Super Rat Machine Works » FEATURED PROJECTS

steve’s waterblock project

Phil — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:01:35 +0000

these are acrylic blocks for a watercooling system used on high powered computer processors. i think…
and a little process of how we made them.

sawing up acrylic plate:

blocks saw cut and ready for machining, we left the protective paper on till they were ready to go in the machine.

blocks loaded up in the machine, the left vise is the 1st. operation that cuts the outer profile, the waterpocket, o-ring groove and will drill and tap the mounting holes. the vise on the right puts in the 1/4-19 bspp holes for the water connection and rounds over the edge.

a view of finished ones and ones ready to go.

and the finished product:

black cat bicycles

Phil — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:29:54 +0000

primarily our work is in aluminum. and it’s nice to change things up. these dropouts, made of good ol’ 4130 chromoly, are for todd over at black cat bicycles.
he makes handmade bicycle frames, utilizing this dropout design of his and subtle mods such as the ever so sightly radiused toptube on this bike which result in these wonderful examples of craftsmanship.
these are some pics of the process of making them for a peek at the drops on a finished frame have a look at his blog- http://www.blackcatbicycles.com/

Super Rat Machine Works Pedals!

Phil — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:31:08 +0000

the inaugural batch of S.R.M.W. pedals are finished! here are a few pics of what they look like…

spindle detail:

end cap:

the end cap proved to be a slight hurdle, it’s not necessary to the function of the pedal but i felt like it needed to be there to provide a finished look. and it’s a great spot for our little logo! we’re working on a “parts drawing” that will be included with the pedals that will illustrate how everything is assembled, as well as a sweet set of instructions.

another interesting decision has been packaging? i’m guessing that few people are interested in our products because of our packaging merits… but it can add cost and waste very easily. as a machine shop we try our best to be environmentally friendly, and as a machine shop that can be a difficult task. we recycle our aluminum chips, we’re switching to a more eco-friendly coolant. even purchasing domestic material plays a part since domestic aluminum mills are held to higher environmental standards than most would find in other countries. it’s a work in progress but we try to do our part. i think we’ve found a nice method of minimal and functional packaging. and of course it’s simple since i’m the one doing the work!
i’ll get some pics up soon of the packaging and included contents…

precision bottle opener

Phil — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:25:26 +0000

originally i made a handful of these things for our wedding back in october as gifts and as a demonstration for friends and family that had not seen the machine shop before. they are made from 7075 t-6 aluminum and weigh about as much as 5 zip-ties… it fits nicely on your keychain so you’ll always be prepared in case your special lady friend needs her zima bottle opened. nevermind that it’s a twist-off, it’s way classier to use this fine device. they are shiny, functional and a good conversation starter. shipping is included.

Super Rat products

Phil — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:45:22 +0000

We have been working on a few new products in recent months, some for our customers which are top secret, and others that are our own design. This pedal will be our first offering! The picture is of the initial prototype. Sometimes it’s a tough call when to release product pics. The idea here is to include the photos and thoughts throughout the process and on to production. That said, here’s where I started:

I’ve always been a big fan of the classic shimano dx type pedal, both for look and feel, which of course is where the overall shape comes in. There were interesting questions that arose as the drawings were being made. Should it be concave? How much concave? How does the overall length (from toe edge to heel edge) to concave ratio affect the feel? I am still searching for the right answer. What I’ve done is create a longer pedal than the norm (whatever the norm is?) we’ll say than an eastern pedal since that is what’s sitting on my desk. Approx. .250″ from front to back as well as .250″ wider from side to side. I’ve often wondered if a larger pedal would feel “better”. My initial test of course was to lay it on the carpet and and stand on it pretending it wasn’t 9 degrees outside. Seemed ok? I liked it, actually it felt good. I have yet to put the traction pins in which will be the bolt in from the underneath style that most pedals use these days. And i have yet to finalize the spindle and bearings. I have mocked up a possibility but haven’t committed to it yet.

At the moment the details look like this:

Retail will be around $95
They will weigh in around 16-18oz per pair
And as henry ford said – “You can have any color you want, as long as it’s black.”