When You Get the Devil on the Canvas, Just Punch him Harder

This has been a wonderful day.

I got up and mowed the yard. The John Deere didn’t blow up, quit, run over its own grill, pump oil out onto the lawn, or refuse to start. For a John Deere product, that’s remarkable. As far as I can tell from my experience. I also ran the leaf blower, the weed eater, and the edger, and I poisoned some plants I didn’t like. Wonderful.

My friend Amanda came over with her sons, and I showed them some tools and taught them how to run the pressure washer. Which DID quit. But I know how to deal with that. I went to Amazon and bought a new carb for $20, plus a fuel filter, which the pressure washer appears to lack. Never pay anyone to fix a small engine carburetor. Just buy a new one. I could have gotten a fine carb for $13, delivered, but I decided to splurge and get a genuine Honda, which surely comes from the same Chinese factory. Probably. Anyway, it’s coming.

I fired up my tools and made another end shield for my tractor front end loader brace. I didn’t have to pay for the steel. My friends at the metal place gave me free scrap to practice welding on, and one piece was a nice sheet of 1/8″ plate. I cut a rectangle out of it with the dry-cut saw, made a hole with the drill press, cleaned it up with the belt grinder and drill press, and I was done. Bang. Like that.

I used the new 6″ Metabo grinder to cut a piece out of the shield to open it up for the belt grinder. The Metabo is dynamite. So glad I bought it. It will save me a lot of time.

The shield is beautiful. I won’t be modest. I love metalworking. This just proves I need more tools. Which I already knew.

The first end shield is 1/4″ steel, and I wondered if I should wait for a similar piece, but I chose not to. The 1/8″ piece is strong enough, and every time I see it, it will remind me of the pleasant experiences I’ve had at the metal dealer’s place FAR, FAR FROM MIAMI.

In three or four days, I’ll have the new carb, and the pressure washer will almost definitely run. The pump could be giving out, but I don’t think it is. If it is, I’ll buy a new $125 pump on Ebay for $70 and install it. It takes 5 minutes. There is probably no good reason for ever buying a new pressure washer until the engine dies and can’t be fixed.

That’s it. I’m about to go relax with my pets and a cold beverage. I will post photos of the metalwork later.

Oh, all right. I’ll post them now.