Well, I've finally decided it's time for the Verti-Cutter to be made as I've pondered over it for years and now have the time to build one.
I've ventured deep into the back of the Boneyard and dug out the worst example that I have on hand which on the open market would probably be about a $100 machine at the moment. 5 years ago I think I picked it up for nothing just to get it off someone's hand that had it sitting in their way.
I've started up another bigger Electrolysis bath to run everything through as I didn't want to have it all blasted, and honestly it's just not fun getting someone else to do the hard work that I should be doing.
I've already got the cutter shaft which I've had for a season or so but just need to source some good blades for it.
Anyway I'll try to document most of this one, but I feel it's going to be a bit of a lengthy process as there's going to be quite a bit of pitted metal to deal with, but like I suggested this one would probably have to be one of the worst examples I've seen in years, right down to the chain case that's full of cancer holes all along the lower area, even the top deck has so much rust in it that it's distorting both the strengthening channel that's welded to the back of it and also the top deck surface itself. I've surgically removed the channel, run both pieces through the bath and cleaned it right up, straightened it and it's ready to be re-welded back together again.
Anyway that's it for now so I'll resize the photos so far and post them up shortly. (Done)
PS. there's that much rust that all 3 chains were rusted into solid stretches around each gear with no deflection whatsoever.
BTW the title of this thread comes from a documentary film of the same name about 6 Mustang Aircraft rescued from the Emu Plains clay pan in South Australia by aviation enthusiast Tony Schwert.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Looking forward to this one, you got your work cut out for you. Interested to see the rust removal process and out come.
What engine you got lined up for it? And could you maybe explain about how the groomer works and the purpose for it, I have seen some photos of different attachments that do different things.
That should keep you occupied for a while and if you are going to chop one up might as well be one in this condition
Hi Norm, This is exactly why I chose this one as financially as it stood it was worth basically bugger all, honestly who'd buy a machine looking like that for more than small coins, but in saying that Norm it will in no way be chopped up, it will merely have a different sole plate bolted in using all the original bolt holes and grooming shaft with blades slipped on installed opposed to the conventional cutting cylinder being there. This way if it was to be sold off later on it could easily be reverted back into a standard cutting machine. I really hate modifying an item like this with tell tale signs left behind and thus this won't be happening.
Hi B_S, As far as rust removal is concerned it's all done now and my bath has been running non stop for about a week now and cooked my power supply about 4 times during the process. Sadly for everyone both side panels of the chassis have had their surfaces re-worked and are already filled and primed ready for colour application. I'm going to take some shots of the top engine deck that's currently sitting finished in "Cold Galv", awaiting it having its strengthening channel welded back on next Wednesday.
The whole idea about Verti-Cutters is about thinning the lawn out on a regular basis and promoting new growth upwards opposed to sideways. All self regenerating lawns will thatch up naturally and this slows down the growth immensely, which is something we don't want is it ? Couch requires sunlight to get directly to the soil and if there's thatch in the way this just won't be happening.
New growth is a good deep shade of green opposed to a lawn that's choking itself stupidly. The plan is to use the Verti-Cutter about every 3 weeks and less towards the end of the season as if the lawn is too open and airy at the end of the growing season you'll be getting weeds galore over Winter, also this should eliminate the process of scalping and top dressing at the beginning of each season which I've just finished doing for the 3rd time out the front and 4th time for the side lawn which is a year older. I'm finding that as we get older this task is taking more of a toll on the old body far more than it did 25 years ago.
BTW... B_S you've been rather quiet as of late ???
Anyway Stay Tuned................. there's way more to come.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Thanks for that info, looking forward to some progress pictures and seeing the rise of the Phoenix.
Sorry I haven't been around as much, we got a new driveway done and its now snow balled to renovating and landscaping the whole front yard. It's almost done now but there's never ending stuff to be done. I'm hoping on getting that fuel tank stripped down next week and painted and that edger is ready to go. Unlike the rest of the country we have had some decent rain so it's pushed alot of things back, it's taken me nearly 3 weeks to finally get my sand uncovered off the driveway and wheeled out the back to fill and level the lawn.
Some Update Photos for all those Voyeurs of 45's !
Starting with the current Electrolysis bath and followed by the badly affected Engine Deck that once re-welded back together and after painting sealed along it's revealing edges underneath will be AOK.
Most of the structural chassis components have already been re-worked and finally finished off in primer awaiting a nice day to rub them back nicely and colour coat them. I must admit I'm a tad reluctant to use the remaining Ultra Colour cans that I've got because they were just so hard to use with them being outdated stock and the spray pattern being all over the place. Nice colour but that's about it I must say. Anyway we'll see.
At this stage I'm not putting much effort into the original cylinder and sole plate as neither one of them will be utilised in this project, oddly the cylinder has done very little work apart from hitting a few things along the way but that's easily remedied. I'll probably do them within the project and then just wrap them up and keep them for the machine incase it later on becomes a cutting machine again at some stage. I always like to keep as much as possible of the original machine with the unit itself.
One thing I must say is that the rear roller had held up really well over the years. If you look closely at it around the joint area in the middle you'll see some terrible casting flaws which would've been there right from the start. Just shows that the Bonnar boys could certainly be a tad slack in the quality control department. But as I've always said, they made use of everything down to the last nut and bolt and a poor casting was just sacrilege to toss out for them or to put it better ................pulling teeth without an anaesthetic .
Anyway that's it so far, but much more to come in the next week or so.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Looking good BB, you would never know it was the same machine from the first post.
Looks like your doing multiple parts in one bath, what's the turn around time for that much rust? And how many baths?
I 100% agree about that paint, nice colour but a pain to work with. Just wish there was a reputable paint company that had a decent hammer green in a spray pack.
No there's absolutely nothing in the bath in that photo apart from the two anodes, one on each side. The components are hung in the solution on the centre bar. Yes I was doing multiple items depending on size and space available in the bath. The more steel put in, the higher the amperage becomes as there's more surface area, but in saying that this loads up the Power Supply more and I had a solder joint continually melt and break circuit.
As far as turnaround time, that's all dependent on the amount of current running through the bath. I was pushing around 40 to 50 amps which is quite a bit and thus had the rust coming off within about 2 hours. The really deep stuff took around 3 to 4 hours in total. Like I said it's all about the amount of current you have available to pump through the bath. By doing a full machine I now have to either dispose of the solution or replace it to continue on, but in this case I'm pretty well done so out it goes. there's basically no alkalinity left in the solution.
The powder that's added to the water is "Lectric" Washing Soda as its about the only producer still left making this stuff.
I did the reel, but I still have to place it in the oven at a high temp for around 2 hours to stress relieve the steel before it's suitable for subjecting it to a cylindrical grinder that's used for grinding the reels.
Oh and I've forgotten to mention the handlebars, they also went through the bath and are now at my mates Electroplating shop having their Nickel and Chrome stripped and then they'll be given back to me to glaze and polish, after that they'll go back for chrome plating as the expensive part is the hourly rate charged for polishing. I just detest painted bars, they've got to be Chrome.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Nah not enough rust on that one to pay that price, I recon you could get that much for BB's rusty Scotty Before he pulled it out of the bone yard it's got that Ferrari badge on the handle bars that makes it go faster
Wow ! that one will sitting there for a long long time at that figure. (Gumtree listing link removed along with the post as it has expired)
Basically that's a commercial grade unit suitable for bowling / putting greens etc. and definitely not a domestic user. The other thing that's rather noticeable on that machine is how small the gaps are between the blades. This one would leave hardly anything behind after you run over the top of the turf with it.
I intend to gap the blades at around 20mm spacing and this way it's all about thinning the grass out constantly and not sweeping it like an aggressive broom.
Cheers, BB.
PS. There's nothing like doing it yourself I always say.
Last edited by Bonnar_Bloke; 25/04/2008:26 AM. Reason: Explanation added about Gumtree ad
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Yes that post of yours deviosi is a great thread and certainly explains it pretty much to anyone wanting to start a bath up for a project that's going to take a bit of time.
One very important thing to take care with is not to do reels as this process subjects the item to what we call Hydrogen Embrittlement which will make the steel much harder on the surface and as such if you want to do a reel this way you will need to place it in an oven for around 3 hours at 180 degrees C. This will stress relieve the steel and return it back to it's previous state prior to putting in the bath.
Regardless this is a great way of stripping very harsh rust.
Another thing to note is the more Washing Soda you put into the bath the more conductive the solution is and as such the quicker it will work.
I certainly overdosed mine and the results were amazing and in a much shorter time frame to, ..........and definitely much cheaper than blasting everything.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
It goes in paint and all, just best to clean off any oil and grease that's present. Doesn't really take that much longer with paint, it just depends on the thickness of the paint. If it's thin it'll take no time at all with enough current to strip it off.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Thanks BB, I have done it a couple of times but on bare rusty steel. If I ever have to do another restoration again which I would like to eventually freshen up my old tools in the shed I think this will be the way I will go about it as doing it all by hand is very time consuming and taking a toll on all my aches and pains. Life is always one of those things where something always seems to pop up unexpectedly and pushes all your plans back, 2 steeps forwards and 3 steps back. If you knew all the projects I have started or got planned that have come to a stop or never started you would be amazed.
It's been a little while since I last updated anything on this really badly delapatated machine that we call a Model 45.
I've been tied up with an engine rebuild on a car and as such the 45 has taken a bit of a back seat.
Anyway after all the stripping, filling, rubbing and priming I've now come to the stage of colour. The colour used here is probably not that well represented by the lighting under the pergola sheeting but it's the same colour that Bon_Scott used on both his Model 45 and Model 38 edger.
It's "Ultra Color" brand and to be very frank it's a terrible product to use because the cans randomly spray terrible. Their spray pattern radomly goes all over the place and the paint has bad regulation out of the can. I've found it best to preheat very lightly the actual can to be used prior to actually shooting paint. If you use these on a warm day put the cans in the direct sun for a couple of hours prior to using them, then they seem to spray far more evenly.
If I had access to straight paint in a 4 litre tin then I would be shooting it via my Iwata W-71 spray gun which is a dream to use, but as this box of 12 cans arrived on my doorstep for free I'm not going to waste it.
Anyway here's where I'm up to at the moment.
I'm about to take all the original nuts and bolts (fasteners) to a plating shop and get them bright Zinc plated as painting them just isn't for me.
Here's where it's at................. Oh and BTW the Sole plate has been lightly painted as it's not going to be used with the machine being a Verti-Cutter, but it will be temporally installed just to align the rear roller correctly and then it will be removed and have the modified support bar installed instead for use with a Verti-Cutting reel and have the deflector attached to it as I'm not drilling extra holes in the side plates to move the original sole plate backwards as one day it may have to be returned to lawn cutting duties with the reel and bed knife being re-installed.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
"Ultra Color" is retailed through Mitre 10 stores. This one isn't a particularly big seller but to both member Bon_Scott and myself it is a superb variant of a green Hammertone.
I've included a photo of the can for identification purposes.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
They're not that expensive at all, if I recall correctly a box of 12 is around $74.00 from the distributor direct to you.
Because of the issues that I had with them, they just sent me a box full free of charge, but to be brutally honest I think they just want to get rid of the aging stock they've got on hand as it gave Bon_Scott heaps of grief and then me as well.
Like I suggested above if you leave the can out in the sun for a hour or so on a warm day it seems to function better than being stone cold in the tin.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
I have been wanting to buy the gold hammertone in that brand for ages but couldn't find anyone that sells the deuced things. I called the maker in Windsor NSW and they couldn't come up with a list of retailers for me. Frustrating. They said I could go to their facility and buy it directly from them but they are so out of the way that the fuel alone would add considerable cost getting there and back. Going by train would be a lot cheaper but I am leery of walking the 15 minutes from the station as it's a pretty rough area with quite a lot of crime stories on the news from out that way. Having it posted makes much more sense but not sure I need 12 cans for one Victa mower.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
When I am spraying a good base and parts I like to sit the spray can in a can of hot water to warm the paint. It goes on better.... That's what I did when I sprayed my HR Holden with 12 cans of Killrust blue, epoxy..... want to see a picture? speedy
........................Keep your blades sharp......................
If only that damn paint sprayed nicely out of the can, while the colour might not be the exact match it's pretty damn close to what you would of expected a clean unfadded paint finish to look like 50 years ago out of the factory, I personally feel this colour is a bit more modern to the duller colour they used back then as it has a kind of metallic shine that's not metallic but pops especially with the delicious reds and Chevy orange. I got about 6-7 half full cans jammed up from the box of replacements they gave me and another 5-6 can still unused. If they would only make a new batch I'm sure they would sell again through the Scott Bonnar community through word of mouth as the finish and colour is fantastic when it flows smoothly out of the can. Last time I was at the factory the manager/owner said they were just about to release a new colour to their hammer paint line black that he swared was something to see to believe so there not looking at stopping the hammer paint line. I told him that if the green hammer paint wasent so dodgy I could probably get the word out Australia wide and that there's a big market at the moment for this paint in the lawn mower restoration world, hence why I stayed quiet during my restoration on the paint job untill BB asked. I definately would of bought more of this paint to spruce up all my vintage cast power tool equipment which was mainly painted that hammer green in those days, I won't now as I may need 5 cans to do one saw. Just looking at that paint job you have done BB makes me think what a shame such a nice paint, as BB said the colour isent doing justice in the pic, here's a sample of mine which is what it really looks like, as for durability so far it seems fairly hard and hasent chipped or cracked, the guy from ultra colour recommended not priming under this paint as it dident need it, to be honest I did prime under mine and thinking about it now maybe I shouldn't as the top coat is only as strong as your primer, and the origional paint from the factory lasted 50 years with out a primer either, did you prime under your top coat BB?
Here a couple of photos of what the paint looks like on the finished product to give you all an idea with out having to look up my old threads.
Man those look magic. It looks factory. Astonishing and tragic. I wonder if Speedy's suggestion of hot water (not boiling) immersion would restore flow sufficiently? It seems ridiculous an unused rattle can could be so temperamental. Has anyone tried using a different spray button from another brand of rattle can spray paint?? Also a few drops of general purpose thinner in the outlet and an air gun to force it down?? What about inverting the can, releasing the propellant, then opening up the can and brush painting the contents or loading it up into a spray gun?
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Did everything you suggested, even tried the tire valve with the air compressor, will probably get to the day when I bust open those cans and pour them into an empty paint pot and hammer the lid down. The paint applies so good with a touch up brush over the existing dried paint that it doesn't even show the blemish so I reckon you could brush it on no problem, ideal just to brighten up my tools so I don't have to mask them up or strip them down.
Yes I had to use primer on mine as the base metal was that poor that I had to use body filler along with spray putty and then block it all back to solve all the rust pitting etc. Basically I used the same process as when doing Automotive panel repair work, thus why all the pieces now look like brand new and ripple, pit and dent free. The chain case was made up from two cases, one Series 1 and a Series 2 donor as original S1 had most of the bottom missing de to rust and as such try finding a spare replacement..........impossible. Series 2 cases are everywhere due to their feeble fracture riddled chassis being sent to scrap one after the other a few years ago and their remaining parts living on as donors to other machines, while S1 cases always stayed with their more durable chassis' counterparts to re refurbished over and over again.
As far as the issue of half used cans is concerned, I feel it's got nothing to do with the actual nozzle as the blockages seem to occur before before the paint gets up to the top and as such warming the paint up and continually Shake / Mixing it seems to get more out of the can. I've managed to get two cans to empty their full contents via the nozzle, so this may be the key to the issue.
When using in colder conditions I'd strongly suggest that Speedy's idea would be perfect.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Makes sense i went through more cans doing the little edger than the 45, edger was done in winter this year the 45 was done in summer earlier this year. Might try warming the cans up in warm hot water and shake well and see if they come to life, wonder if the paint skins in the can if it sits to long then when you shake it it's got chunky bits that clog the bottom. Might be interesting to break into one can and see what's going on inside.
Yes the thought had also crossed my mind, I've pretty much thrown out all the half used cans after the building of my neighbours machine.
I also feel that the paint has skinned up and pieces of that are clogging the passageway.
As MF suggested maybe as you have some half used cans left see if you can exhaust the remaining propellant and then cut it open and have a Captain Cook.
Will be great to see what the results are.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
