ALIVE!!!

It is alive!

Coming Together nicely

Thanks to some kindly neighborhood kids who came around, I was able to install the motor today after picking up the adapter from the machine shop (widened to 4.135 in to fit over center schnozel on the forklift motor.) The kids pushed the car toward the hoist and I fed the tailshaft into place - the front mount is presently a tie down strap and a 2x4 The weight distribution is close to 50/50 with the placement of the batteries as 4 in front and 8 in back. The motor and transmission weigh 275 lbs together with the adapterShould make the wheels turn tomorrow :-) Warning, I've sneaked in a picture of my finger - it is getting better :-)

Committing a crime

Yesterday, I cut down the output shaft of the forklift motor, and cut 3 inches off of the coupler. I did it with a heavy heart as it was perfect - and it cost 250 bucks :-) The good news is that I have a new ker-chunk situation - once I mill the 1/4 in adapter plate and put it into place, it will all bolt up. There is still about a .008 wobble - but I think that will diminish when it is bolted together. I measured the size. pitch, and depth of all the bolts needed and will buy them tomorrow. :-) Interestingly, when using a depth gauge in measuring the depth of the bolt holes adjacent to the fan blades, I withdrew the depth gauge and it was covered in my blood :-) it was still wet and red because I had previously gotten some gear oil on the top of the motor when positioning the tranny. It was pretty awesome - Like I said before, "A little part of me is in that motor forever." :-)

Wrapping a wounded, broken finger with missing nail

I found a great product that will not stick to the meat under my fingernail - it is called adeptic. if it sticks, I just soak it in hydrogen peroxide and off it comes. It is a petroleum product - maybe someday it will be made with olive oil or something :-)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Adaptic-Non-Adhering-Dressing-/130411070302?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e5d1b035e

I put a 1cm strip (cut from the larger strips) around the tip, put regular gauze over that, put a bottom and end supporting splint under the finger and then use another awesome product I scored from the hand surgeon - tube gauze. they told me to change it out daily.
http://www.pocketnurse.com/sc/details.asp?item=06-51-0701

In addition to a tetnus shot the other day, they started me on cephalexin - an antibiotic called a cephalosporin that kills bacteria by "weakening cell walls." I wonder if it is also weakening the cell walls of the "scab" joining my semi-displaced distal phalanx.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cefalexin

Hand surgeon is waiting to xray it until next week so the swelling is down a bit. Hopefully it is knitting fairly straight - i don't want hadware in my hand.

As far as the nail goes, doc says that you only need one nail bed cell to fire up nail growth. and he described the nail linda coming outta a pocket slot opening - and that sometimes one has to massage it open if it is damaged... and coax the new nail out - interesting.