that's about where we are, too. Funny when You get the question at billing time from the customer "What's this "consumables and shop supplies" bill for? did I really need 40 bucks worth of grinding discs?". Yes. Yes You did. (Internally, You're thinking. "If I never had to buy another grinding disc ever again, I would die a happy man. hell, If I never had to TOUCH one, I would die happier. ever had to clean Rust out of a private place,Mister? seriously. and Cut off wheels. nothing better than figurng out halfway through an important cut that the schwarf (red hot embers of doom) is blasting away at those polyester ****ies, and a non polyester ****ie is about to get "a little singed". seriously, Mr. Customer. I should add 20 bucks for pants,socks and undies to the bill. and mabey another hundred for my visit to the burn ward and non nookie time for the wife. 40 bucks? You got off real easy there. You didn't even have to throw fire at Yourself.) but I am not bitter.
Yes, and then there's the old "might as well's'... since I'm building this, I MIGHT AS WELL add that shiny new widget, and I MIGHT AS WELL add that new gizmo...not because you NEED it, but because you can...since/while you're in there...
Wow! Good question never really gave it a thought; BUT now that I think of it I wasted alot money. Everything adds up so quickly.
I worked for a guy who would save all the old wet sandpaper in buckets of water. Every week I would throw the old paper away, and he would complain about how expensive sandpaper was. After using the same four pieces of paper, soaking in a bucket for a week they become more like polishing clothes than sandpaper.Some of them I wouldn't have minded using as toilet paper they were so soft and smooth. I finally started tossing that **** when he went to lunch. I'm glad I don't work there anymore. I hate wet sanding.It ruins you feet, and by the days end, wet sanding various colors of car, you inevitably come away looking like some kinda ****in hippie with tie die pants and shoes and such... So, I can understand wanting to get te most out of your consumables, but some folks go to far.
when sanding I use 2 angel grinders, one with a 3" mandrel and the 2nd with a 2". I buy 3" sanding disks and when the edge wears down I trim the disk to fit the 2" mandrel and I have a near new disk again.
Wow, glad it's not just me and that there's some honest answers here. Hopefully my next build will cost less because I'll have more tools and left over parts. Also maybe I've learned some things, so that I'll only have to do them once or twice next time
I was kinda shocked to find out how much it costs to keep the cotton-picken garage warm when it's a 6-month blizzard outside!! JG
That's a brilliant idea! I have 2 grinders and both 2 and 3" backings. I can't believe I haven't been doing this.
Bandaids, yeah. How about trips to the ER to get stuff out the eye, treatment for flash burned corneas, severed radial arteries and ulnar nerves, then reconstructive surgery later? Ask me how I know how much THAT stuff costs...I'm trying to be more carefull now...
I used to add 15% now i'm add 20% and sometimes still that isn't enough..... One example: $7,000 in materials on a $30,000 job...You can see it adds up quick.. Steve
Are your buddies drinking your beer and leaving your bottles on . plan out steps budget them seperately!
I don't even want to think about consumed consumables. Trizact gator belts at about $5 a pop. I tried cheap belts, different brands, and in the end the good ones are still a better bargain at twice+ the price. 12" PSA discs for my disc sander at $10 each, and I'll go through 2 or 3 of them in an afternoon of facing off headlight castings. The worst was when I broke a very expensive (indexable) milling cutter last week. Some tricks: 1. Using roloc-style sanding discs, a lot of operations end up only using the outer 1/8" or so. Walk to the belt sander and run the disk against the (running) belt to remove the outer 1/16" to 1/8". You can do this 2 or 3 times and still be using a "three inch" disc. 2. If your grinding aluminum or br*** use a "grease stick", the stuff I get is from acutabove.com, it's a white waxey stuff. It makes a bit of a mess, but the discs last longer AND cut better. I use in on the 12" stationary sander too. 3. If you're doing shaping and finishing on parts consider the 3M trizact gator belts. I rough in with the A300, then finish with an A65 (one step from about 80 grit to about 240, they can save several steps!) These leave a really uniform finish (all the scratches are the same size, some abrasives are pretty loose about the grit size) They have a thick layer of abrasive, and they stay sharp as the wear down. Just be careful not to "groove" them -- sanding a sharp edge like a tungsten. 4. Make sure you're using the right abrasive and tool. - Using a pnuematic die grinder with a cutoff wheel is OK, but if you're cutting anything thicker than sheetmetal you will save a load of time with a 4.5" grinder with a cutoff wheel. - Use something hard, co**** and aggressive to knock down welds and do rough shaping. Flapper wheels are good for finishing and blending, but they are expensive and not aggressive. I make these cast aluminum oil tanks with a welded seam down the middle, I grind the weld seam with a no-load hard disk to remove the weld and flatten the area. I follow up with the flapper to remove little gouges and flat spots/facets. Then a 5" D/A with 80 or 100 to make sure it's totally "flat" - those 3" D/A sanders are super handy for detail work, prepping for chrome or polishing, although the little velcro discs are a little spendy. If you get a 3" polished (same body, but without the orbital motion) the sand paper will cut better and last about twice as long -- but it gives a different finish. - On aluminum I ALWAYS use the wax lube on the disc, and after I rough in with a (say) 60 grit disc I make a second p*** with a red scotchbrite wheel (and wax) to remove any facets. Sand with 120 and then 220 on a D/A and you can go to the buffer. I hate buffing, and I would rather go to 320 and then 600 to avoid buff time. Just me. You will get a better finish if you get the shape right and the scratches out before you polish. Figure out the most efficient combo for the job and you'll save money on consumables and time too.
This is a great topic that is brought up. How many times have you gotten say a nice Model A coupe body for a very good deal of $2000. Now by the time you buy the lower patch panels and CONSUMABLES used to install them correctly primer etc. etc. that $2000 is easily over $3000. Now every JoeSchmo thinks you can build a car with a body just as nice for $2000, No matter how you flip it around. Unless you DO build/fab stuff other folk will never "get" it. You may as well factor in the electric power to run equipment, the heat bill in the winter etc etc.
Dude, thanks for that... I just ordered a metric **** ton of **** from them....and spent less than half of what I would have otherwise..... And as it pertains to the thread....expendables are killin me....I'm still heavy into the fab phase and I'm goin through wheels like a crack addict goes through a cookie onna friday night
Don't forget about the divorce when your wife finds out how much you are blowing the budget by. Add that in too.
Buy your beer by the keg or in lots of cases wholesale and save a bundle. Wholesalers will even deliver saving fuel on trips to the packie.
Good part is the wife just ordered the next shipment of **** to get my engine mocked up into the frame. I spouted off a list as I was workin and she got it done... She's a keeper.
BUDGET!!! Hell, that would be just too depressing. And if my wife ever found out the true figures, well, I would have no money to budget....lol
What the **** is a budget .....? I just keep dumping more money into my hotrod.... I keep track of one car that I built, I wrote down everything that I purchased that was used on or for the car..... It made me sick when I added it all up at the end.... Now I don't worry about a budget... I just spend all my money.....
Consumables? What are they.........? Ooohh there the things i "borrow" from my *** hole boss at work!
Lehigh Valley rocks! I have found that a 60 grit flap disc does a decent job of knocking down welds....especially since I can buy inexpensive ones from Lehigh that kick *** on the cheap ones from Harbor Freight! Forget HF for abrasives! Even if they are local, they still ****! Lehigh sells US made stuff at that! 3" hook and loop discs? Ok, here IS a use for HF. I buy their 3 pack of 7" hook and loop discs, and cut them down to fit my 2" polisher - 24 discs for around $5. You'd get a few less, but the 3" can be done the same way. I use the tube from a worn out air cylinder to cut the discs. If you can help it, don't pay retail for your fasteners - not normal nuts and bolts anyway. Buy bulk through a wholesale place or Fastenal. I was pricing stainless ****on head allen bolts for a project a while back. The prices were outrageous! Fastenal hooked me up with 100 1/4-20x1 1/4 stainless ****onhead allens for $9! Which explains why I went to them and spent $143 on my Metabo grinder - could have saved $18 by buying it online (after shipping). The varying size roloc backers is something I have been doing for a long time! 3" to 2" to 1 1/2" to 1" to a little plastic nub. Heck, my 2" backing pad is kinda small from the trips to the belt sander to knock off the used up part! Buy good sawzall blades! Wait, anybody have a source for good, yet inexpensive sawzall blades? I broke my last 3 Milwaukee "Torch" blades in one afternoon. That kinda stuff gets expensive! This is from a hobbyist's perspective. At work, the only consumables I pay for are my 80 grit rolocs and my 2" flap discs. My employer only buys 40 and 100 grit rolocs.....I'd rather just use an 80, so I buy my own. Consumables? I spend a WHOLE LOT more money on parts I don't even need! Heck, I have 2 projects going right now.....and at least 6 steering boxes for them! 4 wheel independent steering anyone? Tim D.
My favorite is "your time is free". right.... A shop might charge $50 an hour and pay their employees $20, they don't just pocket that other 30 bucks. It goes to pay the insurance and electric bills, the telephone and internet, property taxes and to retar the roof, and to pay the trash man, to pay the water bill and local mob boss his protection money, toliet cleaner for the shop bathroom, heating and oil for the air compressor... I figure about $25 dollars per hour in my shop at home, to work on my own stuff. That is probably a vast underestimate, but if I had it all back, I'd just spend it the same way.
I agree with this I spent christmas eve night christmas morning in two different ER's with something in my eye. First one told me to go somewhere else because they didn't have the equipment to get it out. They didn't have any problem sending me a bill. After two different ER's and about 10 houirs it was still in there and I was told to go to an eye doctor the day after christmas. Mat
Best recommendation so far!!! Of course if you live in Pennsylvania you are buying it by the case -Brad
The Jalopy Journal
