Nowhere to Clamp

Ever tried climbing a cliff, or a tree, and reaching a point where you had nothing above you to hold on to? That's how I felt looking at my current patch. In order to get a good weld the two layers must be held tightly together. The panel has a slight curve, so the long, flat patch wants to pull away. The usual solution is a few Vise-Grips, but the position of this patch makes clamping with those impossible. Some really big Jorgensen clamps might work, if they don't get set on fire by the welder. Maybe the Adjustable Clamp Company has what I need, but Chicago is a long way from Honolulu.

The solution I chose was one I had used before, bolts to hold the patch in place which are removed after the patch is tacked in place. In this case the holes need to line up just right, so I want to drill through both layers at the same time. Only I can't clamp the patch in place to drill the holes.

The solution to this problem came in the form of an irregularly shaped rust hole, right where a bolt belonged. This would allow me to slide the patch around and clamp it place, then drill the other holes exactly where I want them.

As I fiddled with the bolt thing I discovered a few places where the edge needed to be ground some more. Funny how long that takes.



It was at that point that I had to leave because my masseuse -- her name is Sonya -- was having a birthday party on the beach at Waikiki. Next Sunday I ought to have the patch welded in place. I feel like I am getting stuck too long on this one.