Monday, September 30, 2013

Helping out where we can

So far this season has seen ups and downs for almost every driver.  Our team suffered some big impacts and so have many others.  Over the years I have collect many tools, jigs and systems to help maintain and repair these Pro Challenge race cars.  You can see in my previous posts that we help out other race teams.  To date we have helped out almost half of the field of cars.  Racing can be a frustrating sport if you don't have the tools, skills and people around to assist you.  We usually have Sunday and Monday to repair the cars so we can test on Tuesday.  I am proud to have been able to help the following car numbers this year.  48, 22, 24, 00, 11, 20, 18, 3

Almost complete

Here is the car after welding, painting and assembly.  Off to the body shop and then off to the track for testing.  That was a lot of work in a very short period of time.  The 00 car is ready to race again.

Monday, September 23, 2013

The parts are here

It`s just a rear clip.  These are the words that I have heard about a hundred times now.  Just a clip.  Here is the assembly from Andrew`s Motorsports.  Their welders and fabricators are first class.  The clip came notched and an exact weld on replica.  They even built a fuel cell mount for us.  This is our starting point for attaching the rear to the main chassis.  We called in a trusted friend.  Steve is a small engine mechanic who does welding everyday at his workplace.  He is also the most picky guy we know for getting things right.  The perfect guy to help us.  Remember, it`s just a clip.

Dude...Where`s my car!!!!!!

Step 1
Remove everything, body, rear end housing, brakes, tires, rims, fuel tank. 
Step 2
Cut off all the bent parts using cutting torches, grinders etc.
Step 3
Prep the main chassis, remove paint, old roll cage etc.
Step 4
Call it after a long night.  Wait for parts to be shipped from North Carolina.

Flamboro to Sunset

The apprenticesearch car was great at Flamboro.  We raced a clean fast event.  Second in the feature was the best we could do.  The 99 car was victorious after a very long time out of victory lane.  Congrats to them on the big win. 

Sunset was a rough night.  Our car didn't work well at all.  I tried everything I could do to make it drive straight.  All it wanted to do was spin out going in the corner, around the corner and down the straights.  One fan said they couldn't watch any other cars.  I was an accident waiting to happen.  I slid it sideways to a 5th place position.  My tires were found to be the culprit.  It was like I was driving in an ice storm.  The picture shows what happened in a 3 car pileup.  Our team friends in the 00 car destroyed the rear of their car.  We rolled it into the shop to replace the rear clip.  Sounds easy right!!!!!!

SAFETY: Dangers of Welding fume

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY MAGAZINE Winter 2007 /2008
Welding fume By Lawrence A. Kurtz, MSM, DOHS, ROH


What is welding fume?
The heat from welding vapourizes metal, fluxes, and coatings, producing airborne vapour. The vapour cools in the air, resulting in particles of metal and other material suspended in the air. This cloud of airborne particles is called welding fume.

Who is most at risk?
Welding fumes are produced during all welding activities including:
  • air gouging  
  • brazing  
  • tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding
  • shielding metal arc welding (SMAW)  
  • flux core arc welding (FCAW)  
  • gas metal arc welding (GMAW). 
Fumes may also be produced during spot welding or grinding activities. Workers directly exposed to welding fumes include:
  • Welders  
  • Plumbers  
  • Steamfitters  
  • Sprinkler fitters  
  • Millwrights  
  • Boilermakers   
  • Sheet metal workers  
  • Ironworkers  
  • Elevator workers
  •  Labourers  
  • Demolition workers. 
Other workers such as electricians, insulators, and interior finishers may work in close proximity to welding activities and can be affected by welding fumes as well.


How can welding fumes hurt me?
Welding fumes are easily inhaled and they can affect the nose, throat, and lungs.
Welding fumes can contain
  • nickel and chromium (cancercausing metals)  
  • manganese (can cause Parkinson’s disease)  
  • cadmium (causes kidney disease and may cause cancer)
  •  shielding gases, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and helium (asphyxiants)  
  • carbon monoxide (a chemical asphyxiate—it replaces oxygen in the blood and can prevent you from getting enough oxygen to your brain and vital organs)  
  • fluorides and acids in the fluxes (can irritate the lungs, sinuses, skin, and eyes). 

Controls
  • Use alternative processes that produce less fume and dust. 
  • Select less hazardous welding rods. Read the material safety data sheets (MSDSs) for the rods to evaluate the hazards. 
  • Weld outdoors and downwind from other workers. 
  • Use a fume extractor when working indoors. 
  •  Remove grease and all coatings from the welding surface before welding. This is particularly important when working with lead-painted material. 
  • Position yourself so that your head is out of the fume. 
  • Keep the work area clean and free of combustible materials. 
  • Educate workers on the health effects of welding and how to protect themselves. 
  • Use appropriate respiratory protection if other controls are ineffective.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

apprenticesearch.com now using BrowseAloud

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Click on the BrowseAloud Panel that appears on the of this website to launch the BrowseAloud Plus toolbar. This toolbar provides instant high quality speech at the touch of a button - no need to download anything. New features include PDF and secure site reading, per site and page pronunciation control and language selection.

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