- Joined
- Jul 19, 2020
- Messages
- 91
I've been retired for almost 5 years. I spent the first year constructing and outfitting the shop. I never intended to volunteer my services to others it was more to preserve my own sanity in retirement. I have numerous riding friends and race motorcycles in a club, so I do stuff for them, fixing threads, welding, making custom parts for old bikes etc. My wife recommended me to a small business in our little town that turned into the job from hell. A couple guys run a hot dog cart and have 2 electric coolers to keep their food cold, the only kind that is approved by the county health dept. My wife was in there one day and they were complaining about the cheap hinges breaking and how expensive they were to replace. Of course my wife volunteers my services. So I go down there and take a look... it doesn't look too hard and I say I will make them a few sets. The parts are injection molded plastic, 3 of them connected with 2 pins. Poor design, it has a thin wall and cracks easily. My plan is to make them from aluminum. I complete a set, duplicating the plastic ones. They won't work, won't close and seem to be too small. I go back to the shop, thinking I blew it somewhere and check all my drawings and measurements. Nope, everything seems right. I investigate further, take more measurements from the coolers themselves and make a test fixture matching the coolers. The cheap plastic ones work and mine don't. I start experimenting and alter some dimensions on the parts, trying to get them to work. After screwing around for months in my free time, I realize that the plastic parts are designed to flex, putting some tension on the lid when closed. I order some Delrin, remake the center part that links the other two, and everything works. So, be careful of what you wish for. I still make one off stuff for friends and neighbors when I see the need.