"!!! But if I come up with something that works I may be able to make a couple more.

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I would need some 13" in dia.

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Ahh right away, 8" aren't big enough!!! Lol!! Guess you have a 797 in mind? I'll work the bugs out with these. :)

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The way my threads have been going today I have some off the cuff comments about the cat on your face but I'll keep them to myself:cop:. Your thread has gotten back on track so we'll keep it that way.

The tire looks wicked! You've inspired me to ask Santa for a printer at Xmas. I won't know how to use it but it will be fun to watch it melt weed eater string into blobs.:D

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Cool looking Tires Cooper keep up the good work looking forward to the end result.

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Looks like a great mustache hu? Although not at the theme park, no rides available. Oh derailed again, guess I'll have to scroll up a bit and watch the video again. Lol!!

For me, the printer is inside the house and not in garage, out of sight out of mind. Several times I have sat in garage thinking how nice it would be if I could just whip up some complex/simple part,,,,,, and then I remember ,,,I can,,,,, I just have to re learn how to use the design program. I did switch to autodesk fusion 360. It's a trial for 30 days and then 300$ a year, cloud based stuff but does all the things the 3000$ software does that I would need. But....., another thing I have to learn. A lot of features, definately have been watching a few tutorials and realizing if I can get a pretty good working knowledge I would be set and able to make whatever I need.

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Hey Cooper you can get fusion 360 for free for life check around youtube. I did and now I have it on my comp for free I think you have to register it for hobby use or something else dont remember but check it out. just letting you know

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around page 100 of this thread you will see cooper caterpillar open fer bizz
with supermario working for him!!!!

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You're right BigFord !!! What a team that would be. Both kids doing amazing thing for sure. Can't wait speed it up please. :D

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The lil woman wants the biggest made by bucyrus before cat aquired them . So yea a 797 electric drive . I got a rope shovel in engineering stages to load it .

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The tire looks great cooper. Should mold well. And yes, a tire this size will be expensive!!

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You have my attention steve. I would love to see you build a rope shovel!

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Come on, you've got this far so make up a tubeless tire! Think of all the money saved on liquid rubber. I've seen where guys have glued Clod tires to the rims and inserted valve stems. If you could put a metal ring in the bead area and cast around it you'd be set! Honestly speaking, how much harder would it be to cast a hollow tire and run a tube? Think about the tires Dad's Garage used on his haul truck. Tubes are available cheap about the size you would need. Probably better to cast solid rubber but how cool would it be to make your own pneumatic tires?

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Humm, tube/ tubeless tires?!?! That would be cool!! Maybe for the next project and some more experience on casting stuff :).

Well I started welding the tire parts together.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psrdsifgz7.jpg
Made a center piece for glueing the parts together. The aluminum was just shy of being able to use to make the rim. So have to get some more stock.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psj6oidxjz.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7jxm1hia.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4bxcavez.jpg

And the shop fox kept wanting to be nosey so he was sniffing the acetone I was using to glue tire with.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psvckn9iib.jpg


( just for the record the cat wasn't huffing glue. Don't want an animal cruelty case!)

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Looking good Cooper Looks like when you finish it will be a winner.

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http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psy2q9ixuy.jpg
Oh and picked up a vacuum pump and harbor fright. Got it for de-gassing molds and casting resins. Quite a few times in the past I could have used one (and some gauges) for repairing/charging air units so it's not all hobby based purchase:)

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Cooper
Back to the double acting stage cylinder, we tried to come up with a way to feed oil from the bottom but were never able to feed oil from that end for retracting. But I'll keep watching to see how you do it.
Aren't tires fun I did a set for my Letourneau L2350 like you I made a master using some old tires I had then coated it with about a 1/4" of urethane, ( Pink color) I then made 2 plaster aparis (spell ?) outside cavities, to hold molds from deforming. Next I made some urethane foam center cores suspended by a solid core where rims go to save the amount of tire material required. Procedure, place bottom mold in place with center core then foam, then top mold with ports to but in tire material, plaster parts had pins to make sure they lined up. Once cured opened molds pulled out tire trimed off ports and placed this side on the inside when mounted on model. Turned out great tires were made of Smooth On products and with foam core I didn't need to put anything inside tires to stop compressing by models weight. hope this will give you some ideas. Oldguy is true all my friend have been retire 10 years or more.
Earl

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Thanks again earl, I probably won't get to mess with this stuff till after weekend. I'll try and make something up for what I'm thinking for double acting cylinder. And yes I have been thinking of some sort of core for these as a lot of casting material will be needed. And I have to make 6. Figure this is the first of a few mess ups I'm sure :) m

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those tyres are looking awesome, just a thought in the moulding process.
I don't know what you guys call them over there , but we call them pool noodles.
once you make the mould , if you were to glue the foam pool noodle to the centre hub and then cast the tyre you would use less rubber and also achieve a hollow tyre that you could then fit the air valve..

now that would be cool!

cheers andy

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http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psrbengbrb.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psoroqtf94.jpg
Had some home time this evening and made two round blanks to ride in the bead area of tire. The bolt holds them together. The reason I did this is I'm going to use the acetone vapor bath to smooth any lines out. From past experiences in this the bottom always seems to get more of the vapors. As I only have done acetone in bucket ( bottom liquid and soaked towel on top, both techniques) this time I have a electric heat plate to vaporize acetone but still want the ability to invert wheel half way through process. If I knew what I was doing things would not be so stressful as a good bit of time involved in this so far and if I melt it I'll be ,, well we all know how that works!!! Lol!!!

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Andy I have thought about displacing some material with cheeper means on the inside of tire. That may be a bit more advanced than I've got yet. That would really require a three part mold. As the mold part on the inside of tire would have to be secured/suspended during casting and then on removal from mold a three part would be better (I think) :). And they may be a little bit more casting material but it will also end up more added weight. I would imagine each tire will be weighing around 2-3 pounds. Just a uneducated guess right now. I'm not even sure the casting resin I am getting is the right hardness. Won't really know till I make one :). I'm shooting for a shore hardness of 60 that should be like a sneaker bottom. Softer than a super gummy tire.

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Oh and some good redneck engineering=== metal 5gallon bucket with a puddle of acetone in bottom, electric hot plate for a nice gentle heat source to vaporize acetone, all in a toasty garage with open flame gas heater on wall!!! What could go wrong? I guess I should record the process ;)

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Is that a "Cooper" tire?:lol::lol::rolleyes:

Sorry way too many hours in the shop over the last two weeks... Mold looks awesome!

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:lol::lol::lol: yes Cooper heavy haul tires, new market they are getting into. a tire company that makes mining equipment!!!! :lol::lol::lol:








Smarta$$ :jaw::lol:

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Cooper-your tire plug looks good. Have you decided how you will mold it? After I made mine I figured out a way to make it in to equal halves by using one mold. Make the mold come to the exact centerline of the tire, then pour that part and let dry. Then remove it from the mold and pour the other half and drop the cured half on top while it is wet and the tire will be bonded together. You will need a "key" on the tire and mold to line up the 2nd. half but it should work. If you do it this way you will need a leveling table to have the mold exactly level when pouring. BE CAREFUL WITH THAT ACETONE!!!

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If they don't work out they would be awesome flatcar loads ! Mike

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Yeah, when the acetone comes into play the fires are out and garage aired out frequently!! Possibly a younger me may have enjoyed the risk!!! But not now :).

The way I'm planing on making the mold is to fabricate a mold box, elevate tire enough for second half mold, fill in with clay up to centerline of tire. That is also why I decided on this tread profile with center flat. Pour mold material. Possibly pour a hard mold support on top of that. Flip over, remove clay, clean up any water based clay residue, pour second half with fill/vent spouts. Probably 4 around sidewall of tire. That side will always be the inside of truck. And tire is unidirectional. So any flashing should be at flat centerline of tire that will be easy to clean up and on back of tire. At least that is the plan. I've been watching a few mold and casting videos and that looks like the best way to go. (Again , I think)

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http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psejhistaq.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6xkpv5p2.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pszqa98mn3.jpg

That was my home cooking station. Couple ounces of acetone heated to around ? Boiling off point. Had to make a little stand. Bathed for about 1-1/2 min. The one pic shows a drip of acetone condensation that was on alum when I flipped it over and ran. I'll sand that down. Have to bathe it once more for other side. I was using a plexiglass lid to watch the melting up the side of tread. Don't know what I'm doing so I figure I can always do more than having melted it too much. Had the fan on low and garage n window open a bit then completely aired out. Still a bit of fumes. I should have asked some of the locals in town to do it, they would have enjoyed the fumes and slight headache following more than me ;)

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Sanded it on the lathe this time and cooked again. Came out fairly well. Should be good enough for me :)

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...pspwfour05.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psiujdflew.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8zov1vou.jpg

Going to let it dry overnight to completely set up any soft material. There are some minor imperfections and I'm not sure how they will show in a cast part. But like I said I have no idea of what I'm doing so I'll just have to wait till a final product. At least I didn't over cook it and have to start over!!!

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and the house is still standing!!!

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Lol!!! Yup , just keep seeing weird things and bumping into things!!! :) oh and the wife just got home from a dog Halloween party. She was giving me stuff for not blowing up house with vaporizing acetone while she used hair paint on the dog , in the house, that stuff is butane based!! I walked inside the hose earlier and just about fainted!!!!

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Cooper, I'll ask you to go back and read the last line on your post again and then I'll ask you, if that stuff didn't affect you a little more than you though!!! LOL!!!

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Lol!! Darn computer spell checker!! Lol!! That's what I saying!!