Blog

Today at the shop we did an oil change on a dodge diesel, bled some brakes, and put a winch on a trailer. 

             First we bled some brakes, actually the brakes on my truck. I was pumping the brakes in the cab while another guy was bleeding them, on the front we had to get a pair of vice grips to brake the front bleeder valve loose cause it had been sitting there so long. 

             Then we did an oil change on a dodge diesel and it was a pain in the butt. Draining the oil wasn’t bad but taking that oil filter off was hard. You have to reach up under the wheel well and with one hand take it off and then you have to tip it on its side and dump a bunch of oil on the frame. But after that it’s pretty easy. 

              Then we mounted a winch on a trailer. We had to weld a piece of angle iron to the trailer so then we could weld the winch plate to the trailer. Then we had to center it up and drill a hole through to run a bolt through to mount it but after that it was easy going. 

              Today was a pretty good day at the shop. I learned a lot and had a really good time. 

Today at the shop I helped load some scrap metal and fix a dump trailer. Then spent the rest of the day picking some stuff up. 

             We were loading some scrap metal because the guy needed to get it out of his yard. So we loaded some little stuff and then we had to load two old truck beds that were laying around. So we picked them up with a little tractor and threw them in the dump trailer and that was it, then it was time to haul it off. 

            Then when we got back to the shop and fixed the same dump trailer we hauled the scrap off in. The guy thought it was the solenoid going out on the dump trailer so you had to kinda tap on it to get it to work, so we got to looking and found it was just a bad ground and after we fixed that it worked perfectly. 

            Today was a pretty good day at the shop, I learned a lot and found that a little thing like a ground can cause a big issue. 

Today at the shop we worked on a motor home furnace and got a lawnmower running. 

              The furnace wasn’t wanting to light so we had to open it up and see what the issue was. It’s a propane furnace so it was a little rusty on the inside. So we went and clean some of the gunk and stuff out and cleared the hose where the propane goes through and then tried it and it lit right up. 

             Then with the lawnmower, it would start but then die so we thought it might be the fuel shutoff solenoid or carburetor. Well we opened it up and saw the spark plug was pretty old so we replaced it and then we went and pulled the carburetor apart and started cleaning it. Well we put it all back together and it started running perfect. Then the guy was wanting a oil change done so we did that for him and then it was all done. 

             Today was a pretty good day at the shop. I learned a lot and got pretty dirty today which I don’t mind. I’m looking forward to going and learning some more. 

Today at the shop we went and looked at a motor home, put a bumper on a truck, and did a oil change. 

                We had to go look at a motor home for a guy cause the tires wouldn’t turn easily. So we did some looking and figured out that it’s the brakes calipers locking up. So we had to go get some parts and do that another day. 

                Then we put a bumper on a Nissan frontier. We put a mor off road bumper on it that will give it a little more clearance. We had to go take off the old bumper and modify the brackets to fit the new one and weld it on. 

               Then we did a oil change and tire rotation on a old Chevy Silverado. It didn’t take long. The longest part was teaching the guy how to do all of it, but we got it done pretty fast. 

               Today was a pretty good day at the shop. I learned a lot, my favorite project we did was probably putting the new bumper on. 

Today at the shop we did an oil change on a side by side, checked some batteries on a high lift loader and did an oil change on a Case 580 Construction King backhoe. 

               We did an oil change on a Honda 500 Pioneer side by side. We had to drain the oil and then take all the seats out to get to the oil filter to change it. Then we put the seats back on and then filled it up with fresh oil and it was good to go. 

               Then we went to go check a high lift loader, it was having issues starting. So we checked to see if the alternator was bad but it was still charging so then we checked the batteries and one of them had a short in it and the other one was pretty old, so we told the guy it would probably be best to just replace both of them.    After that we went back to the shop to pick up a pump to pump the oil out of a backhoe because the guy couldn’t get the drain plug out. So we got there and pumped the oil out then changed the filter and put fresh oil in it and then started to change the fuel filter but the guy bought the wrong fuel filter. 

               So that’s what I did at the shop. Today we did a lot of running around, but I still learned a lot. 

Today at the shop I worked on a zero turn lawnmower and picked up some parts for another lawnmower. 

             We were working on putting some new rollers, drive belt, and deck belt on it. I got put on the task of switching out the rollers which wasn’t hard all you were doing was taking a bolt out put some spacers on a roller then put it back on. The drive belt was a little more difficult you had to take some springs loose and figure out how the new one goes on, but it didn’t take too long. Then the deck belt it probably took all of 20 minutes just take a spring loose take it off feed the new one on put the spring back on done. 

               Then a guy brought in a cub cadet lawn mower that needed a new deck belt and mower blades. Which we had to find and have someone pick it up for us, so we went and picked up the parts and that’s where we called it for the day. 

                  But overall it was a good day at the shop. Looking forward to going back up there. 

Today at the shop I learned how to wire up pod lights, how to change brake pads and weld. 

              We were wiring the pod lights in on the toolbox on his trailer so he could load stuff in the dark. So we had to cut some holes out to the size if the lights then drill holes for the bolts to got through then bolt them on. Then it was the fun part wiring them up, it wasn’t that bad because we already had a wiring harness for them so we just had to splice some wires and the one was good to go but the other one shorted out for some reason. 

               Then we had to do a quick brake pad change on this lady’s car. It didn’t take long it just took raking the wheel off, the brake caliper and slide the old pads out and the new one in, then  by putting it all back together. 

                 Then the part I enjoyed the most welding. We were welding on some d rings on his trailer so he had a place to hook ratchet straps to. We were using a Hobart welder he would weld the bottom and I would weld the top. I had a few welds that were actually really good for my first time mig welding.

                   But overall I had a good day at the shop and learned a lot of stuff I’m sure I’ll use. 

What have I been doing this week? Well I’ve done some mechanic work, dirt work, and some fun stuff. The mechanic work I’ve done has been taking off and cleaning the carburetor on my four wheeler and then putting it back on, as well as getting my new used truck to crank. The dirt work I’ve done has been digging ditches, digging out a pond, building a dam and working on a dirt road.

                  I got a four wheeler through a trade a few weeks back and I needed to change the fuel filter and clean the carburetor. So I finally got around to it this week and changing the filter wasn’t bad but taking the carburetor off was a little difficult. The filter I just had to take some hose clamps off and take off some hose and slide the new one in then put the hoses back on, very easy. But the carburetor wasn’t so easy because you had to take off the throttle cable, choke cable, fuel line, vent line, and the air intake. Then I put it in this stuff that dissolves all the gunk in it and then left it overnight. Then the next day I had to remember where everything went to put everything back on together, but overall not bad. Then I got to go and get my new used 1992 F-150, which looks pretty amazing with the tool box, two tone, chrome brush guard, Chrome bed handles and a few others. The only problem is the battery was dead, the rear end is out of it and a busted tail light. But I got to go through and check the fluids and after that I put a charged battery on it and she cranked right up. 

                 The dirt work this week has been pretty easy this week. I’ve mostly just dug the pond out which I was wanting to do and I built the dam which was needing to be done. But I dug a ditch around our graveled tent sights so when the rain comes in it won’t get so muddy, I did that with an old JCB backhoe. And it was a pretty good strip of ditch I had dug. Then I kinda gave one of the dirt roads a slope on it so it didn’t feel so narrow going in, then I flattened it so water wouldn’t puddle. I also moved some dirt piles out of a spot we were going to till so we could do that. I also spread some topsoil over some clay spots so then when we tilled it it would mix in and it wouldn’t be straight clay. Then I tried my hand at tilling for a little bit till the tractor started getting a little warm so I had to let it cool down and by then it was time to call it a day. 

                 So that’s been my week. It had its ups and downs but it was pretty good overall. I’ve been busy but I’ve been doing what I enjoy doing, but it still tires me out so at the end of the day I’m ready for bed. The highest point of my week was probably getting my new used truck and getting it turning over the first day. 

Hello  my  name  is  Elijah  Varnell  and  this  is  my  one  page  paper of  my  experience  with  a  mock  debate  with  another  christian. 

                My  mock  debate  was  with  Kaden  Tucker.  My  debate  went  pretty well  and  I think  I  had  some  alright  arguments,  definitely  not  the  best  out  of  my  group.  If  I  did  it  over I   think  I  would  have  done  a  little  more research, I  didn’t  do  a whole lot  because my debate  with Toby was  pretty easy  so I figured  it couldn’t be that much  harder. I went mostly by memory and looking back I would have made some notes of scripture because I wasn’t able to quote or give any to the atheist, which would have helped me a good bit. I kinda surprised myself by remembering and coming up with some good points in the moment and not being able to really think about it. 

                I thought it would be easy to be an atheist but I was surprised by how hard it was to be an atheist and the only reason I was able to be an atheist is because I had the objection sheet. I did throw out some of my own objections because I couldn’t make it too easy on them. I did struggle a little bit just because I didn’t make notes of scripture or memorize any scripture because it just didn’t really cross my mind at the time when I was preparing, but now I know what to work on. The only one that really stumped me was the bible doesn’t say that Jesus is God and the only reason it did was because I didn’t know any scripture that claimed Jesus is God but now I know 1 Corinthians 8:6 Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

               I feel like I could defend my faith with a real atheist, I’m not sure how well I would do but I would like to think I would do a good job. The only thing I would prepare more on is memorizing scripture and pulling more scripture and quotes into it to really beef my argument up. I know there is definitely some more thing I can improve on but that is what really stands out to me. 

               So I think there is still more research and improvement I can do. But I feel like I did a pretty good job and I could defend my faith but just like anything there is something to improve on. But overall I enjoyed it and I think it helped me practice and come up with some good arguments.

Summarize each of the inventions you studied this week and how they impacted history. Also, explain the most interesting thing you learned this week, and why. Well this week in history I learned about a lot of cool inventions. 

               A british comedian played a joke in 1810. The postcard concept appeared in 1861 in the U.S. John P. Charlton patented the idea. He had help from Hymen Lipman, inventor of pencil eraser. The postcard is simple and useful. Front-and-back rectangular card. Send cheap messages.

                  Richard Gatling was born in North Carolina in 1818. He was a store owner, doctor, and inventor. The civil war provided his source of inspiration. He wanted to save lives by reducing soldiers needed on the battlefield. He invented the Gatling Gun in 1861. 

                Frederick Walton was born in England in 1834. He noticed that linseed oil dried into a rubbery consistency. Walton Experimented with drying the linseed oil faster than normal. He patented linoleum in 1863. Walton had trouble generating sales initially. He had developed marketing to overcome his competition. Cheap imitators appeared by 1871. 

                 The socket was not brand new in the 1800s. Ancient cultures used sockets to fasten tools together. The first wrench was patented in 1835. J.J. Richardes patented the Ratcheting Wrench in 1863. The ratchet only allows motion in one direction. Socket heads plug into cylinders.

                    I think the most interesting invention is the Gatling Gun. I find it cool that he wanted to help save lives on the battlefield. It’s Also the start of turits. I think it is cool also because it is a big gun. 

                      That is what I learned in history this week. They were all really cool but the gatling gun is the coolest.