Black Pipe Pendant Lamp

I needed a new lamp over my drafting table and decided to come up with an industrial looking black pipe design.

Parts are mostly generic and available from home improvement stores and plumbing/electrical houses.  I found the best prices were Value Brand black pipe fittings at zoro.com plus free shipping.

Deciding upon 3/4" pipe for a beefier look, the next thing was to think forward about mounting the fixture to a standard electrical box for safety and code compliance.  The mounting holes on the 3/4" flange did not match up with anything I could find.  However, the 1" flange mounts pefectly to what they call an "old work octagon metal box".  The flange also completely covers the electrical box so there will be no need to use some sort of intermediate plastic or wood ceiling plate.  The 1" flange is stepped down to 3/4" by using a bushing... problem solved.

All of the parts come either very oily or covered with an anti-rust coating.  Kerosene cleaned off the coating on the pipe and soaking the parts in a solution of Dawn dishwashing soap removed the oily residue.  After drying the parts with a compressor, they were sealed with Minwax Wipe On Poly.  After assembly they will get a second coat.  Be sure to plan enough time to clean, dry, and coat the parts at the same time because rust will form very quickly.

SPT-1 two conductor 18 gauge lamp wire is sufficient for the two 80 watt lamps planned.

Lay out the parts and run the wire through them before assembly.

This photo above shows the 1" flange, the reducing bushing, the 3/4" pipe, and the 3 1/2" old work octagon electrical box.  The box will be secured to a wood brace between the ceiling trusses.

During assembly, use a square on the work surface to insure that the vertical pipe is aligned correctly with the lamp couplings.

It worked well to begin at the bottom and work up to the mounting flange.

This lamp will use two each of this phenolic lamp socket and ring.

Satco 80-1077 - 801077

Sand the bottom of the socket ring.

Mix up some 5-minute epoxy and coat the bottom of the socket ring and the bottom surface of the reducing coupling at the bottom of the lamp.

The socket ring and the outside diameter of the reducing coupling were exactly the same size.  Sometimes things just work out.

Hold the ring against the coupling until the epoxy begins to set up.  Before the epoxy sets up completely, it is possible to wipe off any excess epoxy with rubbing alcohol.

Run the wire through the socket mounting bracket, split and strip a couple of inches of insulation from the wire.  Twist the exposed wire.

I like to tin the wires to keep them from breaking when attaching to the socket screws.

Run the ribbed wire to the neutral (silver) screw and the non-ribbed wire to the hot (brass) screw.  It is a good practice to always run the hot wire through the switch.  The ribbed wire is typically used as the neutral.

Before inserting the socket into the socket ring, rotate it counter-clockwise about 10 times so that after screwing the socket into the ring, the wire won't be twisted inside the pipe.  You can add some Shoe-Goo or silicone to the threads before installing the socket to "glue" them together.  I chose not to in the end.  I'll just hold the socket to keep it from twisting while screwing in a lamp.

Here is the finished pendant lamp still laying on the workbench.  Using a continuity tester, all connections were checked.

Hope this helped.

Mike

Sig Sauer 522 Front QD Push Button Sling Swivel

Attaching a front sling mount to the Sig 522 has been causing quite a bit of confusion for some time now.  This blog entry is to answer some questions and give at least one solution.  I wanted a swivel QD (quick detach) mount to accommodate a 1.25" sling width. 

First off, some technical info:

• The faux gas block on the 522 is outfitted with 10-32 threaded holes on both sides.
• The depth of these holes is .4575 inches deep.

Source:

DoubleStar UMPB A202 QD Push Button Sling Swivel & Mount 

Price: $15.99

10-32 QD Mount Only

Price: $9.99

The faux gas block as the rifle comes from the factory.

A closer view of the faux gas block.

Ace model UMPB-A202 package contents.


Ace model UMPB-A202 comes complete with the QD for 1.25 inch strap, a 10-32 flat head screw, and a 10-32 nut.

The threaded holes are .4575 inches deep and, fortunately, the flat head screw is short enough not to bottom out in the hole.

Insert the screw through the bottom of the QD mount, add some blue loctite...

... and screw it down tight into the faux gas block threaded hole.

Snapping in the QD swivel, there is full 360º rotation and the mechanism engages and releases cleanly.  The nut was not used.

With the 1.25 inch strap attached to the swivel.

Side view of swivel.

Side view of rifle with swivel and strap attached.

1.25 inch strap.

Top view of QD swivel and strap installed.

Hope you found this information helpful.
Mike

My Belt Cutting Setup ain't "Cutting It"

I make a lot of belts and it became clear all too soon that my 24" long cutting mat and 48" straight edge were not "cutting" it.

I found a nice 60" straight edge at Home Depot for $11.  Johnson Tool.

I also found a place that offers remnants of poly cutting board for fairly cheap.
www.thecuttingboardfactory.com

I purchased two pieces of 8 1/2" x 60" x 1/4" for $11 each.  Shipping was $20, so I bought two boards.

Lay the leather on the cutting board and clamp the rule to the workbench.  Rather than cutting 24", then moving the cutting mat, cutting the next 24", and so on,  cut a straight edge in one motion with a 60mm rotary cutter.  Once there is a straight edge on the leather, switch to a strap cutter.

Upgrade Cowboy CB3200 Edge Guide - Modification

Upgraded Edge Guide

I was having a real problem with the Cowboy CB3200 edge guide.  I believe it was designed for the CB4500 which has a slightly different casting in the cylinder arm.

The problem:
The thumbwheel tightens from the bottom and the thumbwheel comes into contact with the cylinder arm casting which limits the edge guide to about 1/2".  I usually set my edge stitching from 1/4" - 5/16".  The edge guide comes with a wing nut which allows for a closer setting, but is extremely hard to tighten; one of those things that you need three hands for and it also hits the cylinder arm casting.

The Solution:

Replace the threaded post and thumbwheel.

Replacement Parts:

T-Slot Bolt (M6X1 Thread), 5/16" washer, thumbwheel (M6X1 Thread)

Bronze sleeve bearing (1/4" ID, 3/8" OD, 1/4" Length).  You will need to lap the bushing from 1/4" to 21/128".  I used 80 grit sandpaper. This took about 10 minutes.

Procedure:

3/8" hole is too large for new T-slot bolt which allows too much play.

 After lapping the sleeve bearing, tap it into the 3/8" hole until it is flush top and bottom.

Place the spring washer in its original position.

The 5/16" washer was one that I had and it fit inside the stepped hole (slip fit).  It compresses the spring washer when the thumbwheel is tightened.

Insert the T-slot bolt from the bottom through the slotted keyway and thread the thumbwheel from the top.  The T-slot bolt has a flattened side which rides along the keyway and keeps the bolt from turning when tightening the thumbwheel.

Note that the guide bearing can be adjusted right up to the front walking foot without the T-slot bolt hitting the cylinder arm casting.

I also added a washer above the guide bearing to reduce the clearance from the needle plate to the bottom of the bearing.  This helps keep thinner materials from sliding underneath the bearing.

I couldn't find a 1/4-28 threaded T-slot bolt so the 6 mm - 1 pitch was substituted.

Parts Source:
McMaster-Carr

• 2868T1 - Bronze Sleeve Bearing, for 1/4" Shaft Diameter, 3/8" OD, 1/4" Length
• 92770A111 - Machined Neck T-Slot Bolt, M6X1 Thread, 25MM Long
• 90368A300 - Stainless Steel Round Knurled Thumb Nut, M6X1 Thread, 24MM Head
• I had the 5/16" washer 

Works perfectly now and is very easy to adjust.  Total cost: about $25.  The guide can be swung 180º and left on the machine for normal sewing.

Hope this helps,
Mike