Posts
I titled this post with the title of one of Frank Zappa's old songs from back in the early 70's because the lyrics seem to have relevancy to this weekend's events in Iran.
I used to know the words by heart when I was younger and even more radical myself. I can't help but feel for the underdog. Back then it was America, today it is Iran. The Big Brother is still the man in power and the citizen is still the victim! I saw this coming earlier last week and must admit I became swept up in the controversy.
I'm not particularly knowledgeable in Iran's Government system, but I can see some of the same struggles I saw as I was growing up. The age old generation gap and the suppression of opposition to the establishment!
Needless to say my emotions soon took over and I jumped right in to pay my two cents worth of opinion. Man the same things that happened here in those turbulent times came flashing back into my memory and I just had to vent it on twitter! I ran back and forth between news stories on Fox and my keyboard with fervent ambition to spew my rants until my reason returned to a more mature perspective.. to twit (lol) I realized I am now on the other side of that generation! oops.
Let's face it, the bible tells us these things will happen, and being a student of the word, I should know better than to go against God's plan. I guess I acted on impulse because so many prophecies have already come to pass and many more are coming true daily it seems.
We are instructed to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ not our own pointed opinions but I didn't stop to think of that point! I was too busy digging up the bones of my own past.
I don't like the way our own country is headed, yet alone the globalist movement that is eroding our constitutional rights. I AM sick and tired of the oppression brought on by big socialist government. Every thing that the old testament says is falling in place! there is a conspiracy coming that we can not stop!
Behind the scenes are the 4 hidden dynasties.
Government - going global?
Education - evolution only?
Commerce - one world currency, take your mark?
Religion - will it be biblical? doubt that!
Folks ALL of these are on the wrong path! What's my prediction? not good. I'm sorry to say.
Know this however, It won't be long till Jesus comes back to straighten out this fucked up mess!
The book of John 14:6 says - Jesus saith to him (Thomas the doubter), "I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man cometh to the Father, but by me!" There I said it again while I still could!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
We need your services Lenny!
Last week while I was working on the plans for the stainless steel carts I recieved a phone call. The voice on the other end said we need your services lenny, bring your tape measure! I said I could be there in 45 minutes or so , Dave said great!
I showed up just like I said I would and signed in according to the protocalls. How can I be of service I asked. Dave explained that the company wants every cabinet off the floor for a qualifing audit this week and wanted to know if I could build frames for all of the cabinets in the building. JackPot! I thought. This will be a piece of cake! Then Dave said we will want them by Tuesday next week, Do you think you can do it by then? I said I'm pretty sure I could.
This was on aThursday evening after the metel store was closed so after an hour of taking measurements for the cabinets , I ran a quick total of inches and divided by 12 to get the approximate footage of raw materials required for the job. Turns out the job required about 370 + ft of 1.5" x 1.5" x 3/16" angle Iron. I didn't know the exact cost of the raw materials but gave an approximation value of 4-500 dollars. I said if they could put in a purchase order for the raw steel which comes in 20' lengths that I could pick it up and get started the next morning. Dave listened as I explained what I would do to add value for the product I had in mind. I scribbled a basic sketch of the notched corners fitting in place and explained that all welds would be consealed except for the four corner welds that are on the topside of the leggs, which would be finnished up with a grinder for a uniform appearence. I also expected to keep the job some where in the budget range of 8 - 900 dollars if they could purchase the raw steel. This made my life easier as I didn't have to arrange the funds to get started.
The next morning I got up and made my refigured calculations and rounded up the last full 20' length of angle in case I made a mistake. It is a good thing that I did that too.
There are many things that can go wrong and do. in this case I underestimated the wire needed for the welder and missed one cycle on the band saw a goofed up one piece by cutting off a tab instead of cutting a notch. That one was covered. The only other goof was breaking the band saw blade before I had spares on hand. That happened about 11:30 Friday night and I had planned on picking up a couple at Ace Hardware Saturday morning anyways. I used the time welding the first five before I quit for the night around 3:00AM.
The next morning I started cutting the longer peices with a 7" zip wheel untill my wife came home with the blades. Although the cuts are not perfectly square they can easily be consealed by wrapping the corners with the 6.5" leg after the outside is welded and cleaned up with a radius to allow the angle to fit snug.
By the time I quit for the evening Saturday night I had all the steel cut and notched and five pedistals welded up. I still had 26 more to weld and clean up prior to delivery. Sunday I took the morning off for a little bit of quiet contemplation with my maker. While I'm making my settup I ask the good Lords blessings on the project. I know kind of late for that one , but remember I have a dead line! By the time I had put my 12 hours in on Sunday I had 23 completely welded and cleaned up. It was going to be close on the welder wire Monday. I bought the last spool in the local area Saturday morning, and would have to drive twenty miles to get more. Well just like self fullfilling thoughts do, they come true, and I ran out with just three to go on Monday afternoon!
So, seeing that I had to drive into town to get the wire, I might just as well deliver the 28 units I have so they can start loading them up ASAP.
When I came home and got back to work, the project was finished by 9:00PM. I still had a day to work on the billing aspects of the business. Fortunatly I have some blank order forms that I could use as an invoice to list items by size and quantity. After figuring my goals and costs, I set my prices for the custom pedistals at $27.50 a piece, compared the totals with my estimates, and calculated the company cost to be under $45.00 each unit total. I think every body comes out ahead in the end.
If you think of the 53+ hours I put in on this project Fri through Monday was extreme or,I did not make big money, the rewards of a successful project like this is more than enought to make up for simple wages. For example the phone call from Dave this evening, thanking me for
my efforts, that is something that you won't get from a day job! Not to memtion that if there is more welding to be done I have already made the first impression! Who knows where this networking might lead to nextime?
I showed up just like I said I would and signed in according to the protocalls. How can I be of service I asked. Dave explained that the company wants every cabinet off the floor for a qualifing audit this week and wanted to know if I could build frames for all of the cabinets in the building. JackPot! I thought. This will be a piece of cake! Then Dave said we will want them by Tuesday next week, Do you think you can do it by then? I said I'm pretty sure I could.
This was on aThursday evening after the metel store was closed so after an hour of taking measurements for the cabinets , I ran a quick total of inches and divided by 12 to get the approximate footage of raw materials required for the job. Turns out the job required about 370 + ft of 1.5" x 1.5" x 3/16" angle Iron. I didn't know the exact cost of the raw materials but gave an approximation value of 4-500 dollars. I said if they could put in a purchase order for the raw steel which comes in 20' lengths that I could pick it up and get started the next morning. Dave listened as I explained what I would do to add value for the product I had in mind. I scribbled a basic sketch of the notched corners fitting in place and explained that all welds would be consealed except for the four corner welds that are on the topside of the leggs, which would be finnished up with a grinder for a uniform appearence. I also expected to keep the job some where in the budget range of 8 - 900 dollars if they could purchase the raw steel. This made my life easier as I didn't have to arrange the funds to get started.
The next morning I got up and made my refigured calculations and rounded up the last full 20' length of angle in case I made a mistake. It is a good thing that I did that too.
There are many things that can go wrong and do. in this case I underestimated the wire needed for the welder and missed one cycle on the band saw a goofed up one piece by cutting off a tab instead of cutting a notch. That one was covered. The only other goof was breaking the band saw blade before I had spares on hand. That happened about 11:30 Friday night and I had planned on picking up a couple at Ace Hardware Saturday morning anyways. I used the time welding the first five before I quit for the night around 3:00AM.
The next morning I started cutting the longer peices with a 7" zip wheel untill my wife came home with the blades. Although the cuts are not perfectly square they can easily be consealed by wrapping the corners with the 6.5" leg after the outside is welded and cleaned up with a radius to allow the angle to fit snug.
By the time I quit for the evening Saturday night I had all the steel cut and notched and five pedistals welded up. I still had 26 more to weld and clean up prior to delivery. Sunday I took the morning off for a little bit of quiet contemplation with my maker. While I'm making my settup I ask the good Lords blessings on the project. I know kind of late for that one , but remember I have a dead line! By the time I had put my 12 hours in on Sunday I had 23 completely welded and cleaned up. It was going to be close on the welder wire Monday. I bought the last spool in the local area Saturday morning, and would have to drive twenty miles to get more. Well just like self fullfilling thoughts do, they come true, and I ran out with just three to go on Monday afternoon!
So, seeing that I had to drive into town to get the wire, I might just as well deliver the 28 units I have so they can start loading them up ASAP.
When I came home and got back to work, the project was finished by 9:00PM. I still had a day to work on the billing aspects of the business. Fortunatly I have some blank order forms that I could use as an invoice to list items by size and quantity. After figuring my goals and costs, I set my prices for the custom pedistals at $27.50 a piece, compared the totals with my estimates, and calculated the company cost to be under $45.00 each unit total. I think every body comes out ahead in the end.
If you think of the 53+ hours I put in on this project Fri through Monday was extreme or,I did not make big money, the rewards of a successful project like this is more than enought to make up for simple wages. For example the phone call from Dave this evening, thanking me for
my efforts, that is something that you won't get from a day job! Not to memtion that if there is more welding to be done I have already made the first impression! Who knows where this networking might lead to nextime?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
From the web back to the welder!
This evening I got a call from the missus who asked me if I was interested in fabricating some carts for the company she works for. At first I thought it was a ploy to get me out of this chair which is parked in front of the computer. I mean why would I want to get up when this thing has wheels? I have often thought if it had a hole and a shield I wounld never leave the desk, for fear someone else might get access to my computer which has dominated too much of my time lately! I am glad that I did though, because after all my goal is to start my welding business! This is an opportunity I have been looking for!
This article is going to document the the process if any one you is a do it your selfer like I am. My intent is to tell you about the processes from the begining to the end.
Let's start with the call. Once you get one you must start thinking about the information you will need to know to get the job done and meet or exceed the customers expectations. In this instance I was asked to come in and speak with Dave the head of maintanence to gather the dimentions gain a perspective of the company's desires. My wife had mentioned she told them it takes her 3o minutes to get to work from home but she didn't leave me much time to prepair!
You must realize that when you enter a factory setting you must abide by their safety rules, so you must have some of the basics like steel toe shoes, safety glasses if you need a perscription you should have side shields, and so on.
I already have a note book organizer prepared for such occasions. It has pockets, paper pad, pen and a built in calculater,just in case my math skills get rusty. I would highly recommend having a tape measure clipped on some where as well. You never know when you are going to need one of those, and it lends something to the professional look as well.
Most companys have a sign in policy in place and a registry book for you to fill out when you arrive and leave etc. If you are just begginning your business and don't have a corporation name or name of your firm yet that's ok, you can simply use your name and service that you intend to perform, for example Wenzlick Welding or Welding Specialist. Something like this will go a long ways in lending credibility to your business in the future.
As with most companies you must wear ear protection when you enter the factory working area and after putting mine in we walked out to the floor. Use common sense when you are near equipment that is operating and practise standard safety proceedures like be aware of your surroundings at all times, or stay out of the way of forktrucks, keep your hands away from moving machinery,etc...
I got to see what they were using and learned why they wanted to improve it to suit their needs. In this case, the carts which hold 1/4" sheets of masonite boards used as dividers for the product didn't fit the space requirements and the dividers get nicked up on the edges. What they need is to protect the boards by making the carts narrower and they want to use stainless steel to meet American Bakery Standards for an upcoming certification.
This is where you will want to make sure you take notes and ask all of the questions you can think of to ensure you get everything you need to know to do the job right the first time! It is also important that you get specific contact information that will direct you back to the person you are speaking with just in case you miss a detail or need to ask another question via phone call. It is easy to have plans dancing around in your head while you are discussing the project and you might not catch a detail untill you are driving home like I did in this case. I asked for a week to get a plan submitted and approved so I wont sweat the detail untill then. This will also buy me time to make a drawing, get quotes for the resourses that I will need to build one, and figure an acceptable price that will bring me a profit. I will be posting more on this as the information is gathered.
In my future posts, I will give you the details of the project, dimentions, tips on searching for resourses, figuring production costs, you know, all to good stuff! If I can get video going, it will be better yet!
This article is going to document the the process if any one you is a do it your selfer like I am. My intent is to tell you about the processes from the begining to the end.
Let's start with the call. Once you get one you must start thinking about the information you will need to know to get the job done and meet or exceed the customers expectations. In this instance I was asked to come in and speak with Dave the head of maintanence to gather the dimentions gain a perspective of the company's desires. My wife had mentioned she told them it takes her 3o minutes to get to work from home but she didn't leave me much time to prepair!
You must realize that when you enter a factory setting you must abide by their safety rules, so you must have some of the basics like steel toe shoes, safety glasses if you need a perscription you should have side shields, and so on.
I already have a note book organizer prepared for such occasions. It has pockets, paper pad, pen and a built in calculater,just in case my math skills get rusty. I would highly recommend having a tape measure clipped on some where as well. You never know when you are going to need one of those, and it lends something to the professional look as well.
Most companys have a sign in policy in place and a registry book for you to fill out when you arrive and leave etc. If you are just begginning your business and don't have a corporation name or name of your firm yet that's ok, you can simply use your name and service that you intend to perform, for example Wenzlick Welding or Welding Specialist. Something like this will go a long ways in lending credibility to your business in the future.
As with most companies you must wear ear protection when you enter the factory working area and after putting mine in we walked out to the floor. Use common sense when you are near equipment that is operating and practise standard safety proceedures like be aware of your surroundings at all times, or stay out of the way of forktrucks, keep your hands away from moving machinery,etc...
I got to see what they were using and learned why they wanted to improve it to suit their needs. In this case, the carts which hold 1/4" sheets of masonite boards used as dividers for the product didn't fit the space requirements and the dividers get nicked up on the edges. What they need is to protect the boards by making the carts narrower and they want to use stainless steel to meet American Bakery Standards for an upcoming certification.
This is where you will want to make sure you take notes and ask all of the questions you can think of to ensure you get everything you need to know to do the job right the first time! It is also important that you get specific contact information that will direct you back to the person you are speaking with just in case you miss a detail or need to ask another question via phone call. It is easy to have plans dancing around in your head while you are discussing the project and you might not catch a detail untill you are driving home like I did in this case. I asked for a week to get a plan submitted and approved so I wont sweat the detail untill then. This will also buy me time to make a drawing, get quotes for the resourses that I will need to build one, and figure an acceptable price that will bring me a profit. I will be posting more on this as the information is gathered.
In my future posts, I will give you the details of the project, dimentions, tips on searching for resourses, figuring production costs, you know, all to good stuff! If I can get video going, it will be better yet!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
