Music That Is Resonating In Our Ear Drums For The Week Of 9.25.15 including Turnstile, Anaal Nakthrakh, Primordial, Hark, Behemoth, Elle King, Clutch, Wildlights and Nathanile Rateliff

Needing some new tunes for which to get your groove on? In our forever search of new, different and enjoyable. Here is a random selection of tracks to which we have been enjoying over the last few weeks, including Turnstile, Clutch, Anaal Nakthrakh, Primordial, Hark, Nathaniel Rateliff, Elle King, Wildlights and more...

Jams Of the Week, Rival Sons, Clutch and Jungle Rot

Music drives our soul and constantly we are checking out new songs and videos on sites such as youtube. Have a listen to some great tracks below. Finally got the new Clutch album in our paws and listening to it non stop. As for Rival Sons, what can we say. They are one of the best rock bands touring today, so please we ask you, come tour the south! Lastly, our new favorite death metal band has to be Jungle Rot. They lay down a thick molasses of thrash infused death metal and its ready for our headset at the gym.

Clutch create a blu-ha-ha, From Classic Rock Magazine

Maryland's finest, the almighty Clutch

Clutch have released the title track from highly-anticipated upcoming album Earth Rocker. Hear it below.

Their highly-anticipated tenth album hits shelves in March and they’ll tour across the US and Europe in the coming months.

Classic Rock recently said of Clutch’s live show: “They’ve proved themselves to be the beating heart of 21st-century rock’n'roll. Out of step with the times but by no means retro, their supremacy is something to be very smug about indeed.”

Can You Really Ride A Cardboard Bicycle?

Sustainable materials are all around us. Now, it is just a matter of reformulating their original purpose and repurpose these materials into new and challenging solutions. Who woulda thunk that cardboard could be crafted into functional bicycle or that wood could be potentially stronger than kevlar or carbon fiber?

Necessity is the mother of invention and hearing about stories such as a bike being built from cardboard keeps us awake at night. We know of the amazing building properties within bamboo, concrete, hemp and an array of other materials, so now we are seeking out a plethora of interesting stories such as this.

Neil Fallon sings it best in the Clutch song You Can't Stop Progress

Link to short film on Vimeo

Izhar cardboard bike project from Giora Kariv on Vimeo.

Questions and answers, original post and info here

What was the biggest challenge in working with cardboard?

The biggest challenge of the Cardboard Bike project was to learn and develop a whole new know how of cardboard. Our challenge was to take the cardboard material, and pass it through a set of treatments, to replace the raw materials of plastic, wood or metal.

What did you learn from the experience?

What start up nation learned: That Nothing is impossible if you have patience and you are persistent.

How far along is the development of the Cardboard Bikes?

The development started 3 years ago. Since there was no know how with regards to the cardboard material, the first 2 years were devoted to learning the properties and behavior of the material; from all aspects of engineering tools, strength calculations and analysis and establishment of the IP that protects all of this know how. The "packaging box on wheels" as seen in our video was the third prototype, the Alfa commercial model (with the letter A on the chassis), is the first operational model that is made of a 100% recycled materials (with the electric motor as an add-on option).

Is it patented?

All know how, working procedures and production techniques are fully patent protected worldwide by Israel’s leading patent Reinhold-Cohen.

When will the company get to the point where it is manufacturing?

The Company is now in the process of raising funds that will bring the company within 6 months of investment to the point in which we will have a full and detailed manufacturing plan for the first 2 platforms. The commercial/Urban bikes (BOM – $9, 9 KG), and the kids/youth bike (BOM - $5, 3.5 KG). These models will be made of almost 100% recycled materials and will have the option of adding an electric motor. At this stage we have only the prototype for the commercial bikes as shown on the video.

How do you have the knowledge to take it from here to the market?

The inventor, Mr. Izhar Gafni, is a mechanical engineer and a multi-disciplinary systems developer. Izhar developed the recycled cardboard bikes combining his knowledge in 2 main areas: being an expert in building and designing custom made carbon fiber bikes for high end riders and his experience as a production line expert. Izhar is known for his former developments of the Pomegranate Peeling Machine (for which he has won a prize by the American Association of Engineers), a Smart Robot for sewing shoes, a Disabled Climbing Machine and more.We believe we have the knowledge and the ability to reach our goals and that nothing is impossible.

What is your vision?

Cardboard Technologies is all about making a better world for us to live in by two main principals: creating the ability to produce almost any daily product from at least 95% recycled materials and building auto production lines, with a simple post production assembly that will be performed by people with difficulties or disabilities.

Unlimited and incentivized raw materials and incentivized manpower will help us create working places in every location which we will find a local partner at. Our vision is also to bring the factories back from China (starting with the green ones).

What is your business model, and what will be the end user cost of your bikes?

The principals of our vision above, will allow our partners and manufactures to receive almost all of the of the production costs of our products back from governmental and global incentives, making our products available to almost any person in any philanthropic or commercial business model.

We can add any design or logo to the bike chassis for example and with by adding a simple electric motor, making it the most classical urban clean transportation.

This will allow our bikes to be given away as a commercial transportation or as a gift for Christmas from your Mayor.

Another important attribute of our bikes, is that they need no adjustment or maintenance, making them available directly to consumer at low price, and not through the regular marketing chains that will bring it to an end cost of X5 post assembly."

How A Manual Transmission Works

Any custom ride needs to have a solid transmission to mate up to that roaring beast you know of as the motor. The more tricked out the motor, the more torque to be pushed through the transmission and ultimately to make those wheels hitting the road burnin' the rubber. Transmissions are quite complicated and not to be undertaken without an affinity for complex puzzles where wrong torque specs, left over parts or cheap components will leave you stranded on the side of the road quickly. We found a killer video over on HowStuffWorks.com about gears, transmissions and clutches. These two videos should help to give mucho insight into how your vehicle is able to move forward. 

Manual Transmission Overview From Wikipedia 

Manual transmissions often feature a driver-operated clutch and a movable gear stick. Most automobile manual transmissions allow the driver to select any forward gear ratio ("gear") at any time, but some, such as those commonly mounted on motorcycles and some types of racing cars, only allow the driver to select the next-higher or next-lower gear. This type of transmission is sometimes called a sequential manual transmission. Sequential transmissions are commonly used in auto racing for their ability to make quick shifts.[citation needed] Manual transmissions are characterized by gear ratios that are selectable by locking selected gear pairs to the output shaft inside the transmission. Conversely, most automatic transmissions feature epicyclic (planetary) gearing controlled by brake bands and/or clutch packs to select gear ratio. Automatic transmissions that allow the driver to manually select the current gear are called Manumatics. A manual-style transmission operated by computer is often called an automated transmission rather than an automatic. Contemporary automobile manual transmissions typically use four to six forward gears and one reverse gear, although automobile manual transmissions have been built with as few as two and as many as eight gears. Transmission for heavy trucks and other heavy equipment usually have at least 9 gears so the transmission can offer both a wide range of gears and close gear ratios to keep the engine running in the power band. Some heavy vehicle transmissions have dozens of gears, but many are duplicates, introduced as an accident of combining gear sets, or introduced to simplify shifting. Some manuals are referred to by the number of forward gears they offer (e.g., 5-speed) as a way of distinguishing between automatic or other available manual transmissions. Similarly, a 5-speed automatic transmission is referred to as a "5-speed automatic."

Transmission Gear Assembly from a CAD drawing

Exploded view of a BMW X3 Transmission

2012 Harley Gear Box with exploded view of shift arm

CAD Drawing of automatic Transmission from a Honda

Here is how to ruin your vehicle and make rednecks excited world wide 

Baker Function Formed Primary

Found this image on Facebook and was stoked to see what Baker Drivetrain continues have up their sleeve. If we had the cash or were in need of an improved primary, installing a Baker Function Formed would be one of the first things we do. Its American made and the lines on it are as clean as a whistle, exuding strength and confidence with solid reliability along with ease of access due to their intuitive engineering setup. 

Here was the original text with the image: 

"Shown here is a BAKER FFP Formed Function Primary for Softail models. I am running it complete with our King Kong Klutch and outer bearing support on my 145" hot street/drag bike. Lots of our customers add their own finishes and personal touches. I have blasted away the pristine polished finish and powdercoated in a more subdued satin black. Also added is a quick access engine nut cover for periodic leakdown tests and mid shift control made from billet aluminum and some swap meet Dyna Glide parts. We give you the canvas, but you can personalize it any way you want! Send us some pics if your BAKER equipped ride. We'd love to see em, out of the box, or off the hook!" 

If you want to read more on this great product check out the Baker Function Formed Primary page 

Baker Function Formed Primary which can also use a stock Harley Clutch

Baker Unique 1-piece jackshaft is stronger

Inventive Escape Tools Made By Prisoners

Imagine this, you just got nabbed for a crime you didn't commit and they lock ya up, akin to the West Memphis 3. What the hell do you do? Needless to say you learn to become quite resourceful and look at your situation in one of those come or hell or high water types of scenarios and devise a plan. The planning will take time but the payoff could be huge. Unfortunately Michael Westen or Jason Bourne are not here to help so get MacGyver on the case and dream about a roll of duct tape and a swiss army knife, or better yet get creative.

Have a look at some of these inventive escape tools created by a few German prisoners. With a lot of time on your hands, anything can be possible. Otherwise the only way to pass the day is figuring out who is going to shank you next or doing more pushups.

All of these images are found on the site of Marc Steinmetz

Mace - Instrument found in the metal workshop of "Santa Fu" prison in Hamburg, Germany, where an unknown inmate manufactured and hid it. It is either a weapon or attached to a pole, might have been designed to push away barbed.

Radio Receiver - Sometime in the seventies an  inmate of Ludwigsburg prison, Germany, built this radio on the sly and hid it inside an encyclopedia. It was probably commissioned by another inmate who had no electronic expertise himself.

 

SHOTGUN - made from iron bedposts; charge made of pieces of lead from curtain tape and match-heads, to be ignited by AA batteries and a broken light bulb. On May 21, 1984 two inmates of a prison in Celle, Germany, took a jailer as a hostage, showed off their fire power by letting go at a pane of bullet-proof glass, and escaped by car.

STOVE / GRILL / TOASTER - An inmate of Ludwigsburg prison, Germany, botched together this multi-purpose tool from wire, a broken heating rod and sometin foil. It was found in his cell and confiscated sometime in the mid-eighties.

 

GRAPPLING HOOK - with segmented extension rod (13 segments, overall length: 4.5 meters); rope made of leather and string. This cleverly conceived tool assisted two inmates in their escape from Ludwigsburg prison,Germany, on August 19, 1987. The attached rod enabled them to place and retrieve the hook and thus negotiate two prison walls in succession.

 

DOUBLE-BARRELED PISTOL - This gun was found along with other homemade firearms in the cell of two Celle prison inmates on November 15, 1984. The weapons had been made in

the prison’s metal workshop. They were loaded with pieces of steel and match-heads.

 

 

SHIV - disguised as a wooden crucifix; found in an inmate’s cell in Wolfenbüttel prison, Germany, sometime around 1994; intended for use in an escape or as a general weapon. At that time a lot of crucifixes were fashioned in prison woodshops until jailers finally figured out  their true purpose.

 

DUMMY PISTOL - from blackened cardboard; found on June 23, 1988, in an inmate’s cell in Stammheim prison, Germany, after a fellow prisoner tipped off the jailers. The dummy was hidden in an empty milk pack and was most probably intended to be used for taking hostages in an escape attempt.

 

DUMMY SUBMACHINE GUN - made from a grease injector, wood, a rubber sleeve, and tape. The mock weapon was found in 1994 in a prison workshop in Wolfenbüttel prison, Germany, after jailers were tipped off that an escape attempt was being planned.

WHIP - with razor blades. The grisly weapon was found around 1996 in ‘Santa Fu’ jail in Hamburg, Germany, in the cell of a drug addicted inmate after his failed attempt to extort a higher Methadone ration by threatening a female prison officer with a knife.

 

HASH PIPE - fashioned from an empty horseradish tube; confiscated in ‘Santa Fu’ prison in Hamburg, Germany. Smoking implements are the most common illicit items in prisons. The range of materials they are made of mirrors the inmates’ great imagination.

 

SAW - An inmate of ‘Santa Fu’ prisonin Hamburg, Germany, fitted a wooden handle to a piece of saw blade for better handling. The tool was found in his cell and confiscated

IMMERSION HEATER - made from razor blades; found in a cell in ‘Santa Fu’ jail in Hamburg, Germany. Jailbirds use these tools to distil alcoholic beverages forbidden in prisons. Your typical inmate’s moonshine still includes a plastic can containing fermented fruit mash or juice, an immersion coil of some sort, a rubber hose, and a plastic receptacle for the booze.

TATTOOING NEEDLE - made from a toothbrush handle, a ball pen and an electric motor;  confiscated in ‘Santa Fu’ prison in Hamburg, Germany. Tattooing instruments are a popular and common source of income among inmates but are banned as ‘illegal objects’ due to the danger of infection (Aids, Hepatitis, etc.)

Clutch Digs The Green Lady Killers

Ya never know who might be diggin' on the tunes that we enjoy so much and what could be better than when its one of the best damn bands out there. Thanks to the fellas in Clutch for diggin' the Green Lady Killers.

Listen to Clutch on Last.fm