[tribaloverkill]

Update,... The reservoir is about 90% complete 10% more to go,...

Jan-11-2006

Heres the new thread-serts. They are smaller then the last. These have 6-32 threads and the OD is a bit smaller too. The head is also thinner


You can see here that the head is thinner.


Here are the brackets with the pilot holes drilled out for the thread-serts.


Here,... I am bending the mounts over a smaller diamter pipe. This particular aluminum is very soft. The reason I and bending over this pipe with a hammer is because with the grooves cut out, there are areas that are stronger then others. The weaker areas will bend first. So I am banding the stronger areas over this pipe. Remember,... aluminum will always spring back some after being bent so the radius of the bend is going to be larger then what you used to make the bend. So this pretty much fit right over the reservoir.


Here I am using a scrap piece of tube from one of the past attempts at the reservoir. I used it to perfect the shape of the brackets. Bangin on it,... this acrylic is pretty shock resistant.


One completed bend.


You see where my finger is,... this is a strong point because there more material here then by one of the gooves. You have to becareful with that when you bend.


Heres one of the brackets pretty much done, with the bending that is. I will show you how I did it with the next bracket.


Rock


Done. Just has to be cleaned up a bit.


See the rubber washer. It allows you to bend the portion of the bracket a bit easier to make it easier to slide the reservoir in as oppose to the aluminum being bolted directly to itself.


Ok,... this is the second one. Heres how I did it. I tape off the are of wher I am going to bend to prevent as much scratching as possible.


Measured 3/8" for the bottom hole there. I am like 1/16" off, I wish I had bent it with a an extra 1/16 - 1/8" more but oh well.


Put the piece flush againt the table and used a ruler with a razor and cut the tape on the line.


Peeled all the tape away after the cut. This is my bend line.


Vised it and bent.


Here I taped off what I just bent and marked it's next bend.


Bent. I have been using wood and a rubber hammer to keep from scrathcing up the aluminum.


Here I already bent the other side to match and I marked off the height of the those last bends. I am filing those down to size gettting ready for the last bend. Now,... I forgot to takea picture of how I got the last bend but what I did was I use a screw driver with a squared shaft. The width of the screw driver is pretty much what I need to so it worked out well. I vised the screw driver and bent the aluminum over it.


Last two bends made and I drilled a hole between the two so they can be bolted together.



Pretty much finished.


On the reservoir.


Here are the thread-serts. They are uncompressed.


Here they are set and ready to be used.


The shields fit perfectly to the mounts. As Planned


I ground down the bolts to fit flush.


Reservoir in place. Its the old reservoir. It's not down so I didnt want to scratch up the new one. You have to hold thing thing in your hands to really appreciate this thing. You have to slide the reservoir in and out to get a feel of how accurate this thing is. Its beautiful.


Almost done with this reservoir.