Week #8 -- Thoughts and Ideas

This week is over, much like the life of a very kind man whom I love dearly. Rest in peace Leonard Nimoy. Anyway, on to business. This week I continued work on my metal art for my dad. All I did was paint it on Monday and Tuesday, doing each side. It took the whole day for it to dry, so that's why it took a while. However, it got painted and turned out quite nice. I'll take a picture of it and upload it later, due to it slipping my mind. The last two days (Wednesday and Thursday) have been spent on one of the shop computers. I have been trying to get inspiration to make stuff with the 3-D printer, but it is hard to find creations I like. I will in time, I'm sure.

This week's essential question isn't really direct and requires context. A block of apartments is being built near the local university. Therefore, we were asked to list at least seven sub-contractors that a general contractor would hire for the project. Sub-contractors could consist of: painters, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, roofers, landscapers, and surveyors. These are only a few of the jobs, and there are much more.

Week #6 -- Sergeant Metal

Salutations once more, friends. It is now the end of week six.  This week I primarily worked on small, random jobs around the shop as I had no complete idea on what to do. Wednesday is when I started working on the piece of metal art pictured above. Naturally, another gift for my dad. His last rank in the Marines was an E-5, or Sergeant. Therefore, I'm making this piece for him. I decided to take this and the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor I made before and put them on a wood panel. I'll also place pictures and his DD-214 up on there to create a mural of sorts in honor of his USMC career. He knows about this and has already agreed. I figure it will be fun.

In the process of grinding of melted metal boogers on this piece of art, I shaved off a little bit of my thumb. Bled a little, but I had it under control. Cleaned it, put some alcohol on, then bandaged it. It's been a day, but it looks good. In better news, I recently got a cellular device to call my own. Expect more pictures.

Ah, yes, the Essential Question. It has returned! Maybe my persistence helped. The question is as follows:

"How much does a heavy equipment operator make in California?"

A heavy equipment operator is a certified professional in a contracting or landfill business that makes use of bulldozers, cranes, and varied lifts and tractors in the field. Since each city and area varies, I picked a close to home locale. In San Francisco, a heavy equipment operator makes about $37 per hour, which equals to about $6,492 a month, and a median of $77,908 a year. Not a bad pay, I'd declare. 

Week #5 -- Chair Complete!

As you can see from the title, I have completed the chair for my teacher. After  grinding down the messy parts of the chair ring, I had a friend weld it to the seat base. He did this because he is a much more accomplished welder, and I do not trust my own skill. After letting it cool and cleaning it with steel wool, I took on the task of putting the chair back together. Since the lever that lowers/raises the chair became disheveled, I had to put it back on. There were broken rivets that held the bracket for the lever. Therefore I held the lever in place and put new rivets in. All that was left was putting the cushion back on and screwing it into place. I made sure it worked and then took it to my teacher. It was a pleasant experience, and I felt proud of myself for the experience.

As the last couple weeks, there is no Essential Question. I ponder when they will return, as I do miss them. They were good filler.