Friday, August 1, 2014

DIY "Tannerite" Success!




This is my second attempt at making a homemade binary explosive target, similar to Tannerite. It didn't work the first time, but as you can see, this time was a resounding success! The difference was in the source of materials. I think the first cold packs I bought locally were treated specifically to prevent this use. So I bought a different brand on Amazon, and this is the result. Here are links to the exact materials I used:

Friday, April 4, 2014

Granville King: The World's Best Shade-tree Mechanic

I grew up around Jeeps. When I was a kid, Wranglers didn't exist and wouldn't for a long time to come. Even the CJ-7 didn't exist yet. CJ-5s were new Jeeps that some people used as daily transportation, but lots of people had an old flat-fender Willys Jeep out back for hunting and exploring the backcountry. You could pick one up for anywhere from a hundred to a few hundred bucks, and keep it running indefinitely with basic hand tools and very little money. There was pretty much nothing that could go wrong with one that you couldn't fix well enough to limp back home with a pair of Vice-grips, a roll of baling wire and perhaps a flattened tin can. Then when you got paid again, you could fix it as good as new, right in your own backyard. New Jeeps are nothing like that. In the entire history of the Jeep, only one man has understood what Jeeps are really all about well enough to convey the idea to the rest of us in the form of books and articles. That man was the late Granville King. "Granny" as he was known by some, began working on WWII jeeps in 1944, and continued until his death in 1989. The last decade or so of his life was spent as a hermit/ beach bum in Baja on the Sea of Cortez with his best friend "Superdawg." Granny lived in a small travel trailer and had a makeshift shed where he tinkered with his many Jeeps, a Honda ATC110 and several other vehicles, and once a month he would drive to San Felipe to mail his monthly article to Four Wheeler Magazine and pick up the check for the previous month. In those days I subscribed to Four Wheeler, and Granville's articles were my favorite part of the magazine. King also wrote the definitive Jeep manual, linked below. I noticed that some reviewers didn't rate the book very highly because they were expecting a detailed service manual. The "Jeep Bible" doesn't replace a factory service manual for your specific Jeep, but it is a must-have for any serious Jeeper. A service manual won't tell you how to effect a backcountry fix that will get you back home. This book will.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Cheap Chinese Air-Cooled Engine Powering a Full-Size Tractor

This is amazing. A full size Massey Harris 33 tractor powered by a cheap 13 hp Chinese air cooled engine. The owner simply put a chain sprocket on the input shaft of the tractor's original transmission, and a centrifugal clutch on the engine. He's using it for actual work too; not just putting around for fun. Hmmm. I have an old flat-fender Willys jeep with no engine... Seriously, I have been thinking about getting one of these engines. Harbor Freight had them on sale for $350, and I found a 25% coupon code I could apply to it. Then shipping and sales tax brings the total to approximately $305. Before buying though, I decided to look on Amazon because they often beat any other deal I can find. Lo and behold, here's one for $280 shipped!