We rode the Metro down to the DC Mall and spent the day there. You have to be in line at 8am to get tickets to the National Monument and they are usually gone by 8:30. So we went up in the monument, visited many museums and monuments and got tons of photos. We must have walked at least 20 miles and were on feet all day long.

Click here to see photos from this day.

Since arriving so late lastnight (this morning), we slept in and then drove to the DC Zoo and then walked around the National Cathedral and visited the gardens there.

Click here to see photos from this day.

Click Here to see videos.

Today was all about driving to DC. Along the way our transmission started acting up. I have this funky car where there is no dipstick or fill for the transmission fluid. It has to be serviced from underneath with a special tool. Low gears started slipping so I figured that it was low on fluid due to my negligence. Naturally the area we were in had just closed down at 5:00pm. Everything was closed including Walmart service department. I would have normally just stayed the night and relaxed, but I already had $140 in to a hotel in DC for the night and I didnt want to waste that, so I was motivated to keep on the road.

I decided to try to add fluid myself at this one auto store that hadnt closed yet. I got some fluid and a tube and crawled under the car in their parking lot. It was easy to determine which of the two screws was the drain plug and which was the fill/service plug so I went to town. Unfortunately, amidst the frustrations of the problem and not being able to source any help, I had forgotten the one simple thing that most guys know which is that transmission fluid must be checked while the engine is running and the pump is primed. Trans fluid is part of the system and is normally pressurized up in the pump and such, so when I removed that bolt with the engine off, all of the trans fluid was just sitting there in bulk and out it came, very hot, all over my arm and then down their nice parking lot...

I hesitated for a second then grabbed the bolt and stuck it back in to stop the flow. Naturally my arm is covered in hot stinky messy fluid and this river of oil is flowing its way down the parking lot.

We grabbed some towels to dike up what we could and I cleaned up a bit and realized my error. Running the motor proved to allow me to remove the bolt safely and add some fluid. My method of adding fluid throught a tiny hose using gravity didnt really work so well and I think most of it just came down my arm so I gave up, accepted defeat and decided to wait the night.

I went back into the place to get some cat litter to throw down on my mess and they came up with a name of someone who could help us and was still open.

We drove over to a very 'bad' part of town and this little corner place was apparently a hangout for the local folk as well. I found our guy and discussed the problem at great length because he didnt seem to understand why I couldnt add fluid. Finally after crawling under my car and doing his own investigation he came to the conclusion that I had no transmission fill tube and needed a special tool that he didnt have.

Angrily, I went on my way, and lowe and behold, the transmission light goes out and the thing seems to be working fine. I keept driving. We make it to DC hotel at 2:30am after getting lost in Downtown DC due to highway construction, poor signage and one wrong turn and exhaustion...

I think that the transmission filter may have gotten clogged and messing around with the fluid may have cleared the issue and allowed it to work again. It got us along the rest of the trip and then home again. I'll take it in for servicing later.





And to make things even worse, we had hit a bird the evening before on the highway and came to find it still on my grill the day after. But at least now I know why it was flying so low and across the highway...

We left home this morning at 5am and drove to Memphis in order to hit Graceland before it closed. Spent about four hours on the property where every single minute was consumed with audio of Elvis Presley singing or talking or being talked about. After the tour we went to a nearby BBQ place called Marlowes. Naturally it was Elvis themed and we had another 1.5 hours of listening to Elvis music...

Click here to see photos from this day.

Since I keep multiple Wodent Wheels in each of my cages, I have many to care for. The trim tracks that are available have a high cost to them and they dont last too terribly long, so I decided to experiment with DIY trim tracks.

I found two key things to allow this happen. One is the really neat and simple track connector that can be made out of FRP panel vinyl connectors. The other is endless shop roll sandpaper. I bought 240 and 320 grit and I recommend 320 or higher. The 240 really is too course for this purpose. Im sure I will tweak the specs as time rolls on.

One of the problems with purchased trim tracks for the Wodent is that they are sewn to the plastic mesh. This allows them to collect poop in a serious way and it is very hard and almost impossible to clean. They are also very hard to install, especially after they get old. I wanted to experiment with a way that does not attach the sandpaper to the mesh track and I came to find that it is rather easy to do it this way and much easier to manage.

So I have created two experimental wheels using my homebrew items.


WODENT WHEEL SOLID (using original track)


A slice of vinyl FRP trim makes a fantastic track connector in the Wodent wheel

Lengths of track

Homebrew items installed

All together now

Installed into cage



WODENT WHEEL MESH (replace original track with mesh)


Cut mesh to length and width of original solid track, stuff into back panel of wheel first, insert new track connector and assemble

Measure out sand paper from shop roll

Sand paper held in place with packing tape

Mesh wheel installed and ready for use




It will be interesting to see how these hold up to use and to see which one is preferred. Both will be much easier to clean and maintain now.

Something I might continue to look at to make it even easier to manage a trim track is to come up with a way to apply the sandpaper outside of the mesh wheel with a quick disconnect. Maybe use velcro on the ends or come up with a solid plastic ratcheting strap to wrap around the entire wheel to hold it on.

If you can quickly add and remove the sandpaper without having to take apart the whole wheel, it will be easier to just put it on once a week for standard nail maintenance and it will be so much easier to clean the wheels without needing to take them apart.

Once upon a time I was cleaning my cages. I had my 12" Wodent Wobust Wheel apart to clean and left the track lying on the ground to dry. Along comes a puppy who takes the track outside to chew on. I caught it in time but what I didnt realize was that I had left the track connector on one end of the track and I didnt retrieve that piece from outside so it became lost to the world.

Searching and searching online for some sort of track connector replacement piece, I finally came across what I was looking for. FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Paneling) is what you might cover a bathroom wall or commercial kitchen with. For this, they have 8ft long vinyl strips that butt connect the panels together to form a clean look. Once I knew what I was looking for, I found the FRP trim pieces at Home Depot expertly hidden amongst all of the other wall trim and moldings.

I had always wanted to experiment with converting a wheel to a mesh track so I went about doing that as well. I cut the plastic mesh the same length and width as the original track. I used the plastic mesh seam side for the outside and the cut side for the inside. I had to use a medium screwdriver to slowly and patiently force the cut side mesh track into the inside wheel wall piece. Then I inserted the track connector and then installed the outer wall with little problem.

The thing came together and works like a champ. And after taking photos of it and deciding that I should compare it to the Stealth for sizing, I finally came to realize that the Stealth uses that exact same RFP butt strip that I was trying to locate for such a long time. It sure helps to know the name of what you are looking for, I tell ya...

I placed this into the Nut House cage last night and all five of them spent lots of time spinning around together. Pican tends to go inside of a wheel to eat, so a mesh wheel will do some good in that cage. I'll keep the smaller 11" Wodent Sr's in there as well to manage nails.



















UPDATE: FOUND IT!

It looks like a piece of bacon now.

I fed three pomegranate buds to the sugar shack tonight. They tore through them in ten minutes, so I guess it was a hit. I cant wait to try the bottlebrush that has been growing out back.

This is a photo on the inside of Robins nestbox showing her webcam and her metal radiant warming wall which she wont be using for many months to come.

   

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kazko
Gender: Male
Occupation:computer geek
Member since: Jan 24, 1997
Posts: 6747 View my pictures!
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My Bio
NUTHOUSE (3) Pican 4/30/2002, died 6/02/2010 Buddy 5/01/2006 Hazel 2/01/2007, rehomed 11/28/2011 Maya 4/25/2007 Pili 4/25/2007 MISFITS (3) Big Guy 9/23/2003, died 1/29/2014 Lil Guy 9/23/2003, died 5/13/2015 Hunter 4/19/2006, died 3/23/2014 JP 8/12/2006 Shikoni 2004 Kioko 2003 Washi 2003, died 5/27/2014 SUGARSHACK (3) Chico 1/15/2006, died 9/14/2011 Cookie 10/15/2005 Kimmie 10/15/2005 Lucky 5/25/2007 Spritz 8/24/2007, died 7/06/2011 Ginger 8/24/2007, died 12/16/2012 Rock 9/09/2007, died 3/23/2013 Crystal 9/09/2007, died 11/01/2012

   

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