[Frank(Aflak)]

I've worked 8-9 hours a day at one of our sponsor's shops. They aren't a true machine shop in that mostly I've been assembling parts into heaters (the frames are made by someone else, shipped in. I put the heating element in, insulate it, wire it with any switches, pots, and relays it uses, assemble the rest of the frame, label it, box it, put it at the dock.)

Its more responsibility than it sounds, tho, because the person who was there before me quit about a week after I got in, and instead of finding another permanent they just moved me up (without a raise) and made me my own manager. I now have an underling who I am training to take over after I go back for my last year of HS (actually, I've had two: the first one was a moron and destroyed large amounts of product=FIRED!) but, me and my underling are responsible for about a quarter of the production of the company (industrial side( they build the big custom machines. I wish to be over there): 1/2 of produciton. S&E(where we build standard heaters):1/2 . . . there are a few models, I am in charge of about half of them, and wiring the standalone controls (more interesting than the heaters) for all of them.)



I am making a steady 8/hour, which will leave me with 2-3k in my bank account (newly opened) come start of school year.

Maybe when my '91 Sable craps out (I hope it lasts through college . . but it might die this year) I will have enough $$ to replace it (hmmm, but with what? definatly a full size sedan, maybe an old Grand Marquis . . . if only I could scrape the cash together for a Marauder . . . . . . . . . )

also, maybe this weekend or the next, I am starting my railgun (more involved. I need to build some variable transformers (1 bar of iron and LOTS of wire) and LOTS of homebuild capacitors (I'm think real thin metal with rounded edges (sharp edges will bleed the charge. Thats what a lightning rod does (besides attract lightning) with several layers of cling wrap between them (1/8 inch, maybe) and then rolled like a swiss cake roll. Then put alot of them in series so they can take higher voltages (really high, thats why i said 'several' transformers) and then put those series in parallel so as to increase the capacitance of the circuit (With what I am planning, firing this from wall outlet would pop every breaker in sight).) - - I will also need to build an AC-DC converter, and while I know how to do a simple one, making one able to take higher voltages may be a problem) Only reason I need high voltage is to counter the back emf induced by the projectile as it goes zooming down the coils.

I might finish it in the fall sometime. . . it will be quite the drawn out project. If anyone asks, I will claim its for launching objects into orbit so they can't nail me on having a BFG in my basement. I will probably fund this with summer job money.