Member postings for noel shelley

Hi Chris, Any combustible material if finely divided(has it's surface area greatly increased) will much more easily ignite. So if a combustible material is soaked up with rag then it offers a huge surface area to the air(oxygen) and the chemical process of oxidation(burning) will not only start much more easily but will also be much more rapid.

When a young and possibly foolish child, I found that in being taught basic chemistry & having an inquiring mind that certain chemicals readily available from the grocer & hardware store could be mixed to create an interesting explosive. Applying theory from class, a pestle and mortar could reduce the two powders to a very fine dust, & in this condition the two once mixed could be fired by merely hitting it with hammer due to the intimacy of the fuel and oxidizing agent.

On a lighter note a bottle of Co2 of any sort is the best form of fire extinguisher in a small workshop since it will make no mess or damage tools Etc. A 3' length of reinforced hose attached to the bottle will serve to administer the gas and can be passed through a small gap to fill a room or building. In using Co2 one needs to remember that YOU also need to be able to continue to breath. Once caught in a cellar when a Co2 bottle burst I only had seconds to get out. On liquid fuel fires the result is spectacular, an invisible hand snuffing the flame out

I hope nobody need to use this information.

Good Luck Noel

Good evening gentlemen, This all brings back memories of my apprenticeship in the late 60s at Coventry Gauge & Tool, Kandux division, in Gt Yarmouth where we made optical comparators . Using 1 or 2 Q/I lamps to illuminate the object the image was passed through a lens to focus, then via two large mirrors ground in the works to bring the image to the frosted screen, which could be up to 60" square. We had 50p pieces in the factory before they were released as we made the inspection machines for the Royal Mint.

The part under inspection was mounted on a free moving XY table. Movement in the X & Y planes being by 2 large bodied micrometers reading to .0001". With the advent of digital measurement mechanical micrometers can be picked up for just a few £s and robbed of their heads for the above purpose. Just a thought.

Best wishes Noel

Hi Norman, the centrifugal switch is a good start, a current sensing relay or electronic relay is less likely in this application. DO NOT leave the motor humming for more than a few seconds. The start windings draw many times the running current and will very quickly over heat, destroying them. IF you don't hear the switch click in as the motor slows down to rest then follow others instructions. Another very likely reason is failure of the condenser or it's wiring. To test the wiring is just a simple continuity test but to test the condenser you will need a good multimeter(or a friend with one ). First discharge it with a 100Kohm 1/2w resistor,across the terminals, condensers of this size can give a nasty shock if left charged, even after several days. Look at the reading and compare with the data on the label,. If less than 20% of value it is almost certain to be your problem. Look for a motor rewind specialist, they will test or confirm your diagnosis and £10-15 should get a new one.

good luck, Noel

Howard, condensation in air can even after a while gather in the line to the extent that on starting an engine it may carry over enough to cause a lock, ok for slide valves but not so funny for piston valves. Unless your air is very dry you will still need to lubricate heavily at the end of a session, and turn the engine over every now and again to prevent seizure. The hydrovane pump mentioned by others is near silent and beautifully made but heavy, I have one. I will try my stuart No1 on it and report in due course.

Somehow air doesn't do it for me ! I have run the No 1 on the prestige Hi Dome pressure cooker. 3 weights gives you 15psi and the electric ring gives enough steam for a nice steady speed.

Is this the reason I'm a 49er and still single ?

Tales like this are told of many ww2 military sites. Living in east anglia I have heard such tales about man air fields and some army bases. Much of the land was returned to agriculture. An acquaintance of mine worked on such land(RAF Massingham) and told of tools etc often being ploughed out on parts of the farm, giving credence to the stories of crated Merlins, vehicles, even air frames all being pushed into huge holes bulldozed in the ground. A friends father tells a similar tale of the american base at Snettisham beach, and there is circumstantial evidence to back this one.

A bit off topic may be but at this location 617 Squadron(dam Busters) lost F for Freddy in a tragic accident.

I worked on one farm to be told of munitions being dumped after the war, this I know to be true, I was shown the equipment to fire the rounds.

Might make an interesting job for time team or mythbusters ? Noel

Hi Michael, plasma cutters are very quick,clean and easy to use, on almost any metal unlike oxy, BUT the ad men have good imagination and make claims like fishermen ! when it comes to depth of cut be very causious and try to get all tecnical info, most important get circuit diagrams , they may prove invaluable if in due course you have any trouble !

Paid a lot of money for a BOC/murex unit ! when I had trouble with it I found out it was a badged cheap italian model, BOC wanted NOTHING to do with it .

Do you have experience of using this type of gear ? If not get back to me, I'll offer what help I can on their use . good luck Noel

Hi All,

I would try wiring the units separately to different parts of the supply system, put a plug on one and connect via an extension lead to a 13a socket, there may be a beat frequency between the units. If this works then two runs of cable and may be a double switch will cure it ! Used to work in this field, but before digital hf units were thought of.

Good Luck Noel

hi all, a new boy here but as regards acid strength, "normal" industrial strenght is 95% or so. To arrive at a consistent and repeatable bath strength the use of a suitable hydrometer may prove handy, depending on strenght or sg an ordiary battery hydrometer may work ?

Noel