tools & products for restorations

[Rimcanyon]

Here is a picture of one of the indicator holders I made for measuring valve to guide clearance.



You can see it in action with a couple closeups in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utnfM18stC4

[Jbrooks]

Dave

Nice tool, your a you tube star now, i was the second subscriber... The link has a "/edit" at the end of the link so its broken, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utnfM18stC4

[Rimcanyon]

Dave

Nice tool, your a you tube star now, i was the second subscriber... The link has a "/edit" at the end of the link so its broken, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utnfM18stC4

Thanks John, not a utube star, more of a utube old fart! But I wanted to make one for each of the steps in head rebuilding. Next one will be on using a Hall-Toledo EJ valve seat grinder.

[Jbrooks]

Dave

post some close up detailed photos of the tool. Three views if possible. A good detailed head rebuild is a good thing. Probably less than 20 of us left that know how to do the correctly.

[Rimcanyon]

John, I made two indicator holders, the first one is still a work in progress. It needs some refinements to keep it stable. I am thinking of boring it in three places around the periphery of the round base, threading those for setscrews and inserting a ball and spring to keep the indicator snug. The one with the Federal indicator has a dovetail rack mount so it is easy to adjust (the rack gear is rotated by an allen wrench from the side), and the thick base gives it something to rest on, so it is quite stable.

[Rimcanyon]

Here are some other indicator holders I made for 356 work:

This one is for checking cam timing. It is used with a case assembled with crankshaft, cam and lifters (also flywheel and degree front pulley). It fits in the pushrod tube bore. It has an eccentric so that it can be centered over the end of the lifter (which is off-center by design). The small brass disc fits in the end of the lifter.





This one is for checking TDC before the rods go on (bare crankshaft).

[Rimcanyon]

What is the best product for sealing and filling the gaps at the bottom corners of a roadster/convertible D windshield (where the top and bottom gaskets meet, or are supposed to meet)? I was thinking of using this CR Laurence product:

[Jbrooks]

I just picked up a box of LED shop lights form Amazon. a little over $100.00 for 10 each, I normally don't post thinks like this but I could not believe how bright these are, working with florescent for years, these are far better and easy to install . Doing restorations you cant have enough light. You can string 6 off the same plug, easy flush installation.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YLQRJSQ?ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details&th=1

[Jbrooks]

I came across this guy just across the border in Canada, I am going to go up and visit, but this Laser Cleaning Process looks very promising. here is a YouTube of him testing a new machine Feb 12 2024.

https://youtu.be/FIU3IUbD0dQ?si=NfWSKHephLT8Mpob

your thoughts they are about $5K but will remove paint, powder, rust, grease etc. Maybe easier than sand blasting. Considering one for the Home Shop..

[JTR70]

Sci-Fi grade piece of equipment. I haven't been mesmerized like that since I first watched a plasma cutter work back in the late 80's. While 5 grand is a good chunk of change I was thinking more in the 10K range but maybe thats what it was a few years ago? Either way it would quickly pay for itself. Wonder if it changes the molecular structure of the steel? Thanks for posting it John.

[Jbrooks]

JTR

I agree, I looked him up, I thought he was just across the border in Vancouver. Same address but he is in another Provence. Saw my first plasma cutter in the mid 80’s, it was the same eye opener. I was back east testing airplanes at PAX River, went over to see Jim O'Brien, who was the big cheese at SEDDEF for testing. He had a new thing “plasma cutter”, I watched him cut out a flush patch, and a rust hole at the same time. Then tac the patch on the quarter panel in under a minute. I was sold.

I have been looking at several systems to burn the rust off 356’s still need to put my hands on one. In the video he is only running 30% of available power, seems to be fine. I used to work with lasers in the navy, so I understand most of the physics. Since there are several variables, beam width, pulse frequency, beam shape beam sweep, power out it should be fine, with no change to the molecular structure of the metal. You can see some beam tracks when he moves fast, but that’s like welding technique. 30 years ago I would have given anything for a 500 watts laser.

I think in the long run it might be cheaper than sand blasting, or a chemical dip. They are 7-10k each, but we pay that for a couple cars so it could be a wash over a few cars, until someone points it at an airplane, or gets the EPA involved, it could be a game changer.

https://youtu.be/eD5LOSMZrC0?si=iW378srBWCWWe8mU

[JTR70]

It is amazing at the amount of tech that can be purchased as the years roll by. If you ever take delivery of one you'll have to let us know how it worked for you.

[Jbrooks]

Well we pulled the trigger ordered a laser. 6 weeks in transit on the slow boat from china. Get an extra un expected charge of 550.00 to take the container off the ship. And 450.00 from my customs broker to file the entry papers. No customs duties, but a surprise USFDA inspection. It’s a class IV device and can cause injury if misused. FDA wanted to do the inspection in the customs bond room in Tacoma, but could not tell me when except 1-6 weeks. That would cost me 100.00 a day for storage, so I drove down and picked it up, took it to the shop. They were not happy, but had ask for a photo of the label on the laser source. What’s a guy to do, bring it home, unpack it and get a photo.

Got it out of customs bond, only to have the FDA demand a physical inspection. Engineer coming tomorrow to look at the device. Anyway we are not supposed to use it until cleared by CDHR in back in DC. It’s always something. But as directed, save all the original packing, don’t use it until inspection results are returned from the head Phd laser guy in DC.

Was a truck load, 200Kg no handles



Anyway, someone wired it up, filled the chiller and did some testing. I like it. We have only tried 2-500W and still working on the settings, but for 30 minutes of trials I believe it will function as planned manuals are CHINGLISH, but most of the how to is in video format on YouTube

More data later in a new post on the process and how well it works.

[JTR70]

Dreaming about all the things I could clean up with that. Awesome machine and I'm sure you have no remorse about buying it.

[Jbrooks]

We’ll just when you think your OK, the FDA changes their mind. Received this letter today, but I have until the 18th of July to interpret what this says and then come up with a mitigation plan to bring it into compliance. NOW THE REAL FUN BEGINS.

This product was reviewed by FDA’s Center for Device and Radiological Health (CDRH). Domestically manufactured and imported radiation emitting (laser) devices must meet certain performance standards which includes the labeling on the product. You can review the performance standards and additional information at the following link: Laser Products and Instruments | FDA. Per CDRH’s review they identified deficiencies with applicable performance standards by the shipped product. The following deficiencies were identified:

• Noncompliant Product Report - 21 CFR 1002.10
• Noncompliant Certification - 21 CFR 1010.2
• Noncompliant Identification - 21 CFR 1010.3
• Noncompliant Required Labeling - 21 CFR 1040.10(g)
• Noncompliant User Information - 21 CFR 1040.10(h)

In summary, the evidence observed from the shipped product demonstrated noncompliance with applicable performance standard

You can look up the references if you like.
thanks for following (this is really a cool welder. I have done welds 0.060 wide on 18ga with 100% penetration's. I really like it)

[JTR70]

Are you optimistic about getting through all of those hoops before time runs out?

[Jbrooks]

All

Looks like I am going to lose my laser welder to US Customs. The FDA is pretty hard over on this compliance thing. Below is the next to the final nail in the Laser Welder Saga. It is not on the approve devices list with the Center for Devices and Radiological Health ( CDRH )folks. Below is the reply to my appeal. Because it was not on the list, that also means it was not labeled correctly, and the other 4 CFR-1010 violations. I have until the 28th of August to get it into compliance.

I plan to either have the vendor FIX it or send me one that does meet the requirement, or get a full refund an buy another one. ( awaiting their response). The welder system is just really way beyond cool, the welds are amazing and the cleaning rust an paint is superb. Way faster than sand or vapor blasting. but just my luck I bought one that is not on the list.

If you are planning on buying a laser welder, an I do recommend you get one for restorations. Have your vendor send you a copy of the FDA approval certificate, then call your local FDA office an have them verify it is on the list. ( I have a certificate with multiple welders on it, just not mine). There is a link to the Laser BAD Guy list in the response, which I know everyone monitors this list daily.



Hello John,

I’m sorry it took until the end of the day on a Friday to follow up with you again. We were able to contact Gordon Wales and David Serrano this afternoon to review their photos and findings from their inspection. First, I know this is not an intuitive process, so it’s very understandable that you were likely surprised at the detention of your laser welder, perhaps not certain about why the product was detained, and are trying to figure out the best next steps. I’ll try to provide you some background and context for what happened below.

To summarize, FDA regulates the manufacturer and entrance into US commerce of laser products. That means that as far back as the 1970s, the predecessor of the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health recognized that laser products were among those non-medical radiation-emitting electronic products which posed such as significant public safety risk that they would be required to comply with a set of manufacturer safety standards, which we call the FDA laser performance standard. And, there are also regulations about how they will be entered into US commerce. These are manufacturer regulations, which are not well known to consumers. For laser products, the performance standard is available to everyone, and requires that manufacturers use specific measurement conditions and procedures so their products can be given a certain laser class (Like Laser Class IV); and that products have proper hazard warning labels; engineering features such as protective housing, interlocks, remote interlock connectors, and emission indicators; and user safety instructions to prevent injuries. If you look it up on the internet, search for 21 CFR 1010.2 and 1010.3 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2...er-J/part-1010) and 1040.10 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2...er-J/part-1040). Before a manufacturer can enter their laser product into US commerce, there are two requirements.

The first manufacturer requirement is that manufacturers must certify (self-certify) that their products comply with the FDA laser performance standard and identify themselves along with a manufacture date by way of affixing labels. FDA cannot review the millions of laser products and approve them prior to entering them into commerce, so that’s why manufacturers are required to certify to a publicly available, safety consensus standard. FDA enforces compliance with that standard afterward by reviewing manufacturer documents, inspecting manufacturer facilities, inspecting products at imports, and by purchasing them for analysis. The certification label, the manufacturer identification label, and the Class IV hazard label were identified as among those that were either missing or incorrect. There was also a remote interlock connector that was missing. The remote interlock connector is required so that you would have the ability to connect a remote interlock, such as a pressure pad, emergency stop, or a door interlock if necessary. Since these safety items were missing, our regulations requires FDA to detain the product until it can be brought into compliance by the manufacturer or some other means provided by you, sent back to the manufacturer, or destroyed.

The second manufacturer requirement is for manufacturers to submit a product report to FDA, which describes how their product complies with the FDA performance standard. We permit the report to cover a model family, and we also provide a way for the manufacturer to identify new models of that model family to FDA so that our reviewers can examine the report and contact the manufacturers should there be questions or problems to address. These reports are given a file number, or an accession number, which is used when importing products into the US. FDA imports officers review these documents and cross reference these accession numbers with our database to be sure each product is identified as being reported. You mentioned that there were two accession numbers associated with two laser manufacturers for your laser welder. Shandong Seaman Machinery is the finished product manufacturer, and Raycus is the laser component manufacturer. The number that matters for this shipment is the one associated with Shandong Seaman Machinery. The fact that the model number for your machine was not listed among those on their product report is an issue, though it may not seem to be very significant because of the listing of the other models in the model family. That issue could have been rectified by contacting the manufacturer, which might have been able to submit a supplemental report to include the model to their original report. However, the safety violations are the primary reason for the detention of your laser welder.

Unfortunately, purchasing foreign made laser products carries some risk because while most laser product manufacturers understand and know about the FDA laser performance standard, many in China do not for a variety of reasons. China does not have safety requirements for laser products, and many Chinese companies only sell within China or to other countries outside the US. So, if these companies do sell products to the US, their unfamiliarity with our regulations can cause problems at imports. In fact, we frequently encounter problems with industrial laser products at ports of entry, and FDA has identified many foreign manufacturers, mostly from China, which are not in good standing with FDA regulations, and they are placed on the FDA import alert list. This import alert list in on a public website (https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_i...alert_255.html), which anyone can search for a potential manufacturer of interest prior to purchasing. We update the list all the time, as soon as we can, but unfortunately, there are still many firms to avoid out there, which haven’t been placed on the list yet. That means, it’s important to monitor the list and verify how well a given manufacturer complies with FDA regulations as best you can via internet searches, forums, or by contacting the company and ask questions. US manufacturers have the same requirements, however if we find compliance problems, we require them to take corrective actions like refund the purchaser, repair the product, or replace the product with a compliant product at no costs to the purchaser.

I understand that you have tried to contact the manufacturer for some assistance. That’s good, and hopefully they will be willing to either refund your money or help you to make the laser welder compliant with our safety standards. If Shandong Seaman Machinery isn’t able to help you, then you may need to get some outside help from a laser safety consultant, if you want to recondition the laser product and get it released. FDA does not have a compliance laboratory for these cases, and we aren’t permitted to make recommendations to any particular consultants. However, if you were to search on “Laser Safety Consultant” on the internet, I noticed a few consultants in the results, of which I am familiar and would be good places to contact. You may find that the costs associated with reconditioning your laser welder are not insignificant, but perhaps it may be worth exploring that option.

Here is a link to FDA Form 766 (https://www.fda.gov/media/71537/download#:~:text=APPLICATION%20FOR%20AUTHORIZATION %20TO%20RELABEL%20OR%20RECONDITION), which is a reconditioning request form and would be sent to David Serrano (david.serrano@fda.hhs.gov) before your time extension expires. If you want to recondition your laser welder, complete it with your plan upon contacting the manufacturer or a consultant for review.

I hope this is helpful and at least provides you with some context around the detention of your laser product. I also wish I could provide a better set of options for you. But, if you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me again as well as David Serrano. However, David will be your point of contact with respect to moving forward with the next steps with your product.

Best regards,
Patrick

Assistant Director, Electronic Products Team
Office Product Evaluation and Quality
Center for Devices and Radiological Health
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/default.htm

[JTR70]

What a mess. Sound like someone in control over there needs a contribution...

[Jbrooks]

Well I loose…… FDA says entry into the USA denied, export or destroy the welder. I can ship it back, but I must return it to CBP (customs) and pay them to pack it and they choose the transport and send me the bill.

Now I need to get another one, I really like this process, it’s quick, clean, not too much excess heat in the part. Cleans like crazy, rust, paint, sealer, oil scum all vaporized. Everlast just launched a new laser, physically identical to mine, same computer, laser source, etc. It’s just in their factory green color, and only $8k more (on sale @ $18.5K) than the one I am going to destroy.

If you want to get any laser product from overseas. You must get to the THE CDRH (Center Directorate for Radiation Health) who maintain the FDA “ACCESSION LIST”, this is step one and the key. It’s a non public secret FDA list of approved laser products. You must contact the FDA FIRST a verify the manufacture, part number, model, are on the secret list before your purchase. If not they will run you around with inspections, reconditioning plans, re-inspections and finally a $20k+ private laboratory report, like you made the damn thing your self. Then after a few months just say NO….with no specifics just “does not conform” destroy it.

So I plan to dissemble it, remove the Laser Source, and repurpose the computers, power supplies and chiller. (Spares locker). Scrap pile the sheet metal. When they come for the Laser bits, I can fit them in a small cardboard box. I hope once the laser I’d removed they will have no authority over the rest.

order from FDA in this link. Bureaucracy always overcomes.
ora214rpt1_406575_09102024_102939051216_oamq0111.pdf

[JTR70]

What an absolute F-N mess! I think your best option is to return the whole damn thing and recover what you can after their packing and shipping fees. Keeping any component and trying to repurpose it only keeps the door open for further harassment as it and you remain well on their RADAR. Really sorry about all of this John.