We are getting close to the end of the iron gate restoration.
R needed to do a little grinding on the bottom hinge, so that the thick flat washer we added as a shim would lie flat. We needed to add the shim so that the two individual gates would line up.
Notice he has on his grinding shorts again.
Notice the floor jack holding up the gate? We used it so we could align the low gate to match the high gate...looks good. The gates were very heavy AND awkward to handle. Their center of gravity (COG) was high and to the hinge side. It was much easier to maneuver around on the floor jack, especially the all aluminum (NASCAR racing jack) floor jack. Looking level and straight.
At one point, the installation required 2 floor jacks and we just happen to have this extra floor jack that R just picked up for 2 bucks at a garage sale 2 weeks ago. The seller said it no longer would pump up. Most floor jacks have rebuild kits available for a minimum amount of money. It's usually a bad O ring. Install clean oil and away you go. But this was not the case. R has had his fair share of floor jacks plus he was a journeyman machine repairman (hydraulic tech) for almost 37 years, so he knows that sometimes all that is required is to break the rust layer that has developed. So with all the expertise he could muster, he lifted the jack about 6 inches off the ground and let it hit the floor. He then expertly tested the floor jack for usability. Yup...it worked. He raised the saddle or pad, as some call it, up all the way and down all the way. The handle worked effortlessly. He placed something heavy on the saddle and it remained elevated without drifting down. Not too shabby for 2 bucks. Plus it was a 2 ton jack instead of a ton and a half.
I also added a extra sedum called Autumn Fire to each side of the Autumn Joy that was already planted there.
Tomorrow we work on the latch mechanism and then the gate restoration is complete.
R needed to do a little grinding on the bottom hinge, so that the thick flat washer we added as a shim would lie flat. We needed to add the shim so that the two individual gates would line up.
Notice he has on his grinding shorts again.
Notice the floor jack holding up the gate? We used it so we could align the low gate to match the high gate...looks good. The gates were very heavy AND awkward to handle. Their center of gravity (COG) was high and to the hinge side. It was much easier to maneuver around on the floor jack, especially the all aluminum (NASCAR racing jack) floor jack. Looking level and straight.
At one point, the installation required 2 floor jacks and we just happen to have this extra floor jack that R just picked up for 2 bucks at a garage sale 2 weeks ago. The seller said it no longer would pump up. Most floor jacks have rebuild kits available for a minimum amount of money. It's usually a bad O ring. Install clean oil and away you go. But this was not the case. R has had his fair share of floor jacks plus he was a journeyman machine repairman (hydraulic tech) for almost 37 years, so he knows that sometimes all that is required is to break the rust layer that has developed. So with all the expertise he could muster, he lifted the jack about 6 inches off the ground and let it hit the floor. He then expertly tested the floor jack for usability. Yup...it worked. He raised the saddle or pad, as some call it, up all the way and down all the way. The handle worked effortlessly. He placed something heavy on the saddle and it remained elevated without drifting down. Not too shabby for 2 bucks. Plus it was a 2 ton jack instead of a ton and a half.
I also added a extra sedum called Autumn Fire to each side of the Autumn Joy that was already planted there.
Tomorrow we work on the latch mechanism and then the gate restoration is complete.
Wow! Your gate looks awesome!
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