Petro Chug-A-Drill

[CNew 404]

No gaskets. I was a little surprised. The machined aluminum surfaces are nicely done but I would image a slight bit of oil/great could leak.

[Wallfish 698]

On 5/31/2021 at 3:16 PM, CNew said:

(at least until I find a loop handle or have one made)

Took some searching but found this. Might be just what you need to make a handle

https://www.grandbrass.com/item/hasb10/

[CNew 404]

Checked out the Grand brass site a couple weeks ago.  Unfortunately the ring is more like heavy gauge wire size rather than a 1/2 tube.

[CNew 404]

On 4/5/2021 at 12:54 PM, factory said:

Some more pictures of the handle, outside diameter is approx 10", the height from the flat section is approx 9½" and the tube is approx ½" diameter.

 

 

The flat section is approx 1, 15/16" by 1, 11/16" with a hole to suit the switch fitted, I suspect my switch has been replaced judging by how chewed up the nut is.

 

 

David

David, do you think the handle is made from steel or aluminum?  The corrosion would suggest steel but the welds and shiny areas kind of look like aluminum.

[Wallfish 698]

Steel

Are you getting back on this project?

If you have a welder get a longer tube than needed. Weld one end shut and fill the tube with sand then pack it in there. Now weld the open end closed. Now it will bend without crushing or distorting. Cut the ends off and you can remove the sand.  Just throwing stuff out there again to see what sticks.

[CNew 404]

Thinking about it… I have one other small project in front of it.  One of these days I’m going to have to just buy a welder, not sure how I’ve made it this long without one.  Great idea about the sand. I got all excited yesterday because I thought I found a metal fabricator online in TX that sold 10” x 1/2” steel tubular rings as a standard product but when I called turns out they only make them out of square tubing. 

[Wallfish 698]

You can fold and crimp the edges closed too in order to bend it but still need the plate welded on.

Circumference of a 10" circle is about 31 1/2 inches and most places sell tube at 36 inches. Good tight crimps on the ends and you can fill it with water which is much easier to empty out.

And just another little tid bit. Connecting car batteries in series does work for arc/stick welding. I have a real welder but curiosity got the best of me so had to try it. Not the most safe thing I guess but danger is my middle name! LoL

I used 3 batteries but thinking 2 would work with a small thin rod

[CNew 404]

Can you add a photo of the switch?  My drill didn’t have any sort of wiring attached. I’m assuming the trigger on the handle is just for a kill switch and not a throttle, is that correct?

[CNew 404]

Making some good progress…  I sent a few messages to some metal fabricators just to see what it might cost to have the 10” ring roll formed before I got too deep into trying it myself.  A couple got back to me and the cost for a one-off was outrageous. One local shop emailed back and said he actually had one of his guys give it a go just to make sure it would turn out ok (before quoting me). I went to look at it today and it turned out well. It cost a little more than I had planned but overall not too bad considering he did have his shop guy do some labor to test it out. I fabricated the mounting bracket this afternoon. I ended up shaping the bracket to follow the contour of the interface between the handle and the body of the drill rather than just a rectangular piece.  All I need to do now is make a couple more cuts on the ring handle to get the size right and then have the mounting plate welded to it.  I think I’m going to cut it such that I can place the triangular end sections inside the tube and then flatten the tube to pinch the mounting plate and then weld it. 

 

 

[Wallfish 698]

2 hours ago, CNew said:

It cost a little more than I had planned 

Fess up. What did ya pay?

Just curious what work like that would go for.

You're making some nice progress

10 hours ago, CNew said:

Can you add a photo of the switch?  My drill didn’t have any sort of wiring attached. I’m assuming the trigger on the handle is just for a kill switch and not a throttle, is that correct?

Correct. It's the kill switch

[CNew 404]

$50…

 

Got everything cut and fitted this afternoon - just need to get it welded and it’ll be ready to install.

[Wallfish 698]

That's not too bad! 

Just throwing it out there. You can get a small mapp oxy torch for about $100 and braze it. They might even get hot enough to gas weld with steel. We used metal coat hangers for the welding rods back in the day.

[CNew 404]

Yeah, not too bad considering. 
I was thinking about brazing as well, I just don’t have much in the way of experience.  I’m going to have to break down one of these days and learn to weld and get a unit. 

[Wallfish 698]

2 hours ago, CNew said:

Yeah, not too bad considering. 
I was thinking about brazing as well, I just don’t have much in the way of experience.  I’m going to have to break down one of these days and learn to weld and get a unit. 

Brazing is kind of like soldering, just hotter. It doesn't flow as thin as solder but you can move it around with the heat. Those little torches would work good for stubborn rusty nut and bolt removal too.

MIG welding makes things pretty easy and it's not crazy expensive with a small 110v welder using flux core wire to get started.

Plenty of instruction videos online for both to get inspired. You're never too old to learn a new skill and you should be able to find more uses for either one beyond this handle fix.

[CNew 404]

Feels good to finally have this Chug-a-drill project finished.

 

Here’s the final product…. It took a bit of tinkering to get the finish aged and worn-in like I wanted it so that it would look more original to the drill. 
 

[Wallfish 698]

Dam, that looks real good. Nice job!

I agree that it would look funny if it was left shiny new compared to the rest.

 

How did you finally attach the ring to the plate?

[CNew 404]

Thanks!
Yeah, I was pretty happy with how the aging came out. I ended up cleaning the whole handle, priming it with self etch and then used some aluminum tone paint.  After that I did some selective scuffing and put it through some dirt and gravel. Final step was a good wipe with a rag that had some rust and Ballistal.

 

The shop that made the ring for me ended up welding the bracket. I’ve got the bug now to learn how to weld. I’m on the hunt for a decent little welder. I think I’ve narrowed it down to a couple options, just need to save up some $$.

[Wallfish 698]

Some good reviews on the 110v Harbor Freight ones according to a guy I know.  Not overly expensive. Spend good money on a good helmet though, you get what you pay for and welder's flash really sucks when it happens!!!

Sell me one of your rare O&R tools (Cheap) to finance one! LoL

I had a Hobart 140 using flux core wire before graduating to real 240v mig with Argon mix gas. It was great little machine for the "everyday" stuff but I would still stick weld any heavy structural type things.  

I'd like to learn how to TIG weld.

[CNew 404]

The Hobart 140 was one of then welders on my short list.  I’ve heard good things about the Eastwood 140 and 180 as well, bang for the buck. I’ll have to check out the HF Titan line a little closer.