Testosterone Fumes Approach Lethal Concentration

I’m getting more stuff done today.

First, I went to the farm’s east gate, weed-ate the junk growing on the driveway, and blasted it with a combination of glyphosate and 2,4-D. I also went down the fence facing the highway. So much for those weeds.

When I got back, I started working on my propane cutting cart.

I bought a propane outfit a long time ago. It has been a year. Then I decided to cheap out on cylinders. I figured I could save a lot of money buying used. I didn’t understand how bad the used-bottle market was in this area. Most of the bottles were small, and a lot of the rest were stolen.

When you go to a welding supply store to exchange a tank you own, you don’t want a tank with another company’s name stamped on it, because they may refuse to swap it, and they might confiscate it. You need a tank with what is known as a slick neck. The neck is where bottles are stamped.

A lot of people run off with rented bottles, and then they try to sell them on Craigslist. You get what seems like a great price, and then you find out you can’t get it filled.

A few days back, I decided to to ahead and blow $300 on a tank from Airgas.

When I got the outfit, I looked around for a cart to hold the tanks, but I thought they were bulky and overpriced. I bought a Chinese handtruck from Home Depot for around $50, and it sat in my workshop with the cardboard labels still attached until this week. Yesterday, I started converting it. I already had parts I had bought for the purpose, and of course, I had scrap metal to make it easier.

I started by using my SWAG Offroad finger brake to bend two strips of steel into U-shaped brackets. I welded them to one of the upright members of the handtruck. Then I cut some links from a chain and welded them to the brackets. Then I welded the chains to the brackets. You can see the result. I bought some double-ended snap hooks to attach the free ends of the chains to the brackets. This gave me a very stable platform for my oxygen tank.

Today I decided to make the base of the handtruck bigger. I had a large piece of steel plate. I cut the plate off the bottom of the handtruck uprights and welded the new plate on.

As you can see, the plate is now big enough for the entire base of a propane tank to fit on it.

Now I have to put another bracket on the handtruck for the propane tank. I think I’ll put two chain eyes on it and use a rubber strap to hold the tank. It should be easier on the paint than chain. I wouldn’t trust a rubber strap to hold up a dangerous oxygen bottle, but propane is not as hard to handle, and the tanks are squat and not inclined to fall over.

When I’m done, I’ll paint the bare parts with truck bed coating, which is like spray-on steel. It lasts forever.

It’s neat to have the tools to do this job quickly. The cheap welding table I got at Northern Tool is very, very good for the price. I see no reason to buy anything in the price gap between this table and the four-figure Fabblocks from Weldtable.com. This one used to cost over $300, and Northern Tool started offering it for something like half price. Right now, you can get it for $180, and it comes with a bunch of clamps that are actually useful. I slapped some cheap casters on the table, and it’s fantastic.

If there is one thing I don’t like about this handtruck, it’s the rolling gear. The tires are inflatable. Of course, that means they leak, so they have to be pumped up occasionally. Maybe I can find some cheap replacements. I’m wondering if it’s possible to fill them with something and turn them into solid tires.

I don’t understand why pneumatic handtruck tires even exist. They cause no end of problems, and there are no benefits.

Harbor Freight sells solid tires for handtrucks, so maybe I’ll go that route.

I may have a hundred bucks in this thing by the time I’m done. I think that’s acceptable. Decent carts start at maybe $90, and for some reason, the industry ignores propane. Propane cutting torches are the standard now, and carts are made for skinny cylinders. I’m having fun making this project, and it will be great when I’m done.

Maybe I’ll get started on another project since I can’t get steel for this one today. I bought an 18″ square sheet of 1/4″ steel plate, and I’m going to make a steak griddle from it. I think I already wrote about it. I’ll bend the sides up and turn it into a pan. This will give me a square griddle about 16″ square, and it won’t leak grease. Steak fried on iron is wonderful.