Remember me?

 Hey!  Yeah, I'm still alive.  Been an interesting few years.  To add to the last post... 5 years ago...  

Remember the cancer?  Well it's in remission.  Stage IV melanoma, a liver full of tumors, a few large growths in a few other places.  Gone.  All of it, all gone.  

Shortly after my last post, my wife at the time decided that since I was dyin' it was as good a time as any, and left me with my 3 boys.  So I spent the last 5 years as a single dad, raising 2 teenagers and a toddler, while recovering from something that should have killed me.  

It didn't.  Kill me, that is.  And supposedly, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?  Not sure how I feel about that, but I've learned a lot the last few years.  I've been brought to my knees, and been picked up again.  I've experienced miracles- the most recent of which was re-gaining access to this blog!!!  What a fight that was.  

Lot's of new things going on, can't wait to tell you all about them!!!

STAY TUNED!  Setting a goal right now to make posting here happen at least once a week.  

And, a little teaser of what I've been working on the last few months:

Check out my new shirts!!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/rusty-phoenix-motors Connect with me here! https://www.youtube.com/c/RustyPhoenixMotors https://www.facebook.com/rustyphoenixmotors https://www.instagram.com/dorkpunch_rustyphoenixmotors/?hl=en https://www.instructables.com/member/Rusty%20Phoenix%20Motors/

Been awhile...

A good long while.

Hoping to do a little more blogging:  We got "real" internet for the first time in 3 years.  Little easier to upload pics and actually write from a computer than trying to do anything from a phone...  If you want to catch up on whats been going on there is a little info on my Instagram at, you guessed it, dorkpunch.

In other news.  2017 has been off to a rough start-  Met my insurance deductibles and all that crap in the first week of the year with a popped appendix and a few other things.

To add insult to injury, turns out I have cancer.  So yeah... Been a rough year. 

On the bright side, now that we have internet and I'm moving a little slower than I should, I have a bit of time to upload pics and update y'all on all kinds of things.  Stay tuned for... Something.  I dunno.  Probably some bikes, a few hot wheels, several welding projects, and likely a little info on the cancer treatments and all that junk.

Check out my new shirts!!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/rusty-phoenix-motors Connect with me here! https://www.youtube.com/c/RustyPhoenixMotors https://www.facebook.com/rustyphoenixmotors https://www.instagram.com/dorkpunch_rustyphoenixmotors/?hl=en https://www.instructables.com/member/Rusty%20Phoenix%20Motors/

Alphatig Review: Building a Welding Cart #5

Hhere we are with a full on test fit. Everything seems to fit like I planned it.









Still to do: make a hanger for the torch, a nub for the ground clamp, and a box for the pedal. Build the drawer. Figure out where the welding rod holder will go. Build a little leg on the front at the right height- NO front wheels. Clean it all up. Paint it. Put the dang thing together.

Check out my new shirts!!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/rusty-phoenix-motors Connect with me here! https://www.youtube.com/c/RustyPhoenixMotors https://www.facebook.com/rustyphoenixmotors https://www.instagram.com/dorkpunch_rustyphoenixmotors/?hl=en https://www.instructables.com/member/Rusty%20Phoenix%20Motors/

Operation: Spring Break 2016 #3

Got a few more things crossed off the lists... Remember the old dump truck I borrowed to do the roof last fall? Well... It sat. And the brakes drained out. and the battery went dead. And I've been busy with this that and the other. Had my pa help me get the brakes bled, and we FINALLY got the shingles and carpet hauled to the dump. Yay! glad that parts over with.



High on the list is getting to the floor. Its got some really loose spots- not really creaky, the boards just have a lot of flex. Picked up some shims and started wiggling them in.



Shims:



Floor feels 100% more solid. Its going to have to be, because I just picked THIS up:



And it will be sitting right about in that spot. Eventually. When its cleaned up. Which may not happen for a long, long time... *sigh*

Check out my new shirts!!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/rusty-phoenix-motors Connect with me here! https://www.youtube.com/c/RustyPhoenixMotors https://www.facebook.com/rustyphoenixmotors https://www.instagram.com/dorkpunch_rustyphoenixmotors/?hl=en https://www.instructables.com/member/Rusty%20Phoenix%20Motors/

Alphatig Review: Building a Welding Cart #4

Movin right a long!

Made this bracket to hang cords from.



Hooks for cords and such.









Telescoping handle fer movin' it around, and a tie down loop for the welder.



Axle welded on. Did this with the stick welder, and was really worried about burning through the thin tubing but it came out pretty good.

Alphatig Review: Buidling a Welding Cart #3

Argon tank rings. Made 'em big enough that if I want I can replace my 125 cf tank with the big boy- 300 cf.



Installed.







Yeah. #isuckatwelding.

Alphatig Review: Building a Welder Cart #2

Welder rests so's it'll sit in the right spot.



Capped the tubing. Really not all that pretty...



Made some aluminum side panels to cover where the drawer will be.





Quick test fit- looking good so far.

Alphatig Review: Building a welding cart #1

A little late, since the cart is almost done, but not too late to change some things so if you see anything that needs to be reworked, I'd love to hear it!!!

I bought my Alphatig a while ago, and am tired of it getting tripped over in the welding booth. I've had a plan in the back of my mind for a while, but now its time to execute it. Plus, I suck at welding so this'll be a good chance for me to get a little practice in.

Choppy choppy.







Got angles and measurements all figured out, time to goober it all together. Gotta make sure you're in the appropriate welding attire though...









Thats the main frame. Obviously, the welder will sit on the angled bars. Argon tank will go between the uprights, and I'll have a drawer underneath the welder.

Operation Spring Break 2016 #2- Spring IS here!

And in other news, spring *is* getting here...



And I really need to clean out the flower beds.



and finish pruning the apple trees...





And rip this stump out of the ground...



Wait- the boys already did that for me. They've been hacking on it for the last 2 weeks with their knives. They finally noticed it was really rotten and kicked it right out of the ground- its supposed to be over where that pile of sawdust is.

Operation Spring Break 2016!

SPRING BREAK! The time teachers use to catch up on everything they fall behind on around the house during the school year... Of course we wake up to an inch of snow on the ground after some really nice weather.



It melted off quick though. Got Operation: Spring Break 2016, task one finished up. We are *officially* done moving all of our crap over here. Cleaned out the last of the storage shed.

Got grandpas truck drug over,



And all of the heavy crap was moved with this ooolllllddddd cart. Worked great.



Storage shed empty!

Custom Hot Wheels Buildoff: Steampunk!

Back at it again, here is the current set of builds! 

Please visit the gallery here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1526483330994308.1073741836.1459737441002231&type=1 and vote by LIKING your favourite! Please DO NOT try to figure out who built what, just pick your favourite and like it!

dorkpunch Does Instagram.

That pretty much sums it up... I'm now live on Instagram.  Right now its pretty much solely custom hot wheels builds, but there's the occasional Z50, tractor, or welding junk on there too. 

Look me up:  @rustyphoenixmotors

Check out my new shirts!!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/rusty-phoenix-motors Connect with me here! https://www.youtube.com/c/RustyPhoenixMotors https://www.facebook.com/rustyphoenixmotors https://www.instagram.com/dorkpunch_rustyphoenixmotors/?hl=en https://www.instructables.com/member/Rusty%20Phoenix%20Motors/