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This article is about shot peening titanium for the purpose of creating a more scratch resistant surface finish, not to improve the mechanical properties like shot peening is normally used for. Titanium is an excellent material for many applications that require strength, light weight and corrosion resistance, but even in it's strongest and hardest alloy (GR5), it is still relatively soft metal compared to steel and therefore scratches easily. When using titanium for applicat

For carrying bikes on the Mercedes (or Dodge) Sprinter Camper Van, I've been using a hitch mount rack made by 1UP USA. This is an excellent bike rack. However, I can not use it when I pull a trailer, so we have to put all 4 bikes inside the back of the van, which is very inconvenient. There are lots of expensive rear door hinge mount modular racks for the 2007 and newer Sprinter vans, but nothing available for a 2002-2006 T1N sprinter van like I have. Therefore I need to buil

The blades that come on robotic lawnmowers like the Mammotion LUBA and YUKA are different from the large blades on a traditional gas mower. Robot lawnmowers use small, thin razor-style blades and rely on their sharpness for cutting because the decks have much less power than a gas mower. A traditional-style mower needs a sharp blade, too, but its sheer power can cut and mulch grass even when the blade is a little dull. A robot lawnmower needs a razor-sharp blade to keep cutti

There are many different designs for oil skimmers to remove way oil from coolant. Belt Tube Disc Most rely on the oil clinging to plastic or metal surfaces, while the coolant does not. The clinging oil is pulled up to a scraper, scraped off the belt (or tube, disc), and then runs down into a disposal container. The issue with these designs is that they also pick up a lot of coolant with the oil, as much as 50%, so a second oil separation unit is required to drain the excess c

Our 5x6 mitering horizontal band saw stopped working due to a worn worm gear. The worm gear is made from softer materials (bronze or brass) than the worm (steel), therefore the worm gear will wear out first and is sacrificial. The specific model of band saw I have is a BS-128HDR METAL BAND SAW purchased in ~2012 from Northern Tool. It's a 5x6 cut size band saw, but seems to use the same gears as the less expensive, common 4x6 and 4.5x6 band saws like those sold at Harbor Fre

On the east coast, it's usually easy to find trees to hang your hammock. Sometimes the trees are not spaced apart correctly, or convenient for hammock hanging, or the park doesn't allow you to hang hammocks because it damages the trees when people use strings vs straps. In these cases, an alternative hammock hanging option is needed. The portable free standing hammock stands I've tried are too short, too low, heavy, or complex. I've successfully hung the hammock from the van

Rivnuts (rivet nuts) are the most popular way to add threads to sheet metal, but in mobile applications like the sheet metal on a vehicle...

The Flowtron bug zappers I've had always die after 1-2 years of use. The coil burns up and it stop zapping. I found a zapper replacement...

It's time to upgrade the solar power and house battery charging system. Technology has improved since I first installed it and the charge controller I was using was designed for lead acid batteries, with too few settings for LiFePO4 batteries that I use now. This article focuses on mobile solar power for RV, camper, van and trailer use. Most of the electrical system components that I'll be recommending below are VICTRON brand. Their products might be a little more expensive t

How To Repair Multiport Valve Diverter Tutorial on how to replace the rusted spring and rebuild a PENTAIR multiport valve diverter on a...